Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. 
- Victor Hugo 

(It is good to be a creature and to let God be God.)

HG 2:1-9;    PS 43:1-4;    LK 9:18-22

R. Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.

For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?

Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling place.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!







"Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?  And how do you see it now?"  These are questions that may bring moments of suffering to mind.  How do you see those moments of suffering now?  You may see it with blinded eyes, with fear, discouragement, or doubt.  It may seem like tomorrow looks to hold the same as today, to hold "nothing in your eyes."  But Jesus says, "Take courage and work!  For I am with you!"  At first thought we may be tempted to think, "Work- nope I don't want to do that.  Work is hard."  Yes, work is hard.  Work with faith, hope and love is made easy, work with Jesus can seem effortless, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" -Matthew 11:30.  This sounds nuts though, for we all know that there is nothing easy about truly living as a Catholic in our world today; there is nothing easy about living a life filled with faith, hope and love.  Why does Jesus make these promises that at times seem to be impossible?  The difference comes in that we cannot do this alone.  The yoke will be hard and the burden heavy when we try to take it all on our own.  It is not MY work, but Jesus and I's work, OUR work.  "Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest."  Jesus doesn't mean come to me and take a nap to get refreshed then go back out on your own again.  Jesus wants us to come to Him in the reality that we are in, whether that be joy, suffering, or somewhere in between.  To truly come to Jesus and enter into His rest is to find peace within our hearts; to have hope that God "will fill this house with glory."  For our hearts to truly cry out saying, "Hope in God; I will praise Him, my savior and my God" -Psalm 43:1. 

Merciful Father, forgive us for the times we get discouraged and try to do things on our own.  Grant us the grace today to receive Your love, to be filled with Faith, Hope and Love and for that to overflow from our hearts into the hearts of all those we meet this day and in the days to come.  Jesus, help us to enter into a deeper relationship with You and to take courage, knowing you are always with us.  St. Vincent de Paul, Pray for us! 

- by Megan Lightfoot

Selected Quotes from St. John of the Cross on the Journey of the Soul to God by Contemplation

- from Dark Night of the Soul

Bk. 2, Ch. 1. #1. The soul goes about the things of God with much greater freedom and satisfaction of the soul than before it entered the dark night of sense. It now very readily finds in its spirit the most serene and loving contemplation and spiritual sweetness without the labor of meditation. 

#2. This sweetness overflows into their senses more than was usual since the sense is now purer. But they also endure many frailties and sufferings and weaknesses of the stomach and are fatigued in spirit. After the second night of the spirit: no raptures and no torments of the body because their senses are now neither clouded nor transported.

- compiled by James and Tyra Arraj