Prayer & Trust

 

 

Offering a reflection on the Good Shepherd, Benedict XVI [in 2011] underlined the relationship between prayer and "a radical act of trust."

 

Reflecting on Psalm 23 he said, "turning to Lord in prayer involves a radical act of trust, in the awareness that one is entrusting oneself to God who is good …. [it] “… is wholly imbued with trust, in which the psalmist expresses the serene certainty that he is guided and protected, and kept safe from every danger, because the Lord is his shepherd…. The image evokes an atmosphere of confidence, intimacy and tenderness: the shepherd knows his young sheep one by one; he calls them by name and they follow him, because they know him and they trust him.”

Benedict XVI said that if one walks behind the "Good Shepherd," even if he is led

through "winding or long the paths" or "spiritually desert regions, waterless and

with a sun of scorching rationalism," one can be assured of "traveling along

'right' paths …. You are with me: this is our certainty, this is what sustains us.”

 

Thomas Merton offers us a precious insight into praying with the Lord, and trusting the Lord, The Merton Prayer:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. 

            I do not see the road ahead of me. 

            I cannot know for certain where it will end. 

            

 Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will

            does not mean that I am actually doing so. 

             

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact   please you. 

            

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. 

             

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. 

             

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. 

            

Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. 

             

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”   [Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton]

 

Trusting in the Lord is a BIG LEAP of FAITH, but it is worth it.   TRUST in the one who created you, Who loves you and longs to be with you.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised.  

The Blessed Mother

 

In the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Henry Ossawa Tanner’s oil painting of The Annunciation is housed.  You see it above and you can go to the museum website.    It is a beautiful, powerful and provocative painting.  You will “… see a teenage girl, dressed in peasant robes, sitting on a rumpled bed in a room with bumpy, cobblestone floor.  She seems afraid and awed.”  [Philadelphia Museum of Art – website]

Mary wisely listened to God and did what God asked of her even though it was difficult. 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote this about The Blessed Mother.

"[Mary] does not remain locked in her initial troubled state at the proximity of God in his angel, but she seeks to understand. So, Mary appears as a fearless woman, one who remains composed even in the presence of something utterly unprecedented.

At the same time, she stands before us as a woman of great interiority, who holds heart and mind in harmony and seeks to understand the context, the overall significance of God’s message.

In this way, she becomes an image of the Church as she considers the word of God, tries to understand it in its entirety and guards in her memory the things that have been given to her."  [Pope Benedict XVI, p. 33 Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narrative] 

May our Golden Rule be to follow Mary's example by following God's will, while seeking to understand it.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised.  

Prayer Thoughts

Making our life a prayer is a daily opportunity to prepare for heaven, approach it as a gift to be used and obtained at the same time.  

 

“God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.

Flood the path with light, run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory.” 

[A prayer commonly attributed to St. Augustine]

 

 

"Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.  Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You.  Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me.  I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand.  Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, and somehow, make my obedience count for You."  Amen.  [St. Brendan the Navigator]

 

“God, our refuge, and hope, we turned to You during the COVID 19 Pandemic and pleaded for Your intercession.  In Your mercy and compassion, You carried the dead home with You and gave us grace to comfort each other.  As the Pandemic eases and we look to return to “normal” life, may that “normal” be filled with our prayer and thanksgiving for You and for the many blessings You gave us during these difficult times.  May Your light guide us as we continue our earthly journey and prepare for the gift of eternal love.”  Amen.  [Dcn. George Kelly]

 

Today as you say or do anything give it to God to bless, then it becomes a prayer.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised.  

Our Faith and our Hope are based on our Trust of Jesus and His Word

 

Homily Cycle B 6/27/202

Given at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bethlehem, PA                              

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062721.cfm

 

Today our readings tell us that our Faith and our Hope are based on our Trust of Jesus and His Word.  The healings in today’s readings are wonderful and powerful, BUT sometimes our prayers for healing are answered in confusing ways.   Then we question whether it is because Faith is lacking or weak.

