"Eternal God, eternal Trinity...

"...you have made the blood of Christ so precious
through his sharing in your divine nature.

"You are a mystery as deep as the sea;
the more I search, the more I find,
and the more I find the more I search for you.

"But I can never be satisfied;
what I receive will ever leave me desiring more.

"When you fill my soul
I have an even greater hunger,
and I grow more famished for your light.

"I desire above all to see you,
the true light, as you really are.

"I have tasted and seen
the depth of your mystery
and the beauty of your creation
with the light of my understanding.

"I have clothed myself with your likeness
and have seen what I shall be.

"Eternal Father,
you have given me a share in your power
and the wisdom that Christ claims as his own,
and your Holy Spirit has given me
the desire to love you.

"You are my Creator, eternal Trinity,
and I am your creature.


"You have made of me a new creation
in the blood of your Son,
and I know that you are moved with love
at the beauty of your creation,
for you have enlightened me.

"Eternal Trinity, Godhead,
mystery deep as the sea,
you could give me no greater gift
than the gift of yourself.

"For you are a fire ever burning
and never consumed,
which itself consumes
all the selfish love that fills my being.


"Yes, you are a fire
that takes away the coldness,
illuminates the mind with its light
and causes me to know your truth.

"By this light,
reflected as it were in a mirror,
I recognise that you are the highest good,
one we can neither comprehend
nor fathom.

"And I know
that you are beauty and wisdom itself.

"The food of angels,
you gave yourself to man
in the fire of your love.

"You are the garment
which covers our nakedness,
and in our hunger
you are a satisfying food,
for you are sweetness
and in you
there is no taste of bitterness,
O triune God!"

From the dialogue On Divine Providence
by Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor
on her Feast Day
in today's Office of Readings

Contemplation

"There is another aspect of prayer which we need to remember:
silent contemplation.

"Saint John, for example,
tells us that to embrace God’s revelation
we must first listen,
then respond
by proclaiming what we have heard and seen
(cf. 1 Jn 1:2-3; Dei Verbum, 1).

"Have we perhaps lost something of the art of listening?

"Do you leave space to hear God’s whisper,
calling you forth into goodness?

"Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness,
listen to God, adore him in the Eucharist.

"Let his word shape your journey
as an unfolding of holiness.

Pope Benedict XVI
today at a rally for young people
on the grounds of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, NY

"Time spent in prayer is never wasted...

"...however urgent the duties that press upon us from every side.

"Adoration of Christ our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament prolongs and intensifies the union with him that is established through the Eucharistic celebration (cf. Sacramentum Caritatis, 66).

"Contemplation of the mysteries of the Rosary releases all their saving power and it conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ (cf. Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 11, 15).

"Fidelity to the Liturgy of the Hours ensures that the whole of our day is sanctified and it continually reminds us of the need to remain focused on doing God's work, however many pressures and distractions may arise from the task at hand.

Benedict XVI
from his address to the Bishops of the United States
yesterday