September 8, 2016 - Thursday

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:21-23 NABRE)

Have you ever considered your purpose in life? How about where it comes from? For Joseph and Mary, their purpose was explained to them in today's passage as a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. And, as crazy and as frightening as it seemed to them, they did as they were instructed by the angel of God.

Two huge things strike me about this encounter. First, that each one of us has a purpose planned by God. And second, that we each have the option to accept or reject our heaven-appointed purpose.


Today, I will open my heart to be led to an understanding of my purpose, and I will choose to step out in faith in order to pursue that purpose.


On this Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, Mary, please pray for us.

There are just 6 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

The Heart of Mary - Leopold Kupelwieser

September 7, 2016 - Wednesday

I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31 NABRE)

Paul advises Christians to go about the ordinary activities of life in a manner different from those who are totally immersed in them and unaware of their transitoriness.*

..the world in its present form is passing away. That is very dramatic. Scary if you stop and think about it. We are familiar with individuals passing away. It is sad for family. But this is orders of magnitude more. Everything is passing away.

Saint Paul, indeed much of the early Church, had as strong sense of Jesus' imminent return. They clearly expected to see him return during their lifetime, bringing with him the promise of a new order.

Do we really expect Jesus? Are we excited to see him? How will we welcome him if he comes tomorrow?! Are we willing to wait, and live each day knowing that this world is not all there is, that in fact, it is passing away? How should this change how we spend our time, talent, and treasure?


Today, I will seek to remember that this life is temporary, and to live aware of the eternal one to come.


Blessed Frédéric Ozanam,  convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, pray for us.

There are just 7 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

September 6, 2016 - Tuesday

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12 NABRE)

Have you ever stayed up all night talking? How about a long drive, talking about everything you are planning?

There is something so intimate and special about those conversations. Sometimes they are important because of what's being discussed. Other times they are important simply because they are. They build relationships.

Jesus had a relationship with God, so praying all night (which sounds nearly impossible to us) was a natural expression of their closeness.

Are we close to God? Do we really think of him as Our Father?


Today, I will remember Jesus' invitation to call God Father, and I will spend time in conversation with him.


Blessed Claudio Granzotto, whose "holiness was especially radiant in [your] acceptance of suffering and death in union with Christ’s Cross, pray for us.

There are just 8 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

September 5, 2016 - Monday

LORD, guide me in your justice because of my foes;
make straight your way before me. (Psalm 5:9 NABRE)

When I pray, it seems more often than not I am asking the Lord for some help. As I read Psalm 5, I notice that David does this as well. Here, he asks for guidance and direction in the face of the evils of this world, something I also need so often.  Lord, give me guidance and direction today.

David was surrounded by, and aware of, great evil. It moved around him, we might say, in men who did wicked and violent things, were arrogant, liars and cheats. Deeply aware of this, and how it could affect him, he calls on the Lord to protect not only himself, but all who trust in God.

Psalm 5, this song of David is a lament contrasting the security of the house of God with the danger of the company of evildoers. The psalmist therefore prays that God will hear and grant the protection and joy of the Temple.*

We can sense the near desperation in David's tone, and the certainty of protection which his trust in God brings. Lord, grant me the grace to trust in you even when I am surrounded by evil and suffering.


Today, I will pray the rosary for Pope Francis, his intentions, and for the Church.


Saint Teresa of Calcutta, declared a saint yesterday, whose love for the Eucharist, for prayer and for the poor gives us a model to emulate, pray for us.

