Category: Prayer Intention

“Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations.” –Deuteronomy 4:6 Mass Readings: March 22 First: Isaiah 42:1-7; Resp: Psalm 27:1-3,13-14; Gospel: John 12:1-11 Because of their disobedience, the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. They may have assumed they were obeying God, but Moses warned them that they were not obeying carefully enough (Dt 4:6). Jesus’ disciples probably thought they were obeying Him. However, Jesus proclaimed that He expected them to obey even the smallest part of a letter of the law (Mt 5:18; see also Ps 119:112). Then...

“Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths.” –Psalm 25:4 . Mass Readings: March 21 First: Isaiah 50:4-7; Resp: Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24; Second: Philippians 2:6-11;Gospel: Luke 22:14–23:56 God first taught His ways to His people by giving them His Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1ff). His people lost their way, so God “tried again” (Jer 18:4). He sent them prophets to teach them His ways, and promised to write His laws and ways upon their hearts (Jer 31:33). God’s people struggled to grasp His ways (Is 55:8). God’s next step was to send Jesus as a Teacher to teach...

“When Joseph awoke he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him and received her into his home as his wife.” –Matthew 1:24 Mass Readings: March 20 First: 2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16; Resp: Psalm 89:2-5,27,29;Second: Romans 4:13,16-18,22; Gospel: Matthew 1:16,18-21,24 In 1870, “a difficult time in the Church’s history, Pope Pius IX, wishing to place her under the powerful patronage of the holy patriarch Joseph, declared him ‘Patron of the Catholic Church’ ” (Guardian of the Redeemer, Pope St. John Paul II, 28). In 1889, Pope Leo XIII explained further what the Holy Spirit was doing through Pope Pius...

“The son grew angry at this and would not go in; but his father came out and began to plead with him.” –Luke 15:28 Mass Readings: March 18 First: Genesis 17:3-9; Resp: Psalm 105:4-9; Gospel: John 8:51-59 We always hear about the prodigal son, but his older brother was at least as prodigal. The older brother looked good but was just as alienated from his father as the younger brother. The younger brother did not feel worthy to be called his father’s son (Lk 15:18). However, the older brother spoke of life with his father as slavery (Lk 15:29). He...