Jesus extolled the synagogue official and the woman for their Faith.  They Hoped for a miracle - received it and were Joy filled.  Pope Francis reflected on Christian joy and likened it to the joy of a mother embracing her baby after childbirth, a joy “purified” by the suffering of labor.  Christian joy - is a joy in hope, it expresses God's kingdom— on earth. 

 

I want to share two [other] miracles with you today, one my daughter-in-law Laurie & the other a gifted musician Franz Welser-Most.  Franz was an extremely talented violinist, rare superstar musician, in 1978 at the age of 18 he was severely injured in an auto accident that was not his fault.  Nerve damaged his left hand ended his playing career but did not end his music career.  He became a top conductor & is currently the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra. [Embers in the Ashes]

My daughter-in-law Laurie suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm on July 4, 2018, she had successful surgery was in a coma for almost 8 weeks.  My son Brain has been her loving caregiver, they have two children, CJ 10 & Berkleigh 7.   Many of you have been praying for them, thank you and please continue.  Today she is very good cognitively and physically making slow but steady progress regaining movement, strength and dexterity.  Brain said, “It really is a miracle .…”  Her road is long but it is paved with prayer.  Trusting Jesus will increase our Hope and strengthen our Faith.

I pray that when you suffer you accept God’s grace in Trust and Hope.  Jesus calls us to an ever-deeper relationship with Him – You can pray There go I BUT for the grace of God, or There go I WITH the grace of God.  Brian and Laurie, Franz, The synagogue official, and the woman prayed, “There go I WITH the grace of God.”

Pray to God with Trust, in Hope, and then accept in Faith God’s answer believing that Jesus is with you.  Jesus calls us to an ever-deeper Trust in Him, accepting the hardships & crosses we face with Hope and Faith.  Christian Hope is based on the belief that our journey here on earth is a gift from God given to us to learn heaven’s ways.  We know that “… Jesus is the wellspring of life … [that] all are permitted on the Lord’s path….”  [Pope Francis, Angeles Sermon, 7/01/2018]

Your Faith is your head, in your heart, in your gut, in the decisions you make each day and in how you live your life.  Jesus wants us to know “God did not make death, nor does not rejoice in the destruction of the living.” [Wisdom 1:13]

Today I close with this poem,

“At Mass

Christ

is hidden

 

in bread

 

on the street

 

he hides

in the neighbor

 

helpless

alone afraid

 

he is all

around us

 

we must

attend him.”

[St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta – A Poem to Sit With, J. Janda Sunday Website: liturgy.slu.edu]

 

For a few minutes, in silence, think about your Trust, Hope and Faith in Jesus and Why you Trust, Hope and Believe in Him and How you attend Him?

 

May God Be Praised!

Homily Cycle I 6/26/2021at Our Lady of Perpetual [Bethlehem, PA]

 

 Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062621.cfm

 

Today we are reminded that words have Power, for good or for bad.  They can be affirming, supportive, challenging, cutting, etc.  The centurion knew the power of words and the authority of the speaker.

Robert F. Kennedy said, “Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were and say why not.”  In our first reading Sarah couldn’t imagine she would have a child at her advanced age.  The centurion believed and said, “why not.”  Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth.

Today’s Scripture message is - allow the Word of God to guide you today and every day.  For a few minutes, in silence, imagine the Lord saying to you, “… as you believe let it be done.”  Then live as you imagine, as you imagine Jesus wants you to live.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!  

Some Suggestions on How to live today as a Catholic

 

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

 

St. Therese of Lisieux said, "You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."

 

St. Francis de Sales wrote, “Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life; rather, look to them with full hope that as they arise, God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things; and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in His arms.  Do not fear what may happen tomorrow; the same understanding Father who cares for you today will take care of you then and every day.  He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.  Be at Peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.”

 

St. Paul told the Corinthians and us, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”  [1 Cor. 10:13b]

 

Today do your actions in Peace and without Worry, offering each one of them to God.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!

