Monday, January 11, 2021

A Daily Dose of God


 

Chapter 1, “To Whom Do We Pray?”

 

The Church “… prays …. To the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit.” [p.4]   “God speaks the divine Name over Moses, the holy, inexpressible name ….  This means in the first place that God has a name, is a person, is a living partner ….” [p.9]

 

“… God teaches us in person how we should pray ….  We ourselves cannot pray.  We do not know what prayer is and most certainly not what we should pray for if our prayer is to be genuine.  God, in person, has to teach us about prayer … God must pray in us, and we can enter into God’s prayer.” [p.11]

 

Take a few minutes to read and reflect on the passage from Exodus and the passage from Romans:“Moses then cut two stone tablets like the former, and early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking in his hand the two stone tablets. The LORD came down in a cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name, ‘LORD.’

 

 

So, the LORD passed before him and proclaimed: The LORD, the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity, continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but bringing punishment for their parents’ wickedness on children and children’s children to the third and fourth generation. Moses at once knelt and bowed down to the ground.  Then he said, ‘If I find favor with you, Lord, please, Lord, come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins and claim us as your own.’”  [Exodus 34: 4-9]

 

St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.  And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” [Romans: 26-27]

 

Fr. Lohfink incisively writes, “… prayer means entering into the conversation among Father, Son and Holy Spirit … empowered by being made sons and daughters in baptism.” [p.14]

 

In your prayer today sit with the Holy Trinity and rest in the Lord our God.

 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

 

Saint Andre Bessette, intercede for us.

 

May God Be Praised!

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