A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."
–St. Basil the Great
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.
See 2 Timothy 1:10
“Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
- Nehemiah 8:10
Your Life is Guided by God
To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by him. When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of him. This is what is meant by a prayerful life. It is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said, or understood independently of him who is the origin and purpose of our existence. This is powerfully expressed by the nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox starets Theophan the Recluse:
Into every duty a God-fearing heart must be put, a heart constantly permeated by the thought of God; and this will be the door through which the soul will enter into active life. . . . The essence is to be established in the remembrance of God, and to walk in his presence.
-Henri Nouwen
PRAYER TO MARY,
MOTHER OF LIFE WITHIN
O Mary, Mother of the Life Within,
all life we entrust to you;
The life of every expectant mother
and the child within her womb:
The life of every human person,
the life of every human soul;
The life of every newborn child
and the life of all grown old.
Safeguard in Love the life within
every human heart as you
held the Lord to your own heart
and drew Him so close in.
So draw us now in all our needs,
O Mother of the Life Within.
Amen.
#saturdayswithmary
By letting go of our need to judge others, we can find true freedom. ❤️ Enjoy Henri’s full meditation on this...
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“We spend an enormous amount of energy making up our minds about other people. Not a day goes by without somebody doing or saying something that evokes in us the need to form an opinion about him or her. We hear a lot, see a lot, and know a lot. The feeling that we have to sort it all out in our minds and make judgments about it can be quite oppressive. The desert fathers said that judging others is a heavy burden, while being judged by others is a light one. Once we can let go of our need to judge others, we will experience an immense inner freedom. Once we are free from judging, we will be also free for mercy. Let’s remember Jesus’ words: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1).”
Such important words to live by♥️
Freedom from this, judging others, this I pray.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19
#dailyingodsword
Lord...
Wherever your plans for me this day,
help me follow your Spirit's lead...
Whatever you call me to do today,
I pray for the strength to do it...
Whatever you prompt me to say this day,
give me wisdom to speak the truth...
Should you take me to task for failing in love,
give me grace, today, to change my ways...
If you ask me today to forgive my neighbor,
help me to do so, freely and fully...
Whomever you ask me to help today,
may I touch with gentle compassion...
When you call me to pause and pray this day
may I come to you, Lord, with an open heart...
Wherever, however, whenever today
you choose to move in my life, O Lord:
open me up to your presence and power
to your mercy, your grace and your peace...
Amen.
-Fr. Fleming
Amen✝️
To pray is to listen to [God’s] voice of love. That is what obedience is all about. The word obedience comes from the Latin word ob-audire, which means “to listen with great attentiveness.”
If we could just be, for a few minutes each day, fully where we are, we would indeed discover that we are not alone and that the One who is with us wants only one thing: to give us love. - Henri Nouwen
