“This is true contentment – to hope for nothing, desire nothing, expect nothing.” (CW 2:707-708)
– St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

– Lord, true contentment can only come from being satisfied with who I am and with what you have chosen to gift me. May I never seek after anything that will keep me from accomplishing your will.

“I am asking Our Lord to be Himself, your strength and your life, as He is to all who nourish themselves with his love.” (CCD 8:20)
– St. Vincent de Paul

– My soul as well as my body needs to be nourished on a regular basis. As ‘food’ for my soul I will set aside some time each day for quiet prayer and reflection.

“Like thrifty housekeepers, we should turn all things to real profit; let us not seek our consolation in creatures nor in self-gratifications, but let us go straight to God by the path of interior and exterior mortification, traced out for us by his Divine Son.”
– St. Louise de Marillac (SW: 420)

– I will make better use of the sacrament of reconciliation as a positive means to correct my faults.

“You will practice charity better by preserving yourself to serve your neighbor for a long time than by wearing yourself out in a short time over the salvation of a few.” (CCD 8:42)
– St. Vincent de Paul

– Dear Father, guide me when I am tempted to neglect my health and fail to take prudent measures to safeguard it. You are my strength and I rely on you.

“God exacts great purity of intention from those who serve him; they should guard most carefully against vain glory.”
– St. Louise de Marillac (SW:703)

– Keep far from me, Lord, the desire to be appreciated for everything I do. Instead, today I will go out of my way to thank someone I usually take for granted.

“Sooner or later, good works speak a far more advantageous language than whatever is done for ostentation and display.” (CCD 2:311)
– St. Vincent de Paul

– O Lord, may I find true contentment in working quietly, knowing that my only true reward is in knowing it is done for your glory.

“Envy begins to appear here regarding the employment you expected. Charity, humility and patience will dispel this cloud, I hope.” (CCD 9:556)
– St. Vincent de Paul

– Whenever I am overlooked or disregarded, Lord, keep me from all thoughts of self-pity or regret. Your love will preserve me in peace.

“Though our service be rejected, let us believe that whatever happens is for the best. Do we not know that God draws his own glory from contempt?” (SW:290)
– St. Louise de Marillac

– Rejection is never easy to accept; especially when it comes from those I have trusted. When this happens, be with me Jesus and help me work through the resentment I may feel and regain my peace of mind.

“The joy of Christmas is not a joy made up of childhood memories, of Christian customs piously retained; it is a profound and ever new joy, a joy of today.”
– Reverend Joseph Jamet, CM

– Lord, Jesus, can I ever thank you enough for the tremendous gift of redemption you obtained for me by becoming incarnate?

“Give me a man of prayer, and he will be capable of doing all things.” (CCD 11:76)
– St. Vincent de Paul

– When I am so bogged down with the pressures of work and there are no possible solutions to problems I face, inspire me to pause and lift my burden to you who promised to make it light.