Something to Think About

In today’s Gospel from Matthew, we heard about the Beatitudes which are the principles or ideals that Jesus wanted His disciples to follow. A cursory review of some of the Beatitudes gives us an idea of what Jesus meant by them.

Blessed be the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What Jesus was telling His disciples is that they should let go and in trust put their lives in God’s hands.

Blessed are they who mourn for they will be comforted. What Jesus was saying to His disciples is if they were truly saddened by their sins they would find comfort in a merciful God.

Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. Jesus was telling His disciples that instead of waiting for God to be merciful to them, they first should be merciful to others. By doing so, they would receive God’s mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart for they will see God. Jesus charged His followers to examine what motivates them to do what they did. If their motives were unselfish, they would be with God someday.

The Beatitudes did not include any “Thou shall not do this or Thou shall not do that” phrases as we heard in the Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus. Rather the Beatitudes are simply Jesus’s message of humility, charity, and brotherly love.

You and I are disciples of Jesus by virtue of our baptism. As His disciples, we are charged to live by the ideals found in the Beatitudes just as His disciples were to do so 2000 years ago.

Let us strive to live by the principles as Jesus articulated in the Beatitudes. Let us be the disciples of Jesus that we have been called to be.

Peace and all good,
Deacon Charlie

The US COnference of Catholic Bishops continues its year-long effort to promote civility in public discourse through a pledge, resources and this prayer. 

Prayer to Fast from Incivility

God of all compassion,
You call us to love one another as you have loved us, especially when we face division in our communities. Help us to see our sisters and brothers as beloved children of God.
Help us to fast from incivility and feast on your love for each one of us.
Help us to fast from discord and feast on knowledge that you have created each person in your own image.
Help us to fast from fear of those with whom we disagree and feast on shating the good news of our God-given dignity.
Help us to fast from the desire to win arguments and feast on compassion shared in understanding.
Help us to fast from assumptions and feast on listening deeply to the stories of our community.
Lord, our God, be with us in this time of hurt in our communities. In out fasting may we grow closer to you, In our feasting, let us find healing.
Let us turn to you as the source of our joyfulness and our first giver of love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Copyright 2020, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration for nonprofit educational use, provided such reprints are not sold and include this notice. Find this pledge and other resources and prayers at civilzeit.org
Posted by the Comnission on Peace and Justice for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York
 

A PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY
 
     O greatly Merciful god, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy— to Your compassion, O God: and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will through our life and at death’s hour.
 
     Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming—that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: Through His merciful Heart as through an open gate we pass through to heaven. Amen.
 
     Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1570

The Daily Prayer for Priests
By St. Therese of the Child Jesus

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
For your unfaithful and tepid priest;
For your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
For your tempted priests;
For your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
For the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
The priest who baptized me;
The priests who absolved me from my sins;
The priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
The priests who taught and instructed me;
All the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …)
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
And bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen.

The Difference
 
By Grace L. Naessens
 
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn’t have time to pray.
 
Problems just tumbled about me and grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn’t God help me, I wondered; He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
 
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me – He said, “But you didn’t seek.”
 
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”
 
I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

Prayer for Persecuted Christians
 
O God of all the nations,
the One God who is and was and always will be,
in your providence you willed that your Church
be united to the suffering of your Son.
Look with mercy on your servants
who are persecuted for their faith in you.
Grant them perseverance and courage
to be worthy imitators of Christ.
Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations
to work for peace among all peoples.
May your Spirit open conversion
for those who contradict your will,
that we may live in harmony.
Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom,
and to always seek your will in our lives.
 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

  As you know, the Church is experiencing a shortage of priests. As a result, there have been times when priests have not been available to celebrate Saturday Vigil Masses or Sunday Masses. 
   
  In order to address the needs of the faithful in light of the shortage of priests, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has approved a liturgy known as the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest. This liturgy is based on the Liturgy of the Hours which has been prayed by the faithful for centuries and it includes the regular Mass readings. It may also include the distribution of the Holy Communion, depending on availability of consecrated hosts. It is important to note that the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest fulfills the obligation of the faithful to attend the Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass. This liturgy can be conducted not only by a deacon, but also by a trained layperson.    

  While the Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest liturgy is not a Mass, it is a practical solution to the priest shortage. Yet it is more than that. This liturgy is another opportunity for the laity to share their gifts and talents with others. It is another opportunity for the laity to fulfill the privileges and responsibilities which they assumed at their baptism. The Church has been enriched by the many ways the laity has taken part in the life of the Church.   
 
  Attending a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest may not be as spiritually fulfilling as attending a Mass, but we must accept the fact it is a part of our prayer life in today's Church. Let us not forget that God is present in this liturgy, as well as He is in the Mass.
      
  Let us pray for an increase in vocations, but let us also pray that God sends His grace upon both clergy and laity during this time of challenge.