Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.  And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies.

God is always with us and wants to build an everlasting house for us in His Heavenly Kingdom. He will give us all the love, mercy, and grace we need to overcome our enemies and fulfill His Divine Will. If we allow Him to think, speak, and work through us, we will magnify the Lord and become living instruments of His grace. He wants to fix a place for us in heaven and so He offers us all we need to become holy people, living saints, who place their faith, hope, and love in Him. If we place ourselves under His protection, then He will shield us from our foes and give us an inner peace that cannot be touched. Ultimately, when we are true and faithful to God, He will give us rest from all our enemies and a chance to be united forever to Him in Paradise.

Do we give thanks for God’s Presence in our lives? How can we keep ourselves aware of the fact that God is always with us? How can we become living vessels of His Way, Truth, and Life?

O Lord, plant your seeds of grace within the gardens of our souls.

Amen.