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 18 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 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 Joel, chapter 2. 28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men...

Today is August 17 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 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 5. 17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and...

Today is August 16th 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. 1 Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. 2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the ge...

Today is August 15th 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. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even...

Today is August 14th 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. 1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is...

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 11 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 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 Samuel, chapter 30. 3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David an...

Today is August 10 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 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 11. 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and ma...

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. T ake a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.” Today’s reading is from Psalm 95. 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him w...

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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedne...

Today is August 7 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. T ake 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. 17 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.” 18 They still did not...

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 4th May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 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 Hosea, chapter 2. 15 There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her you...

Today is August 3rd Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 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 84. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD G...

Today is August 2nd 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 Romans, chapter 3. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This r...

Today is August 1st 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 6. 26 Jesus answered...27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the...

Today is July 31st 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 1 Samuel, chapter 20. 35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I...

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 July 28 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 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 71. 17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare...

Today is July 27 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 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 1st Samuel, chapter 16. 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people loo...

Today is July 26 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. T ake 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 Corinthians, chapter 9. 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7...

Today is July 25 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 3. 1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Je...

Today is July 24th 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 2. In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his...

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.