Exploring the depth of our prayers
Being humble is easy to talk about, but not to do.
My child, conduct your affairs with humility,
Sirach 3:17-20
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find favor with God.
For great is the power of the Lord;
by the humble He is glorified.
The way I think about it, humility isn’t about bargaining with God so that I can get the Big Payout at the end of my life. That isn’t humility all.
Continue reading “Humility”
Jesus warned us that the door to heaven is very narrow.
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
Luke 13:22-25
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
I could despair of ever being able to get there!
Continue reading “Poor banished children”
Today is the celebration of Mary’s queenship. A particularly Catholic thing, for sure.
I was surprised to find out today that it was typical in ancient Israel for the mother of a King to be addressed as Queen. It’s not something I’m particularly familiar with, but it is an additional connection which is powerful.
And certainly Mary should hold a special position in our personal connection to God and Christ, right? Because she’s the first, most important disciple of God’s incarnation.
She’s the supreme model for all of us.
There are times when my faith falters.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Psalm 40:14b, 40:3
The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!
Certainly there are times when I’m feeling tested by uncertainty and doubts. Perhaps not directly my faith in God, exactly, but more about how much I can trust Him to protect me through my trials.
Continue reading “Come to my aid!”
Today we remember and celebrate the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. Such a powerful and hope-filled doctrine of our faith!
This is when Mary, body and soul, was conveyed into heaven at the conclusion of her earthly journey. Yet it’s never mentioned directly in the Bible.
Continue reading “Mary’s Assumption”19 God’s temple in heaven was opened,
Rev 11:19a; 12:1, 5, 10ab
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
1 A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
5 She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One.”
“Seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 12:31-32
Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”
Jesus is speaking here not just to the twelve apostles, but to all His followers. Which means all of us who are working to follow His teachings.
Continue reading “The Kingdom”
There are times when I must consider my own mortality. Because, in the end, I can’t take any of this with me.
At least not any material goods.
But it’s pretty clear from the Bible that my soul, my knowledge, and my relationships survive death. How exactly, I’m not sure.
Continue reading “Rich in what matters to God”
I love today’s Gospel, because it puts the Lord’s Prayer in context.
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Luke 11:2-4
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
So often I just fall into thinking of this prayer as a standalone thing. I want to talk to God, but I don’t know quite what to say, so I’ll rely on the formula I’ve been practicing since I was 3.
Or, in Mass, we want to pray together, so we rely on the form given to us by our liturgy.
Continue reading “Our Lord’s prayer”
Reading Jesus entered a village
Luke 10:38-39
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed Him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to Him speak.
It always seemed to me that the Gospel stories have an absolute abundance of Marys! No doubt it was a popular name then as it is now.
Perhaps it’s because Mary can represent all of us, not just the mother of our Lord.
Continue reading “Listening to Him speak”
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10
This concept gives me pause.
If we are God’s handiwork, then that means that I myself am God’s work. And since God is perfect, then he intentionally created me as I am.
Continue reading “God’s handiwork”