CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

October 8, 2023

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray for our leaders in faith. May we all seek the fruit of God’s Kingdom. May we set our sights on caring for one another in the name of Christ Jesus.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people living with crippling anxiety. May we help ease the emotional burdens of our loved ones with patience and tenderness.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for all healthcare workers. May the people who bathe the bodies of our loved ones, those who diagnose disease, those who stay awake in the nighttime, and those who prescribe medications, all find hope and comfort in their dedication.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for people who long to be loved. May the emotional burdens that keep us isolated be released in the loving care of Christ Jesus. May we all find comfort in God’s extraordinary mercy.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for families who need food and housing. May we work diligently for the benefit of our neighbors to find sustaining protection. May God send angels of mercy to safeguard our children.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for the end of war and violence. May our emotional burdens be eased in peace and harmony. May killings end and gunfire be replaced with the fires of love and integrity on our city streets.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray to live the message of God’s Kingdom on earth. May the harmony of heaven be manifest on earth. May justice be born among all peoples and nations.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for miracles when families are threatened by abuse. May our loved ones find emotional support when family members turn on one another with violence. May we learn the signs of abuse to keep our children from harm.

We pray to the Lord.

Let us pray for our loved ones who have died. May grief be eased for those who have taken their last breath. May the dead find home in the shelter of God’s forgiveness and mercy.

We pray to the Lord.

I wrote this prayer for our Holy Cross religious at Holy Cross House based on today’s scriptures.

Holy Cross House: Prayers For Under Our Roof

October 1, 2023: The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“…Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend…” Philippians 2 

God of our longing,

You invite us into humility and love.

You encourage us to bend our knees at the name of Christ Jesus.

You desire us to live with generosity and patience of heart.

Loving Father,

We are your servants who have traveled the world.

We have crossed the complexities of pastoral life,

The intricacies of the classroom,

And the unforeseen terrains of missionary lands.

We have found you in unexpected journeys and in surprising relationships.

Now, we live and pray under a common roof.

The treasures of our experiences are often tucked away in our tired hearts.

Our arthritic knees no longer bend easily to your presence.

Our memories humbly turn to your life within us.

We rely on you as we rely on one another.

We lean on canes and walkers but you still lead us home.

Gracious God,

Reveal your tenderness in our nighttime anguish.

Show your healing remedy when pain overwhelms us in daylight.

Unveil your soothing grace when loneliness stifles our voices.

Turn toward us as we rest our souls in you.

Unveil your mercy as we bend our hearts to your name in love.

Amen

(text: Ronald Raab, CSC)

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

CLICK HERE to read my article from the Congregation of Holy Cross

October 1, 2023

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For our world and religious leaders. May those who lead us show up to the mercy of God. May they live out their lives of dignity in service of all people.

We pray to the Lord.

For us who bend our knees in prayer. May we learn a deep humility in our hearts when we surrender to God. May we long to know Christ Jesus in our every action and concern.

We pray to the Lord.

For a richer knowledge of how to care for one another. May we support our children with respect and hope. May each child be protected from abuse and malnutrition. May hope be manifest in the tears of our children.

We pray to the Lord.

For a deep and abiding commitment to follow Christ. May we show up to the grace of God in our lives. May we never despair in the richness of Christ’s mercy and forgiveness. May we live in such hope all the days of our lives.

We pray to the Lord.

For a remedy for depression and discouragement. May we seek to live in the beauty of nature and not in the confines of technology. May we look up to the sky and not down to the worries that bend our shoulders and harden our hearts.

We pray to the Lord.

For our relatives who have been taken to emergency rooms and who face surgeries. May Christ be in every sound of a siren of an emergency vehicle on our streets. May love motivate every doctor and healthcare worker.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new awareness of our gifts and talents. May we learn to show up to the beauty of our own lives in Christ Jesus. May we not neglect the bounty of grace in every human heart.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new path of freedom for all who live in regret. May our past choices be healed in Christ Jesus. May forgiveness be our food of life. May we show up to God’s mercy with joy and learn to let go of the past.

We pray to the Lord.

For our loved ones who have died. May they be found in the mercy of God in their last breath. May hope free them for eternal glory.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Sunday September 24, 2023

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Francis, our Pope, and ____, our Bishop. May all who lead us in faith listen attentively to the voice of the Father. May they serve generously upon the earth.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who live with stinginess and regret. May we all find the beauty of God’s bounty and lavish mercy.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who feel discouraged by their employment. May their skill sets find a home in various opportunities to serve others.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who honor only the past. May we all seek God’s fidelity in the lives we live today and not in the lives we wish we would have lived from the past.

We pray to the Lord.

For children who are ill and who suffer disability. May we work to find solutions to childhood diseases and work to ease the long-term burdens of parents.

We pray to the Lord.

For a new awareness of prayer in our households. May we surrender to the mystery of God. May we be free of addiction to technology and isolation.

We pray to the Lord.

For the healing of the earth. May our work never cease to provide healthy food and clean water to every person and nation.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who are ill. May we listen closely to the voices of those who cry out in pain. May we seek God’s mercy and healing.

We pray to the Lord.

For people who have recently died. May our loved ones be raised into the joys of heaven. May we who grieve upon the earth know God’s tender care.

We pray to the Lord.

CLICK here to read today’s scriptures

CLICK HERE to listen to today’s reflection

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, you stood near the cross of your Son, Jesus. You stood next to him in each moment of his suffering. Mary, you could not change his suffering. You could not fix him or control the outcome of his pain. Mary, your presence taught you how to be patient for healing and to wait for his promise of eternal life. Mary, your posture toward suffering ultimately brought joy to the world. In the Cross of Christ, we find our eternal home.

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, stand among us, the suffering Body of Christ on earth. Hold the dying, the weary, the lost, the outcast, the prisoner, the bereft, the lovelorn, the mentally ill, the undiagnosed, and the immigrant. Stand among us who weep. Stand among us torn apart by dissension and rebellion. Stand among us who hold on to control, pride, and ego-centric ways. Stand among us who circle the wagons of our institutions and claim only the past as our home. Stand among us when our voices grow scratchy from shouting outrage against injustice. Stand among us when wars rage and indifference is our food. Stand among us when our memories dim from the chaos we experience from natural disasters, unspeakable moments of abuse and the threats of global violence. Stand among us when addictions threaten our futures. Stand among us in our anguish. Stand among us when grief overwhelms us and we become weak with guilt and shame. Stand among us when we bury a loved one. Stand among us when we take our final breath.

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us

Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, is the Patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross. She speaks of our posture to stand among people who suffer.