Today's post will be the last one for a week because I will be on retreat.  I ask for your prayers and be assured of my prayers while I am on retreat.
God Bless.
Deacon George

In the Gospels we read – Jesus rose early and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed.

Prayer was vital for the Son of God (our Savior Jesus Christ) – so how much more important/vital is it for us!

A father took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands.   When lunchtime arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich.

The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him.

They ordered lunch and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer."

Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time.

When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?"

With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer."   {Solitude and Silence Sermons (02/05/12) Our Daily Bread, Adapted}

Many of our prayers are silent, but whether our prayers are silent or spoken – God already knows our hearts.

So why pray?  One reason to prayer and to work diligently at our prayer life is to prepare our hearts for God’s answer.

You and I are called like St. Paul, who tells the Corinthians & us, “All this I do for the sake of the Gospel, so that I too may share in it.”

So we are to go into the world and announce the Gospel, announce the Good News, primarily by the way we live.

What is that Good News?   That God:

1.    Created you

2.    Loves you

3.    Redeemed you

4.    Chose you as a disciple

5.    Called to share His Gospel in deed & in word.

May God Be Praised!

                       

Suffering is beyond our understanding so I recommend offering it to God and ask God to bless our suffering and make good come for it!

Upon first reading about Job, we would not be inclined to rush out and invite him to dinner.  Job said, “Is not man’s live on earth a drudgery?”  “I shall not see happiness again.”  If today you found out that you were going to lose all of your material possessions, what would you do, how would you react?          

That is some of what Job lost and part of the reason for his gloom.

To be sure Job lost more important parts of his life: his children and friends. 

Today spend some time reflecting on suffering!  Suffering is a profoundly difficult human problem to deal with, to comprehend!

Why is there suffering if God is all loving, all good and all-powerful?

Why does anyone suffer?

Why does God permit suffering?

Well, I don’t know!

You and I will not fully understand the why of suffering until we arrive at our eternal reward.  Eugene Kennedy said, “Heartbreak is impossible unless there is great love.  Without love, sorrow & tears would disappear.”

But Why?                                       

Our loving God and Creator sent us His Son, who showed us how

to live and part of living here on earth includes handle suffering.  When Jesus suffered, He offered His suffering to God the Father

and it was anointed by the Holy Spirit.

You and I are called to do the same and trust me it is not easy.

Bishop Barron shared this insight, during the storm, Jesus’ disciples cried out to the Lord in desperation: "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"   This is a de profundis prayer.  Do you know the de profundis prayer?

It comes from Psalm 130: "Out of the depths, I have cried to you, O Lord. O Lord, be attentive to the voice of my pleading." 

It is the prayer offered at the darkest times of life, when we feel utterly incapable of helping ourselves.

When we suffer or when one of our loved one suffers we know what it is to cry out to the Lord, may we, also, experience the Lord’s healing.

May God Be Praised!

Today lets take a few minutes to reflect on Prayer.  Praying, which should be profoundly joyous & enriching; sometimes seems like a burden; something else I need to do!  Author Kelly Adkins wrote about Kevin, her 30 yr. old 6’ 2’’ brother in an article entitled, “God Lives Under the Bed”

“I envy Kevin.  (He) thinks God lives under his bed.  At least that is what I heard him say one night.  He was praying out loud in his … bedroom, and I stopped to listen, ‘Are you there God?’ he said.

‘Where are you?  Oh, I see.  Under the bed ….’

(Kevin is) mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor.  Apart from being 6’ 2’’, there are few ways in which he is an adult. 

He reasons & communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old.

Up before dawn each day, off to work … home to walk our dog,

return for his favorite macaroni and cheese dinner and later bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry … twice a week he stays up late to gather dirty laundry for his next day’s chore.

And Saturday’s … my Dad takes him to the airport for a soft drink & to watch the planes land.

His life is simple.  He will never know the entanglements of wealth, power; he doesn’t care what brand of clothes he wears.  His heart is pure … he trusts God.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am.  My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God’s care.

… And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, & we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I’ll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.  Kevin won’t be surprised at all!  Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive.  There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.”

 (http://www.the-special-needs-child.com/Under-the-Bed.html)

Kevin knows how to pray and how to live.

In the book of Exodus Moses got help with his praying; there will be times when we will need help.  The psalmist prayed, “My help is from the Lord” and St. Paul advised Timothy, “Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed ….”

Jesus told his disciples (& He tells us) "… pray always without becoming weary.”  So we shouldn’t be surprised when we will need help, like Moses did.  We will need to TRUST God when we pray, TRUST God the way Kevin does.

Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Gospel (14:27), “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”

St. Luke’s Gospel ends with an important question, “But when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth?”

Sometime today pray:

In the rising and the setting of the sun,

            I remember God.

In howling of the winter wind,

            I remember God.

In the blueness of the sky,

            I remember God.

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,

            I remember God.

When we are weary and in need of strength,

            I remember God.

When we come to the table of the Lord,

            I remember God.

When we leave the Eucharistic celebration,

            I remember God.

(Adaptation of a Jewish Prayer from the Rabbi Manual 1998)

After remembering God, join with the psalmist, “My heart is ready, O God.”

May God Be Praised!

 

The quality of our lives will ultimately be measured in how we reflect God’s love, mercy and compassion to the world; on how we reflect God to God’s people. 

“… Jesus makes (it) clear that our lives are not about amassing fortunes … God has not given this precious time to fill our barns with more of the latest, the best, the biggest – things….”  (Connections, Aug. 2007)

“In the 1960’s all-pro (football) star Jerry Kramer (Packers) wrote “Instant Replay” (a best seller)…. he asked, ‘What’s my purpose here on earth besides playing the silly game I play on Sunday?’

In the 1980’s he wrote a sequel “Distant Replay” and it opens with this provocative?  ‘What have I done with my life?’

Kramer answers, regretfully, that he failed to do the one thing that he should have done: pass on proper values to his kids.  He wrote, I hadn’t done for my children what my father had done for me.’”  (Mark Link Action, p.293)

How well are we passing on the Gospel values, to our families, friends and others?

The real purpose of life is to live the will of God and to live it to the best of our ability!

Happy 4th of July!  And may God bless the U.S.A.!

May God Be Praised!

What is the purpose of life, why are we here?

“Possessions create an illusion that we have control over our destiny ….  The secret of life is finding out what God wants us to do & then enjoy doing it.”  (Connections, Aug. 2007)

Father, may everything we do begin with your inspiration and continue with your saving help.

Let our work always find its origin in you and through you reach completion.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

May God Be Praised!

On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul [June 29] we prayed from the Canticle of the book of Daniel. 

Ant. 2 God’s grace in me has not been without fruit; it is always at work in me.
Canticle: Daniel 3:57-88, 56: Let all creatures praise the Lord

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.

Ant. God’s grace in me has not been without fruit; it is always at work in me.

Is God’s grace in you bearing fruit?  Are you singing praise to God?

May God Be Praised!

Today reflect on making a PLACE in your heart, in your mind, in your life for the “better part”.  “In the midst of the many demands made on us, Lord Jesus, help us to recognize ‘the better part’: may we seek to love rather than to be loved, may we live lives of integrity rather than accommodation, may we find joy in giving rather than taking …

In the noise around us, may we hear your voice; may we seek your light; in the [things] that divide us, may we seek your healing.” (Table Talk Cycle C, p.157)  

The Eucharist – JESUS’ – SPECIAL PRESENCE is given to nourish us so we can live “the better part”.  “An ancient custom of hospitality in England holds that when a sovereign comes to your house, for the time the king and queen are there, the house is no longer yours but theirs.  They are the hosts under your roof ….”  (Connections, July 18, 2010)

When Jesus enters our heart (us) do we allow Him to be the host?  We must choose!  “The better part” that Jesus speaks about is the humility to not only receive Jesus, but also, let Him be the host.

When someone shows us hospitality whether (a meal, a kindness of some sort) most of us feel obligated to return the kindness.  Many times we find it easier to be givers than receivers.  When we receive the EUCHARIST we are receivers who need to be grateful.  We can never repay the GIFT we have received.  However, we can try to live the Gospel message more fully and faithfully as our Thank You to the Lord God!

I received this email a few weeks ago, Something to Think About!  Imagine that you won a contest and your prize was a deposit of $86,400.00 each morning in a bank account for your use.

This prize has some rules.

The first set of rules is: Whatever you did not spend would be taken away.  You may not simply transfer the money into some other account.

You may only spend it.  Each morning you receive another $86,400.00 for that day.

The second set of rules is: The game can end at any time without warning. When the account is closed, you will not receive a new one.

What would do?  Actually the game is reality in a manner of speaking, each of us receives a magical bank account – in it is deposited 86,400 seconds each day.

Those seconds are the gift of life.  What we do not use each day is gone.

The game of Life as we know can end at any moment.  So the question is what will you do with your 86,400 seconds each day of your life.

Will you chose “the better part”!   

My prayer for you is that you choose “the better part”, and use your 86,400 seconds each day wisely: by listening more closely to Jesus,

by serving Jesus more faithfully, and by loving Jesus more fully!

May God Be Blessed!