Scripture Reading
Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Reflection
Scripture does not romanticize joy as the absence of difficulty — it commends it as medicine for the hardest days. The joyful heart is not ignorant of pain but has something that works against the deadening effect of despair. Joy is both a gift to receive and a discipline to cultivate. Ask God today for the medicine of a heart that has learned to rejoice.
Prayer for Today
Great St. Gerard,
beloved servant of Jesus Christ,
perfect imitator of Jesus,
and devoted child of the Mother of God,
enkindle within my heart one spark
of that Heavenly fire of charity which glowed in yours.
Because you bore,
without murmur or complaint,
the calumnies of wicked men
when falsely accused of crime,
you have been raised up by God
as the patron and protector of expectant mothers.
Preserve me/her in the dangers of motherhood,
and shield the child I/she now bear(s),
that it may be brought safely to the light of day,
and receive the sacrament of baptism.
beloved servant of Jesus Christ,
perfect imitator of Jesus,
and devoted child of the Mother of God,
enkindle within my heart one spark
of that Heavenly fire of charity which glowed in yours.
Because you bore,
without murmur or complaint,
the calumnies of wicked men
when falsely accused of crime,
you have been raised up by God
as the patron and protector of expectant mothers.
Preserve me/her in the dangers of motherhood,
and shield the child I/she now bear(s),
that it may be brought safely to the light of day,
and receive the sacrament of baptism.
Amen.