Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer. Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you, lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.

Our prayers do not go unheard or unanswered. God is always listening to us, in our thoughts and in our words. When we petition Him, He knows the truth behind our prayers. He knows what is good for us and what would be bad. He gives us what we need to flourish as His children. He answers us in ways that will help us to become better Christians. He denies us when what we ask for isn’t what would be best for us, but He softens the rejection by giving us something better. He knows us and what we truly need just as a good father knows his children and gives them what is good even though his children might not understand and complain. God is confident that what He gives us will eventually be accepted and cherished. And for that we should all be thankful.

What petitions are we making to the Lord? Can we honestly say they are all for our good or the good of others or are some selfish? How can we make better prayers and petitions to God?

O Lord, you hear the sound of our pleading and answer us beyond anything we could hope for.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Saturday in Ordinary Time

God himself is my help. O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth.

If our cause is worthy, God will help us. Even if we are weak and have all the world stacked against us, if we trust in God, we can move mountains. Even if we are poor, if we are willing to pay the price, then we will be rich in what truly matters. Even if we are lost, if we trust in the guidance of the Lord, then we will find ourselves at the right places and the right times to do the most good. God is our help. It is by His Holy Name that we are all saved and it is by His might that we are defended against the evil and wickedness of the Devil. It is to Him that our hearts, minds, and spirits should turn to in times of need. It is Him whom we should pray to and petition. He is our Savior and our Lord and we should be wholeheartedly His.

Do we seek God’s Help in our times of need? How can we make prayer and petition a central facet of our lives? How can we be a helper and defender of others?

O Lord, by your name we are saved.

Amen.

Fifteenth Friday in Ordinary Time

"O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!" And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go, tell Hezekiah: Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD's temple; I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city."

Our prayers and petitions never fall on deaf ears with God. If we ask for what is good for us and He deems it necessary for our salvation, then He will answer our request. He wants us all to have a good life. Not one of worldly success, but one of spiritual success. He will never give us something that isn’t good for us. He will always provide us with the gifts, talents, and graces we need to overcome all the obstacles in the way of our salvation. He will heal us of our sins and rescue us from our foes if we come to Him in prayer and ask for His help with humble and contrite hearts.

Do we pray to God for help with all our difficulties? Do we thank Him for all our successes? How can we conduct ourselves in God’s presence, doing what is pleasing to Him?

O Lord, hear our prayers.

Amen.

Twelfth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Rise up, shrill in the night, at the beginning of every watch; Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your little ones Who faint from hunger at the corner of every street.

In times of distress, we should rise up and pray. We should pour out our hearts to the Lord and lift up our hands. We should make ourselves into living prayers, petitioning God for His aid. We should do this when we are in need or suffering and also when we see others who are in difficulties. And ultimately, we should trust in God’s Goodness and remain hopeful. We cannot let our trials or tribulations shake or uproot our faith. We cannot let our fears and doubts crush our spirits. Instead, we should believe in our Heavenly Father, His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit... who do not wish us harm and will do all in their powers to guide us through all our troubles.

Do we pray to God when we are in need or suffering? What about when others are undergoing difficulties? How can we grow in our faith and trust in God even during our darkest of nights?

O Lord, we hunger for your heavenly aid.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time

First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.

We all need to pray for our leaders. Our leaders from the local to national levels can have a great influence over our lives as well as the morals of society as a whole. The laws, decisions, and regulations made today will have far-reaching effects and we as a people of faith have the responsibility to not only elect people with well-formed consciences, but also to pray for all politicians in order to give them the strength they need to resist the temptations of public office and make policy decisions that lead to quiet and tranquil lives for their constituents. We also have to pray for our officials so that we will have an environment that leads our people greater devotion to God and dignity for all.

Do we pray for our leaders? How can we do a better job of supporting politician who have well-formed consciences? What can we do to ensure our local and national governments are guided by good people?

O Lord, guide our leaders and help them to be good and faithful servants to you and all your children.

Amen.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour.

Great faith is founded upon humility and the recognition we are not worthy to sit at the table with God. We are sinners. However, just because we are undeserving of God’s gifts and graces, we still beg for them anyway. We rely completely upon God’s Mercy. Just as the woman pled for the scraps, so too, we plead for our salvation in hope that God will be compassionate toward us and grant our request. Thankfully, God is full of love and wherever he finds humility and faith, He also gives the petitioner all they need to be healed and thrive in spirit and truth.

Are we humble in our petitions and prayers? Do we realize we are not worthy and should have no delusions that God owes us anything? In what ways do we recognize our complete dependence upon our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, give us humble and faithful spirits.

Amen.

Thirteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

"Flee for your life! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away." "Oh, no, my lord!" Lot replied, "You have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life. But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me, and so I shall die. Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to. It's only a small place. Let me flee there–it's a small place, is it not?–that my life may be saved." "Well, then," he replied, "I will also grant you the favor you now ask. I will not overthrow the town you speak of.  Hurry, escape there! I cannot do anything until you arrive there."

Lot’s request to flee to a small town instead of the hills might seem odd at first. After all, the angels are telling him to flee for the hills before Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire and brimstone. Lot thanks the Lord for his kindness, but flatly states that he can’t make it to the hills. We can only guess as to why Lot couldn’t flee all the way to the hills. Perhaps he had a bad knee or hip or some other malady that made the journey impossible for him. Or maybe the hills were dangerous and he feared them. Whatever the reason, the angels consent to this change in plans. Lot is allowed to flee to the small place and be safe from destruction. Although we might not be faced with such dire situations ourselves, sometimes we do face what might seem like overwhelming trials. It is comforting to know that God is willing to listen to our pleas, take into account our abilities, and grant us little favors and small places of respite in the midst of our trials.

What pleas do we need to make to the Lord? Are there trials we are facing which are in dire need of God’s help? Do we truly appreciate how much God listens to our prayers and petitions?

O Lord, listen to our pleas and give us small places to rest in times of trouble.

Amen.

The Fourth Monday of Lent

Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

Sometimes God answers our prayers of petition, but He only does so when what we request is both good for us and in alignment with His Divine Plan. He will never give us something that will harm us or lead us away from Him. This is why when we pray we should not just ask for something from God, but also be open to listening to Him so that we can know what He is asking us to do with our lives. Prayer is meant to be a two way street. If all we do is flood God with requests, but never listen to His inspirations, then we lose out on opportunities to grow in our relationship with Him. If we open our ears to Him, He will speak to us through our conscience and our thoughts. He will give us the wisdom to live our lives in accordance with His Will without having to seek signs and wonders. The only sign we need is the cross. The only wonder we need is to know Jesus died for us and by his death he has given us all the opportunity to live with the Heavenly Father forever and forever. All we have to do is believe and follow the Way Jesus laid out before us.

How do we pray? Do we listen to God during and after our prayers so He can speak to us through our thoughts? Are our hearts, minds, and ears open to God’s inspirations?

O Lord, you are the only sign we need.

Amen.