Humility

A brown snake hanging from a branch looking up against a black background with the quote: "The devil is a great liar, as Jesus warns, which means that his primary target is our intelligence. His effort is to work his whisper within the quiet of the mind without detection, unknown until the damage is done. He loves to bait a soul with a remembrance of its native intelligence and a need to think independently, without reliance on any authority for truth other than a personal determination of truth."—Fr. Haggerty, Contemplative Provocations

A man thinking and reflecting in the dark with a neon pink cross in the background with the quote: For us, accepting God’s mercy is the most perfect form of sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of our illusory independence and strength, it is a sacrifice of our pride, and this is precisely how God begins to work in us.—Magnificat

Accepting God’s Mercy

A wooden cross outside, on top of a hill overlooking a valley in front of a reddish sky with the quote: The cross, instrument of torture and death, raised aloft as a sign of glory, continues to confound the wisdom of this world. God’s work of salvation stands human expectations on their head: humility is exaltation, wounds are healing, death is life.

A Sign of Glory

Photo of a person standing in front of an avalanche with the quote: Don’t think that every gift of grace, every act of kindness, isn’t a quake in a heart that moves another heart to give, that moves another heart to give, that grows into an avalanche of grace.—Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life

An Avalanche of Grace

Photo of the sacred crystal relic of the Holy Crib in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) in Rome. It contains pieces of ancient wood that, according to tradition, were part of the actual manger of Baby Jesus. The crib is presented with the quote: No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child.—CCC 563

Kneeling Before the Manger: The Holy Crib of Jesus

A Meditation on the Nativity

Photo of a small, vibrant plant growing against a black and white background with the quote: All truly fruitful things begin in this world with what is small and hidden.—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Ministers of Your Joy

Truly Fruitful Things

Photo of a person standing in the mud with dirty hands with the quote: Dear Lord, my smallness and weakness are perfectly known to You. Have pity on me. Pull me out of the mud of self, so that I may not be stuck in it forever.—My Daily Bread

Mud of Self: My Daily Bread Conversion Prayer

Photo of a baby holding a hand with their grandparent with the quote: "Let your old age be childlike, and your childhood like old age; that is, that neither may your wisdom be with pride, nor your humility without wisdom."—St Augustine, Exposition on the Book of Psalms

Understanding How to Accept the Kingdom of God like a Child

Photo of an emotional singer holding a microphone while looking down sadly and reflecting with the quote: Hear us Father and answer our prayer. That, when we are tempted to vainglory, we may gain the Blessed Virgin Mary’s humility. That, when our efforts seem fruitless, we may remember to call upon the names of Jesus and Mary for strength. That, when we feel lonely or discouraged, the name of Mary may give us comfort and encouragement. That our relationship to the Mother of God may bring us ever closer to her Son, Jesus.

Prayer for the Artist

Photo of the Sea of Galilee at sunrise with a quote from the Gospel of Matthew.