Prayer Before and After Meals

Grace Before Meals:

        Bless us, O Lord , and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty, through Christ our Lord.
AMEN. 







Grace After Meals:

 We give you thanks almighty God, all your gifts, through Christ our Lord, who live and reign, now and forever.
AMEN. 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 (FRIDAY)

St. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr

St. Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr

1st Reading:

     1 Cor. 15:12-20: The Resurrection of the Dead.

        But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised,our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that we are then found to be false witness about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ ha not been raised your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

        But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Psalm:

     Ps. 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b & 15: Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

        Hear, O LORD, a just suit; attend outcry; hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

       I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word. Show your wondrous mercies, O savior of those who flee from their foes to refuge at your right hand.

        

        Hide me in the shadow of your wings. But I in justice shall behold your face; on walking, I shall be content in your presence.

Gospel:

     Lk. 8:1-3:

        Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed him, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Suzanna; and others, who provided for them out of their own funds.

At the time of Jesus and in 1st century Palestine , women had no public voice, no public role, and no rights as free persons. Rabbis had a low opinion of women and saw them essentially as temptresses such as Eve tempted Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit. Hence the need for men to keep aloof of women, never talk or be seen with them in public. In the synagogues they were separated from men and screened off so as to remain invisible.

        Against this cultural background we see Jesus treating women in a completely different way. He talks to them in public to the astonishment of disciples. He accepts them as disciples, as we see in today's gospel reading, what no Jewish rabbi would ever have done. He would have made them apostles, surely, but no one would have accepted to listen to the, so he had to stop short of doing that. But he did appear to women first, after Resurrection. Clearly, Jesus thought that women were just as important s men. And, if we are true followers of his, we will think so too.

F.Y.I: When St. Cyprian was examined and sentenced to death, his only response was "Thanks be to God!"

         

        

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only begotten son our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell; One the third day He rose again form the dead; He ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit (Come Holy Spirit)

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and en-kindle in them the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created; and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit, you have taught the hearts of your faithful.

In the same Spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 (SATURDAY)

Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary

1st Reading

     1 Cor. 10:14-22:

        Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do you mean than that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Psalm

     Ps. 116:12-13, 17-18: To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

        What shall I render to the Lord for all His bounty to me?

        I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

        I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.

        I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Gospel:

     Lk. 6:43-49:

        No healthy tree bares bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bear: you don't gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles. Similarly, the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart.

        Why do you call me 'Lord! Lord!' and do not do what I say? I will show you what the one is like, who comes to me, and listens to my words, and acts accordingly. That person is like the builder who dug deep, and laid the foundations of his house on rock. The river over-flowed, and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built.

        But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once: and what a terrible disaster that was!"

Every now and then we come across controversial figures. Controversial because their ideas on the Christian life are new and startling, a bit shocking to staid believers, but greatly praised by more adventurous Christians. How do we assess such controversial figures?

In today's gospel reading Jesus gives us a criterion which enables us to assess correctly the people who claim a role of ideological leadership among Christians: " Each tree is known by the fruit it bears," Jesus tells us. And he specifies: "A good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart."

Well and good. But what are the "good things" Jesus is referring to? Here Paul can help us when he teaches us about the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit," he writes to the Galatians, "is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control". Previously, he had written that the opposite fruits are: immorality... sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions... drinking bouts, orgies."

With these criteria, we can assess any controversial figure.

          

Prayer for Seafarers

Dear Lord, we ask you to take all seafarers into your care and protection. Make them alert and wise in their duties. Help them to be faithful in time of routine, prompt to decide and courageous to act in any time of crisis.

Protect all our seafarers from the dangers and perils of the sea; even in storms, natural or spiritual, grant that there may be peace and calm in their hearts.

When they are far from home, far from their love ones and from their homeland. give them the grace to be certain that wherever they are, they can never be beyond Your loving concern. Take good care of their love ones in the days and weeks and months when they are separated from each other sometimes with half the world between them. Give them the grace to remain true and faithful to each other. And when they have to part, bring them together again in safety and loyalty.

