Father, hear our prayers for the salvation of the world.
Grant Mercy to all souls that turned away from You.
Open their hearts and minds with Your light.
Gather Your children from the east and the west,
from the north and the south.
Have mercy O God on those who do not know You.
Bring them out of darkness into Your light.
You are our saving God
Who leads us in our salvation.
Protect us from evil.
Bless and praise You O Lord,
hear our prayers and answer us.
You, …
I really wanted to talk about Sirach today. He beseeches the Lord to pour out his grace and blessings upon all his servants. In a way, this is our daily prayer. As you know, his mercy is everlasting!
In the Gospel of Mark today, we read, “taking them aside again”….. he tells them what, in detail, will happen to him.” After all that, the two brothers, James and John beg Jesus to let them have a high spot in heaven. Jesus replied by asking them if they can go through what he will go through. They answered, “We can!” Yeah, right! It would take some time for the disciples to truly understand what he was really saying. In our human nature, many desire to be held in high esteem, to be number one, to be admired, and to portray that perfect person. That is a pretty tall order! Having the best clothes, the newest car, a bigger house, the finest watches… this is not what it’s all cracked up to be!
The greatest man alive, Jesus Christ, did not model those things of pride. No, he came as a servant, a suffering servant. Who are those today that model that same behavior? The first ones that come to mind are grandmothers. Most grandmothers are in constant motion helping their daughters and daughters in-law with their children and grandchildren with babysitting and house chores, and during the covid Pandemic, with homeschooling! Some young mothers and fathers were blindsided when all of a sudden their home became a school. Big shock!
I know one grandmother that drove 70 miles round trip two times a week to help their struggling daughters. Sometimes the modeling of Jesus Christ is as close as our own families or extended families. As we hear the voices of James and John today, do we hear ourselves? Probably, but still today the Lord speaks to us the same way. He loves us so much that he pulls us to himself. And calls us to servanthood. If you haven’t read Matthew 25 for a while, read it again. And find yourself in it!
Serving with joy!
Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the parents of eight children and twenty-nine grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002. He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.
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St. Philip Neri was a Christian missionary and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of Catholic priests and lay brothers.
He was born in Florence on July 21, 1515 as one of four children to Francesco Neri.
From a very young age, Philip was known for being cheerful and obedient. He was affectionately referred to as “good little Phil.” He received his early teachings from friars at the Dominican monastery in Florence, San Marco.
At 18-years-old, Philip went off to live with …
Almighty, true and incomparable God,
You are present in all things,
yet in no way limited by them.
You remain unaffected by place,
untouched by time,
unperturbed by years,
and undeceived by words.
You are not subject to birth
and in no need of protection.
You are beyond all corruption,
above all change,
immutable by nature.
You live in unapproachable light
and are invisible,
yet You are known to all those
who seek You with hope and love.
You are …
To keep the law is a great oblation,
and he who observes the
commandments sacrifices a peace offering.
In works of charity one offers fine flour,
and when he gives alms he presents his sacrifice of praise.
To refrain from evil pleases the LORD,
and to avoid injustice is an atonement.
Appear not before the LORD empty-handed,
for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts.
The just one’s offering enriches the altar
and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High.
The just one’s sacrifice is most pleasing,
nor will it ever be forgotten.
In a generous spirit pay homage to the LORD,
be not sparing of freewill gifts.
With each contribution show a cheerful countenance,
and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously, according to your means.
For the LORD is one who always repays,
and he will give back to you sevenfold.
But offer no bribes, these he does not accept!
Trust not in sacrifice of the fruits of extortion.
For he is a God of justice,
who knows no favorites.
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Peter began to say to Jesus,
‘We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
I have a lot of crazy things to bemoan. Most were embarrassing or even downright stupid: such as smoking, swearing, skipping school, driving too fast, bullying the poor boy that sat in front of me in math class. The world meant everything; I wanted my peers to embrace me as I worked toward acquiring the latest and greatest material things. It feels as if my entire teenage years were spent trying to fit into some specific group or place.
While perhaps these activities are typical at that age, they were still dangerous, absolutely awful, and in the end, downright sinful. Yet, I didn’t care; I suffered from an earthly, misguided tunnel-vision. I worried only about what I could see, without a thought beyond this realm or of the eternal consequences of my behavior. Leaving it all behind to follow Jesus never entered my mind; that life seemed dull and hollow—if it was even real.
In my teens, I longed for what was below. I cared what other people thought of me. I sought acceptance and approval from my peers, whatever the cost. It was an incredibly egocentric period, yet ironically a time filled with uncertainty and insecurity.
