grace4u: 2011-12-04

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Devotion for Saturday/Sunday: The Sunday of Joy

Here are the readings from the Liturgy of the Hours for Saturday morning; then Evening Prayer I, Sunday Morning and Evening Prayer II for the Third Week in Advent. Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, which means “joy,” as we, God’s people, look forward with joy to the birthday of Christ.

Saturday Morning Reading: Isaiah 11:1-5: A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and His delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall He judge, nor by hearsay shall He decide, but He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around His waist, and faithfulness a belt upon His hips.

Prayer: Lord, let Your glory dawn to take away our darkness. May we be revealed as the children of Light at the coming of Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever.

Third Sunday of Advent

Evening Prayer I (to be said Saturday evening)

Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24: Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test everything; retain what is good. Avoid any semblance of evil. May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May He preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls us is trustworthy, therefore He will do it.

Prayer: Lord God, may we, Your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ, experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Morning Prayer

Reading: Romans 13:11-14: It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is closer than when we first accepted the faith. The night is far spent; the day draws near. Let us cast off deeds of darkness and put on the armor of Light. Let us live honorably as in daylight; not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Prayer: Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church: the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior’s coming and looks forward with longing to His return at the end of time. Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy which His presence will bestow, for He is Lord forever and ever.

Evening Prayer II

Reading: Philippians4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God’s own peace, which is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus.

Prayer: Canticle of Mary: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. He has mercy on those who fear Him, in every generation. He has shown the strength of His arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty. He has come to the help of His servant Israel, for He has remembered His promise of mercy, the promise He made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.

Don’t forget the Christmas Novena! Fifteen times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena

Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here).
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Devotion for today: Our Father keeps His promises

In wrapping up the second week of Advent, we add to our concentration on prayer life by thanking God the Father for His faithfulness, mercy and love.

Scripture for meditation: Genesis 3:14-15

Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at His heel.”

Christ states: Luke 4:18-21

“The spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me. He has sent Me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll He gave it back to the assistant and sat down. All in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on Him. Then He began by saying to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Pope Benedict XVI explains:

Jesus Christ goes Adam’s route, but in reverse. In contrast to Adam, He is really “like God”…Because He does not go the route of power, but that of love, He can descend into the depths of Adam’s lie, into the depths of death, and there raise up truth and life. Thus Christ is the new Adam, with whom humankind begins anew…His arms, spread out on the cross, are an open invitation to relationship, which is continually offered to us. The cross, the place of His obedience, is the true tree of life. Christ is the antitype of the serpent…From this tree there comes not the word of temptation, but that of redeeming love, the word of obedience, which the obedient God Himself used, thus offering us His obedience as a context for freedom. [To accept this tree of life] means to accept the love of God, which is our truth…

-‘In the Beginning…’ A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall’ by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Our Sunday visitor Publishing, 1990

Prayer: Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

Holy God, we praise Thy Name! Lord of all, we bow before Thee! All on earth Thy scepter claim, All in heaven above adore Thee!

Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign. Hark the loud celestial hymn, angel choirs above are raising; Cherubim and Seraphim, in unceasing chorus praising. Fill the heavens with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy Lord! Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, three we name thee, while in essence only one, undivided God we claim thee; and adoring bend the knee, while we own the mystery! (Ignaz Franz,1719-1790)

My thoughts: It is a great gift to know that we have a Father who remains faithful to His promises. When man first sinned and fell from grace, God promised that from a woman, a savior would come who would crush the head of Satan. Jesus fulfilled that promise, and today we have the promise of everlasting life. Let us take time to “bend the knee” and offer profound praise to our most loving Father.

Our prayer to God: I know you recognize our prayer today as the hymn “Holy God We Praise Thy Name.” If you sing it a few times in a row, it will get stuck in your head. Imagine spending a day singing praise to God! I can’t think of a better way to get through the day, can you?

Don’t forget the Christmas Novena! Fifteen times today for your special intention!

Christmas Novena
Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment
At which the Son of God was born
Of a most pure Virgin
At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the piercing cold
At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To hear my prayers and grant my desires(mention request here).
Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Devotion for today; contemplating the holiness of Mary

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, when we profess our belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin on her soul. This is a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.

Scripture for meditation: Luke 1:39-47

Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby stirred in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby stirred in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who trusted that the Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled.” Then Mary said, “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior,”

Christ says: 2:46-50

Not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of Him. On the third day they came upon Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed at His intelligence and His answers. When His parents saw Him they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you done this to us? You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.” He said to them, “Why did you search for me? Did you not know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

We learn from St. Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555): “For a long time I have wondered and been at a loss to understand why the evangelists should have spoken at such length about John the Baptist and the other apostles, and yet told us so little about the Virgin Mary, who in life and distinction excels them all. Being at a loss, as I say, to understand this, all I can think is that it pleased the Holy Spirit that it should be so. It was by the providence of the Holy Spirit that the evangelists kept silent, because the glory of the Virgin, as we read in the psalms, was all within, and could more truly be thought of than described. The outline of her life: that Jesus was born of her is enough to tell her whole story. What more do you seek for in the Virgin? It is enough for you that she is the Mother of God. What beauty, I ask you, what virtue, what perfection, what grace, what glory does not belong to the Mother of God? Truly, Mary, He who is powerful did great things for you; truly because He made you His own mother, all generations will call you blessed. (Sermon on the birth of Mary, II, as it appears in Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1988. Compiled and edited by John E. Rotelle, O.S.A.).

