Month: March 2021

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Daily Message from Pope Francis – Be Not Afraid

Monday, March 1, 2021

“The grace of God assures us, with faith, prayer and penance, of our victory over the enemy… During the Season of Lent, the Holy Spirit drives us too, like Jesus, to enter the desert. It is not, as we have seen, a physical place, but rather an existential dimension in which to be silent and listen to the word of God… Do not be afraid.”Pope Francis

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Daily Devotion – A Real Difference

“On that day I will deal differently … where my people live … so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people.” – Exodus 8:22-23 NIV

In many ways, believers are just like nonbelievers. We all are human beings and go through the same kinds of challenges. As Jesus said, God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

The message is simple: Believers are not superhuman. We all are just “jars of clay.” All our abilities are gifts from God (2 Corinthians 4:7).

This is true so nonbelievers can look at our lives and see the difference that God makes and turn to Him. Faith and belief sustain us. We can be transformed by Biblical principles. Anyone can know God. Anyone can be forgiven. Unbelievers can also see why we need to be born again.

Yet, as He sent plagues in Egypt, God promised to “deal differently” with regions where His people lived. This was to “make a distinction” between His people and others, making sure there was no question that He was God, and they were His.

He was demonstrating that there are ways in which God treats His people “differently.” The fact is that we are different because of our relationship with Him. He makes the difference.

Today, seek the differences that God can make in your life. Apply the principles in His Word. Pray. Commit your needs to Him. Get to know Him more intimately. Be filled with His Spirit. Trust Him.

Prayer: Father, help me today. May others see the difference You make in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading: Exodus 8

//Inspiration Ministeries
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Minute Meditation – God Hears Our Cries

What startled me over and over in so many of the psalms is the emotional contrast. First there’s often a lament, not sugar-coated or minimized, not swept away or judged. Instead, the suffering is eloquently described. For example, the early lines of Psalm 69: “I am wearied with crying out, my throat is sore.” Guilt, shame, reproach, and bitterness follow. Then, a but appears. “But I lift up this prayer to thee.” Over and over I found these sudden reversals. How did they make sense? After a few months of a daily morning practice, I understood the pattern. I would read many lines of anguish. Once the painful truths are expressed, in detail, not rushed, there’s a sense of being deeply heard and listened to—heard by God. Once that internal, intimate ache is honored, we find space in our heavy hearts to move around. We can take that leap of faith and trust, again and again. What the psalms began to teach me is to stay true to my human grief, to articulate it, to bring the fear and frustration straight to God. By doing that, faith will appear, often suddenly, always the balm we have been seeking.

—from the book What Was Lost: Seeking Refuge in the Psalms
by Maureen O’Brien

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Devotion of the Month – March – Saint Joseph

The Church traditionally dedicates the month of March to the special veneration of St. Joseph, whose feast day is March 19th. “He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife,”  says St. Bernardine of Siena. “He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.'” Due to St. Joseph’s leadership of the Holy Family, he has been declared the protector and patron of the universal Catholic Church.

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Saint of the Day – March 1st

(D. MARCH 1, 589)

Saint David of Wales’ Story

David (D. March 1, 589) is the patron saint of Wales and perhaps the most famous of British saints. Ironically, we have little reliable information about him.

It is known that he became a priest, engaged in missionary work, and founded many monasteries, including his principal abbey in southwestern Wales. Many stories and legends sprang up about David and his Welsh monks. Their austerity was extreme. They worked in silence without the help of animals to till the soil. Their food was limited to bread, vegetables and water.

In about the year 550, David attended a synod where his eloquence impressed his fellow monks to such a degree that he was elected primate of the region. The episcopal see was moved to Mynyw, where he had his monastery, now called St. David’s. He ruled his diocese until he had reached a very old age. His last words to his monks and subjects were: “Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me.”

Saint David is pictured standing on a mound with a dove on his shoulder. The legend is that once while he was preaching a dove descended to his shoulder and the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard. Over 50 churches in South Wales were dedicated to him in pre-Reformation days.

Reflection

Were we restricted to hard manual labor and a diet of bread, vegetables and water, most of us would find little reason to rejoice. Yet joy is what David urged on his brothers as he lay dying. Perhaps he could say that to them—and to us—because he lived in and nurtured a constant awareness of God’s nearness. For, as someone once said, “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.” May his intercession bless us with the same awareness!

Saint David of Wales is the Patron Saint of:

Wales

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