June 1, 2026 // Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: 2 Peter 1:2-7
Reflect on the Word //
A few years after I was married, I bought a custom print for our home with an excerpt from the Second Reading from our wedding Mass. It was from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, where he encourages us to “[h]old fast to what is good; love one another . . . outdo one another in showing honor . . . Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:9–12).
I love encouragement and lists like these, and the rhythm it seems to have when you read through it. It reminds me to live out these practices in the daily rhythms of my life—not necessarily like a box to check on my to-do list, but as something to consider, to always remember—as I go about my day.
We see this same rhythm in today’s First Reading from Saint Peter’s second letter, in which he offers an encouraging list of his own, urging us to “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5–7).
Peter was nearing the end of his life and wanted to encourage Christians that striving for holiness and faithfulness is worth it. I think he was specifically encouraging us to be intentional about it throughout our days—to make the fruits that he mentions something we intentionally plant in our lives, nurture, and continue to share with others. These things, like the most beautiful flowers in a garden, can’t grow accidentally, but only with care and devotion.
Relate to the Lord // What fruit do you want to bear in your character and life? Make a list and consider how, by God’s grace, you can cultivate these virtues.
Annie Deddens is a writer and producer. She runs a prayer ministry with her husband, called Pray More Novenas. She has a heart for the sick & suffering, and she writes about living with greater faith (hope & love, too) in this imperfect world as a Catholic wife on her blog, Catholic Wife, Catholic Life. Find out more about her here.
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