Prayer: Prayer to Mary by St. Thomas of Villanova

Therefore, you our Advocate, Our Lady, our Delight, therefore turn your merciful eyes toward us, and after this our exile, show us Jesus the blessed Fruit of your womb. It is Him we seek, Him we gasp for, hastening toward Him, desiring Him with all the ardor of our hearts. It is you, Virgin, who must direct us, you must lead us to Him, lead us to where He reigns, and show Him to us, crowned with glory and honor, surrounded by angels, seated on the highest throne at the right hand of the Father, reigning with Him, and governing the whole world together with Him.

My thoughts: How truly amazing is Mary! When greeted, and honored by her cousin Elizabeth, she immediately directs the attention to God. When her heart is filled with sorrow at the loss of her son in the temple, she bears the weight of His words in her heart, trusting in God, as she knows no other way to live. St. Thomas the Bishop from Villanova, Spain, explains so well why we do not learn more about Mary in the Bible. What else do we need to know? She is the Mother of God. Enough said! No wonder the Catholic Church professes her immaculate conception. How else could the perfect womb, in the perfect woman, be prepared to hold the King of Kings? What a joyful day for us in our preparation for Christmas to take time to turn our lives over to Mary, our Blessed Mother, and ask her to hasten to bring us to her Son, for whom we are preparing, and for whom our hearts are longing!

Our Prayer to God: We have yet another prayer to add to our collection this week, this time addressed to our Blessed Mother. Why not have your whole family say this prayer tonight when you gather to light the Advent wreath? Or think about saying this prayer just before you fall asleep, and fill your heart with joyful anticipation of Christ’s coming. Falling asleep in Mary’s arms, as Christ often did, is always a good idea!

Don’t forget the Christmas Novena! Fifteen times today for your special intention!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Devotion for today: Come Holy Spirit

As we continue to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Messiah, it is time to pray to the Holy Spirit.

Scripture for meditation: 1Corinthians 2:11-12, 14, 3:16-17

No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. The Spirit we have received is not the world’s spirit, but God’s Spirit, helping us to realize the gifts He has given us. The natural man does not accept what is taught by the Spirit of God. Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Christ tells us: John 14:16-17

“I will ask the Father, and He will send you another Paraclete – to be with you always: the Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot accept, since it neither sees Him nor recognizes Him; but you can recognize Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: Now God’s Spirit, Who reveals God, makes known to us Christ, His Word, His living Utterance, but the Spirit does not speak of Himself. The Spirit who “has spoken through the prophets” makes us hear the Father’s Word, but we do not hear the Spirit Himself. We know Him only in the movement by which He reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome Him in faith. From the beginning to the end of time, whenever God sends His Son, He always sends His Spirit: their mission is conjoined and inseparable. (737, 743)

Prayer for the Spirit by Henri Nouwen:

Dear Lord, listen to my prayer. You promised Your disciples that You would not leave them alone but would send the Holy Spirit to guide them and lead them to the Full Truth. I feel like I am groping in the dark. I have received much from You, and still it is hard for me simply to be quiet and present in Your presence. My mind is so chaotic, so full of dispersed ideas, plans, memories and fantasies. I want to be with You and You alone, concentrate on Your Word, listen to Your voice, and look at You as You reveal Yourself to Your friends. But even with the best intentions I wander off to less important things and discover that my heart is drawn to my own little worthless treasures. I cannot pray without the power from on high, the power of Your Spirit. Send your Spirit, Lord, so that your Spirit can pray in me, can say “Lord Jesus,” and then call out “Abba Father.” I am waiting, Lord, I am expecting, I am hoping. Do not leave me without Your Spirit. Give me your unifying and consoling Spirit. Amen. (Henri Nouwen, from Jesus a Gospel, as read in A Maryknoll Book of Inspiration, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 2010.)

My thoughts: In preparing for Christmas Day, we can better prepare our hearts by inviting the Holy Spirit to renew in us a lively and sincere faith. We learn from today’s readings that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, that He dwells in us, and that He will reveal to us all the gifts God has placed in us, if we but ask. The Catechism reminds us that when Christ has or will come, He is always accompanied by the Holy Spirit. That is why Henri Nouwen prays so beautifully to the Holy Spirit, the power behind the prayer, the force behind our pure motives, and the truth behind our words. It is no wonder that the world cannot understand Him!

Our prayer to God: Henri Nouwen has provided us today with yet another beautiful prayer to add to our collection this week. If possible, let us take time to stop in a church, and in the presence of God in the tabernacle, pray this request for help in preparing for the coming of Christ.

Today is the feast of St. Ambrose, whose example and preaching helped bring St. Augustine to the faith!

St. Ambrose, pray for us and for all who are seeking to find the true God.

