Category: Prayers

“I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks.” —Hosea 11:4 The Lord has made human beings in such a way that we experience love by being bonded to one another through sensory experiences. Therefore, the Lord has promised to draw us to Himself by such experiences as touching, feeding, and healing us (Hos 11:4). The Lord fulfilled His promise by becoming a human being. John proclaimed: “This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen...

“God Who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is His name.” —Luke 1:49 In much of the Western world, this date is associated with victory, the end of World War II. In Catholic liturgical tradition, today’s celebration of Mary being taken to heaven is associated with the ultimate victory: Jesus’ victory over death and our victory over death through faith in Jesus. United with Jesus, the Church is “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rv 12:1). In Jesus, the Church has total...

“If your brother sins against you, go and correct him between you and him alone.” —Matthew 18:15, our transl. “We implore you, in Christ’s name: be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor 5:20) God the Father so strongly desires that we be reconciled to Him that He sent His Son to die for us (Rm 5:10) and to thereby “reconcile everything in His person” (Col 1:20). God the Father insists that we be reconciled not only with Him but also with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: “If you bring your gift to...

“If he succeeds in finding it, believe Me he is happier about this one than about the ninety-nine that did not wander away.” —Matthew 18:13 The ninety-nine sheep paid a portion of the cost of mercy for the lost sheep to be found. They were left “in the wasteland” (Lk 15:4) without the intimate comfort of the Good Shepherd. Then they had to watch the Master rejoice more in the finding of the wayward sheep than in their own faithfulness. Moses also paid a portion of the cost of mercy. He endured forty years of desert heat accompanied by the...

“Jesus on entering the house asked, without giving him time to speak: ‘What is your opinion, Simon?’ ” —Matthew 17:25 Eternal life is to know personally God the Father and Jesus Whom He sent (Jn 17:3). When we know others personally, we can elaborate on how they talk, think, work, pray, deal with problems, etc. When we know Jesus personally, we can wax eloquently on His ways, even on how He corrects us. Jesus can come on strong in correcting us. For example, when Peter refused to accept the message of the cross, Jesus “turned on Peter and said, ‘Get...