11.3013

Lectio: Mt 24.37-44                                                      

Meditatio: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Mt 24.42

Oratio: O God, You so want us to journey successfully to You and You gave us sure advice.

I remember Your Son told us to ‘Stay awake!’ - in short, to be alert as to our meeting Him at the end of our life or at the end to time whichever comes first and focus on Him for He is  at the heart of who we are and why we are here.                          

Grant that I may ever grateful for Jesus’ coming and showing me the way to the Father.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "stay awake!”; to be alert; to focus on Jesus and His call and our redemption; in prayer seek the grace to follow Jesus’ Way to the Father by living a life of selfless love. By being alert to the urgency of His call, we will with God’s grace successfully complete our journey to Him.

Tomorrow's reading: Mt 8.5-11     

11.29.13

Lectio: Mt 4.18-22                                           

Meditatio: “He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men’.”
Mt 4.19                       

Oratio: O God, Your Son chose as His first disciples, uneducated but hard workers - fishermen; but they would become what He said they would be if they followed Him.

I remember Jesus’s first disciples were Peter and his brother, Andrew and His next two were James and John - all four were fishermen; all four would become fishers of men and very good at it and through them He established the Kingdom of God on earth.

Grant that I may ever grateful for the oneness and courage of those first disciples for through them all have benefitted down through the ages. May I do my part to spread the Good News, too.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "come...fishers”; an invite not a command; to capture others not by the  hook but by the Word; in prayer lift up all those through whom our faith in Jesus was transmitted to us; and seek the grace to continue the role of ‘fishers’ so that others may come to know what a great God we have in Jesus; accept Him as their Lord and Savior and one day obtain the fruit of their faith - eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Tomorrow's reading: Mt 24.37-44  

11.28.13

Lectio:  Lk 21.29-33                              

Meditatio: “Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Lk 21.32

Oratio: O God, the disciples of Jesus were warned before hand of persecutions that will come because they believed in Him - but they were not to despair for Jesus gave them great hope..

I remember Jesus made it clear that when all these things happen, know that the kingdom of God is near and so it came to be - Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth began in earnest and they would receive an eternal blessing - life in the kingdom of God forever.

Grant that I may always rejoice in knowing the Kingdom of God has been established and admittance to it consists of doing the Father’s will - being a person of  selfless love; in prayer seek the grace to take up my cross daily and follow the promptings of the Spirit and God will give the grace to believe and to act in accordance with our belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "generation ....not pass...until”; persecutions and the destruction of the Temple were all predicted by Jesus but He assured His disciples that He, the Son of Man, would come and establish the kingdom; and so He did following His resurrection and through His sending of the Holy Spirit. How wonderful for us who benefitted from the faith of Jesus’ first disciples and His disciples down through the ages.

Tomorrow's reading: Mt 4.18-22    

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

11.27.13

Lectio: Lk 21.20-28                  

Meditatio: “Has none but a foreigner returned to give thanks to God.” Lk 21.18

Oratio: O God, You do so much for us and we are often so unmindful of it and rarely express our thanks.

I remember Jesus made it clear when He healed the ten lepers, expressing thanks for a benefit received is one of the hallmarks of a good Christian for thankfulness expresses our belief in a good and caring God from whom all good things come including the most wonderful gift of salvation.

Grant that I may always have the grace of a thankful heart and always give thanks to those who give me any blessing and especially give daily thanks to God for all He did, does and continues to do for me.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "none but...give thanks”; 10 were cured of leprosy but only one returned to give thanks; how thoughtless of those 9!  How wonderful for the one for his thanks also resulted in his salvation! In prayer on the eve of our national holiday of Thanksgiving reflect on the many blessings you have received and resolve to thank those whom you meet tomorrow who have helped you in anyway and be sure to thank God for always being there for you and for all He has done and does for you and also seek the grace to always be a person of gratitude.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 21.29-33

11.26.13

Lectio: Lk 21.12-19                                                                                                                           

Meditatio: “Remember you are not to prepare your defense before hand.” Lk 21.14

Oratio: O God, You ways are not our ways!

I remember Jesus told His disciples that persecutions and arrests will follow because of their belief in Him; and then contrary to human reason, He told them not to prepare their defense before hand. Yet all good lawyers prepare their defense for their client before hand and review their proposed testimony with them. But then Jesus gives us the best reason why. He tells us that He will give us wisdom in speaking such that no adversary could overcome us - wow!

Grant that I may have the grace of final perseverance in matters that concern my faith so that no matter what befalls me in this life, the only life that matters -life with You, will be gifted to me by You.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "not...prepare...defense”; when placed on trial for one’s faith, we are not to rely on ourselves but on Jesus and His gift of wisdom for our defense;  no matter the outcome in this life, we will emerge victorious because we have a Good and Gracious God.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 21.20-28

11.25.13

Lectio: Lk 21.5-11                                                                                                                

Meditatio: “He [Jesus] answered, ‘See the you are not deceived, for many will come in my name saying, “I am he,” and “The time has come.” Do not follow them!” Lk 21.8

              

Oratio: O God, You now that there will be an end of earthly time and You do not want us to obsess over it.

I remember when Jesus was asked when it would happen, He told the people that many terrible things would happen before it took place including false prophets who would claim they had come in His name BUT we are not to focus on this nor listen to them but we are to be  alert and to stay the course He has set for us; namely, to love God with our whole heart, and our neighbor as our selves and listen only to those whom He has set up as our teachers and guides - the successors to the Apostles.

Grant that I may be ever mindful of the end times and have the grace to live in the present and seek the Lord at all times and the end of time, whether it is the end of earthly time for all and simply the end of earthly time for us, will not be a time of tribulation but a time of joy for we will now have time without end in His everlasting kingdom.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "many... in my name”; the end of time will be preceded by false teacher  who claim to speak in Jesus’ name; but we have been given a safeguard - the Magisterium - so seek the grace that in all matters of faith and morals to  follow only what they teach and say and we will not live in apprehension of the end of time but in joyful anticipation of it.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 21.12-19

11.24.13

Lectio: Lk 21.1-4                                                                                                     

Meditatio: “Now the feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was drawing near.”
 Lk 21.1

Oratio: O God, how paradoxical was the timing of the death of Your Son!          

I remember it was the feast of Passover that was the day on which He was slain -  a feast which commemorates the chosen people’s use of the blood of the lamb on the lintels of their doors so that the avenging angels of death would Passover them and they would be spared death and eventually released by the Egyptians and go to the Promised Land.  Now the Blood of the Lamb will enable all who believe in Him to pass over from this life to eternal life in His kingdom - wow!

Grant that I may be ever mindful of the price which Jesus paid so that we might have life with Him forever; and reflect that memory by living in accord with His wishes - living a life of selfless love - placing God first, others second and then self - for that is the best way of showing in a very small way our gratitude for so great a gift - eternal life in His kingdom.

I ask this and all things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: spend some time in silence and meditate on the selected passage and hear what
God is saying to you.

Operatio: reflect: "Passover... near”; the Jewish feast of deliverance; the blood of the lamb would be for their safety;  Jesus’ Blood that was poured out becomes the basis for our safe passage to eternal life. What a gift! What a joy! What a price He paid for us! In prayer seek the grace of lasting gratitude and show it by living in accord with the Great Law of Love. It does not begin to repay Jesus for all He has and continues to do for us; but is all that He asks of us.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 21.5-11