Sunday Reflection (December 5, 2021)

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Does the Word of God come through pundits Fox or CNBC
or MSNBC or CNN? Does the Word of God come through
politicians who love to manipulate religious faith for their
own benefit? Through whom does the Word of God come?
The Gospel of Luke (3:1-3) has a list of the most widely
recognized names of those days, but the Word of God did not
come through any of the powerful and influential. Rather,
God’s word came through an eccentric prophet who lived
in the wilderness, and ate grasshoppers dipped in honey.
That was even strange for those days. We call him
John the Baptist.
God’s word comes through us when we bear witness
to God’s Word in Jesus Christ in word and deed. God’s
Word works through us to prepare the way of the Lord,
and I do not mean stocking our basements with assault
weapons and massive amounts of food. Rather, it is us
attending to our own sins. What is it that God wants you
to straighten in your life? What crooked roads of society
can you influence to straighten out? What roads can we
build to bring hope to life? As a response to God coming
to us in Jesus Christ, may our way of life demonstrate
God’s love and compassion.

Sunday Reflection (November 28, 2021)

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There are many people today who face trauma and devastation
that we cannot even begin to imagine. Imagine being a Syrian refugee
at this moment, caught between militants of your own faith group and
the distrust of Europeans and Americans. What would you do in a truly
dreadful time? The earliest Christians of Jewish backgrounds faced the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In a difficult time remember
this and I quote: “Christ did not come because we were doing particularly
 well; rather, Jesus came to bring us hope in the midst of our deepest pain
and despair. We are not alone; God is with us (Pat Umberger) (Luke 21:25-28).
We may not be in a dire situation, yet we must be careful lest we get so caught up
in life that we neglect those who experience traumatic dreadful events (Luke 21:34-36).
We prepare for the Lord’s coming by growing in love for one another and others
(1 Thessalonians 3:13).

Prayer for the Week (November 28-December 4, 2021)

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Let us pray in this season of hope
    that the Lord keep us vigilant:
God our Father, we are your people
    who carry out the task of giving shape
    to your kingdom of love and peace.
When we are discouraged and afraid,
    keep us going forward in hope.
May we be vigilant in prayer as we prepare
    for your Son’s coming.
We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
                                                             (Claretian Publications)

Tuesday Devotion November 23, 2021

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Tuesday Devotion November 2, 2021

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Prayer for the Week (October 31-November 6, 2021)

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Let us pray to God who is the source
    of every good:
Father in heaven from whose fullness
    we have received through the Holy Spirit,
    direct our steps in our effort to follow
    your Son, Jesus Christ.
Remove the selfishness that blurs the vision of faith,
    and through the Holy Spirit make known us
    the demands of love that lead to peace.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.
                                                             (Sunday Missal, alt.

Tuesday Devotion October 19, 2021

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Sunday Reflection (October 17, 2021)

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What is it to which you give your allegiance? Is it God?
Even the disciples were mistaken about what obeying
God meant (Mark 10:35-45). The domination
and manipulation of others has no place in following
Christ. Rather, followers of Christ express power
and greatness through patient, long-suffering service
which may bring about suffering for choosing to do
the right thing out of kindness and love. 

In spite of James and John’s misunderstanding, Jesus
did not rebuke them or punish them; rather, Jesus accepted
them as they were and firmly pointed them in a new direction.
God accepts us and firmly points us in a new direction of learning
obedience (Hebrews 5:8-9). May we follow and learn to extend
grace and kindness as a response to our love for God and others.

Prayer for the Week (October 17-October 23, 2021)

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Let us pray to the Lord who bends close
to hear our prayer:
Lord our God, you guard us
under the shadow of your wings
and search into the depths of our hearts.
Remove the blindness that prevents us
from knowing you
and relieve the fear
that hides us from your sight.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.                                        (Sunday Missal, alt.)

Thursday Devotion October 14, 2021

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