Tag: Prayer

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” | Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:32-45)

Jesus summoned [the disciples] and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes clear the path of discipleship. As Jesus tells them of his suffering and death in Jerusalem, James and John ask to be given a special role of power. Jesus teaches them that instead the greatness he exemplifies comes from serving others even to the point of suffering and death, as he predicts about his own coming passion and crucifixion. What Jesus says about being mocked, spit upon, scourged, and put to death James and John seem not to hear. But Jesus shows them that following him is about service, not the exercise of worldly authority. As Jesus teaches that following him calls for humility and serving others, he turns on its head the pursuit of worldly power and status. “If anyone wishes to be first,” Jesus says, “he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

God, give me the gift of wisdom to reject the all-too-subtle temptation to power and authority. As Saint Thomas Aquinas writes, the four typical substitutes for God are wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. Any one of these slips into my daily thoughts, often in the form of “If only I had enough” or “If only I were given.” With humility, help me call to mind the simple phrase from the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” And the super-substantial bread of the Eucharist, help me realize that what I hold in my hands and take in is the body of Christ in the service of love to our salvation. Saint Paul VI, 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.

“. . . and the last will be first.” | Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:28-31)

Peter began to say to Jesus, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”

Picking up from where yesterday’s Gospel left off, today’s passage begins as Peter responds to Jesus’ teaching about selling material possessions, giving to the poor, and only then following him to enter the kingdom of God here and now, and to be a partaker of eternal life. Peter affirms that he has given up everything for the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus, who then reveals something of the reward awaiting him in heaven: “there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters . . . who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.” In teaching that “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first,” Jesus encourages us to trust in God’s fidelity and promises and emphasizes the ultimate reward of eternal life in the age to come.

God, help me keep in mind Peter’s response to Jesus and to his encounter with the rich man: “We have given up everything and followed you,” Peter said. Having followed Jesus for the rest of his life, Peter trusted and hoped in the Lord. This is the same man who would later write these words of encouragement as our first pope: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus 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.

“You are lacking in one thing.” | Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:17-27)

Jesus, looking at [the man], loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

While Jesus is on a journey with the disciples, a man approaches him and wishes to know what he needs to do to gain eternal life. He tells the man to follow the commandments and lists them. The man responds, saying that he has done all these things since he was young. Sell everything you own, Jesus tells him, and give the money to the poor, and then come follow me so that you will have treasure in heaven. At this, the man goes away. After seeing the sadness in the man’s face as he walks away, Jesus tells the disciples how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples are astonished by this. “Who then can be saved?” they ask Jesus. He looks around at them and says, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” What are the things we hold onto that keep us from storing up treasure in heaven?

God, help me be attentive in obedience to your will, and give me the wisdom to know the limits of material wealth and the depth and breadth of my complete dependence on you for holiness. Jesus, as you said to the man who approached you, tell me also in what way I am lacking. Help me see this. You alone are the Lord; you alone make possible what is impossible for me. “Then who can be saved?” the disciples ask Jesus. Direct me, Lord, with your gifts of the Holy Spirit so that I know the path to my salvation and have the fortitude to follow it. Saint Augustine of Canterbury, 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.

“I am with you always.” | The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

From the responsorial psalm: “Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 28:16-20)

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The last words of the Gospel according to Matthew, this passage gives us Jesus’ parting words with the disciples. Only eleven disciples are present since Saint Matthias had not yet been chosen. Although they had not yet seen the risen Christ, Matthew tells us that Jesus ordered the disciples to go to the mountain. On first seeing him after the resurrection, they nonetheless face interior doubts even as they worship him. At that moment, Jesus approaches them to reveal in words what he has accomplished through the resurrection. As he approaches, he tells them as the second person of the Trinity: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” For that reason, the disciples are able to go forth preaching and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the fulfillment of his earthly mission, Jesus is also able to say to the disciples and to all who believe in him, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

In the Gospel acclamation, we pray: “Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.” Father in heaven, guide me today according to your will. Help me call to mind throughout the day the last words of Jesus. Unbound by time, the risen Christ is able to say that he is with us always—”until the end of the age.” In obedience to you, he was able to approach the disciples and invite them to go out to all the world, teaching all that he commanded them. Give me the grace to do the same as I ponder the mystery of the Trinity and understand the relationship I am invited into union with. Glory to the holy and undivided Trinity, now and forever!

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.

“Let the children come to me.” | Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, set a watch before my mouth, a guard at the door of my lips. For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned; in you I take refuge; strip me not of life. Let my prayer come like incense before you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:13-16)

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Jesus places childlike faith and trust in him as the primary way to belong to the Kingdom of God. What the disciples try to prevent, probably following customary treatment of children at that time, Jesus turns upside down and encourages. Not only does he tell the disciples not to prevent them from coming to him, he also sets them above all others as an example of how to open the heart to receive the Kingdom of God in order to enter it. And what does Jesus do when we draw near him? He embraces and blesses us with his divine presence. “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,” we hear in the Gospel acclamation, “you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.”

God, strengthen my faith and trust in you. As a child’s faith and trust in their parents is strengthened in their loving touch and embrace, let me not hold back in coming to you for your touch. As I approach you in the Eucharist, Lord, help me come to know the love that never abandons me is placed in my hands to receive. There before me in the Blessed Sacrament your loving embrace awaits. In your blessing, protect me and give me the grace I need to humbly accept my dependence on you for everything that is good. Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, 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.

