April 7, 2025
St. John Baptist de la Salle
Choose the Right Path
Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord.
Daniel 13:23

We’ve all seen the movies where the person succumbs to the easier path of blackmail in a catch-22 situation, compounding the problem by his or her lack of courage. Not so with Susanna in today’s first reading. She possesses the wisdom and courage to choose the correct, yet difficult, road. She’d rather defy the dishonest elders at the risk of losing her life than offend God at the risk of losing her soul.

We may not face such dire circumstances in our own lives, but we’re constantly making choices. May we stand firm in our faith, emulating Susanna by finding the courage to always choose the right path, no matter the consequences.

God of all Goodness, help me to value a clean conscience over any temptation to take the easy road.

- Claire McGarry

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 ✚ Psalm 23:1-6 ✚ John 8:12-20
Beautiful cherry blossoms in spring season, Seoul, South Korea.
Image by Sky View | stock.adobe.com
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Comments

April 7, 2025 at 08:02 PM

Thank you, Claire, for the thought provoking reflection. Jesus opened the gate to the path of salvation & eternal life! "Every fall, even if it be very grave & repeated, serves us always & only as a little step towards a higher perfection." St. Maximilian Kolbe

April 7, 2025 at 02:20 PM

Amen!

April 7, 2025 at 09:17 AM

AMEN!

April 7, 2025 at 09:05 AM

My prayer "O gracious and Holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you, and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord." Amen

Claire McGarry
April 7, 2025 at 04:09 PM

Amen

April 7, 2025 at 08:33 AM

Peace to everyone. Amen!

Claire McGarry
April 7, 2025 at 04:09 PM

And to you, Gary!

April 7, 2025 at 07:42 AM

Amen. :)

April 7, 2025 at 07:07 AM

A 40-day prayer journal specifically for my daughter, Katie, the self proclaim agnostic to come back and walk with Jesus, her Savior and soon to be Lord ✝️ *** Day Twenty nine - Statistic alarms me, “A Barna group study found that 59% of young adults who left the church did so due to unanswered life questions (36%) or intellectual doubts about their faith (23%)!!! I know the incident where Katie walked away from her faith when she thought You didn’t answer her prayer of her telling (witnessing) her friend that her friend would get to go this tournament if she would pray :-( *** Lord, I’m so sorry that I have created an environment that Katie would think that our faith is a merely a transaction: we do good (the right) things and God gives us what we think we need including going to heaven :-( *** Only by the power of Your Holy Spirit that I came to know the truth, Your truth, and not my truth! Please Lord, I trust that You do the same for Katie ❤️✝️❤️ ******* By the power of Your Holy Spirit, help Katie repent and return to You ✝️ Ezekiel 33:11, “Tell them, ‘When sinful people die, it does not give Me any joy. But when they turn away from their sins and live, that makes Me very happy. And that is just as sure as I am alive,’ announces the Lord and King. ‘So turn away from your sins! Change your evil ways! Why should you die, people of Israel?’” Amen!!!

April 7, 2025 at 06:57 AM

Praying for the Pope. Praying for immigrants, for workers losing their jobs, and for the poor, hungry and sick across the world who are in need of food and medical aid. Praying for Ukraine and its people.

Claire McGarry
April 7, 2025 at 04:08 PM

Amen

Kjc
April 7, 2025 at 10:42 AM

Frank and Sandy I share your prsy requests. prayer Living faith family note the requests inside the " " are mine Father in Heaven, have mercy on us and on the whole world! You sent Your Son, the Prince of Peace, for the salvation of the world. We pray that the Peace of Christ will reign in Ukraine, the middle east, countries in Africa and for the conversion of Mr Putin. Please protect and send aid to those in Ukraine, Gaza and all who are at-risk. We pray for peace – we who are working towards it and for all who are in danger from this conflict.  We pray for an end to violence and war – we pray for wisdom for all leaders who have a hand in this. Lord God please help those in most need of thy mercy. "" We pray for the souls in purgatory We also pray for those who have no one to pray for them, and the families of the tragic shootings, Pray for the first responders, and the essential workers, nurses, doctors and medical professionals, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and their families of all the above, and all those who have suffered from the: floods, heat, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and mud slides, and, those who have no clean water, victims and survivors of climate changes, and rising of the sea's. Please pray for those recovering from any surgeries or medical procedures. Please pray for Debbie and her daughter Anna, Stephanie and her daughter Christine, please also include pray my fellow worker Craig who had a stroke in January and is still in hospital recovering. Please pray ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEEDS OF OUR LIVING FAITH FAMILY "" Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us! Saint Joseph, Protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church, pray for us! Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, may your kingdom reign in Ukraine and all the world. Ken

Sandy
April 7, 2025 at 07:42 AM

I am praying for the Pope, our President of our United States, all the innocent victims of the measles epidemic and for an end to all the wrongs carried out in this world.

April 7, 2025 at 06:45 AM

*** I’m just trying to do well in this world and there is ‘nothing’ wrong with doing ‘good’ in the world according to my standards! Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36 and Luke 9:25, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” *** Do you know that all of us are guilty before God and none of us is sinless in James 2:10, “Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. Then you are guilty of breaking all of it!” *** What is Good News without the bad news? Bad news in Romans 3:23, “Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory!” Good News of Jesus Christ in Romans 3:24, “The free gift of God’s grace makes us right with Him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free!” ******* You see, “I am not a sinner because I sin, I sin because I am a sinner!” Matthew 10:26-28, “So don’t be afraid of your enemies. Everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, shout from the rooftops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the soul. Instead, be afraid of the One Who can destroy both soul and body in hell!” Amen ✝️

Claire McGarry
April 7, 2025 at 04:07 PM

Amen

April 7, 2025 at 05:48 AM

Amen... thank you Claire for your thought provoking and inspiring message today Salina, I continue to pray for Katie today... she is like a blueprint for a lot of our kids...I am keeping the faith like you for a similar situation for my son...God bless all our children

Claire McGarry
April 7, 2025 at 02:54 PM

I appreciate you reading, Cheryl, and your kind words.

Debbie H
April 7, 2025 at 02:25 PM

Amen, Cheryl...ditto. ✝️

Beautiful cherry blossoms in spring season, Seoul, South Korea.
Image by Sky View | stock.adobe.com
Image of the day

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