Be Still: Daily Devotional

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced. 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is August 30. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.      Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from Psalm 146.             He is the Maker of heaven and earth,            the sea, and everything in them—            he remains faithful forever.    ...

Today is August 29. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”      Today’s reading is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 1.     This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be marr...

Today is August 28. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the book of Amos, chapter 9.     “In that day            “I will restore David’s fallen shelter—            I will repair its broken walls            and restore its ruins—           ...

Today is August 27. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.      Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”          Today’s reading is from the gospel of John, chapter 15.      You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fr...

Today is August 26. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.       Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”         Today’s reading is from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9.      On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads....

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced. 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is August 23. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.      Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 11.     In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front wh...

Today is August 22. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”      Today’s reading is from the book of Philippians, chapter 3.     If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circu...

Today is August 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John, chapter 17.    “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as y...

Today is August 20. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.        Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”          Today’s reading is from Genesis, chapter 45.      Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have eve...

Today is August 19. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.       Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”         Today’s reading is from Psalm 101.            I will sing of your love and justice;            to you, LORD, I will sing praise.         I will be careful to lead a blameless life—            when will y...

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced. 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is August 16. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.      Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from Psalm 112.           Praise the LORD.             Blessed are those who fear the LORD,            who find great delight in his commands.          T...

Today is August 15. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the gospel of John, chapter 14.     Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they wi...

Today is August 14. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the book of Romans, chapter 14.     Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose...

Today is August 13.   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.        Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”          Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 18.      While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to...

Today is August 12. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.       Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”         Today’s reading is from the book of Ephesians, chapter 5.   For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,...

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced. 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is August 9.  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.       Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from Psalm 95.             Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;            let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.         Let us come before...

Today is August 8. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.      Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the book of Romans, chapter 8.    Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famin...

Today is August 7. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.     Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”       Today’s reading is from the gospel of John, chapter 9.     Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” They still...

Today is August 6. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.        Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”          Today’s reading is from the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 12.      Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has...

Today is August 5. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.       Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”          Today’s reading is from the book of Ephesians, chapter 4.      So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They a...

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced. 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow.