We Catholics love our sacramentals. They are physical reminders of God’s presence and love for us, in His Word, His saints, and His Church. Sometimes, we may go overboard with them (when my husband was a fresh Catholic, he exclaimed, “How do you resist buying everything in the church bookshop?”), but just like family photos and mementos remind us of those whom we love on Earth, sacramentals enhance our love for our spiritual family in Heaven.
Even better, as Fisheaters states:
“Sacramentals drive away evil spirits, and when piously used, remit venial sin and prepare the soul for grace.”
As I scrolled through my Instagram feed some weeks ago, I could not resist entering a giveaway for sacramentals, or as some like to call them today, “Catholic swag”. The Sydney-based Maronite Catholic business Maktub was celebrating its inception by sharing some beautiful items, including a T-shirt from The Christian Mission, rosaries and a prayer candle from Rosaries for Life and Bless My Gift, and of course, Maktub’s specialty: Bible verse cards in an elegant acrylic holder.
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Maktub explains its Arabic name thus: “It is written โ the concept of fate or destiny; the belief that our experiences are known by a higher power.”
As my family is currently going through a season of some stress and turmoil, waiting on God for relief and deliverance, the concept of Maktub appeals greatly to me.
Surprise!
Lo and behold, out of 476 entrants, I actually managed to win the coveted giveaway. It felt like an amazing blessing and reassurance that God is still present and providing for us.
The very first Bible verse I pulled out was: “Everyone who asks receives.” (Mt 7:8)
It seemed rather apt, both for winning the giveaway, and for my current situation. A reminder of blessings received, and an assurance of blessings to come.
As I pulled out more verses, they each spoke words of comfort and conviction to my heart.
The Bible verse card holder comes with three white crosses on the front, and is customisable with a variety of holy cards on the obverse, ranging from the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts, to St Charbel or St Thรฉrรจse.
On Maktub’s site, it says:
“The Holy Bible, beginning from Genesis and ending with Revelation, is broken into chapters.
From there, each chapter contains verses that allow us to learn how to live in God’s way.
Let us help you create a habit of reading a Bible verse every day to establish and grow in your spiritual journey.”
The founder of Maktub writes:
“๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ (๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ด โ๐๐๐’๐๐๐๐โ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฃ๐ช๐ค).ย ๐๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฆย ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ฅโ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ต ๐ข ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ.
Now, the Bible verses sit on my desk, and it is a lovely thing to be able to pull out a snippet (or more) of God’s Word in the midst of my daily duties. It is like popping a spiritual vitamin. My husband and toddler enjoy reaching in and obtaining a slice of Scripture, too!
As I have been in a dry season of prayer, finding it difficult to persist in the rosary or the Divine Office, these cards have been a Godsend.
What sacramentals are your favourites, and how do they assist in your spiritual life? Let us know in the comments section below.
3 thoughts on “Daily Bible Verses to Inspire and Strengthen You”
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This book was the anchor my faith needed. I feel more grounded in Godโs word and more confident in His divine timing and purpose.
I have a daily inspiration app already. After a couple of years I found that I was reading the same stories, maybe from a year ago? So this just may be what I need.