Grace:  That I hear the call of Christ, and be ready and willing to answer it. Text for Prayer:  Luke 4:14-31 Reflection:  Our lives are guided by ideals—we use them to measure our failures and successes, to orient the desires of our hearts, to motivate ourselves or others when the spirit is willing but the… Read more »

Grace: To have a heartfelt knowledge of God’s unconditional love for me and that I may find the spiritual freedom to love him in return. Text for Prayer: Lk 15:11-32 Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and… Read more »

Grace: To let go of secondary things and focus on what is truly important during this Lenten season. Text for Prayer: Matthew 7:7-8 Reflection: At the end of several meditations in the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola recommends having a “triple colloquy” (see SpEx #62-63) to conclude the prayer period. Here he invites the… Read more »

Grace: A deep awareness of the pain suffered by those damned to hell, so that if I should forget the love of the Eternal Lord, at least the fear of punishment will help me to avoid sin. Text for Prayer: Revelation 14:6-11 Reflection: I was away on a retreat this weekend at a retreat center… Read more »

Grace: To ask that all of my thoughts, words, and actions, be directed to the praise and service of Our Lord Text for Prayer: Psalm 90 Reflection: Some years ago, a few days after Christmas, I happened to be at a funeral where the priest, during his homily, took out a shopping bag and began… Read more »

Grace: Ask for a healthy sense of shame before God as I consider the effects of sin in my life. Text for Prayer: Romans 5:1-11 Reflection: There are two aspects we need to examine as we ask for a deep-felt knowledge of the consequences of sin in our lives. First, this meditation is an opportunity to… Read more »

Grace: To worship God with my entire heart during this Lenten season, resisting the temptation to be halfhearted in my participation at Sunday liturgy. Text for Prayer: Revelation 4:8-11 Reflection: Past writers on this blog have described spiritual tepidity as a type of sluggishness, particularly in prayer, that is caused in our souls by an… Read more »

Grace: Shame and confusion at myself because of my sins. Text for Prayer: 1 John 1:8-2:6 Reflection: St. Ignatius of Loyola describes the point of spiritual exercises as follows: they are meant “to conquer oneself and to organize one’s life without the influence in one’s decisions by any inordinate attachment.” Just as God’s first act… Read more »

Grace: That all my thoughts, words, and actions be directed to the praise and service of the Divine Majesty Text for Prayer: Genesis 3:1-19 Reflection: From an early age, most Catholics are taught the that there are two different types of sin (mortal and venial) and that a mortal sin leads to the complete destruction… Read more »