There are just 9 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

biography.com

September 4, 2016 - Sunday

If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-7, 33 NABRE)

Jesus' words to the great crowds travelling with him are stark, jarring, even harsh and uncompromising. This collection of sayings, most of which are peculiar to Luke, focuses on the total dedication necessary for the disciple of Jesus. No attachment to family or possessions can stand in the way of the total commitment demanded of the disciple. Also, acceptance of the call to be a disciple demands readiness to accept persecution and suffering and a realistic assessment of the hardships and costs.* The disciple’s family must take second place to the absolute dedication involved in following Jesus.*

Lord Jesus, show me how to balance my life, to answer your call, and to live in such a way that you desire. Unite my heart with my actions so that I might not be distracted from you. Join my will to my words in such a way that I will never forget the Father's divine will. Help me, Jesus, to see the attachments of this world for what they truly are, gifts from you. May I see your light in each gift, each person, each moment, each little joy. May they all be a small foretaste of the joy of your eternal presence. And may I not place my trust and confidence in the attachments of this world, creating idols for myself and placing them ahead of you. I thank you, Jesus, for the challenge of your words. Help me to live today as your disciple in my place and time.


Today, I will remember that each person I encounter is a gift to me from God.


Saint Rose of Viterbo, eighteen-year-old whose dying words to her parents were, "I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious," pray for us.

There are just 10 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

September 3, 2016 - Saturday

My mouth will speak the praises of the LORD;
all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145:21 NABRE)

Psalm 145, what a beautiful song! The singer invites all to praise God. The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise; they climax in a confession which we read in today's verse. God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship, a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.*

Today, I will praise God. I will thank Jesus. And I will listen for their Holy Spirit.


Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church, and patron of England and teachers, pray for us.

There are just 11 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

September 2, 2016 - Friday

Trust in the LORD and do good
that you may dwell in the land and live secure.
Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart’s desire.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will act
And make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like noonday. (Psalm 37:3-6 NABRE)

In this song of David, we hear him call us repeatedly to trust in the Lord. He urges us to find our delight in the Lord. And he encourages us to commit our ways to the Lord.

When we trust in him, we gain all we need. When we delight in him, we find satisfaction. When we commit our actions to him, we get his aid.


Today, I will trust in the Lord, find delight in him, and commit my actions to him.


Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions, victims of the French Revolution, whose martyrdom reminds us of the importance of religious freedom, pray for us.

There are just 12 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

September 1, 2016 - Thursday

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written:
“He catches the wise in their own ruses,”
and again:
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” (1 Corinthians 3:18-20 NABRE)

In my mind, these words of Saint Paul add to those of Isaiah the prophet who spoke these words:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Intellectual certainty worries me when it depends only on the observable and repeatable physical phenomena of this creation. It includes, in my thinking, those who would close themselves to possibilities simply because they have not yet encountered a proof which appears to have a sufficient basis in fact.

When we close ourselves to mystery, we resist God. We resist truth that exceeds fact. We often dig in and push against even our own experience at times. Why?

The essence and simple opportunity which Jesus offers you and I is this: If we will just trust in him, rather than in our own limited thinking, he will be there for us! Free. Anytime. Right now!

And so if your days get difficult, take Jesus' free gift when he says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) He will keep his promise!


Today, I will welcome the opportunity to be considered a fool in order to gain wisdom.


Saint Giles, patron of beggars and the disabled, pray for us.

There are just 13 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 31, 2016 - Wednesday

Our soul waits for the LORD,
he is our help and shield.
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust. (Psalm 33:20-21 NABRE)

Psalm 33 is a hymn in which the just are invited to praise God, who by a mere word created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth. Human words, in contrast, effect nothing. The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response*

What a powerful idea: Our greatness comes from two related actions. First, it consists in God's choosing us as special people. And second, it consists in our faithful response. May we always seek this greatness.


Today, I will trust in Jesus.


Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, patrons of undertakers, pray for us.

There are just 14 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 30, 2016 - Tuesday

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 NABRE)

Today, I will listen for and trust the promptings of the Spirit, and I will stay open to speaking with words taught by the Spirit.


Saint Jeanne Jugan, founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor, pray for us.

There are just 15 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 29, 2016 - Monday

When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NABRE)

The mystery of God: God’s secret, known only to himself, is his plan for the salvation of his people; it is clear from 1 Cor 1:18–25; 2:2, 8–10 that this secret involves Jesus and the cross.*

Saint Paul describes his fear and weakness as he began to speak to some people in Corinth about God's son Jesus, and how his death on the cross was endured for our salvation. First of all, even the phrase God's son is a remarkable one to make. And to think that by a submissive act of obedience, Jesus would have been able to accomplish the eternal salvation of my soul and yours.

