My Daily Bread Book 1 Chapter 28

Book One: The Way of Purification 

AFTER CONVERSION 
CHAPTER 28      Closer Friendship with God  

CHRIST: MY CHILD, I have said that the Kingdom of God is within you. Turn to Me with your whole heart. Do not think too much of this world, and your soul will find rest in Me. Do not let this earthly life take all of your attention. Think often of Me and of My Will in your life. Then you will become more conscious of My presence within your soul. I bring you the gifts of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. These gifts are not given to those who pay too much attention to this earthly life.

2. One who loves Me and lives My truth, is a supernatural person. By My grace he becomes free from sinful and dangerous desires. He can freely turn to Me. He is able to rise above the visible world around him and enjoy My friendship.
3. As iron, cast into the fire, loses its rust and becomes bright with the flame, so too a man who turns his whole heart to Me, is purified of all sluggishness and changed into a new man.
 
THINK: If I take this step and concentrate more on God's place in my daily life, I shall find the peace of Christ. Earthly worries and distractions become small in the presence of God. The more I am impressed by Him, the less shall I be impressed by everything else.
 
PRAY: My God, I want to be deeply impressed by You and Your holy Will in my daily life. Teach me to live this life of mine in Your presence, sharing with You my thoughts, desires, and every activity throughout the day. Let me recognize and follow Your Will as it comes to me through people and events in my daily life. Amen.

My Daily Bread Book 1 Chapter 27

Book One: The Way of Purification
AFTER CONVERSION
CHAPTER 27      Holiness in Everyday Life

CHRIST: MY CHILD, at times you hear people say that they are too busy to bother with religion. People who say such things do not understand Me, nor themselves, nor their daily life. They do not realize that religion is as necessary an activity as eating, sleeping and working.
2. 1 am far more than the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the rest which brings you renewed strength. All of these things, and everything else, come to you- from My hand. Without My loving support each moment, these things would fail you, and you yourself would vanish from the face of the earth.
3. 1 am the center of your existence. You depend on Me more than you dream, just as you give due attention to the people who come into your daily life, so too is it normal for you to give due attention to Me. To speak to Me, to try to please Me, to ask for My help, to express sorrow for your offenses, and to love Me for My goodness-these are normal acts for any intelligent human being. The more I show Myself to him, the more should he strive to please Me in his everyday life.
4. Religion is the bond which unites you to Me. To neglect it is as foolish as refusing to breathe, or eat, or rest. In fact, it is worse. These other things keep your body alive, but religion is necessary for the eternal life of your soul.
5. The man who neglects this part of his life is abnormal, that is, he is not what he ought to be. He is neglecting something which is natural and normal for him, something which perfects him more than he realizes.
6. There is no real opposition between laboring for your earthly needs, and laboring for Heaven. You have to work each day, but this work can be a glorious prayer. You must eat, work, sleep, and have recreation, but all of these can become holy actions, actions done for  eternal life.
7. Whatever you do, do it as I want it done, and you will be doing it as perfectly as possible. Be reasonable in whatever you do, or say, or think. Refuse to violate My commandments, regardless of any earthly advantage or disadvantage. I made the things of this life for you, so that you may perfect yourself by using them intelligently. Let My words and example guide you in whatever you do. In doubt consult My Church. Do this and you will be working for success on earth and an all -satisfying glory in Heaven.

THINK: Once I get a full view of this earthly life, I will see how all-important a part God plays in it. Instead of living for the moment or for the next few years, I'll live for my highest and most important goal. I will see the unending importance of what I am doing today, I will understand how each act of this day helps me become a little more perfect, a little more ready for Heaven. Only sin is foolish. Only sin is bad. All else is good and pleasing to God, because it helps me in one way or another.

PRAY: My Father in Heaven, I desire to make the best use of this earthly life of mine. I want to live as full a life as possible. Therefore, in everything I think, do, or say, I want You to be my Partner. Since You support me in all my thinking, speaking and acting, I want to please You in them. By living this way, I will be following Your wisdom and my own highest good. I now join this daily life of mine to the earthly life of Jesus, Your divine Son. With His example and with the strength of His holy sacraments, I hope to please You every moment. Thus, my daily life will be my best preparation for eternal life. Amen.

LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS

Whether you are ready or not, someday your life will come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived at the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant, even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those you love you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstances, but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

~ Anonymous

My Daily Bread Book 1 Chapter 26

PART TWO
AFTER CONVERSION

Having seen your complete need of God, and of His loving attention and generosity, try to realize that He deserves the best love and loyalty which you can offer Him. How can you please Him more in your daily life? Part of this question is answered in this section.

Book One: The Way of Purification
AFTER CONVERSION
CHAPTER 26 Beginning a New Life

CHRIST: MY CHILD, do not lose the hope of making spiritual progress. You still have time. Your chance is not over yet. Why put off your good intentions until tomorrow? Now is the time for action I Begin this very moment! Here is your opportunity to make a new start. Begin your new life with the help of My grace.

2. Always keep a steady hope of achieving success. Do not let your failures discourage you. Beware also of over-confidence, so that you may not become a victim of pride or laziness.

3. Whenever you have to omit your prayers or some daily spiritual exercise, because of some urgent duty or for the sake of your neighbor, try to make up later what was omitted. Do not be too ready to omit spiritual exercises because of weariness. This can easily become a habit which will hurt you.

THINK: It is easy enough to start again. All I have to do is: (1) to examine my life, (2) face what needs to be done, (3) pray for strength, and (4) start doing it. I may fail on this occasion or that, but the main thing is that I have begun and am determined to go on trying in spite of any failures which may occur.

PRAY: Lord, now I begin I Help me to live as You desire. If it is your will, I can do it. If You want this of me, I ought to do it. Let me not be a coward and run away from Your Will. You know what is right and best. I must begin now. Lord, help me. I do not expect to become a different person overnight, just as my faults developed slowly over a period, so too will the opposite virtues grow within me. I will not be discouraged when my old faults catch me by surprise. My love for You will be proved by action, that is, by a steady, patient effort to get rid of my faults and to practice the opposite virtue. Now I begin. Amen.