Be with Jesus. Be quiet. Listen to the one who invites you to his home. Gradually, we will notice that we are in his house not only for that half hour, but also throughout the day. We will discover that we are in the house of the Lord wherever we are and whatever we do. By dwelling with the Lord in prayer, we can live in a hostile, violent, competitive world and be at home. — A Spirituality of Homecoming
Detachment is often understood as letting loose of what is attractive. But it sometimes also requires letting go of what is repulsive. You can indeed become attached to dark forces such as resentment and hatred. As long as you seek retaliation, you cling to your own past. Sometimes it seems as though you might lose yourself along with your revenge and hate – so you stand there with balled-up fists, closed to the other who wants to heal. — With Open Hands
There was that voice, that incredible voice: “You are my beloved son and on you my favor rests.” That’s the voice at the Jordan River, where Jesus heard and believed that he was the beloved of God on whom God’s favor rests. It was as the beloved that Jesus lived his life even in front of the demon. The evil spirit said to him, “Prove that you are the beloved by changing stones into bread and becoming relevant. Prove that you are the beloved by being spectacular and throwing yourself down from the Temple to be saved by God’s angels. You’ll be in the news and on TV so everyone can see how wonderful you are! Prove you are the beloved by having power and influence so you can control the situation.” But Jesus answered, “I don’t have to prove anything. I am the beloved because that’s the voice I heard in the Jordan River. I know that I am the beloved. I have heard the words, ‘You are my beloved. You are my beloved.’” Jesus believed the words and he knew who he was. — Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit
Verse of the day
Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
– Matthew 25:13
Voice of the day
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and it does seem to me that notwithstanding all these social agencies and activities there is not that vigilance which should be exercised in the preservation of our rights.
– Ida B. Wells
Prayer of the day
You whose words are a lamp under our feet, help us remain ever-attentive to threats against our liberation and give us courage to fight back.
Each individual Christian and each community of Christians has a unique call. Everybody can’t do everything. You get out and do what the gospel is saying… There are some people who go to prison, who develop a whole nonviolent strategy around that. There are people who live very simple lives of prayer. Some live in monasteries, some as hermits, some in families. There are doctors and lawyers who live as witnesses. There are people who use their wealth to bring about things that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. We have to get in touch with what is our unique vocation, to be a sign of hope in the world without being fanatical and thinking that everyone should do what we do. I need to trust that God will do God’s work through me if I am faithful to my vocation. — The Road to Peace
Verse of the day
Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.
– James 3:13
Voice of the day
We must be fierce as lions to do God’s will. But we also must be gentle souls as we reach out to those who need our compassion.
– Sr. Norma Pimentel
Prayer of the day
In a world that can seethe with anger and might against the stranger, let us walk with our siblings in gentleness.
We can love others because the “I” in our innermost self has heard the first love – which is God’s unconditional, unlimited love. When we come together in relationships, we recognize that others are also loved with the first love. The first love incarnates in different ways in every person and calls us together to build a new home, a new community, a new dwelling place for God in this world. — Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety
Verse of the day
But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with endurance.
– Luke 8:15
Voice of the day
I see a danger in insisting that our love of freedom always outweighs whatever force or inertia keeps us from resisting oppression and seeking deliverance.
– Ursula K. Le Guin
Prayer of the day
God who is our solid ground, tear us away from the temptation to ignore repression for our own convenience.
Our many conversations led me to the inner conviction that the words “You are my Beloved” revealed the most intimate truth about all human beings, whether they belong to any particular tradition or not. All I want to say to you is “You are the Beloved,” and all I hope is that you can hear these words as spoken to you with all the tenderness and force that love can hold. My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being – “You are the Beloved.” — Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World
On July 8, 1964 Thomas Merton wrote the below entry into his journal. With the ongoing insanity here in this nation and in the world, his words speak volumes. Change some of the names and places and he is describing what is happening in the Middle East and Central and South America!
I do not at all like President Johnson’s policies in Asia. To make sure of votes in this year’s Presidential election, he has to threaten war and promise “results” against the Communists. There is something very strange about a system where a political power for a party or an individual demands the sacrifice of lives and of poor people thousands of miles away, people who never even heard of Democrats and Republicans. I am not talking about Communist power only, but power of Democrats and Republicans… All the future promises is the possibility of a long, stupid, costly, disastrous and useless war in Asia. It will certainly bring no good whatever to anyone, but because it does not involve a nuclear threat to the U.S., everybody shrugs and think about something else. — A Vow of Conversation: Journals 1964-1965, p. 60
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