Reflection Starter from Father Robert, O.P.

"A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17: 22)

"Our heart and mind are intricately connected. It is impossible to have a happy heart when our mind is full of negative thoughts and troubling feelings. When our heart is heavy, we are not helpless. We can ask the Lord through the Holy Spirit to buoy us up with cheerfulness. 'The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace' (Romans 8: 6). God is powerful in doing so if we entrust ourselves into His capable care. God's presence within us permeates us deeply – as the scripture says 'all the way down to our bones!"' - Father Robert, O.P. (from a recent Daily Inspiration from the Dominican Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, Chicago, IL)