Category: Prayers

“Go and fight.” –1 Samuel 17:32 Mass Readings: January 17 First: 1 Samuel 17:32-33,37,40-51; Resp: Psalm 144:1-2,9-10; Gospel: Mark 3:1-6 Listen to the Mass Readings How many giants have you killed? If the answer is “none,” ask yourself another question: “How many giants have you fought?” Usually the answer to the second question is the same as the first. We’ve killed no giants because we haven’t had the faith, courage, and love to fight any. Every man in the Israelite army refused to fight the giant Goliath. “Then David spoke to Saul: ‘Let your majesty not lose courage. I am at...

“How long will you grieve?” –1 Samuel 16:1 “How can I go?” –1 Samuel 16:2 Mass Readings: January 16 First: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Resp: Psalm 89:20-22,27-28; Gospel: Mark 2:23-28 Listen to the Mass Readings Next week is the forty-fifth anniversary of the legalization of abortion by the U.S. Supreme Court. This decision has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. Because of the many millions dead, we are tempted and shocked into giving in to despair and apathy. However, the Lord says to us: “How long will you grieve?…Be on your way” (1 Sm 16:1). Let us get on...

“Look! There is the Lamb of God!” –John 1:36 For generations we have fashioned a culture of death – step by step, war by war, abortion by abortion, injustice by injustice, sin by sin. Our seeds of unfaithfulness, lust, and greed have grown into a sickeningly rich harvest of injustice. Is there any hope? In Christ alone there is hope. He is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). Jesus is “the Messiah! (This term means the Anointed)” (Jn 1:41) and “Rabbi (which means Teacher)” (Jn 1:38). He is “the Way, and the...

“As [Jesus] moved on He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus at his tax collector’s post, and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Levi got up and became His follower.” –Mark 2:14 Who is the least likely person in the world to follow Jesus? Would it be your spouse, child, parent, boss, or enemy? Expect the conversion of those whom you consider least likely to love Jesus. When Levi, the scum of the earth, repented and followed Jesus, Jesus showed there is no one whom He cannot reach. Paul was “a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man filled with arrogance” (1 Tm...

“The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, ‘Not so! There must be a king over us.’ ” –1 Samuel 8:19 Mass Readings: January 12 First: 1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22; Resp: Psalm 89:16-19; Gospel: Mark 2:1-12 Listen to the Mass Readings Samuel had been a great leader of Israel; however, his sons did not follow his example (1 Sm 8:5). Therefore, they would not have been good leaders for Israel. Then who would lead Israel? The most direct answer to this problem would have been for Samuel’s sons to change their lives for the Lord. But the Israelites...