E.A. Bucchianeri ~ Author ~ Official Site

A Thought For

Each Day of the Year

Daily Gospel Meditation Through

the Traditional Roman Liturgical Year

“I don’t have time to meditate.”

“I don’t know how to begin.”

“I don’t know what to meditate upon.”

“How do I form a practical resolution?”

A Thought for Each Day of the Year was created to answer these familiar difficulties.

Using the traditional one-year cycle of Sunday Gospels from the Roman Missal as its framework, Fr. Marin de Boylesve, S.J. provides concise meditations that help the reader move from reading Scripture to prayer—and from prayer to practical action.

Each meditation follows a simple pattern:

GOSPEL • THOUGHT • PRAYER • PRACTICE

The passage provides a subject for reflection. The thought explains its spiritual meaning. The prayer turns the reflection toward God. Finally, the suggested practice translates it into a concrete resolution for daily life.

Substantial enough to nourish the soul yet brief enough for a busy day, this collection offers an accessible way to develop the habit of meditation throughout the year.

A Simple Method of Daily Meditation

Meditation is the prayerful consideration of the truths of the Faith so that they may enlighten the mind, move the heart, and influence the way one lives.

It need not require lengthy study or complicated techniques. Even several attentive minutes spent reflecting upon a passage from the Gospel can produce a clear resolution and help unite the duties of the day with the life of Christ.

Fr. de Boylesve’s method guides the reader through four natural movements:

GOSPEL

A brief passage drawn from the Sunday Gospel provides the foundation for meditation.

THOUGHT

A concise reflection helps uncover a spiritual lesson contained within the passage.

PRAYER

The lesson becomes a personal petition, act of confidence, or expression of love toward God.

PRACTICE

A practical resolution carries the meditation beyond the page and into the reader’s daily conduct.

This dependable structure is particularly helpful for those who desire to meditate but struggle with distraction, uncertainty, or lack of time.

Following Christ Through the Liturgical Year

The meditations follow the traditional Roman liturgical calendar and its one-year cycle of Sunday Gospels—the cycle commonly associated with the Tridentine Mass. They accompany the reader from Advent through the seasons after Pentecost, following the mysteries, teachings, and events presented by the Church throughout the year.

Rather than treating Scripture as something distant, Fr. de Boylesve continually asks what each passage requires of the Christian here and now: greater trust, perseverance, humility, charity, detachment, courage, repentance, or fidelity.

Used consistently, the book becomes more than a collection of attractive thoughts. It provides a practical school of Gospel living in which reflection leads to prayer and prayer leads to action.

The book may be followed throughout the liturgical year, opened for a brief daily meditation, or consulted whenever a clear spiritual thought and resolution are needed.

Liturgical Note

This book follows the traditional Roman calendar and Sunday Gospel cycle rather than the modern three-year lectionary. Readers who attend the Traditional Latin Mass may follow the meditations alongside the corresponding Sundays of the liturgical year. Others may use the collection independently as a complete annual course of Gospel meditation.

A Sample Meditation

For EASTER SUNDAY

GOSPEL

“Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre?”

~ Mark 16:3

THOUGHT

How would it be if we were to know everything? Not only does an enormous stone close the entrance to the sepulchre, but this stone is sealed by the powerful enemies of Our Lord and is surrounded by soldiers.

Go on in spite of all this. God asks of you only that which you are able to perform; He takes what seems impossible upon Himself. When you draw near, all these obstacles have disappeared.

True, your sweet spices are of no service, but your wishes have been accomplished and even surpassed.

PRAYER

Jesus, if Thou triest Thy friends, it is but to surprise them with consolations which more than recompense for any sacrifice.

PRACTICE

Make progress in spite of obstacles.

For Busy Souls Who Wish to Grow

A Thought for Each Day of the Year is especially suited to readers who:

Wish to begin the practice of meditation

Find lengthy spiritual reading difficult to sustain

Want to understand the Sunday Gospels more deeply

Need help transforming reflection into practical resolutions

Desire a brief but meaningful daily prayer routine

Wish to follow the life and teaching of Christ through the liturgical year

The book is equally useful for those beginning mental prayer and for experienced readers seeking a dependable daily companion.

A Reader's Response

“Each day, I try to find time to read the biblical thought and its short summary. I really like reading these, since they seem to fit in biblical nuggets I really have not given much thought. Many times, I agree and say amen. Other times, I think and wonder how I never before thought about it from that angle. I enjoy the little book, and I’m glad I bought it.”

~ Verified Amazon purchaser, United States