Category: Prayers

“My mouth shall declare Your justice, day by day Your salvation.” –Psalm 71:15 The Lord has promised to place His words in your mouth, as He did for Jeremiah (Jer 1:9; see also Mt 10:20). From that day, He will “set you over nations and over kingdoms, to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant” (Jer 1:10). With God’s Word in your mouth, you will be a world force. In fact, the Lord will not only occasionally place a word in your mouth; He will fill it (see Ps 81:11) with...

“Who are My brothers?” –Matthew 12:48 Jesus transformed the relationship between husband and wife when He said that the Biblical provisions for divorce were no longer necessary (Mt 19:6ff; Dt 24:1-4). He transformed motherhood when He commanded His mother Mary to be the mother of all His disciples (Jn 19:26-27; cf Rv 12:17). Jesus transformed the meaning of fatherhood, sonship, and daughterhood when He told us to call God our Abba, that is, Father (Mt 6:9; Rm 8:15; Gal 4:6). This made us brothers and sisters of Jesus and of each other. Jesus said: “Whoever does the will of My...

“The Lord has a plea against His people, and He enters into trial.” –Micah 6:2 Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we repented at His preaching (Mt 12:41). In some sense, Jesus is preaching in the circumstances of everyday life, but most literally Jesus Himself is preaching at the Eucharistic liturgy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1088). This does not mean that every word the priest or deacon says during the homily is straight from the Lord. Yet it does mean that, by virtue of the nature of Jesus’ priesthood and the nature of...

“Mary has chosen the better portion and she shall not be deprived of it.” –Luke 10:42 Hospitality was a responsibility and privilege highly valued by the Jewish people. In offering hospitality, we may be entertaining angels (Heb 13:2) or even God Himself (Gn 18:17ff). Abraham and Sarah, for example, offered hospitality to God and two angels. As a result, God promised them they would miraculously have a son, although both were almost a hundred years old (see Gn 18:10ff). Hospitality is the breeding ground of promise, blessing, and miracles. As awesome as hospitality is, Jesus claimed that prayer is even...

“Woe to those who plan iniquity and work out evil on their couches.” –Micah 2:1 The worldly are wheeling and dealing — manipulating, conniving, and lying — filling the sky with their towers of Babel (Gn 11:4). They rip off the poor man and promote severe injustices. However, the Lord doesn’t seem to do much about it. “He will not contend or cry out, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush; the smoldering wick He will not quench” (Mt 12:19-20). Nevertheless, the Lord conquered “the shakers and the movers” not by...