Posts Tagged ‘ prayer ’

With all that God has done for us, can we not offer him our children?

St Francis of Assisi

St Francis of Assisi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gift:  Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe) – With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.

Reading:  I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” Then they worshiped there before the LORD.  (1 Samuel 1:27-28)

Observation:  It seems to me that we spend a lot of time in this country worrying about our children.  Thanks be to God that means plenty of us, Christians, pray for them to be delivered from the evil forces that would gladly take possession of them, if they were left alone without God protecting them.  I read this reading this morning, again, thinking about how thankful we should be, like Hannah was, after she was given her child, she delivered him to the priest in the temple.

Personification:  Peace. It is only when I realize the way my children are being delivered from evil, that I can be at peace about the future that God has prepared for them.  To make a display of this peace I need only look to Saint Francis and his prayer of peace to be a guide for me.

Prayer:  Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love.  Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith.  Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, joy.  O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.  For it is giving that we receive; it is pardoning, that we are pardoned; and it in dying that we are born to eternal life.  I as this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

2012
12/22
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PRAY AND BE PATIENTLY ATTENTIVE TO HIS WORD!

Allegory of chastity by Hans Memling

Allegory of chastity by Hans Memling (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Gift:  Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe) – With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.

 

Reading:

 

You acted bravely, and your heart has been strengthened because you loved chastity.
– Your name will be praised for ever.

 

Your prayers and generosity have been accepted in God’s sight, and because of them he has remembered you.
– Your name will be praised for ever.

 

Judith 15:11; Acts 10:4

 

Observation:  The reading I selected to journal on today came from the Divine Office that I have been trying to read every morning before I read the daily readings to prepare for going to hear the Word of God proclaimed at Mass.  Anyway, I posted a prayer on Facebook before I got started this morning about preserving my chastity and shortly after posting that, what I read is posted just above.

 

Personification: Self-Control  It is only by praying for what I know I need to stay focused on God’s will, and then staying in the Word of God or in church until I get an answer that I can be sure that my conversation with the Lord will be fruitful.  I don’t suppose that my answer will always come to me this clearly, but maybe it will if I stay patiently attentive to His will for me and not my will for myself.

 

Prayer:  Lord Jesus Christ, continue to have mercy on me a sinner…Amen!

 

2012
11/17
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No excuses…

 

St Matthew in Ely Place

St Matthew in Ely Place (Photo credit: Lawrence OP)

 

Gift:  Wisdom- With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning. The matters of judgment about the truth, and being able to see the image of God.

 

Reading:  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.  (Matthew 18:14)

 

Observation:  Some people say that we cannot control what path our children take in life, it is usually in defense of a child that has left the church for some reason or another.  This verse from today’s Gospel reading is saying to me that this is a dangerous attitude to have, because although we cannot control the path another human being chooses of their own free will, God is saying here that His will is that none of our children are ever lost, and we should adopt this attitude towards leading our children to the faith.  Never give up and never stop going in search of them and leading them back to the fold, if they should get lost.

 

Personification:  Generosity. If I understand this verse correctly, God will never give up on his lost children, regardless of their past decisions or indecision in their faith.  Therefore, I should be willing to give everything I have, in displaying the fruit of generosity, to win these children back for God.  If God was willing to send His Son to die to redeem me, I should be willing to give anything to help bring someone back to Him.

 

Prayer:  Lord, I know that I don’t have the ability to save anyone, but show me the way to give what I can of myself and my resources to align myself with Your will for them.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen

 

2012
08/14
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Why do we pray?

Jesus in Pray

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Gift:  Understanding – With the gift of understanding, we comprehend how we need to live as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by all the conflicting messages in our culture about the right way to live.

Reading:  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.  (Matthew 6:7-8)

Observation:  In these verses from the Gospel reading from the Mass readings today, we are told that our Father knows what we need before we ask him.  So, why do we pray?  We pray to change our attitude towards our own ability to effect change on the things that have eternal consequences.  I think prayer reorients our mind to things that really matter and do focus our attention on the things that God is already working on.  He will do the work with or without us, but He wants us to join in the effort and God knows, that this effort is the only thing that will bring us real joy through his eternal grace.

Personification:  Joy  It is my intention today to display the fruit of joy that comes from agreeing with God in his eternal plan of salvation for us all.  This joy only comes when I realize that everyone is called to this eternal plan of salvation, regardless of where they are beginning.  Like me, everyone starts from a place of imperfection, or it could be said that we all start with our need of forgiveness, but if we act with a repentant heart at all times, we are able to receive the grace we need to be saved.

Prayer:  Jesus taught me to pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

(I realize that God knows what I need, and I hope that I can see clearly to forgive those who may do me harm or has done harm to me in the past, so the Father will show me that, through His Son’s death and resurrection, and His grace, I am worthy of forgiveness too.)

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2012
02/28
CATEGORY
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I hope this is saying what I am hearing…Questions answered…Amen…

The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove, surrounded...