Don’t forget the Christmas Novena! Fifteen times today for your special intention!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Devotion for today: Pray a new prayer unto the Lord

Today we find a way to add new life to our prayer time

Scripture for today: Isaiah 29:13

The Lord said: … this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me; and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of me.

Christ reminds us: John 14:12-14

“I solemnly assure you, the man who has faith in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these. Why? Because I go to the Father, and whatever you ask in my name I will do, so as to glorify the Father in the Son. Anything you ask me, in My Name, I will do.”

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta states:

"Try to feel the need for prayer often during the day and take the trouble to pray. Prayer makes the heart large enough until it can contain God’s gift of Himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your own. The following are prayers that we say every day from our prayer book. I hope they may be helpful if you do not know any prayers, or would like to know more":

Let us all become a true and fruitful branch on the vine Jesus, by accepting Him in our lives as it pleases Him to come: as the Truth – to be told; as the life – to be lived; as the light – to be lighted; as the love – to be loved; as the Way – to be walked; as the Joy – to be given; as the Peace – to be spread; as the Sacrifice – to be offered – in our families and within our neighborhood.

Deliver me, O Jesus, from the desire of being loved, from the desire of being extolled, from the desire of being honored, from the desire of being praised, from the desire of being preferred, from the desire of being consulted, from the desire of being approved, from the desire of being popular, from the fear of being humiliated, from the fear of being despised, from the fear of suffering rebukes, from the fear of being calumniated, from the fear of being forgotten, from the fear of being wronged, from the fear of being ridiculed, from the fear of being suspected. (Mother Teresa: A Simple Path, Ballentine Books, compiled by Lucinda Vardey, 1995)

My thoughts: Isaiah warns us about becoming too routine in our prayer life. It leaves our conversation with God stale and lifeless. Jesus reminds us that prayer is the key to unity with Him, but we must also unite with Him in good works. What better example do we have than Mother Teresa of Calcutta! I hope the two prayers she shares with us today bring a new spark of life into your private moments with God.

Our prayer to God: Let us add these two prayers to our daily routines for Advent, thus opening our hearts to prayer and action, and eliminating the fears which come from pride.

Remember the Christmas Novena – 15 times today!

Today is the feast of St. Nicholas – St. Nicholas, pray for us.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Devotion for today: our hearts are restless

Let us come to this second week in Advent ready to refresh our prayer life.

Scripture for meditation: Romans 8:26

The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in speech.

Christ teaches us: Matthew 6:5-6

“When you are praying, do not behave like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in synagogues or on street corners in order to be noticed. I give you my word, they are already repaid. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees what no man sees, will repay you.”

Pope Benedict XVI instructs us:

"In looking to the prayer of Jesus, a question should arise in us: How do I pray? How do we pray? What sort of time do I dedicate to my relationship with God? In our prayer also, we must learn increasingly to enter into this history of salvation whose summit is Jesus; [we must learn] to renew before God our personal decision to open ourselves to His Will, and to ask Him for the strength to conform our will to His -- in every aspect of our lives -- in obedience to His plan of love for us. Certainly, prayer is a gift that must first and foremost be welcomed -- it is the work of God -- but it demands commitment and continuity on our part; above all, continuity and constancy are important. Dear brothers and sisters, let us form ourselves in an intense relationship with God, in prayer that is not occasional but constant, and full of trust, capable of illumining our lives, as Jesus teaches us. And let us ask Him that we may be able to communicate -- to the persons close to us and to those whom we meet on our streets -- the joy of encountering the Lord, Who is light for our lives. Thank you. Excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s general address, Nov. 30, 2011

Prayer of St. Augustine:

You are great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is your power, and to your wisdom there is not limit. And man, who is part of your creation, wishes to praise you, man who bears about within himself his mortality, who bears about within himself testimony to his sin and testimony that you resist the proud. Yet man, this part of your creation, wishes to praise you, for you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you. (The Confessions of St. Augustine, Bk.1, 1)

My thoughts: This week let us begin to refresh our prayer life. Prayer is conversation with God: a pouring out of our hearts to our Father, and a listening to His voice within us. All of us have known people who tell the same stories and complain about the same things every time we see them. Don’t we wonder if they ever actually listen to our response or advice? It is time for us to take inventory and discover if we are trying to make our prayer life little more than a repetition of our wants and needs. Pope Benedict tells us it must be constant, and so much a part of our lives that we can share it with others. Christ warns us that it must be humble and sincere, and the writer of Romans reminds us that when we are at a loss for words, the Holy Spirit will step in and take over. Let us join our voices this week to St. Augustine’s, and find, in the heart of Our Lord, the rest we so desperately need.

Our prayer to God: It is easy to fall into the idea that our busy lives hold no time for more prayer, yet we can start by adding a quick prayer at rising and at retiring, incorporating all elements of adoration, thanksgiving, contrition and supplication (ACTS), a prayer such as: “Good morning (evening), Lord, thank you for this beautiful day I now face (have just completed). I praise you for the beauty in my life, and I am sorry for ever having offended you. Grant me, and those I love, the ability to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly. Amen.

Remember to say your novena prayer 15 times every day!