Exploring the depth of our prayers
Today we have the wonderful celebration of the Assumption of our Blessed Virgin Mary.
It’s not directly in the Bible, of course, although there amazing images in the book of Revelation which indicates that Mary is present in Heaven, is powerful, and using that power on our behalf.
Battling the Prince of Darkness.
Forgiveness is a tricky thing.
I always had the mindset that forgiveness was something I had to earn from God through doing good works and confessing my sins.
Be kind to one another, compassionate,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
— Eph 4:32
How wonderfully appropriate that today’s readings focus on the Living Bread – which is of course our Lord Himself!
When we ask our Father for our daily bread, we could be thinking about bodily sustenance. And surely we do need food and drink to survive.
But Jesus has shown us that there’s something far more important than just survival of the body.
I’ve been told that the “daily bread” we’re asking for in the Lord’s Prayer, in the original, is actually a word that’s used exactly once in the Bible.
As a result, we may not have the translation right. That the meaning we’ve applied to it is more from tradition than from true knowledge.
So how do we know exactly what we’re asking God for in this prayer?
These are the most powerful two words in my entire prayer life: Thy will.
It seems that my prayers tend to gravitate toward asking God for favors. Please make my world more comfortable. Please remove that obstacle.
Please fix that thing I screwed up.
But let’s work through this: Continue reading “Thy will”
We’re thinking about prophecy and proclamation today, especially in the first reading and the Gospel.
Christian churches seem to have a split personality in this regard. Either we’re reserved and humble, or over-the-top Evangelical. I find that Catholics trend toward the former. Which is in my comfort zone as an introvert.
But there are things that I’m very passionate about, where I’m constantly thinking and talking about it.
Why do I struggle with doing this in my faith?
Our Blessed Mother is the embodiment of a soft heart. That’s something I strive for, but it’s difficult.
It’s not about being soft, letting others walk over me. Mary is a wonderful example, of someone who never took her eyes off her life purpose.
Even when it meant the death of her Son.
There’s a philosophy which declares that God is unnecessary. The universe and all of reality came from … nothing.
It spontaneously sproinged into existence from absolutely nothing.
Perhaps this is the trillionth universe that actually worked, that up till now they resulted in nothing interesting at all.
Today is the solemnity of the nativity of St John the Baptist. Which gets me thinking about the journey that our Holy Mother had during her pregnancy.
Can you possibly imagine the trail of wondrous miracles she experienced during those nine months? From the Annunciation, to the visitation of Elizabeth, and so on.
Luke 2:19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
I strive to be a good father, I really do. But all the demons come out of the woodwork to point out my shortcomings and failings.
My goal, then, is to look to our ideal Heavenly Father, God Almighty, for inspiration and guidance.
God is all loving, but that doesn’t mean soft. We’ve mixed up the two concepts. Love, in fact, can sometimes feel harsh and rigid.