Image via Wikipedia

Reading:  * Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift* is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.  He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.*   (James 1:16-18)

Observation:  I hear these verses saying to me that God is not at the heart of my temptation to sin, because he is all good, and he is not even the cause of the smallest alteration of truth that leads to sin.  This is not to say that God doesn’t use our temptation to help us see the error of our ways, but I need to remember to call on Jesus to take up residence in my heart, so I won’t fall prey to my desire, which comes to me as a whisper in my ear.  I thought of an image last week, the day that I posted the three monkeys picture…hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil…The picture had the blood of Jesus covering my eyes, the hands of God plugging my ears and the holy Spirit smoke like a fog in my mouth

…Amen!

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2012
02/14
CATEGORY
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The devil is the father of lies, even the ones we tell ourselves!

This is what he wants us to look like...

This is what he wants us to look like…

Gift: Fear of the Lord (Wonder and awe)

Reading: Whoever sins belongs to the Devil,
because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.
Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil. (1 John 3:8)

Observation: This morning, I woke up to my son telling me about a nightmare that he had last night. I ended our discussion in the same way most nightmare discussions end with my children, and that is with telling him that the only fear he should have while he is awake is a fear of the Lord. I also shared this reading with my two older boys this morning and we prayed the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer together. To me, this reading is a great reminder of who the devil is in our world and that we have to remember that Jesus has destroyed his works before, but he cannot stop us from conspiring with him in the future. It must be our free will choice to decide to not believe his lies, so we can more aligned with the truth that comes from God.

Personification: Self-Control  Why is it that we are afraid to say the name of the devil. The power he has is given to him by our decision to agree with him. The only name that has power on its own is Jesus. I will try to remember the scripture that is referenced in this reading. In John 8:44, Jesus says, “You belong to the father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for revealing the truth of who the devil is and continue to help me see your truth in our world and not accept the lies that come from the father of lies. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

This is how God see us...

This is how God see us…

2012
01/04
CATEGORY
Journal entries
4 comments

Lifting up holy hands…

Gentleness (1861), by Jean Marcellin (1821-188...

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Gift: Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  * It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.  (1 Timothy 2:8)

Observation:  As I read the readings this morning, I had not said my normal morning prayers due to a break in my normal morning schedule.  After I read the first reading, I realized that I shouldn’t miss my morning routine.  I normally pray with my hands positioned in a way that reflects the posture that identifies the way I feel that I should be addressing God, which is why this verse was such a resounding call to get back to my routine.

Personification: Gentleness  I will try to display the fruit of gentleness to everyone today.  This includes my family.  I know that it is difficult to display gentleness sometimes, but with the grace of God it will be possible to display the fruit of gentleness even in the midst of disciplining my children.

Prayer:  (Saint Francis Prayer)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen

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2011
09/12
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I can’t do it…I have to pray!

Breaking of the bread.

Breaking of the bread.

I learned at Mass today that I must remember that my thoughts must not be of this world, but must be like God’s thoughts…It was the whole of the readings that were speaking to me today…I wrote something down during Mass, and I will add that later…Do not conform yourselves to this age (Romans 12:2a)…The scripture was the added later part, and I pray that I will not be conformed to this age in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. Amen!

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2011
08/28
CATEGORY
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My daily commitment to my family…revisited!

Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord

Gift: Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe) – With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.

Reading:  If it is displeasing to you to serve the LORD, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”  (Joshua 24:15)

Observation:  The last sentence in this verse from the book of Joshua in the old testament makes up part of my daily prayer that I say every morning.  Since it was in the first reading for Mass this morning, I thought that I would reconsider the context of this commitment and decide if it still makes sense to be praying it every day with the rest of my daily prayers.  The conclusion I came to is that I should be even more committed to saying this prayer in the morning, and try to remember the context of the rest of this reading to think about all the other gods that we have in this world and no longer give any time or my attention to any of them.

Personification: Self-Control  It is only by the grace of God that I can display the fruit of self-control in my life.  It is my hope that God will grant me the grace necessary to rid my family of any allegiance to any other thing that could be construed as a false god.  I will include money, lust and power as the main three false gods that I will focus my attention on ridding from our lives.  Thankfully, the money issue is mostly taken care of, but I could still use some humility built up in all three areas, and grace to rid our lives of any worship that we do to any of these minor gods.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to be a leader in my family and show my wife and children that I am faithful to you alone.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

2011
08/13
CATEGORY
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The laborers have been sent…Don’t stop praying…We need more…

St. Maria Parish Church, Sehnde, Holy Mass

Image via Wikipedia

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”  (Matthew 9:37-38)

Observation:  As I read the end of the gospel reading for today’s Mass readings this morning, I was struck by the fact that our church is a recipient of one of the newer laborers.  I’d like to say that it was because of all of our prayers that we said as I led our communion services about sending out laborers for the harvest, but it is more likely because the God of the universe knows that we need a new sense of urgency in our evangelism in our church.  I am sure the prayers did not hurt, and for that reason I am thankful to God for hearing our prayers.

Personification:  Faithfulness  It is for the reason that I stated above about the answer to our prayers, that I will put on display the fruit of faithfulness today.  I will display this fruit by continuing to pray that the master of the harvest continue to send out more laborers for the harvest.

Prayer:  Lord, I ask that you continue to send out more laborers for the harvest and you continue to form me in your ways, so that I can be ready to follow your will for my life, when you call.  Thank you for the answer to my prayer, and I am sorry for not always living up to the potential that you know I can.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

2011
07/05
CATEGORY
Journal entries
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