My dreams included marrying someone rich but also being rich and famous myself. I read Cosmo and Tiger Beat magazines and strived to look as model-like as possible and judged and scorned those who did not. At parties, I sought the most popular people to impress and joined the ridicule of those not in that group. My validation of worth came from the world’s view, and being someone of significance in the eyes of family and friends, even strangers, enveloped my whole being.
I wish I could look back at my life and say these thoughts and behaviors remained a part of my immature teenage self, but alas, that is not so. Gossip, judging others, making poor choices to belong to a particular crowd would follow me throughout most of my life until I discovered the Truth. Joy came when I was finally willing to be last and strive toward heavenly rewards.
Through tradition and Scripture, I learned that there is more, much more, beyond this earthly dwelling place, and finally allowed what is above to matter more than this world. This renewing of my mind was not easy and came with many tears, regrets, and painful confessions. Yet, it was not impossible, and the freedom and hope I now feel striving not to belong to the world are by far more amazing than anything I attempted to attain here below.
As you think about your current state of life, can you say you are more concerned with the things of Heaven? Are you rooted in the things of earth? Could you leave them behind to follow Jesus?
Allison Gingras works for WINE: Women In the New Evangelization as National WINE Steward of the Virtual Vineyard. She is a Social Media Consultant for the Diocese of Fall River and CatholicMom.com. She is a writer, speaker, and podcaster, who founded ReconciledToYou.com and developed the Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women (OSV).
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The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
It would be easy to concentrate on the mystical experiences God gave this saint, rather than on her life. In fact, it would be difficult to do differently, so overwhelming were those gifts from God. The temptation for many modern readers (including the author) would be to see little to identify with in these graces and walk away without seeing more. The other temptation would be to become so fascinated with these stories that one would neglect to dig deeper and learn the real lessons of her …
God, come to my assistance.
Lord make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
O my God, I thank you for having preserved me today
and for having given me so many blessings and graces.
I renew my dedication to you and ask your pardon for
all my sins.
Make a short review of the day, briefly recalling with gratitude the good things that have …
Today we celebrate the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. Our Lady, as the woman through whom the Lord came into the world, sits as Queen of the Church, continuing to mediate His graces.
Even knowing the memorial, the First Reading can seem out of left field. Why are we hearing about the Fall on the feast day of Mary? The key is in Genesis 3:15, traditionally called the Protoevangelium, or “First Gospel”: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” It is considered the first proclamation of the triumph of the Messiah.
This most obviously refers to the conflict between our first parents and Satan, but it also refers to a number of other things. Depending on the language translated, it can either read as shown, or as “she will strike at your head.” Both interpretations are valid, one referring to the Messiah and the other to a female descendent of Eve. This female descendant, who will strike at Satan’s head, is none other than our Blessed Mother, the Mother of the Church.
Mary’s authority is not simply abstract. From the beginning of history, the Lord intended that she would not only bear the Savior of the world, but also that she would conquer Satan through her ministry. This is borne out not only in Marian apparitions, but even in the realm of exorcism: demons are no match for Our Lady. Her intercession is truly powerful, as we acknowledge in the Memorare.
The triumph of Our Lady, predicted in Genesis 3:15, gets fleshed out at Our Lord’s crucifixion. As we see in the Gospel, Jesus’ last act before His death is to entrust Mary to John and vice versa. The saints have always interpreted this to mean that Jesus is giving Mary to the Church as Mother, and the Church to Mary. Christ certainly rules His Church, but He chooses to do so through Mary, just as He chose to become flesh through her.
The ecclesial typology is complete with the piercing of Christ’s side. Blood and water flow out, symbolizing the Eucharist and Baptism, marking the birth of the Church. Just as Eve came from Adam’s side, so too does the Church come from the side of Christ. None of this escapes John, the same disciple to whom Mary was entrusted.
As Mother of the Church, Mary, the “Destroyer of all heresies,” helps to preserve her from error and apostasy. She protects the Church from those who would subvert her purpose, and keeps her members fixed on Christ. Though she does not have much to say in the Gospels, she rules the Church with serenity and authority. She excellently fulfills the role of Queen Mother, serving at the right hand of the King.
Today, we receive a welcome reminder of Our Lady’s intercession, and ultimately of Our Lord’s provision for His people. Let us turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, knowing that her intercession and authority are both real and effective.
David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.
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O God, Who has commanded us
to honour our father and mother,
have compassion in Thy mercy,
on the souls of my father and mother;
forgive them their sins,
and grant that I may see them
in the joy of eternal brightness.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.