READING 1
James 5:11-13

Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation. Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

READING 2
From a sermon given during the last synod he attended, by Saint Charles, bishop

My brothers, you must realise that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: “I will pray, and then I will understand.” When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering. When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on how the Lord’s blood that has washed them clean so that “all that you do becomes a work of love.”

This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work: in meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.

REFLECTION

How is your meditation? The Catechism teaches, “To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them” (CCC 2706). Paying attention to the movements that stir in our hearts when we attend Mass, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, minister to others, or otherwise fulfill the obligations of daily life, helps us to pay attention to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit throughout our day. The more attentive and responsive we are to these inspirations, the more our hearts are conformed to the Heart of Christ and the more the Holy Spirit is able to reproduce His life within us. Meditation also helps us to empty our hearts of all that interferes with this deepening union “to the point of rendering [us] wholly possessed by the divine Beloved, vibrating at the Spirit’s touch, resting filially within the Father’s heart.”¹¹

PRAYERS

Prayer of Surrender of St. Ignatius

Litany of Penance by St. John Henry Newman

1. Pope St. John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte x 33. ↩︎

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus Through the Hearts of Mary and Joseph

Copyright © 2026 by St. Vincent Archabbey