The Blessed Virgin Mary

We pray together and offer our whole day to Jesus through Mary, uniting our joys and sufferings to the Mass and the needs of the Church. We then reflect with St Thomas Aquinas on why Christ is not only the way we walk, but also the truth we seek and the life we long for. 
• opening prayers and the Morning Offering for family, friends and the Holy Father 
• St Thomas Aquinas on Christ as the way and the goal 
• why human desire points to truth and life 
• practical wisdom on staying on the path even with slow progress 
• God’s faithfulness in trials and the promise of a way through 
• closing prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publication, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org. 

Transcript

Opening Prayers And Offering

SPEAKER_00 0:02

The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular, for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

St Thomas Aquinas On The Way

SPEAKER_00 0:47

From the Exposition on St. John, by St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest. Christ Himself is the way, and therefore he says, I am the way. This certainly is eminently right, for through him we have access to the Father. Since this way is not separate from its end, but joined to it, he adds the truth and the life. Thus he is himself at once both the way and the goal. In his human nature he is the way, and in his divine nature he is the goal. Therefore, speaking as man, he says, I am the way, and speaking as God he adds the truth and the life. These two words are an apt description of this goal. For this goal is the object of human desire, and a man desires two things above all. In the first place he wants to know the truth, which is peculiar to him, and secondly he wants to continue to exist, which is common to all things. Christ is the way by which we come to know truth, though he is also that truth. Lead me, O Lord, in truth, and I shall enter into your way. Christ is also the way to come to life, though he is also that life. You have made known the ways of life. Therefore He designated the end of this way by truth and life, about which we have spoken above with reference to Christ. First He Himself is life, for life was in him.

Hold Fast To Truth And Life

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Then he is truth, because he was the light of men, and light is truth. If then you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because he himself is the way. This is the way, walk in it. And Augustine says, Make man your way, and you shall arrive at God. It is better to limp along the way than stride along off the way. For a man who limps along the way, even if he only makes slow progress, comes to the end of the way. But one who is off the way, the more quickly he runs, the further away he is from his goal. If you are looking for a goal, hold fast to Christ, because he himself is the truth, where we desire to be. My mouth shall reflect on truth. If you are looking for a resting place, hold fast to Christ, because he himself is the life. Whoever finds me finds life, and receives salvation from the Lord. Therefore, hold fast to Christ if you wish to be safe. You will not be able to go astray, because he is the way. He who remains with him does not wander in trackless places, he is on the right way. Moreover, he cannot be deceived, because he is the truth, and he teaches every truth. And he says, For this I was born, and for this I have come, to bear witness to the truth. Nor can he be disturbed, because he is both life and the giver of life, for he says, I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.

Job’s Restoration And God’s Faithfulness

SPEAKER_00 3:57

The Lord restored to Job twice as much as he had before, and his brothers and sisters came and comforted him. The Lord blessed Job in his last days more than he had at the beginning. The Lord is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your own strength. With every trial he will also give you a way out of it. The Lord blessed Job in his last days more than he had at the beginning.

Closing Prayers And Final Blessing

SPEAKER_00 4:25

O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Join The Cristeros And Learn More

SPEAKER_00 5:05

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publication, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristuros can be found at theCristeros.org.