I will bless the Lord at all times; praise shall be always in my mouth,

My soul will glory in the Lord that the poor may hear and be glad.

Magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

–Psalm 34: 1-4

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted a flame within us.

–Albert Schweitzer

Where is God?  How can we love him?  It is not enough to say “My God, I love you! We love God in this world by giving something up, by giving something away. Of course I can eat the sugar myself, but I can also give it away.

–Mother Teresa

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

–Romans 5: 1-2

Each of us is the result of a thought of God.  Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.

–Pope Benedict XVI

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

–Psalm 118:24

If we are to live our lives fully and well, we must learn to embrace the opposites, to live in a creative tension between our limits and our potentials. We must honor our limitations in ways that do not distort our nature, and we must trust and use our gifts in ways that fulfill the potentials God gave us.

–Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

It is the Paraclete Spirit, the “Comforter”, who grants us the courage to take to the streets of the world, bringing the Gospel! The Holy Spirit makes us look to the horizon and drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ. Let us ask ourselves: do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, on our group, or do we let the Holy Spirit open us to mission?

–Pope Francis

“Caring passionately about something isn’t against nature, and it isn’t against human nature. It’s what we’re here to do.”

-Annie Dillard

Lord we pray that each one of us will be gifted with a respect for all of God’s creation and an awareness of the richness bestowed upon each of us.

Bless us with an open mind, a listening ear and a helping hand in all our encounters.

Sisters of Bon Secours Prayer book, “Wake Up the World”