Dear John, For a quick hit of inspiration, sometimes I go to one of our blogs that features quotes from Catholic saints. And given the state of the world, inspiration is not always in abundance! But one quote in particular, from María Natividad Venegas de la Torre, struck a chord with me today: “Charity enters heaven when humility opens the door.” These daily emails are our humble way of bringing a word of hope and inspiration to your inbox. And though tens of thousands enjoy this free resource, it is not free to produce—and that's where you come in. Following the example set by our founder, St. Francis of Assisi, these messages of hope and fellowship are needed in a world battered by strife. It is our humble way of rebuilding God's Church. This is sacred work and we cannot do it without your support. Join the friars and our faithful community of donors with a gift to Franciscan Media today! Christopher Heffron
Editorial Director |
Saint of the Day for January 8:
Angela of Foligno (1248 – January 4, 1309) Listen to Saint Angela of Foligno’s Story Here Some saints show marks of holiness very early. Not Angela! Born of a leading family in Foligno, Italy, she became immersed in the quest for wealth and social position. As a wife and mother, she continued this life of distraction. Around the age of 40, she recognized the emptiness of her life and sought God’s help in the Sacrament of Penance. Her Franciscan confessor helped Angela to seek God’s pardon for her previous life and to dedicate herself to prayer and the works of charity. Shortly after her conversion, her husband and children died. Selling most of her possessions, she entered the Secular Franciscan Order. She was alternately absorbed by meditating on the crucified Christ and by serving the poor of Foligno as a nurse and beggar for their needs. Other women joined her in a religious community. At her confessor’s advice, Angela wrote her Book of Visions and Instructions. In it she recalls some of the temptations she suffered after her conversion; she also expresses her thanks to God for the Incarnation of Jesus. This book and her life earned for Angela the title “Teacher of Theologians.” She was beatified in 1693, and canonized in 2013. Reflection People who live in the United States today can understand Saint Angela’s temptation to increase her sense of self-worth by accumulating money, fame or power. Striving to possess more and more, she became more and more self-centered. When she realized she was priceless because she was created and loved by God, she became very penitential and very charitable to the poor. What had seemed foolish early in her life now became very important. The path of self-emptying she followed is the path all holy men and women must follow. The liturgical feast of Saint Angela of Foligno is celebrated on January 7.
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Go Forth and Share the Good News St. Paul says of the Holy Spirit, whose overflowing love is alive in all the mysteries listed above: “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). The love of God was truly poured out upon God’s chosen ones the evening of that first Easter Sunday when the risen Jesus, passing through locked doors, stood in the midst of the disciples and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21, 23). God’s love and mercy is surely revealed in Jesus breathing forth the Spirit of love and forgiveness upon his disciples. As modern-day disciples, let us go forward today.
—from the book Friar Jack’s Favorite Prayers by Jack Wintz, OFM |
For more than 130 years, St. Anthony Messenger magazine has been helping its readers become more joyful, loving peacemakers by exploring many of the issues that are facing the Church and the world today, through a Franciscan lens. |
God Is Unchanging Reflect Sometimes we feel at a loss for how many things in our lives age and break, run out, wear down, need replacing. Consider what frustrations you have had in the physical world lately, then let go of these disappointments as you find, underneath, the truth of what St. Teresa writes, “All things fade away, but God is unchanging.” Pray God,
The ink of this world will always go thin
on the pages of my life.
But you write never-ending
messages in my heart.
Your word flows:
everlasting, unchanging, enduring.
Abiding.
You are the pen that will never run dry.
Today, like all days, you give me
what I truly need, with your word.
You fill every blank line. Act If something runs out or breaks today, see if you can avoid attaching to it. Instead of feeling dispirited, remember that everything is OK—God’s love never fades or wavers. Today's Pause+Pray was written by Maureen O'Brien. Learn more here! |
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