St. Luke gives us a synopsis of the first debate in the Church, which took place at The Council of Jerusalem.  The Council used a process of listening, praying, and responding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in making their decisions.  When the Council concluded the apostles and elders announced: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us .…” 

The Council of Jerusalem decided WHAT the Church would teach and require of Gentile converts.

The Apostles depended on the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit that Jesus and the Father sent to them.  Jesus offers us the gift of His peace, a peace that is profound.   Allowing God’s grace to form us will strengthen our faith and our faith provides a foundation of trust that in the end God will triumph.   

How can we allow the Holy Spirit to breathe our breath?  Maybe this story can help us understand. 

The rabbi asked his students: “How can we determine the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins?”  One of the rabbi’s students suggested: “When from a distance you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?”  “No,”” was the answer from the rabbi.  “It is when one can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?” asked a second student.  “No,” said the rabbi.  The students said, “Please tell us the answer then.”  The Rabbi said, “It is when you can look into the face of another human being, and you have enough light in you to recognize your brother or your sister.  Until then it is night, and darkness is still with us.”  As Christians - when we see the face of God in each face we look into - then the darkness of sin will fade and the light of Christ will direct our actions, will direct our lives and the Holy Spirit will breathe the peace of God upon the world. 

 

Take a few minutes, today, and think about how you can shine the light of Christ upon a world mired in darkness, hatred, and selfishness.

 

St. Joseph pray for us.                                                                                        

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us.                                                                

May God Be Praised! 

The Bread of Life & Forgiveness

 After requesting the gift of bread, we ask forgiveness for our sins, “As the Lord’s Prayer continues, we ask: Give us this day our daily bread. We can understand this petition in a spiritual and in a literal sense.  For in the divine plan both senses may help toward our salvation …. Christ is the bread of life …. we who live in Christ and receive his Eucharist, the food of salvation, ask for this bread to be given us every day ….  After this we ask pardon for our sins, [when we pray] forgive us our trespasses ….  [He] also promised to show us a father’s mercy and forgiveness.” [From a Treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian of Carthage, bishop and martyr]  “The bread petition in the Our Father shows us that something new was happening in Israel.” [Gerhard Lohfink, The Our Father, p.20]

 

Jesus offers us the Gift of the Bread of Angels, His Body and Blood – the Eucharist.  To prepare ourselves to receive this “BREAD”, Jesus urges us to seek forgiveness for our sins.  As we ask for forgiveness for our sins, let’s remember God’s mercy is offered to all.  When we seek forgiveness we seek God, we offer forgiveness we help make God’s mercy known.

 

A Bishop Barron Insight on The Lord’s Prayer “… the Son of God teaches us to pray.  This is why the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer, is the model of all prayer …. Keep in mind that prayer is not designed so much to change God’s mind … [God] is the one who wants nothing other than to give us good things—though they might not always be the things we want.”

 

Take a few minutes today to thank God for the Bread of Angels, the Gift of mercy and all that God has given you.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!

Your will be done

 

Gerhard Lohfink offers us this perspective, “… the Our Father expresses a fundamental theological insight: God takes the initiative.  God acts.  Everything comes from God.”

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray not that God should do his will, but that we may carry out his will …. in our prayer we ask that God’s will be done in us, because the devil throws up obstacles to prevent our mind and our conduct from obeying God in all things. So, if his will is to be done in us we have need of … his help and protection…. All Christ did, all he taught, was the will of God.  Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith,…. this is what it means to do the will of the Father.”            [From a treatise on the Lord’s Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr – Office of Readings 6/16/2021] 

What does “Your will be done” mean, what are we saying [praying] we will do?  Psalm 103:19-21, “… The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules overall.  Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.  Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.”, provides us with powerful insight, on God’s Will, it is about God’s plan of Salvation and our Redemption.  Therefore, doing God’s Will should be the focus our lives.

