Once a Year

A simple friendship, kept in time.

7th century England, now part of the United Kingdom. In Derwentwater, on a small island, Herbert lived by himself. It was his place. It matched the kind of life he chose.

Each year, his friend Cuthbert would come to visit.

He arrived. Herbert met him there. They sat and talked.

Cuthbert shared what was happening where he was—people, responsibilities, decisions he had to carry. Herbert spoke about the island, about staying in one place, about what becomes clear when life is not crowded.

They listened to each other.

They took their time.

At one point, Cuthbert stopped. He had the sense that someone had just died.

Herbert understood what that meant.

He said, “Pray that I will not be left behind.”

Cuthbert said yes.

They stayed a while longer, then went their separate ways.

That meeting was their last.

They died on the same day.

What they asked for was given.

Today, we often measure connection by how often we talk or reply. This story shows something simpler. We do not need to meet often for something to be real. We do not need to say much for something to be clear. Saint Cuthbert and Saint Herbert kept it simple.

Let’s keep learning the saints’ way—day by day.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

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Build Bridges of Friendship • Fri.03.20.26

Love builds bridges when we recognize the good in others.

Love always tries to connect rather than divide.

It notices what is good in others and builds relationships.

Friendship becomes a bridge that brings people together.

Today, we take one step to strengthen a friendship or repair a distance.

Based on the Word of Life, November 1994, by Chiara Lubich.

✝️ Prayer to Build Bridges of Friendship

Lord, help us recognize the good in others. Teach us to build bridges instead of walls. Amen.

A prayer a day, keeps the soul from drifting away

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

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