Friday 9 August 2024
St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross | Day of penance
Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7. It is I who deal death and give life – Deuteronomy 32:35-36, 39, 41. Matthew 16:24-28.
God is there to support and guide us
Saint Teresa of Benedicta (Edith Stein), whose anniversary of martyrdom at Birkenau in 1942 is today, wrote:
Let go of your plans.
The first hour of your morning belongs to God.
Tackle the day’s work that he charges you with
and he will give you the power to accomplish it.
As we start the day let us look to the dawn. Light gently suffuses the morning sky, while stars slip away and clouds take possession of the celestial ceiling. Here is the chance to pray in that first unblemished hour on this new-minted day. We can imagine the hours ahead and co-create our day’s work with God to support and guide us. Whatever we do, we are working with and for the God who loves us. We might also pray for this great woman, one of the six patron saints of the Church in Europe, whose example of faith shines brightly today in a world beleaguered by the shadow of war and the rise of anti-Semitism.
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