Tag: Prayer

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the Gospel acclamation: “Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God and pondered it in her heart.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:41-51)

When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Mary ponders in her heart the finding of Jesus in the temple and the circumstances surrounding it. In the same way, Mary ponders earlier in Luke’s account of the Gospel. He tells us in the chapter before this one of the announcement of the angel Gabriel that Mary had “found favor with God” and that she would conceive and bear a son named Jesus, Son of the Most high. With faith in the Lord, Mary replies to Gabriel: “May it be done to me according to your word.” Here, as Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, in their astonishment they find Jesus amidst teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Mary asks, trying to understand him, “Son, why have you done this to us?” By the time she visits her cousin Elizabeth, Mary proclaims in her Magnificat “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

Father in heaven, help me see what Mary sees as she keeps in her heart all that you have done for her. In anxiety, she said to Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us?” Let Mary’s prayer be my prayer when I seek to do your will even when I don’t understand what my part is or where it will lead. Grant me the quiet, contemplative faith to keep your word as Mary did, trusting in a savior whose greatness is in lifting up the lowly and whose “mercy is from age to age.” Help me, Lord, find your Son in the midst of the day so that with Mary as a model of holiness, I find through faith and trust in your mercy a grateful heart that rejoices in all that you have done for me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

From the Gospel acclamation: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 19:31-37)

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.

After Jesus was crucified, it was the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, and the Jewish leaders requested Pilate to have the legs of those crucified broken to ensure they would die quickly and not remain on the crosses during the Sabbath. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus. However, when they came to Jesus, they found that he had already died and did not break his legs. The flow of blood and water from Jesus’ side is substantiated by an eyewitness account so that those who read the testimony may believe. The piercing of Jesus’ side confirms his death and the fulfillment of prophecy.

God, help me understand the yoke that Jesus asks me to take upon me. It is impossible for me to comprehend what that means to take on his yoke when considering his horrible crucifixion and death. Yet, the sacred heart of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is strength itself to endure suffering even more unimaginable than the cross. As Saint Paul says: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Teach me, Lord, to endure the inevitably of suffering for the sake of your glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The Lord our God is Lord alone!” | Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:28-34)

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

In response to Jesus’ words, the scribe recognizes the kind of love that is “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” and commends Jesus. “You are not far from the Kingdom of God,” Jesus says to the scribe. With the words that begin “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!” Jesus prays a daily prayer of the ancient Israelites, still recited today, the Shema . With God as Lord alone, it is possible to say what Jesus says next. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The right ordering of God first affirms the inseparability between sincere love for God and love for neighbor. As Sulpician theologian Adolphe Tanquerey said: “Fraternal charity is indeed a theological virtue . . . provided that we love God Himself in our neighbor . . . that we love the neighbor for God’s sake. Should we love the neighbor solely for his own sake, or because of the services he may render us, this would not be charity.” How is God calling us into a genuine, wholehearted love that transforms our relationship with him and our interactions with others?

Father in heaven, you are the source of all love, and you loved us first. For the sake of your glory, Lord, show me how to love you and to love my neighbor. Keep me in your care. The daily trial of loving one another puts into sharp relief the realization that you are God, the source of love, and I am not. In the prayer of the psalmist, I ask for your guidance: “Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. Teach me your ways, O Lord.” Saint Norbert, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “To you I lift up my eyes who are enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:18-27)

Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?”

The Sadducees question Jesus about the marriage obligations brothers have to each other after death. Although they don’t believe in resurrection after death, they ask Jesus because they are trying to trick him. Although the scenario the Sadducees propose has almost no chance of ever happening, the real tragedy is the complete lack of trust the Sadducees have in God’s providence and love. Jesus simply confronts them with the Scriptures and the power of God. “When they rise from the dead,” he tells them, “they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. . . . He is not God of the dead but of the living.” In his response to the Sadducees, Jesus affirms the reality of the resurrection despite the limits of human understanding, and he stresses the need to have steadfast faith in God’s promises.

God, help me strive today to live a life that leads me to heaven. I can’t conceive what heaven is like and fail to comprehend eternal praise of your name through the redemptive gift of your Son. But let me trust in what Jesus says about the resurrection, that we will be like angels and that you are the God of the living. “You are greatly misled,” Jesus said to the Sadducees. Give me the grace not to be misled by the limits of human understanding but instead trust completely in your infinite goodness and mercy. Saint Boniface, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Tuesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:13-17)

Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?”

Jesus knows that he is being tested and makes clear that he is aware of that. He asks for a denarius to be brought to him and asks them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They tell Jesus it is Caesar’s. In asking them this, Jesus reveals a truth about personhood and image. The image and inscription are Caesar’s, and though they belong to him, they are not Caesar himself. So it is that Jesus is able to say, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” In the first reading, Peter reminds us that this world and all of its apparent realities are passing: “But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” And Peter tells us to grow in grace and to give glory to God now and to the day of eternity.

Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you today for the grace to live as you would have us live, at peace and waiting for and hastening your coming. “Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,” the psalmist prays, “that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.” Give me the wisdom to recognize and act on your will, accomplishing with the sight you give me to care for your every good gift. What Peter prays for I also ask that you help me keep in my heart: “be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.” In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. Jesus, I trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs

From the responsorial psalm: “Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress. In you, my God, I place my trust.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 12:1-12)

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. . . . “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

Mark’s Gospel continues from last week’s, where the Jewish leaders questioned Jesus’ authority to preach the word of God, perform miracles, and cleanse the temple area. Jesus goes on to explain the kingdom of God to them in the parable of the vineyard. The parable speaks to various facets of God’s intervention in our lives, such as his covenant with Israel, the rejection of the prophets, the sending of his son, and of his rejection and crucifixion. All of this has consequences to those who encounter Jesus and hear his word. The parable tells about the landowner, who will come and destroy the corrupt tenants and give the vineyard to others. In this, Jesus speaks of the second coming and the final judgment and the fulfillment of God’s promises in bringing all into his kingdom. In the vineyard Jesus describes, what is the fruit of the vine that is meant to be shared with all?

God, I think at first that surely I am not one of the wicked tenant farmers caring for the vineyard. Yet, I daily take a role in that vineyard and choose freely whether to do your will. Jesus says at the end of the parable: “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.” With this in mind, how do I receive the gifts you give me in being one of your tenants? Do I take a selfish stance to the gifts you give me, or do I trust that in your boundless love, that in the new and everlasting covenant there is always plenty of the same love you entrust to me to receive and give away? In you, my God, I place my trust. Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ | Corpus Christi

From the responsorial psalm: “How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26)

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”

Jesus instructs the disciples to go into the city to prepare a place for them to join during the Passover meal. He tells them in a specific way how to find a guest room, the upper room that had been furnished and made ready for them. Once gathered at the Passover table, Jesus breaks the bread, shares it with the disciples, and then takes a cup of wine and shares that with them. The words he speaks as he shares the bread and wine are spoken every day during the consecration of the Mass. Just as God spoke creation into existence—”Let there be light.”—Jesus, the Son of God, says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood of the covenant,” and the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ.

God, help me dwell on what the Church celebrates today, Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Help me remember the meaning of the words of consecration: “This is my body, which will be given up for you.” The Gospel acclamation alludes to God’s unbroken covenant, as revealed to the Israelites and fulfilled in the body and blood of your Son. “This is my blood of the covenant,” Jesus says. And for what purpose did he institute the Eucharist? “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Body and blood of Christ, save me!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

From the responsorial psalm: “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 11:27-33)

Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”

Approaching Jesus with a question that stems from hostility, the Jewish leaders find the tables turned on them when Jesus asks them to answer a question first. In the same chapter of Mark, Jesus has just cleansed the temple area, overturning the tables of the money changers, driving out people who had turned his Father’s house into a marketplace. Their question focuses on Jesus’ authority to do this, to teach the word of God, and to perform miracles. Yet, in discussing what answer to give, they find themselves caught between accepting the truth of John’s heavenly authority and fear of the crowd, who believed that John was a prophet. Thus, they refuse to answer Jesus’ question, more concerned about self-protection and their own authority than seeking the truth through honest dialogue with Jesus. What does this say about how we live our lives today?

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God, how far am I willing to go to seek out Jesus’ authority and respond to that honest realization? Help me see in the teachings of Jesus and in his redemptive work his divine identity and mission. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” the Gospel acclamation says, “giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Give me the grace to come to a genuine understanding that your Son is who he says he is and by that has authority.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the responsorial psalm: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 1:39-56)

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.”

In praying the Magnificat, Mary reveals profound theological and spiritual truths. Mary willingly submits to God’s will in response to his faithfulness and mercy and speaks of God’s preferential love for the poor. As a model of discipleship, Mary shows her deep understanding of God’s redemptive plan and her willingness to participate in it beside Jesus at every step and with complete trust in God’s mercy. As Saint Bede said, reflecting on the Magnificat: “When a man devotes all his thoughts to the praise and service of the Lord, he proclaims God’s greatness. His observance of God’s commands, moreover, shows that he has God’s power and greatness always at heart. His spirit rejoices in God his savior and delights in the mere recollection of his creator who gives him hope for eternal salvation.”

God, help me understand your greatness and mercy as Mary praises it in the Magnificat. As Elizabeth testifies to Mary’s faith in you, help me also trust in your promises. “Blessed are you who believed,” Elizabeth said, “that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” As Mother of the Redeemer and more than any other disciple, Mary suffered with Jesus in his passion and death and rejoiced in his victory over sin and death in the resurrection. Lord, among all the disciples and saints, who but Mary is all-holy and full of grace, leading us to Jesus? Help me trust in you, Lord, as we ask for Mary’s constant intercession: “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” | Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:46-52)

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

Jesus goes on to ask Bartimaeus what he wishes for him to do, and he replies, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus tells him that his faith has saved him, and immediately Bartimaeus sees and begins to follow Jesus on their way. Bartimaeus is prepared to receive healing from the Lord by his faith. First, he calls Jesus “Son of David.” Then the disciples lift him with encouragement to respond to Jesus’ call. And on encountering him, Jesus says that his faith has saved him. In response to that call, Bartimaeus’s sight is healed, and he begins to follow Jesus. Be attentive today to the ways the Lord calls you to him. What is your response?

“But he kept calling out all the more, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.'” God, help me listen out for you today, whether I experience encouragement from someone or hear in my heart the words “What do you want me to do for you?” Strengthen my faith to hear you and receive your healing. Throughout the day, Lord, help me see your presence more clearly, making ready the way to enjoy eternal life with you. As Saint Peter says in the first reading: “Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.