Pause+Pray

hen we think of love, often the focus is on the love that is projected outward--to a partner, a child, a friend. But when do we stop and focus on ourselves?

Bryan Stevenson, an African-American, Harvard-trained attorney, writes: “The people who haven’t earned it, who haven’t even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion… “

When you think of the poor, is it someone unknown to you in a faraway land? That may be true, but that kind of thinking also puts a buffer between ourselves and those in need.

Both St. Francis and St. Bonaventure are said to have visited La Verna, a mountain donated to the Franciscans by Count Orlando of Chiusi, at times in their lives where they were wrestling with their divine calling.

Today, reflect on the incredible power of the words from Romans 8:38–39.

What gets the most attention in your daily routine? Do you make time for prayer or service each day?