Sunday Reflection (September 19, 2021)

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Desire and ambition are positive in the sense that they propel us to fulfill our potential,
but we can become so consumed with desire and ambition that we destroy trust,
community, and friendship to do better than others (James 3:13-4:8). We do this on
personal and social levels, and it creates a vicious environment for us and our world,
and especially for those vulnerable and beaten down.
The book of James warns us and presents an alternative to recalcitrance to be humble, fair, and just: James calls it “willing to yield.”
Willing to yield does not mean we have no convictions, or that we agree with everyone; rather, it means that we listen carefully
to someone else instead of attacking him/her. To be a disciple of Jesus is to abandon
the seeking of position, prestige, and wealth. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to serve
(Mark 9:35-36).

Prayer for the Week (September 19-September 25, 2021)

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Let us pray to God our Father who welcomes us  into his kingdom through Jesus Christ:
God our Father, you tenderly stoop down to us,  fallible and limited people,
     and your preference goes to children, to the weak, and to the humble.
May we accept your Good News with the receptive attitude of children.
Help us understand the mystery of your greatness and love,  so that the kingdom of heaven be ours.
Amen.

(Claretian Publications)

Daily Devotion September 14, 2021

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Sunday Reflection (September 12, 2021)

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God speaks the law of the Lord and when we hear the law of the Lord we may hear “God laying down the law.”
Perhaps a better way to understand “law” would be instruction in that God speaks words of instruction to us (Psalm 19).

The Holy Wisdom of God comes to us in Jesus Christ, and it is instruction for the benefit of the entire world
(Hebrews 1:3; Wisdom 7:26-8:1).
The instruction of the Lord “to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves”
comes from Christ, the Holy Wisdom of God.
May the wise instruction of the Lord guide our lives (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer for the Week (September 12-September 18, 2021)

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Let us pray to God who created us in God’s image:
God, in whom we behold not only the image of you
but the likeness of ourselves.
Help us to seek you and deliver us from flippancy of the tongue
and fickleness of heart.
May our worship prepare us for the task you have for us.
Amen.

                                                                     (Litanies and Other Prayers, alt.)

Daily Devotion September 9, 2021

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Daily Devotion September 7, 2021

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Prayer for the Week (September 5-September 11, 2021)

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Let us pray that God’s Spirit opens us to all that is good:
God our Father, you wait for us to be open to you, to people, and to all that is true, beautiful and good.
May your Spirit open our ears to the liberating Word of your Son.
Open our hearts and hands to everyone who needs us.
Open our lips so that we proclaim everywhere the marvels you do for us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

(Claretian Publications, alt.)

Sunday Reflection (September 5, 2021)

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We all make judgments about others based upon their appearance: The way they dress, the way they speak, where they live, the job they have or do not have, what country they are from, and what their bumper stickers say, or even who they voted for; yet, if we give or deny preferential treatment to someone upon appearance or social standing only, we err. James calls it more than a sin, he calls it “working a sin” (James 2:1-13).

We all have been guilty of discrimination based upon the appearance and the color of their skin, but we should never regard it as trivial! Furthermore, if we discriminate against the poor
and most vulnerable in society, we show ourselves not to be on the side of God
(Proverbs 22:22-23).

Prayer for the Week (August 1-August 7, 2021)

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God, you have given us your Son Jesus Christ as the bread and drink of life. Give him to us today as our daily bread, so that with him we pass
from death to life. May his life flow within us and among us, so that we may become Christ’s body in the world. We ask this through Christ our
Lord who eternally dwells within you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forevermore. Amen.

(Claretian Publications, alt.)