Category: Prayers

“Children, it is the final hour.” –1 John 2:18 On this last day of the year, let us: take out all the garbage of the year 2021 and any other years, finish any unfinished business, repent and confess all our sins (see 1 Jn 1:9), forgive all who have sinned against us (see Mt 6:12), be reconciled with those who have something against us (see Mt 5:23ff), answer every calling from God, and obey all God’s commands (see 1 Jn 5:3). Let’s not wait till next year to accept the graces of this year. We don’t want the baggage of...

“Carnal allurements, enticements for the eye, the life of empty show – all these are from the world. And the world with its seductions is passing away.” –1 John 2:16-17 “Allurements,” “enticements,” and “seductions” are three English translations of the same Greek word. The Revised Standard Version (RSV-CE) Bible translates the Greek word as “lust.” However, the English word “lust” has dominant sexual connotations, which would not be as emphatic in the Greek word, which means “strong desires” of many kinds. Desires stemming from selfishness, concupiscence, and pride are used by the worldly to manipulate and trap us. After the...

“Now, Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your word. For my eyes have witnessed Your saving deed.” –Luke 2:29-30 Most people associate Christmas with love. All of us like to think of ourselves as being loving. Most people even say that love is the meaning of life. But what is love? Love is not necessarily a feeling. It is not usually expressed in sexual attraction or sexual relations. It is not merely being nice to people or doing good deeds for others. Love is the nature of God, for God is Love (1 Jn 4:8,...

Herod “ordered the massacre of all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem.” –Matthew 2:16 Each baby boy killed that morning over two-thousand years ago in Bethlehem died because he was mistaken for Jesus (Mt 2:13-16). The soldiers who killed the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem thought they were killing Christ, or someone who could be Jesus. To the killers, the children were indistinguishable from Christ. The child-martyrs we call the Holy Innocents are thus a model for us. We are to bear the light of Christ in our lives to such an extent that Jesus could call us...

“Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away, so she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved).” –John 20:1-2 On this third day of Christmas, our true Love, Jesus, gives us the opportunity to contemplate the life of St. John, who is traditionally identified as the beloved disciple. In doing this, we will have “fellowship” with John and all the saints (1 Jn 1:3). In our communion with them, we abide...