Catholic Daily Reflections

The Catholic Daily Reflections Series was written to help you enter more deeply into the Holy Scriptures and the Catholic Liturgy on a daily basis. Through these reflections and prayers, you are invited to embrace the Word of God in a personal, engaging, challenging and transforming way. These reflections are also a great resource for priests and deacons for their daily homily preparations. This Volume offers daily reflections and prayers for Lent and Easter. Catholic Daily Reflections Series: Volume One: Advent and Christmas Volume Two: Lent and Easter Volume Three: Ordinary Time: Weeks 1-17 Volume Four: Ordinary Time: Weeks 18-34

We all face stress and tension in our daily lives. We might even wonder why our God of abundant goodness doesn’t remove the everyday struggles we face. Jesus’ interactions with Martha and Mary in the Gospel provide us the key to understanding how God shows us his love by allowing tensions in our lives. As we follow the sisters’ transformative journeys through their own struggles, reflecting on what transpires between Scripture verses, we see their initial tension become the catalyst that drives both Mary and Martha to the feet of Jesus — the place where all discover peace. Grace in Tension explores the areas where stress arises in our own lives. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking prayer to inspire us to go to God with our problems, followed by questions for reflection to help us see all the ways he’s working for our good. God doesn’t create any of it, but he does show up amid life’s difficulties, ready to lead us through. No matter how big or small our struggle, when we seek him out, he reveals what we need to do to resolve our tension, transforming it into grace. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire McGarry is the founder of MOSAIC of Faith, a ministry for mothers of infants to school-aged children to explore their faith through motherhood. She contributes regularly to CatholicMom.com and blogs at ShiftingMyPerspective.com. She is the author of Lenten devotional With Our Savior, and her work has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Keys for Kids, These Days, and Focus on the Family magazine. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Over 3 million copies sold! Essential reading for Catholics of all walks of life. Here it is - the first new Catechism of the Catholic Church in more than 400 years, a complete summary of what Catholics around the world commonly believe. The Catechism draws on the Bible, the Mass, the Sacraments, Church tradition and teaching, and the lives of saints. It comes with a complete index, footnotes and cross-references for a fuller understanding of every subject. The word catechism means "instruction" - this book will serve as the standard for all future catechisms. Using the tradition of explaining what the Church believes (the Creed), what she celebrates (the Sacraments), what she lives (the Commandments), and what she prays (the Lord's Prayer), the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers challenges for believers and answers for all those interested in learning about the mystery of the Catholic faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a positive, coherent and contemporary map for our spiritual journey toward transformation.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ... sicut in caelo et in terra The saints were not picture perfect. But they were real men and women who loved Jesus in the midst of their struggles with sin and suffering. In the most difficult moments in history, these men and women were lights in the darkness, prophets of hope, and beacons of peace. Joyfully persevering through life's trials, they lived the Gospel in unique, fascinating, and inspiring ways. The Daughters of St. Paul at Pauline Books and Media noticed that most books on the lives of the saints are paperback and do not have a presentation as timeless or as beautiful as we believe the lives of the saints deserve. For this reason, we decided to take on the monumental project to write, design, and illustrate a volume of 365 saints and blesseds. Supported by the prayers of our sisters in convents and Pauline Books and Media bookstores around the world, over thirty of our sisters worked on all aspects of this timeless volume for over a decade. It's our hope that it will reflect the striking beauty of the saints' lives--a meeting of heaven and earth. Through the beautiful reflections and exquisite artwork, may you forge deeper bonds with these holy men and women in heaven who show us how to live in Christ. Let's become saints! Features & Benefits - daily reflections on the saints and blesseds, written by the Daughters of St. Paul - original illustrations by Sr. Danielle Victoria Lussier, FSP - includes indices of names, patron saints, feast days - includes prayers written by the saints - keepsake quality with durable hardcover - gold-stamped cover - includes a ribbon

