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Hello everyone, Today, Sunday 13th September we have 1278 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer. The reflection at the bottom this week is from Bob and Debbie Gass of The Word for Today and is called 'Need direction?' I have a mistake to correct from last time. I gave Saint Augustine a surrogate mother, Saint Helena - Constantine's Mom. I should have said Saint Monica, as some of you kindly pointed out. I'd been reading a bit on the first Christian Roman Emporer earlier in the day and he was on my mind, as was his Mom. These devout and holy women kinda link in with the theme of this week's reflection - persistence in prayer. We continue our sharing on prayer and if I could make a suggestion from the last reflection on Prayer and Fasting? I'm going to try and set a Friday aside to fast on just bread and water for world leaders and decision makers. So much is happening around the world, especially the WTO negotiations in Cancun, Mexico this week, where decisions will be made that will affect the poor and disenfranchised. If we can collectively pray and fast for the decision-makers and ask the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions so that they are made with integrity and in the love and justice of God, perhaps we will see some of those mountains move that Jesus promised us! I'd lke to share with you all how my weekend went. It was brilliant, it was beautiful, it was 'academic spirituality' or 'spiritual academia'! The whole weekend was learning covered in prayer. Maryvale has a lovely history, it was once the home of Cardinal Newman, then became Oscott College, a seminary in the heart of Birmingham. Now it is a place of learning. Our accommodation was within the house and hosted by the Brigettine Sisters. 9 of them in all from India and Mexico. It was lovely to see nuns who looked like nuns. It was even nicer to be able to join them at prayer at least 4 times on the Friday and for Eucharistic Adoration too. I arrived on the Thursday evening and had the place more or less to myself on Friday until the rest of the students arrived. I stopped into Knock, Ireland's famous Apparition Shrine, on my way to the airport on Thursday, to pick up a couple of the required books and found myself joining a fine crowd for Mass. It was great, a 'baby priest' was the main concelebrant amongst 5 Priests. He was a young man and had only been ordained in July and his love for Our Lady was palpable. 32 of us in all were on the Divinity course, with another 8 or so who couldn't make it. Of that 32, 4 or 5 were converts, 'baby Catholics' of less than 3 years. The course director was also a convert many moons ago. We were from the four corners of the British Isles, including one of England's off-shore islands! Our day started with Mass at 7-30 then prayer, then breakfast, then lectures, with prayer before and after each session, the Angelus at about mid-day and 6pm, and ended with night prayer, Compline, at 9pm. The Divine Office was sung by the sisters in plain chant and was most beautiful! The house has a little bar too so a great hour or so socialising before going to bed. We
had some pretty 'heavy guns' as lecturers - Dr. Francis Clarke,a renowned
and very-well published Theologian, intoduced us to the Concepts of Theology,
Fr. Richard Conrad, Domican Prior, spoke beautifully on the Trinity, Professor
Jack Sacrisbrick potted 2000 years of Church History into 2 hours, and
Fr. John Redford, Course Director, gave us all the technical bumph. All
great stuff entirely! Now all I need is the disciplne to set aside 20 hours
or so a week to cover it all. I had to
The
week's reflection is kinda short as I'm still zapped from it all, but here
we go anyway. I've spoken before about Father John Corapi, a late vocation
to the Priesthood. He came from a poor neighbourhood in up-state New York
and achived the 'American Dream'. Made it real big in the world
He shares his story, making the point that his mother prayed for him for over 20 years as she watched him go from bad to worse. So too with Saint Monica as Augustine cavorted around the place. But their prayers were answered and boy were they ever! Sometimes we expect instant responses to our prayers, and more often than not in ways that we think they should be answered. My mother-in-law had a great wee saying - 'Marvelous are the ways of God His wonders to behold.' Not a prayer goes unanswered, but we need to have patience, we need to be able to hand them over, we need to be able to trust. When we start to worry about things we block that channel of peace that comes from God and we also close the mind and heart to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He always brings the answers. So many prayers come in from folk in financial difficulties - been there, done that and probably have all the Tee-shirts to boot! But experience has taught me that by placing all the problems on the Lord's shoulders, our load is lightened and He can then do the biz! So the secret is - don't give up, keep praying confidently, stop worrying, coz all the worry in the world won't change the situation and probably only causes rows anyway. Through your prayers of petition and also of thanksgiving you will get solutions, ideas that you may never have even thought of, or a lasting peace that far surpasses anything. Don't forget the Mothers and Fathers Prayers group in the UK. Do try to get a few of you together weekly to pray for your children and grandchildren. They need all the prayers they can get in this crazy world! Drop an email to the address below for information and details.
