Gregory Boyle, SJ

“You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear.”

Question for Meditation: Who can you stand with today?

John Calvin

“The man who wishes to exempt himself from providing for his neighbors should face himself and declare that he no longer wishes to be a man, for as long as we are human creatures we must contemplate as in a mirror our face in those who are poor, despised, exhausted, who groan under their burdens …”

Question for Meditation: How can you care for a neighbor today?

Luke 3:4-6

“He went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Question for Meditation: How are you preparing your heart to welcome God?

Hebrews 13:2

“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

Question for Meditation: How can you focus on hospitality to all today?

Hindu Proverb

“The uninvited guest should be treated as good as God.”

Question for Meditation: Look for the uninvited today. What can you do to make them feel welcome?

3 John 5-6a

“Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers, especially for strangers; they have testified to your love before the church.”

Question for Meditation: How would a stranger testify to your love?

Henri Nouwen

“Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. … Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.”

Question for Meditation: Who can you really listen to today?

St. Teresa of Calcutta

“If you ever feel distressed during your day — call upon our Lady — just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit — this prayer has never failed me.”

Question for Meditation: Who or what do you rely on in times of trouble?

Jared Dees

“…we are all called to and able to make disciples, and we don’t have to be great preachers, teachers, or miracle-workers to do it.”

Question for Meditation: How are you called to make disciples?

Du Fu

“My path is full of petals–I have swept it for no others.
My thatch gate has been closed–but opens now for you.
It’s a long way to the market, I can offer you little–
Yet here in my cottage there is old wine for our cups.”

Question for Meditation: Even if it’s just a little, how what can you share today?