As we learn in today's Minute Meditations, God has a far grander imagination than we do! 💭
June 3, 2024
Hello John,
Perhaps like me, you've been feeling a little rushed, stressed, and overburdened lately. I feel many outside pressures and influences on my life. Each day, I am so grateful to receive Franciscan Media’s newsletter because I can take a moment to pause and remember who I am—a child of God. And for a moment, I enter a sacred space and feel God’s loving embrace.
Renewed through this experience, I can go forward and accomplish the day’s work.
Thank you for being a part of our Franciscan Media family. I pray that today’s email brings you peace, joy, and an experience of God’s love.
One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages, aged 13 to 30, from the sexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler’s demands.
Charles first learned of Christ’s teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages.
On the night of Mukaso’s martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles’ courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful.
For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga’s order.
When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he also made reference to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason.
Reflection
Like Charles Lwanga, we are all teachers and witnesses to Christian living by the examples of our own lives. We are all called upon to spread the word of God, whether by word or deed. By remaining courageous and unshakable in our faith during times of great moral and physical temptation, we live as Christ lived.
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I have learned that the plan of God is much more exciting than anything I ever could have fashioned for myself. The impulse to become like the people we admire can become a great hindrance to our spiritual life. Our vocation, or state of life, should form our life of prayer and spiritual practices. “Pray as you are” is a straightforward way to remember this. I am not a hermit, a monastic, or even a mendicant friar. I am a secular priest.
So, pray as you are and not as you wish or think you should. Always be faithful to your state of life. In the seemingly mundane, ordinary circumstances of your life, the most extraordinary and unexpected thing can happen: You become a saint!
In our professional lives, we often encounter challenges and difficulties that can leave us feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and disheartened. Whether it’s navigating office politics, facing tight deadlines, or dealing with interpersonal conflicts, the workplace can sometimes feel like a battleground where our values and beliefs are put to the test. As Franciscans, we are called to embrace these struggles with humility, perseverance, and grace—to see them not as obstacles to be overcome, but as opportunities for growth, transformation, and spiritual renewal. Remember, the struggles we face today are but stepping stones on the path to a deeper, more profound experience of God’s grace and presence in our lives.
Pray
Gracious God, As we may face struggles, help us to remember that you are with us and know that we entrust our burdens and cares to you, knowing that you are always with us, walking by our side, and guiding us through the storm. Journeying with you is a reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is hope, light, and the promise of a brighter tomorrow. Amen.
Act
Consider how you can approach future challenges at work with a Franciscan spirit, embracing them as opportunities for growth, transformation, and spiritual renewal.
Today’s Pause+Pray was written by Paul Lipowski. Learn more here!
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