Tag: Prayer

Monday of Holy Week

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 12:1-11)

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

The extravagant love that Mary shows Jesus fills the entire house with the fragrance of oil. Oil, a sacramental, becomes a tangible expression of devotion to Jesus. In the room with Jesus and Mary is Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected from the dead. Judas questions why the oil should not be sold and given to the poor; he deceives. But what is true instead is that in Christ’s presence, the poor come in crowds looking for the hope that only Jesus can give. John tells us: “The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.” Without Christ, we ourselves become spiritually poor; with him, we gain a superabundance of grace that overspills to others. As Saint Bede the Venerable said: “We wipe the feet of these same ones with our hair when we share some of what is superfluous to us to alleviate the wants of the needy.”

God, thank you for the presence of Jesus! Present to Mary and Lazarus in body and soul, he remains present today in the Eucharist—body and blood, soul and divinity. In the fulfillment of love through his passion, death, and resurrection, he sits at your right hand and yet remains in the full presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Help me follow Mary’s example of devotion and see Christ in his presence, especially as Saint Teresa of Calcutta saw him—in the needs of others. “Whenever I meet someone in need,” she said, “it’s really Jesus in his most distressing disguise.” Lord, bless me today with the opportunity to see the needs of others and anoint them with your love.

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.

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

From the responsorial psalm: “All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: ‘He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.’ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 15:1-39)

Pilate again said to them in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?” They shouted again, “Crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

Mark relates the excruciating details of the passion, crucifixion, and death of Jesus until the moment Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” A prayerful reading of the immense pain Jesus suffers reveals who we are to God and the divinity of Christ that breaks through to humanity in his redemptive sacrifice. At the moment of Jesus’ death, Mark tells us this: “The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “’Truly this man was the Son of God!’” How is it that the same Jesus who rides a colt into Jerusalem and hears from the crowd, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” days later is mocked, tortured, and put to death at the hands of the people in Jerusalem? It was necessary for the sake of our redemption that he was both suffering servant and Lord of all, King of kings.

God, help me humbly accept that I cannot fully understand the mystery of the suffering and death of your Only Begotten Son. In fallen human nature, I see in myself the one crying “Hosanna” as Jesus enters Jerusalem; a sinner, I see in myself one among others in a crowd who crucifies him. Help me, Lord, in brokenness turn more toward you. Give me the grace to understand the necessity of a Savior of us all and what it means to me that Jesus died on a cross to destroy sin and death and to restore the hope of eternal life. “For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

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.

image: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Many began to believe him. | Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 11:45-56)

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.”

The mention of Mary in the first line of today’s Gospel refers to the resurrection of her brother Lazarus. Many witnesses spread the news of this miracle and came to believe in Jesus. This news alarmed religious leaders already threatened by Jesus’ popularity and his claims to divinity. Under the leadership of Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin planned to kill Jesus in order to save their nation. So from that day on they planned to kill him. “So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews,” John tells us, “but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.” The approaching Passover would bring about the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission, who offers himself as a sacrifice for the salvation of all.

God, help me understand what the events unfolding in the Gospel mean to me in the present day. This event is not isolated in time but sweeps up all of history to bring the sins of humanity to the passion and death of your Son. With the resurrection of Lazarus, many came to believe in Jesus. In his saving death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the means of working all things for the good to reconcile each person to you. Help me recognize that in my sins I also nailed to a tree the Son of God. Give me a grateful, humbled heart as I consider the true price of reconciliation with 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.

“For which of these are you trying to stone me. . . ?” | Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “In my distress I called upon the LORD and cried out to my God; From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 10:31-42)

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me. . . ?”If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.

As some of the Jews are trying to stone Jesus for blasphemy, for making himself God, he holds fast in the face of opposition to those who denounce his claim to divinity. Jesus challenges them with the validity of the scriptures and affirms his divine mission: “[C]an you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” Because it was not yet the time, Jesus escaped from their power. We hear the foreshadowing of this in Jeremiah, an echo of Jesus’ victory over the powers of darkness that resounds to the present day: “But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.”

Father in heaven, hear the words of your Son that meet me where I am today: “I have shown you many good works from my Father.” When accused of blasphemy, Jesus remained steadfast in your consecration of him as he carries out the mission you sent him to accomplish. Give me the grace, Lord, to be confident of the many good works you reveal to me through your Son and help me remove any obstacles that would prevent me from allowing him to work through me today. “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.”

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.

“Who do you make yourself out to be?” | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Work with me, Lord, as I look to you. Help me call to mind the verse before the Gospel: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:51-59)

Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Jesus makes two claims to his divinity in today’s Gospel. To the Jews who hear him, it is evidence that he is possessed or insane. Jesus also tells them, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day.” Before they question how that could be and pick up stones to throw at him, Jesus makes another claim to his divinity: “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” Jesus leaves know doubt among those who hear his word that he is the Son of God. “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing,” Jesus tells them before leaving, “but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ You do not know him, but I know him.”

God, strengthen my faith; help my unbelief. Just as some of the Jews in Jesus’ time failed to recognize that it was you who sent him, I sometimes question the divinity of your Son in my inner dialogue and actions. “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?” they ask. It is a question of superlatives, and the answer is yes. “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.” Yet, it is a constant challenge to commit to that truth, even as Jesus says outright that keeping his word is the means to a living relationship with you. Work with me, Lord, as I look to you. Help me call to mind the verse before the Gospel: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

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 God were your Father, you would love me.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.’ Glory and praise for ever!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:31-42)

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”

Jesus speaks to some of the Jews who believe in him. In a seemingly contradictory way, he tells them that they are trying to kill him because his word has no room among them. Jesus openly says that he is sent by the Father and tells them what he has seen and heard from him. But his hearers deny that they are enslaved to anyone or anything. “We are descendants of Abraham,” they tell Jesus, “and have never been enslaved to anyone.” Jesus replies, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.” In the present, are there others who insist that they are free from sin, or are there times when we ourselves have no place for the word of the Lord?