Is it any wonder that we encounter our own fear, weakness, and inadequacies when we find ourselves with an opportunity to talk about our own faith? Is it any reason we become tongue-tied when we find ourselves in a position to defend our beliefs in the face of public challenge?


Today, on this Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, I will turn to the wisdom of God's Spirit within at times of challenge.


Saint John the Baptist, martyred in defense of marriage, pray for us.

There are just 16 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 28, 2016 - Sunday

My son, conduct your affairs with humility,
and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.
Humble yourself the more, the greater you are,
and you will find mercy in the sight of God.
For great is the power of the Lord;
by the humble he is glorified.
What is too sublime for you, do not seek;
do not reach into things that are hidden from you.
What is committed to you, pay heed to;
what is hidden is not your concern.
In matters that are beyond you do not meddle,
when you have been shown more than you can understand.
Indeed, many are the conceits of human beings;
evil imaginations lead them astray. (Sirach 3:17-24 NABRE)

Jesus puts it this way, Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)

Saint Paul puts it this way, "For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned." (Romans 12:3)

Humility gives you a true estimate of yourself, so that you will do what should be done, and avoid what is beyond your understanding and strength. Intellectual pride, however, leads you astray.*

Lord, help me to be humble and not to think more of myself than I should. Help me to remember that I am part of something larger than myself. I am a member of your body. Rather than allowing frustration to overcome me at times when I cannot achieve what I set myself to--and this happens more often than I would like, help me to realize there are other matters which have been committed to me, and to which I should give my attention.


Today, I will pray for discernment to identify occasions when I lean too much on my own understanding.


Saint Augustine of Hippo, whose life reminds us of the need to scrap escapisms and stand face-to-face with personal responsibility and dignity, pray for us.

There are just 17 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 27, 2016 - Saturday

Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NABRE)

“Boasting (about oneself)” is a Pauline expression for THE radical sin, the claim to autonomy on the part of a creature, the illusion that we live and are saved by our own resources. “Boasting in the Lord,” on the other hand, is the acknowledgment that we live only from God and for God.*

Lord God, in our weakness your strength is seen. Help me to recognize and admit my own weaknesses, so that I might also recognize and admit your strength which begins at the end of mine.


Today, on this Memorial of Saint Monica, as I do every day, I will pray the Our Father asking that the Father's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.


Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine, patron of alcoholics, married women, and mothers, pray for us.

There are just 18 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 26, 2016 - Friday

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19 NABRE)

True wisdom and power are to be found paradoxically where one would least expect them, in the place of their apparent negation. To human eyes the crucified Christ symbolizes impotence and absurdity.*

Lord God, it is in our weakness that your strength can be seen. Nowhere was this more clear than in your son's death on that cross. Help me to recognize and admit my own weaknesses, so that I might also recognize and admit your strength which begins at the end of mine.


Today, I will pray the Our Father as Jesus taught us, asking that God the Father's will be done on earth.


Saint Joseph Calasanz, whose work to provide education to poor children met with institutional resistance that tested your trust, patience, and spirit of forgiveness, pray for us.

There are just 19 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 25, 2016 - Thursday

One generation praises your deeds to the next
and proclaims your mighty works.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory,
tell of your wonderful deeds.
They speak of the power of your awesome acts
and recount your great deeds.
They celebrate your abounding goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice. (Psalm 145:4-7 NABRE)

I think that King David would have understood parenting today. His generation shared much in common with ours, in that he, like us, lived waiting for God's promised one to come among us. And so, with that sense of anticipation and joyful hope, he would have raised his children to do the same, knowing that they might see the actual day of the Savior's arrival!

Lord Jesus, you are the Savior of the world. You are my savior. You are the one who came to save my children and all who look to you for salvation. And when some forget why you came, when they forget what it is you came to save us from, I pray that your Spirit may awaken in their hearts what their parents taught them as children. I pray that all who forget you in the turmoil of this life will, in your time, remember you and your mission. I pray this with all trust in your desire to bring all souls to heaven, to be in your presence, and in your will to see the ravages of this life put aside for all who will call you Lord. 