“So they are no longer two but one flesh.” | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:41-50)

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

In today’s Gospel, some Pharisees approach Jesus and question him about divorce according to Jewish law. Jesus immediately makes clear to the Pharisees that marriage, a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, was not meant to be dissolved. No human being, Jesus says, should undo what God has done. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: “The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that had slipped into the old Law. Between the baptized, ‘a ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power or for any reason other than death.'” (CCC 2382) Jesus upholds the sacredness and permanent bond of marriage and emphasizes the original plan of God for the union of man and woman.

God, help me comprehend the fullness of Jesus’ response to the Pharisees. Marriage in the Church is a sacrament and in your mercy is meant to be permanent. There is no mistaking Jesus’ words in private to the disciples. Help me also know your mercy in the teachings of the Church in cases of annulment, that the Church has the authority to determine whether in truth a marriage lacked something essential from the beginning, rendering it null and void. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of marriage, which you authored from the beginning of creation. Keep in your care those you have joined in this sacrament, and for the sake of your glory, guide to all truth those who seek your mercy.

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.

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed, “They will praise you for doing well for yourself,” He shall join the circle of his forebears who shall never more see light. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:41-50)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

In the consecutive Gospel readings for this week, Jesus refers to children and to the innocent when he says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” The consequences for causing the innocent, the pure of heart, to sin is self-destructive. In response to this and from a place of love, Jesus teaches us that outright rejection of such an act—even to the drastic extent of cutting off the offending member—would be better than to cause another to sin. “It is better for you to enter into life maimed,” Jesus says, “than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” Lesser offenses also call for renunciation and detachment in this life because we belong to Christ and in order to have hands to receive and give the cup of his mercy.

God, help me comprehend that in Jesus I hear your word directly. “Receive the word of God,” the Gospel acclamation says, “not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.” Since it is Jesus your Son who speaks these words, give me the gift of fear of the Lord to sharpen the awareness in me that all is your gift and because of that, I tread always on holy ground. Lord, you are all good and deserving of all my love. Give me the grace, today and always, to belong to Christ and live in his peace.

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.

“For whoever is not against us is for us.” | Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Yet in no way can a man redeem himself, or pay his own ransom to God; Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough to remain alive always and not see destruction. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:38-40)

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Jesus addresses a question from John, who is concerned at seeing someone exorcising demons in Jesus’ name. John sees a cause for division even among those who call on the name of Christ. Jesus broadens John’s perspective on discipleship and what it means to do good in the eyes of the Lord. Now, as in Jesus’ time, it is easy to find causes for division, subdivision, and fragmentation—even to the point of separation. Yet, Jesus reminds John what unity means in terms of relationship to one another. Jesus does not say to John, “Whoever is not against me is for me.” Rather, he brings the disciples into relationship—”us”—just as he is in relationship with his Father. Not a bond we can form on our own, the Holy Spirit unites us in the love between the Father and the Son.

God, help me become more and more aware of the relationship that the risen Christ brings me into with you. The distortion and perversion of the words of Jesus are a temptation the evil one constantly presents, as if he is saying, “Whoever is not us is against us.” In the recognition of my own shortcomings and in the desire to do your will, give me the grace to do what I myself don’t have the power to do. In the words “For whoever is not against us is for us,” let me call to mind throughout the day that you, Lord, are over all and in all, binding me with others to you through your love and 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.

“If anyone wishes to be first . . .” | Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:30-37)

For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

As Jesus and the disciples begin a journey through Galilee, Jesus reveals to them that he will be handed over to his enemies, killed, and will rise again after three days. The disciples don’t understand Jesus’ words and begin to focus on their own role and status as disciples. Aware of this and in contrast to it, Jesus teaches them through the example of a child who is present. Children at that time held low social status. Turning a social convention such as this on its head, Jesus emphasizes the place of service, humility, and simplicity over ambitions for personal self-gain. Sounding very much like the recent Gospel readings from John, Jesus says, “Whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Mark conveys the importance of remaining in Christ with the Father in the exchange of love between them in the Holy Spirit.

God, help me see today the good gifts you place in my midst. In looking out for your gifts, give me the opportunity to put my own interests aside and serve others in the name of Christ. Jesus told the disciples of his coming passion, death, and resurrection, and they failed to comprehend that this would happen to the Messiah, whose transfiguration they witnessed on Mount Tabor. If Christ your Son humbles himself in this way, what is it you ask of me? Let me remember the profound teaching of St. James from the first reading in these few simple words: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt 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.

Friday in the Octave of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His mercy endures forever.” The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 21:1-14)

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Jesus appears on the shore to the disciples, but at first they don’t recognize him. He asks if they have caught any fish. When they tell him no, Jesus instructs them to cast their net on the right side of the boat, and they catch an enormous number of fish. Recognizing Jesus, John says, “It is the Lord.” Peter then jumps into the water to meet Jesus, and the other disciples follow. As they reach the shore, they find a charcoal fire with fish and bread that Jesus prepared for them. He invites them to bring some of the fish and to have breakfast with him. Recognizing who it is they sit with, no one asks “Who are you?” This is the third time Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection. As if to return to daily life, Peter and the others get back to their occupation. In his appearance as the risen Christ, Jesus demonstrates that they can’t go back to where they were, that their lives from that moment on will be anything but ordinary.

God, help me understand where the disciples were after the resurrection of Jesus. They were lost, going back to what they knew rather than incorporating into their lives what they had learned from the teachings and works of your Son, and through his resurrection. Give me the grace to see that Easter is not an event in the past but is the living person of Jesus, alive in the glorified body and present in the Church. John says of their attempt to return to ordinary life: “but that night they caught nothing.” Lord, teach me in the ordinariness of the day to hear your voice and with joyful recognition take heart, saying, “It is the Lord.” From the sequence from today’s readings: “Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia.”

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.