God, help me understand today’s Gospel not as a long-ago story that ended in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It carries on today in the hearts of all people, where each of us has a choice to find a place for you there. Jesus saw a hesitancy among some of the people who believed in him, and the mark of true discipleship he made clear is an interior conviction to remain in his word, to choose truth, and to be set free in it. Help me act on this today as I recall the short verse before the Gospel: “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.”

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 Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Unwilling to expose Mary to shame and out of compassion, Joseph chose and intended to do what he thought was the best course of action. Help me see the example he sets in being pure and in willingly choosing to act mercifully.

From the responsorial psalm: “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.’ “Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm. The son of David will live for ever.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a)

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph’s intention, Matthew tells us, was to divorce Mary quietly because he was unwilling to expose her to shame. A righteous man with this intention, Joseph was open to hearing the voice of God. And he did, in a dream, through the voice of an angel. Although Joseph doesn’t say a word here, we know his intentions are rooted in mercy. Because of that, he is able to hear the Lord and receive guidance from him to do his will. Remaining close to Jesus even before he was born, hearing the angel speak his name, Joseph is an example for all who desire to hear God’s voice.

God, help me take in and remember the story of Joseph throughout the day. Unwilling to expose Mary to shame and out of compassion, he chose and intended to do what he thought was the best course of action. Help me see the example he sets in being pure and in willingly choosing to act mercifully. When I am faced with that choice, give me the grace to be kind and merciful, opening up further to you. “I will be a father to him,” you say to David through the prophet Nathan, “and he shall be a son to me.” Lord, teach me to be a means of your kindness and mercy. Saint Joseph, 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.

“Neither do I condemn you.” | Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lord, help me understand the purpose you have given me within my sphere of influence and the courage to serve you as Jesus served you in full knowledge and obedience to your new covenant, spoken through the prophets and fulfilled through Christ.

From the responsorial psalm: “Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:1-11)

Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

As Jesus teaches people gathered around him in the temple area, the scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to him who has been caught in adultery. Knowing that Mosaic law prescribed that a woman caught in adultery was to be stoned, they make her stand in the middle and ask Jesus to judge her. They are testing him to have a reason to charge him with a transgression of the law. The Son of God, like his Father, is a just judge. He asks the one without sin to be the first to cast a stone. No one does because all have sinned. The crowd disperses one by one. What does Jesus teach in this that the crowd carries away with them? Under such a conviction of sin, Jesus helps us see in one another fellow sinners in need of forgiveness. There, we find a place where mercy flourishes where before only condemnation thrived. To the contrite heart set free from sin, the only command the Lord gives is to continue to live in freedom: “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

“Neither do I condemn you.” God, help me remember these words as I encounter others and relive past encounters where I am inclined to judge and condemn. It is an agony to experience from others a lack of forgiveness, yet those who fail to forgive experience even greater suffering. Give me the grace to be the first to walk away from judging others rather than to cast a stone.

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.

“Your Father knows what you need.” | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 6:7-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Jesus teaches the disciples the prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. In the middle of today’s Gospel, Jesus prays the Our Father and before and after the prayer, he teaches us two vital lessons: don’t babble in prayer like pagans and forgive others as God forgives us. In the notes of the New American Bible Revised Edition for today’s passage, scholars suggest that pagans babbled because they recited a list of many deities, “hoping that one of them will force a response.” Jesus instead teaches deliberate, quieting prayer that addresses the “Father [who] knows what you need before you ask him.” After praying, Jesus turns to the disciples and says: “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” God shares his mercy in a double way: what he does for us, he invites us to do for others.

God, you know what I need before I ask. That’s a reality in prayer that I might easily take for granted and then go on focusing on my way as the best way, as the answer to prayer. Help me remember the words of your Son: if I open my heart to a disposition of forgiveness, I am open to receiving your mercy and extending it to others. Give me the grace to forgive transgressions rather than hold grudges, to let go of hurts so I can receive your will and be merciful. Have mercy on me, Lord!

From the responsorial psalm: “When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. From all their distress God rescues the just.”

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 then they will fast.” | Friday after Ash Wednesday

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:14-15)

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the meaning of fasting. In fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies and practices, the coming of Jesus represents the beginning of a new era. A common practice in the Jewish tradition, fasting was a way to show repentance and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus, the Bridegroom, is present among his disciples, so the time to fast hadn’t yet come. However, the time would come for fasting, for his passion, death, and resurrection. “The days will come,” Jesus says, “when the bridegroom is taken away . . . and then they will fast.” The Lord reveals to Isaiah in the first reading what fasting is: “Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”

God, help me understand the meaning of fasting as Jesus teaches it. Among the disciples, Jesus was a source of joy and consolation. The Messiah had come and was among them. In the time of his passion, the disciples mourned his loss. But now, after the time of his suffering and death, Jesus is present in his word, through his resurrection, and in the sacraments of the Church. Give me the grace, Lord, to fast during Lent in a way that strengthens my love for your presence. In detachment and self-denial, nourish me now with your presence, and prepare me for your resurrection in the Easter joy that is to come.

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.”

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.