The Catholic Daily Reflections Series was written to help you enter more deeply into the Holy Scriptures and the Catholic Liturgy on a daily basis. Through these reflections and prayers, you are invited to embrace the Word of God in a personal, engaging, challenging and transforming way. Catholic Daily Reflections: Ordinary Time May 24–August 31, 2021 is available in a variety of forms. See our website for electronic or audio/video versions or to sign up for our free daily email at: www.mycatholic.life. The paperback and eBook versions here offer an easy way for you to daily ponder the holy Gospel during Ordinary Time. Below is a sample reflection for Easter Sunday to give you a preview of our approach. May God bless you on your journey of personal conversion! Tuesday, May 25, 2021 An Exchange of Gifts Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more…” Mark 10:29–30 Jesus’ statement above is in response to Peter who said to Him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” It was as if Peter were patting himself on the back, attempting to highlight just how much he and the other disciples had sacrificed to follow Jesus. And it was true, they did give up everything of their former life. They left home, their occupation, their relationships and everything that had been part of their daily established life in response to the call of Jesus. They were truly all in. In hearing this statement from Peter, Jesus does not give the expected response. He doesn’t say to Peter, “Yes, you have, that’s very impressive Peter. Good job and thank you!” Instead, Jesus immediately explains to Peter that the sacrifice he and the others have made is worth it. Their unwavering commitment to follow Jesus would be repaid with gifts beyond their imagination. Thus, Jesus was saying that the gifts that He would bestow upon them would be exponentially greater than every sacrifice they made. This was not a belittling of Peter’s self-sacrifice; rather, it was a form of encouragement by Jesus. He was encouraging Peter, and the other disciples, to have full confidence in their decision to follow Him. Their sacrifice would yield a hundred fold return. That is truly a good investment. It can be tempting for us all, at times, to feel as though God asks too much of us. It’s true that God asks much of us. He asks everything from us. He asks for the complete and total gift of our lives to Him. He calls us to abandon all selfishness and to dedicate ourselves to His holy will without exception. But if we understand the reward of our self-giving, then the sacrifices we make will pale in comparison to the reward. Reflect, today, upon whether or not you can say those words of the Apostle, Saint Peter: “Lord, I have given up everything to follow You.” Have you truly given your life completely to Christ Jesus? Are there things that you still hold back, not wanting to “sacrifice” for our Lord? Ponder those words of Peter and allow yourself to see the areas of your life you still need to surrender over to Jesus. And as you do so, allow the reward promised by our Lord to motivate you to the point that you truly hold nothing back and truly have given up everything to follow His holy will. My generous Lord, You ask everything of me. You ask me to abandon everything in my pursuit of Your perfect will. Give me the grace I need to answer Your call and to live sacrificially for You without counting the cost. You are generous beyond description, dear Lord, and I trust that following You will produce an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You.

The "Catholic Daily Reflections Series" was written to help you enter more deeply into the Holy Scriptures and the Catholic Liturgy on a daily basis. Through these reflections and prayers, you are invited to embrace the Word of God in a personal, engaging, challenging and transforming way. "Catholic Daily Reflections: Lent 2021" is available in a variety of forms. See our website for electronic or audio/video versions or to sign up for our free daily email at: www.mycatholic.life. The paperback and eBook versions here offer an easy way for you to daily ponder the holy Gospel during the Lenten season. Below is a sample reflection for Ash Wednesday to give you a preview of our approach. May God bless you on your journey of personal conversion! Wednesday, February 17, 2021 Lent—A Time for True Prayer Ash Wednesday (Year B) "But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you." Matthew 6:6 One of the most important parts of true prayer is that it takes place deep in the inner room of your soul. It is there in the inner depths of your being that you will meet God. Saint Teresa of Ávila, one of the greatest spiritual writers in the history of our Church, describes the soul as a castle in which God dwells. Meeting Him, praying to Him and communing with Him requires that we enter into the deepest and innermost chamber within this castle of our soul. It is there, in the innermost dwelling, that the full glory and beauty of God is discovered. God is not just a God who is “out there” far away in Heaven. He is a God Who is closer and more intimate than we could ever imagine. Lent is a time, more than any other time of the year, when we must strive to make that journey inward so as to discover the Indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity. What does God want of you this Lent? It’s easy to begin Lent with more superficial commitments, such as giving up a favorite food or doing an extra good deed. Some choose to use Lent as a time to get in better physical shape, and others decide to dedicate more time to spiritual reading or other holy exercises. All of this is good and useful. But you can be certain that the deepest desire of our Lord for you this Lent is that you pray. Prayer, of course, is much more than saying prayers. It’s not only saying the rosary, or meditating upon Scripture, or reciting beautifully composed prayers. Prayer is ultimately a relationship with God. It’s an encounter with the Triune God Who dwells within you. True prayer is an act of love between you and your Beloved. It’s an exchange of persons: your life for God’s. Prayer is an act of union and communion by which we become one with God and God becomes one with us. The great mystics have taught us that there are many levels to prayer. We often begin with the recitation of prayers, such as the beautiful prayer of the rosary. From there we meditate, ponder and reflect deeply upon the mysteries of our Lord and His life. We come to know Him more fully and, little by little, discover that we are no longer just thinking about God, but we are gazing at Him face to face. As we begin the holy season of Lent, reflect upon your practice of prayer. If the images of prayer presented here intrigue you, then make a commitment to discover more. Commit yourself to the discovery of God in prayer. There is no limit and no end to the depth to which God wants to draw you through prayer. True prayer is never boring. When you discover true prayer, you discover the infinite mystery of God. And this discovery is more glorious than anything you could ever imagine in life. My divine Lord, I give myself to You this Lent. Draw me in so that I may come to know You more. Reveal to me Your divine presence, dwelling deep within me, calling me to Yourself. May this Lent, dear Lord, be glorious as I strengthen my love and devotion through the discovery of the gift of true prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.

"Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy" was written to provide an awakening to the abundant Mercy of God. It offers daily reflections and prayers to help deepen the day-to-day faith life of every Catholic so that you can understand the abundance of Mercy poured forth from the Heart of our Savior as it is revealed in the writings of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. "Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska" is soon to become a classic spiritual book that everyone is encouraged to read in their lifetime. However, many find this invitation intimidating, not just because of the width of her book, but because of the depth of its message on The Divine Mercy in each of Saint Faustina’s notebook entries. This book, "Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy," was written with the hope of guiding you through Saint Faustina’s Diary and her six notebooks of reflections. It can be used on its own to help you pause and reflect on the beauty of Jesus’ messages to her, or as a companion book, as you simultaneously read Saint Faustina’s Diary. "Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy" offers 365 daily teachings, reflections and prayers based upon the pages of Saint Faustina’s Diary. The structured way to use this daily reflection book is to do just that…reflect upon one page each day. However, some may feel called to skip around a bit, read a few reflections at a time, or return to a particular reflection through which God spoke to you. Therefore, though this book was written with the intent of providing one reflection for each day of the year, the best way to use it is any way you feel called and the way that benefits your relationship with God the most. The first paragraph for each day offers this author’s insights to the words and teachings of Saint Faustina. The section of her Diary used for the day’s teaching is marked so that the reader can also read her Diary first hand so as to see the primary source that the author of this book took inspiration from for that day’s reflection. Though the primary text of the Diary is never quoted, nor are the reflections of this book exact representations of the Diary, they do provide the foundational basis for the spiritual message shared in each reflection. The second paragraph for each day offers a short reflection put more as a question to the reader. It offers the same insight in a different format so as to enter more deeply into the message of the day. Finally, each daily reflection ends with a prayer focused upon the message and reflection for that day. The reader is encouraged to pray this prayer several times. Ideally, it is prayed first thing in the morning, again during the day, and again at night as an examination on how well the daily message was received. As you seek to survive the world we live in, allow these pages to be a font of Mercy for you from God. Allow God’s Divine Mercy to penetrate your heart so that you will know the abundance of His love and be more prepared to share that love with others.

The New Jerusalem Bible: Standard Edition will satisfy the great need for an authoritative version of "the greatest story ever told" in a package so attractive, user friendly, and affordable, this edition is destined to become a classic. Using the same translation that has been hailed as "truly magnificent" (Journal of Bible Literature), the Standard Edition has a completely redesigned interior, set in a two-column format for easy reading. With all the best features of much more cumbersome and costly versions, this Bible is a must-have for home, church, and school.

Daily Reflection, selected and edited by Diane Allen contains a short meditation for each day of the year. The reflections have been taken from the writings of the saints and other holy men and women of God, and are presented as daily encouragement and inspiration for the soul. The book contains excerpts from the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. Augustine, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. John of the Cross, St. Bernadette, Pope Benedict XVI, St. Teresa of Avila and many more.