Tag Archive for ‘prayer’
Saturday 29 March
Hosea 5:15-6:6, Ps 51, Luke 18:9-14 It’s about love, not judgement Humility can be a hard lesson. We try to please God and may feel delighted with our progress – for example, by using prayer and self-discipline to overcome particular faults. Nevertheless, Jesus points out we mustn’t judge others: rather, we should persist in humbly […]
Sunday 2 March
eighth sunday of the year Isaiah 49:14-15, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Ps 62, Matthew 6:24-34 Replace anxiety with prayer Jesus understands what it means to be human and knows how easily distracted and overly-concerned we can become with looking good in the eyes of the world. His words are balm to an unquiet mind – “do […]
Monday 24 February
James 3:13-18; Ps 19B; Mark 9:14-29 The power of prayer James letter is very hard-hitting, don’t you think? For the last week he has been laying down for us how we must behave. Then there is the puzzling statement of Jesus at the end of the Gospel, that prayer was required for this type of […]
Saturday 8 February
1 Kings 3:4-13; Psalm 119B; Mark 6:30-34 Be careful what you ask for In today’s first reading, Solomon asked for wisdom, and received it. He also received other things he might have asked for, but did not. Now that the Holy Spirit is with us, we don’t need to rely on the Lord appearing to […]
Friday 24 January
memorial of St Francis de Sales I have been chosen David is so filled with the Holy Spirit that in a cave, he respects Saul and does not get jealous as happens so easily. Saul honours David as so favoured by God he will surely be king [1 Sam 24:3-21]. Psalm 56 is a prayer […]
Thursday 23 January
Jealousy and envy oppose and destroy Saul is jealous of David but Saul’s son Jonathan can see David is endowed by God so defends him [1 Sam 18:6-9;19:1-7]. Psalm 55 is a beautiful prayer to use when I face opposition. Similarly, Jesus has so many followers now the authorities see him as a threat to […]
Thursday 16 January
My wake up call So often in life there is suddenly a change of fortune. Bad things often happen as a warning. Samuel and the people are defeated in a battle even though God’s presence is among them in the Ark of the Covenant. Why? Because the priest leaders have become corrupt. Similarly I must […]
Thursday 5 December
Is 26:1-6, Ps 117:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27, Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Faith and works Hints of the old “faith versus works” debate in today’s Gospel. But in truth there is no conflict between them. We must do “the Father’s will,” but we can know his will only through faith and prayer. Prayer (“Lord, Lord”) will deepen […]
From the back pew: The Holy Beads of prayer!
Mark Steele, who describes himself as the most ordinary of Catholics, writes: When I go back in thought to my First Communion days, I remember receiving my first prayer book, a medal of St Christopher, the saint recognised at the time as the patron saint and guardian of travellers on a silver chain which was […]
Prayer
I wonder if the Holy Mother gets tired of listening to all those Hail Marys rising up from the faithful. For many the rosary provides beads to fiddle with and a soothing repetitive mantra while their holy thoughts rise free. But in fear of excommunication, I must admit that the sustained repetition of that prayer […]
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