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!  

Living in a Dark World Carrying the Light of Christ

Today, it is difficult not to be afraid, but Jesus tells us Not to Be Afraid.  Fr. Bob Dufford, S.J wrote the famous hymn “Be Not Afraid” in 1972, he added another verse years later after his father died.

 

Let me share it with you: “And when the earth has turned beneath you and your voice is seldom heard, When the flood of gifts that blessed, your life has long since ebbed away, When your mind is thick and hope is thin and dark is all around, I will stand beside you till the dawn.”

 

Jesus stands with us till the dawn.  He wants us to Not Be Afraid, the Lord calls us by name, and He will be with us till the dawn, He will be with us for eternity.  We pray in the Psalms, “O Lord, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and when I stand …. Truly you have formed my innermost being, you knit me in my mother’s womb.”  God who created us, God knows us intimately, and love us totally.

 

In the darkness of our world, we are called to be light and hope for all who meet us - by the lives we live.  Spend some time before the Blessed Sacrament this week and ask God to fill you with the Grace you need to “Be Not Afraid.”

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!

Two Big Items Today: Fathers & Fear

 

You may remember the 1950’s and 60’s a popular TV show began like this: “Faster than a speeding bullet.  More powerful than a locomotive.  Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Look!  Up in the sky! It's a bird.  It's a plane.  It's Superman!  Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men….”

 

If today’s Gospel were a TV show in might begin like this: Look over there in the boat, more powerful than the wind, stronger than the raging sea, no ordinary human being.  It’s Jesus, Lord and Savior – True God and True Man.  He announces the Kingdom of God and calls each one of us to follow Him.

 

In Today’s Gospel deals with FEAR.  Psychologists tell us that the Top Ten Human Fears are:

10. Losing your freedom

9. The Unknown

8. Pain

7. Disappointment

6. Misery

5. Loneliness

4. Ridicule

3. Rejection

2. Death

1. Failure

 

I do not know what you biggest FEAR is, BUT the disciples, even though, they were experienced fisherman were afraid in the boat when the violent storm arose in the Sea of Galilee.  WHY!  They had experienced violent storms at sea before, maybe this was worse, maybe it was a category 5 storm?  First, they may have feared death, BUT after Jesus calmed the sea, they feared Him – meaning they were in AWE!  They knew that only God could calm a storm like that.  Mark in his Gospel wrote, as “… evening drew on ….”  Jesus and the disciples climbed into the boats to go to the “other side”.

 

Jesus responds with 3 words, “Quite, Be Still!”   Whenever a storm occurs in our life Jesus uses 3 words, “I Love you!”  Then He accompanies us through our trial.  All will be well when The Kingdom comes, until then we are impelled by our love of Christ to bring about His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God.

 

Today is Father’s Day, so let’s take a moment to thank God for fathers, by praying for them and remembering that at their best they reflect our heavenly Father to us by their lives.  I wish all fathers a Happy Father’s Day.  Those fathers with us today and those who are in “the land of the living” including my own dad.  May God’s blessing be upon you today and every day.

 

“God our Father, in your wisdom and love you made all things. Bless these men, that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”  [From the Book of Blessings]

 

It is a good thing to honor our fathers. “Dads don't get much respect nowadays.  A doting father used to sing his little children to sleep.  He even learned a few lullabies to lend some variety to the task.  This was something he could do at night to help his wife out.  And he kept up this task until one night he overheard his four-year old give her younger sibling this advice, ‘If you pretend, you're asleep,’ she said, ‘he stops.’ That was the end of the lullabies.” [Sermons.com]

 

Randy Pausch, the author of The Last Lecture, wrote, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play them.”  The most important last lecture ever given was delivered by Jesus gave us in His Gospel Message.  My prayer for all fathers is that they never stop loving their children, and always seek ways to lead them to God, more so by their actions than their words.

 

St. Joseph pray for us. 

St. Andre Bessette intercede for us. 

May God Be Praised!