Category: Daily Prayer

“I am a sinful man.” –Luke 5:8 Mass Readings: September 1 First: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Resp: Psalm 24:1-6; Gospel: Luke 5:1-11 After the miraculous catch of fish, “Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man’ ” (Lk 5:8). For Simon Peter, this was a flash of light in the midst of a life of self-deception. Peter was indeed a sinful man. He proved it by denying Christ three times (Lk 22:61) after boasting that he would die for Christ (Lk 22:33). Peter was a sinful man. Nonetheless, Christ chose him to...

“For as long as there are jealousy and quarrels among you, are you not of the flesh?” –1 Corinthians 3:3 Mass Readings: August 31 First: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Resp: Psalm 33:12-15,20-21; Gospel: Luke 4:38-44 The Corinthians were not able to function well as Christians because they were “infants in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1). They were spiritually weak because of spiritual malnutrition, for they could not take solid food (1 Cor 3:2). They were malnourished because they were divided (1 Cor 3:4), and vice versa. Division results in spiritual malnutrition, weakness, and deprivation. Thus, division is an extremely serious problem and...

“The spiritual man, on the other hand, can appraise everything.” –1 Corinthians 2:15 Mass Readings: August 30 First: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16; Resp: Psalm 145:8-14; Gospel: Luke 4:31-37 The Spirit of God is teaching us everything we need to know (Jn 14:26) and guiding us to all truth (Jn 16:13). However, only the spiritual person can accept what the Spirit is teaching (1 Cor 2:13-15). The merely natural person “cannot come to know such teaching because it must be appraised in a spiritual way” (1 Cor 2:14). Yet we should be able to accept the Spirit’s teaching, since we are spiritual...

“Give me, at once, the head of John the Baptizer on a platter.” –Mark 6:25 Mass Readings: August 29 First: Jeremiah 1:17-19; Resp: Psalm 71:1-6,15,17; Gospel: Mark 6:17-29 It’s amazing what a cheap price was paid for the head of St. John the Baptizer: it only took the whim of a dancing girl and her begrudging mother, and the weakness and pride of an insecure ruler, Herod, to purchase the head of the greatest man ever born before Christ (Mt 11:11). John had the most valuable beginning. An angel sent from heaven heralded his conception (Lk 1:13). He was miraculously...

“For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” –Luke 14:11 Mass Readings: August 28: First: Sirach 3:17-18,20,28-29; Resp: Psalm 68:4-7,10-11; Second: Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24; Gospel: Luke 14:1,7-14 Jesus invites us to humble ourselves by taking the lowest place (Lk 14:10) and by inviting “beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind” to eat with us (Lk 14:13). Most people take Jesus’ words as a suggestion and encouragement to be humble and help the poor. Jesus, however, indicates that His words are to be taken much more seriously when He concluded His command...