Today, I will pray for parents who raise their children to know the Lord.


Saint Louis of France, patron of grooms and barbers, pray for us.

There are just 20 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 24, 2016 - Wednesday

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (John 1:49 NABRE)

One of the first Apostles, who came to Jesus invited by his friend Philip, it doesn't take Nathanael long to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. And not long afterward, Jesus began his public ministry with his followers at the Wedding at Cana. (John 2:1)

Lord, I imagine what it must have been like to meet you face to face, and to know that you were sent by God, and to even have a sense of your divinity. I imagine what it must have been like to be called to come along with you. Before the trials began, before you were even known publicly, I would have been near to your greatness. Lord Jesus, I know you. I thank you for your life and your mission. Help me to continue to recognized your face in the gaze of those I meet. Help me to be your face in my time for all those I meet. And help me, Jesus, to follow you with complete trust and without fear.


Today, I will seek to recognize Jesus in the face of those I encounter.


Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, identified by some scholars as Nathanael, about whom we know so little, but who bore witness to your firsthand experience with Jesus, and who spoke in Jesus' name, pray for us.

There are just 21 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 23, 2016 - Tuesday

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean. (Matthew 23:25-26 NABRE)

In today's passage, Jesus uses the ritual of washing utensils for dining as a metaphor illustrating a concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored. The scribes and Pharisees are compared to cups carefully washed on the outside but filthy within. Self-indulgence: the Greek word here translated means lack of self-control, whether in drinking or in sexual conduct.*


Today, I will examine my heart to see my own tendency to put on appearances, my own inclination to seek gain for myself at the expense of others, as well as my own self-indulgence, and I will pray an Act of Contrition for those times I did not live up to Jesus' expectations.


Saint Rose of Lima, known as the patron of florists, the Americas, Latin America, Peru, Philippines, and South America, pray for us.

There are just 22 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 22, 2016 - Monday

To this end, we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NABRE)

This beautiful prayer, words of Saint Paul to the members of the Church in Thessalonica, sound like the words a parent would pray for a child. How wonderful to ask God to make our children worthy of his calling. How remarkable to ask God to respond to every effort of faith expressed by our children, bringing it to fulfillment. How trusting to ask God to complete every good purpose our children pursue. What a touching reminder that we pray such things for one another so we might all share in God's grace and ultimately in glory.


Today, on this Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I will pray for my children, that God call to them as he did to Mary, and that they respond as she did.


Mary, Mother of God, queen of heaven and earth, pray for us.

There are just 23 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 21, 2016 - Sunday

“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5B-7 NABRE)

Christian life is to be inspired not only by the Old Testament men and women of faith but above all by Jesus. As the architect of Christian faith, he had himself to endure the cross before receiving the glory of his triumph.*

Reflection on his sufferings should give his followers courage to continue the struggle, if necessary even to the shedding of [one's own] blood. Christians should regard their own sufferings as the affectionate correction of the Lord, who loves them as a father loves his children.*


Today, I will reflect on the suffering of Jesus, seeking courage to continue my struggle.


Saint Pope Pius X, who died a few weeks after World War I began and  was canonized in 1954, pray for us.

Source: http://catholicsaints.info/pope-saint-pius-x/

There are just 24 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.

August 20, 2016 - Saturday

I will listen for what God, the LORD, has to say;
surely he will speak of peace
To his people and to his faithful.
May they not turn to foolishness!
Near indeed is his salvation for those who fear him;
glory will dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:9-10 NABRE)

Psalm 85 ia a national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness and begging for forgiveness and grace now.* As we approach our own national elections, may we pray constantly for our current leaders who are headed toward transition, the candidates for office, and all those to whom the awesome responsibility of serving and protecting others has been entrusted.


Today, I will pray the Rosary in support of life from conception to natural death.


Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church, who tells us, "In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary," pray for us.

There are just 25 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.