Category: Prayers

“He promptly dispatched an executioner, ordering him to bring back the Baptizer’s head. The man went and beheaded John in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.” –Mark 6:27-28 This week the Church has been seeing red, blood red. We remember the bloody deaths of Sts. John the Baptizer, Blase, Agatha, Paul Miki and companions. From Jerusalem, to Japan, to Rome, from the time of Christ to the present day, Christians have been laying down their lives for and in imitation of the Master, Jesus. At this moment, thousands of Christians...

“If any place will not receive you or hear you, shake its dust from your feet in testimony against them as you leave.” –Mark 6:11 Jesus commands His disciples to shake the dust off their feet and move on if they are not received by a town (Mk 6:11). Shaking the dust off our feet after being rejected takes an act of humility. In so doing, we must acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior and Healer; we are not. We must renounce our pride and admit that our best efforts could not cause the hearts of our hearers to be...

“Who will endure the day of His coming?” —Malachi 3:2 It was a normal day in the Temple. A first-born Baby was brought into the Temple to be presented to the Lord for consecration (Lk 2:22-23), as had been occurring for centuries. Then the normal day abruptly changed. God showed up in a new way. “Suddenly there will come to the Temple the Lord” (Mal 3:1). Who can endure His coming? (Mal 3:2) Who will be ready to greet the Lord? Will God come into our lives and once again have to ask, “Why was no one there when I...

“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” —2 Samuel 19:1 Absalom started a civil war and tried to kill his father, David. When Absalom was killed in battle, David was not relieved or happy. He wished that he would have died instead of Absalom. Who wants to die in place of his enemies? Jesus loves us, His enemies, for we all are sinners, and sinners are enemies of God. Jesus loves His enemies so much that He does not want us to get the wages of...

“They were seized with fear.” –Mark 5:15 In today’s first reading, Shimei curses, accuses, and continues to pursue King David. This is what the devil does, accusing us constantly (see Rv 12:10). The Gerasenes in today’s Gospel reading also chose the ways of the devil over the ways of the Lord. They preferred a man possessed with a Legion of demons (Mk 5:9) and a road closed to the public (Mt 8:28). In fact, when the Gerasenes saw that this man was “fully clothed and perfectly sane,” they were seized with fear (Mk 5:15) rather than rejoicing at his healing....