Oh Mother Mary, Star of the Sea, guide us and our beloved seafarers. Through separated often, help us to grow in love of one another and Your Son, Jesus.

Amen.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 (FRIDAY)

St. Peter Claver, priest

1st Reading:

     1 Cor. 9:16-19,22b-27:

        Brothers and Sisters:

        If I preached the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preached it! If I do so willing, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of right in the Gospel.

        Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the Gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.

        Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run  aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

Psalm

     Ps: 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

        My soul  yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

        Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young. Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God!

        Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.

        For a sun and a shield is the Lord God; grace and glory he bestows; The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk in sincerity.

Gospel

     Lk. 6:39-42

        Jesus told His disciples a parable;

        "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?

         How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,' when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your eye?

        You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye."

     Today we remember one of the truly great modern saints,

Peter Claver. And the first reading was especially selected for today because it contains these words to the apostle Paul: "I have become everybody's slave," a statement which summarizes perfectly Peter Claver's life.

     Born in Spain in 1580, Peter volunteered in South America. He was ordained a Jesuit priest there in Carthagena in 1616 and worked in that city's port for the next 38 years ( until his death in 1654) among the black slaves. They came from Africa, where they kidnapped by white traders and brought to South America. Every time a slave ship landed at Carthagena, Peter would enter the infested fold to take care of the dead, dying ang\d sick. He instructed and baptized the slaves, helped them on the plantations, and brought 300,000 of them to Christ. He did this by using methods far in advance of the time: working through native interpreters, the tribal structures, and with visual aids.

     This great saint liked to call himself "the slave of the negroes forever." In 1896 Pope Leo XIII proclaimed universal patron of the mission to the negroes.

Did you know that: St. Peter Claver is also known as the slave of the blacks and the patron of seafarers.

        

        

Daily Prayers

The Lord's Prayer 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name;
thy Kingdom come; they 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.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit 

of your womb Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, 

now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen. 

Glory to the Father

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning is now, 

and will be, forever.

Amen.

Prayer For Healing

Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy. May your healing Spirit rest upon me. It is through your power that I was created. Since you created me from nothing, you can certainly recreate me. Fill me with the healing power of your spirit. May your lifegiving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul. Mend what is broken. Cast out anything that should not be within me. Rebuild my brokenness. Restore my strength for service in your kingdom. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others. Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all. Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 (THURSDAY)

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

1st Reading:

     Rom 8:28-30 -

        28. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

        29. For those whom he foreknow he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

        30. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Psalm:

     Ps: 13:6AB, 6C - In delight I rejoice in the Lord.

        6A. But I have trusted in Thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation:

        6B. I will sing to the Lord, who giveth me good things:

        6C. Yea I will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.

Gospel:

     Mt. 1:1-16, 18-23*

        This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. 

        Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

        Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram...

        Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse.

         Jesse the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah's wife...

        Eliud was the the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.

        Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from Her came Jesus who is called the Christ - the Messiah.

        This is how Jesus Christ was born: Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

        Then Joseph, husband , made plans to divorce her in all secrecy...

        while he was pondering over this, an angel of the the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said " Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call Him 'Jesus' for He will save His people from their sins"...

REFLECTION

 Today's first reading begins with these words of the apostle Paul: "In everything God works for the good of those who love Him." Now there are two ways one can understand the words "God works." One of these is wrong, the other is right.

The wrong one goes like this God in heaven is like a Super Puppeteer and we, humans are his puppets. And from heaven God pulls the strings, manipulating people and events. As Paul says, he works in such a way that, if we pray enough and trust Him enough, everything will conspire to make our life easy and painless. If this does not happen, it is because we have not trusted Him enough. A lot of Christians believe this scenario, although blunt reality contradicts it at every turn.

The right way of understanding "Gods works" goes like this. God respects human freedom completely and lets events happen (including natural disasters, wars, famines, etc,.). But He works in people, inspiring them to act in this way or that way, to seek him in all circumstances good bad. If humans follow His gentle promptings, they will grow in holiness, whatever their outward circumstances. Reality confirms this. Saints are not magically protected from toothaches. But, instead of cursing, they find God in their toothaches.