Tagged: Prayers in English

“The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came…She arrived in Jerusalem.” —1 Kings 10:1, 2 Jesus testified that the queen of Sheba, that is, “the queen of the South,” “came from the farthest corner of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon” (Mt 12:42). She had a strong desire to listen to the wisdom of Israel as spoken through Solomon (2 Chr 9:1-2). She willingly suffered the rigors, hardships, and expenses of long-distance travel in the arid, ancient world to find this wisdom (1 Kgs 10:1ff). Jesus approved of her quest, and inferred that she “will...

“Their heart is far from Me.” —Mark 7:6 Have you ever been in love with someone who couldn’t care less about you? You try to be nice to them, and if they do notice you, it’s only for the purpose of getting something from you. Jesus unconditionally loves all of humanity, and this is how He is too often treated in return. So many turn to Jesus to meet a need, but their hearts are far from Him (Mk 7:6). The Lord truly desires to provide our needs (see Phil 4:19; Mt 6:30; 7:9-11). Yet, He desires to provide for...

“Wherever He put in an appearance, in villages, in towns, or at crossroads, they laid the sick in the market places and begged Him to let them touch just the tassel of His cloak. All who touched Him got well.” —Mark 6:56 To touch the tassel of Jesus’ cloak was to touch a sacramental, a sign of God’s grace “to keep all the commandments of the Lord, without going wantonly astray after the desires of [one’s] hearts and eyes” (Nm 15:39). As baptized Catholic Christians, we can not only touch a sacramental but can receive the sacrament of the Eucharist,...

“Your wound shall quickly be healed.” —Isaiah 58:8 In a world of suffering, pain, and brokenness, the Lord makes the amazing promise of quick healing. This promise, like many of the Lord’s promises, is preceded and followed by several commands. The Lord commands us to fast in the right spirit and serve the basic needs of the poor (Is 58:6-7). Then He will fulfill several promises, if we are willing to respond to these graces by obeying further commands related to doing justice (Is 58:9ff). When we are hurting, we tend to want God to heal us so that we...

“Give Your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge Your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” —1 Kings 3:9 A person decides to live his Christian life when he decides to do God’s will instead of his own will (see Mt 26:39). Solomon prefigured this when he sought God’s heart and will rather than his own well-being, prosperity, or victory (1 Kgs 3:11ff). Once we decide to do God’s will and get involved in God’s life, we, as human beings, naturally and rightly develop a sense of belonging and ownership. Our service to the Lord becomes not just God’s...