Bible Verse, Scripture, Strength, Faith

Blessed Tuesday Sis & Bros🙏❤️

Praying the Our Father

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. *Matthew 6:7–8*

Recall that Jesus used to go off by Himself at times and spend the whole night in prayer. Thus, it’s clear that Jesus is in favor of long and sincere times of prayer, since He gave us His own example as a lesson. But there is clearly a difference between that which our Lord did all night and that which He criticized the pagans for doing when they “babble” with many words. After this criticism of the prayer of the pagans, Jesus gives us the “Our Father” prayer as a model for our personal prayer.

The Our Father prayer begins by addressing God in a deeply personal way. That is, God is not just an all-powerful cosmic being. He is personal, familial—He is our Father. Jesus continues the prayer by instructing us to honor our Father by proclaiming His holiness, His hallowedness. God and God alone is the Holy One from which all holiness of life derives. As we acknowledge the holiness of the Father, we must also acknowledge Him as King and seek His Kingship for our lives and for the world. This is accomplished only when His perfect will is done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” This perfect prayer concludes by acknowledging that God is the source of all of our daily needs, including the forgiveness of our sins and protection from all evil.

Upon the completion of this prayer of perfection, Jesus provides a context in which this and every prayer must be prayed. He says, “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” Prayer will only be effective if we allow it to change us and make us more like the Father in Heaven. Therefore, if we want our prayer of forgiveness to be effective, then we must live what we pray for. We must also forgive others so that God will forgive us.

Reflect, today, upon this perfect prayer, the Our Father. One temptation is that we can become so familiar with this prayer that we gloss over its true meaning. If that happens, then we will find that we are praying it more like the pagans who simply babble the words. But if we humbly and sincerely understand and mean every word, then we can be certain that our prayer will become more like that of our Lord’s. Saint Ignatius of Loyola recommends pondering every word of that prayer very slowly, one word at a time. Try to pray this way, today, and allow the Our Father to move from babbling to authentic communication with the Father in Heaven.

Let us Pray🙏
_Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Jesus, I trust in You._

Praying the Our Father February 20, 2024 - Tuesday of the First Week of Lent - Catholic Daily Reflections from My Catholic Life!

Blessed Monday Sis & Bros❤️🌻

From the Depths

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
*Mark 8:11–12*

Jesus had performed many miracles. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and fed thousands with only a few fish and loaves of bread. But even after all of that, the Pharisees came to argue with Jesus and demanded a sign from Heaven.

The response of Jesus is quite unique. “He sighed from the depth of his spirit…” This sigh was an expression of His holy sorrow over the hardness of hearts of the Pharisees. If they had the eyes of faith, they would have no need for yet another miracle. And if Jesus would have performed a “sign from heaven” for them, even that would not have helped them. And so Jesus does the only thing He can—He sighed.

At times, this type of reaction is the only good one. We may all face situations in life where others confront us with harshness and stubbornness. When this happens, we will be tempted to argue with them, condemn them, try to convince them we are right, and the like. But sometimes one of the holiest reactions we can have to the hardness of our heart of another is to experience a deep and holy sorrow. We must also “sigh” from the depths of our spirits.

When one is hard of heart, rational talking and arguing will prove to be of little avail. Hardness of heart is also what we traditionally call the “sin against the Holy Spirit.” It’s a sin of obstinacy and stubbornness. In that case, there is little or no openness to the truth. When you experience this in the life of another, silence and a sorrowful heart are often the best reaction. Their hearts need to be softened and your deep sorrow, shared with compassion, may be one of the only responses that can help make a difference.

Reflect, today, upon any person in your life with whom you regularly argue, especially regarding matters of faith. Examine your approach and consider changing how you relate to them. Dismiss their irrational arguments and let them see your heart in the same way that Jesus allowed His divine heart to shine forth in a holy sigh. Pray for them, have hope, and allow your sorrow to help melt the most stubborn of hearts.

Let us Pray🙏
My compassionate Jesus, Your heart was filled with the deepest compassion for the Pharisees. That compassion led You to express a holy sorrow over their stubbornness. Give me Your same heart, dear Lord, and help me to grieve not only over the sins of others, but also over my own sins, especially when I am stubborn of heart. Melt my heart, dear Lord, and help me to also be an instrument of Your holy sorrow to those in need of this grace. Jesus, I trust in You.

From the Depths February 12, 2024 - Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time - Catholic Daily Reflections from My Catholic Life!

Jesus Loves You

20 life lessons

1)No One is Perfect.
The quicker this is realized the faster you can get on with being excellent. Start every morning ready to fight harder than you did the day before and run further than you ever imagine.

2)Avoid over explaining yourself.
Be confident with who you are.

3)Keep balance in your life.
Write down what’s most important to you and show up. Sometimes we tend to do the things that are most important to us when it’s written down.

4)Play the hand you were dealt.
Have the courage to face challenges head on it builds character. Start looking for a way through instead of a way out.

5)Be a student of life.
Learn something new every day. The day you stop learning is the day you become obsolete so keep learning.

6)No Excuses.
Stop making excuses replace them with ways to do better. Excuses are a waste of time and energy.

7)Let others know where you Stand.
Be uncompromising and be up front when someone steps on your core values.

8)Never be afraid of a challenge.
You put on your shoes like every other man. Now it comes down to who wants it more.

9)Service to others.
Small, simple or important be a volunteer and give the very best of you.

10)Work like hell.
Everyone has a job to do so do it. Cross every “T” and dot every “I”.

11)Discover You.
Find your passion, life purpose, and take action.

12)Don’t take it Personal.
Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself self confidence shows that you’re comfortable in your own skin.

13)Manage your time.
Our situation and environment is ever changing so be careful not to confuse the things that are urgent with the things that are important. Look for time wasters and eliminate them.

14)Ask for help.
Life can be tough remember you never have to do it alone.

15)Do your homework.
Know what you getting into before you start. Doing your homework reduces uncertainty and fear.

16)Day Dream Often.
On the weekend when you are relaxing embrace a day dream. During the week take action to preserve your dreams.

17)Be A HERO.
Cultivate a healthy dose of forgiveness and set someone free. Learn to forgive others and stop carrying those bags of hate, guilt or regret.

18)Stay One Step Ahead.
Be proactive, Take the initiative, Brainstorm with the big picture in mind.

19)Self Love. Become your own priority. Strive to be the you, you want to be.

20)Finish what you started..Avoid the urge to stray.