May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you and yours and may Mary keep you in Her heavenly mother's care. Mary in Galway, Ireland ************************************************** Need
direction?
"WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO YOU." 2 CHRONICLES 20:12 (TLB) If you need guidance today, here are seven steps you can take: (1) Clear the channel: Repent and receive forgiveness. Sin, such as bad habits and attitudes, hinder communication with God. Also, be willing to set aside your personal desires and be open to God. (2) Be patient: ‘…Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord…’ (Psalm 27:14 TLB). Listen: ‘Let none that wait on Thee be ashamed…’ (Psalm 25:3). Don’t give in to self-generated urgency. Let God open the door for you! (3) Beware of external pressures: These usually come from your present circumstances, or from those who’d impose their agenda on you. Sift all advice through God’s Word. (4) Watch out for internal pressures: These are triggered by old messages, and manifest themselves as fear of loss, or exaggerated expectations. (5) Persist in prayer: The Bible says, ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God’s goal is to bring you into His likeness, and He uses prayer to do it. Prayer is not for God’s benefit; it’s for yours! He already knows what you should do; as you persevere in prayer He’ll reveal it to you. (6) Search the Scriptures: Read and digest God’s Word. It’s an unfailing source of wisdom. It cuts through the clutter and filters out whatever’s not of God. (7) Wait for peace: Listen: ‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…’ (Colossians 3:15). Peace is the ‘umpire’ that should settle all your decisions, so don’t proceed without it. ************************************************** Prayer for Your Family "O Dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family this day. In Your Divine Mercy make our home a shrine of peace, love and faith. I beg You, Dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us and our families absent and present, living and dead. O Mary loving Mother of Jesus and our Mother, pray to Jesus the Divine Mercy for our family, and for all the families of the world. Ask Him to guard the tiny infant in the womb, the cradle of the newborn, the young in the schools and those about to start their vocations in life. Amen" Prayer for Your Adult Children "Heavenly Mother, keep us always in mind of Your Son's great mercy and understanding as we pray for our children. They are grown up now and have left us and are living their own lives according to their own ideals. We feel anxious and worried because they do not seem to feel the need for Christ. to understand the wisdom of His ways, or to be fully at ease with us or themselves. Intervene, dearest Mother, in their lives at the moment You know to be right and help them to understand the things that lead to their peace. Help them to see the need of Christ and to experience the greatness of His love, so that we may all proclaim as You did, that His mercy truly is from generation to generation. Amen" Prayer for the World "JESUS of NAZARETH has triumphed
over Death. His Reign is Eternal. He is coming to conquer the
"Mercy, my God on those who
blaspheme You,
"Mercy, my God, for the scandal
in the world,
"Mercy, my God, on those
who run away from You
"Mercy, my God, on those who come to repent at the foot of the Glorious Cross. May they find Peace and Joy in God our Saviour. "Mercy, my God, so that Your Kingdom may come, but save souls, there is still time; for the time is near, behold, I am coming. Amen Come, Lord Jesus." Recite one decade of the Rosary "Lord, pour out on the whole world the treasures of Your Infinite Mercy." "Through the Mystery of Your
Holy Incarnation,
Through Your Nativity,
Through Your Baptism and
Holy Fasting,
Through Your Cross and Passion,
Through Your Death and Burial,
Through Your Holy Resurrection,
Through Your Admirable Ascension,
Through the coming of the
Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
Through Him whose Name reigns
eternal,
Prayer of Protection Blessed Michael the Archangel, protect us in the hour of conflict. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God restrain him, we humbly pray, and do thou, Oh Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the Power of God, thrust satan down to hell and with him all the wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen ************************************************** All of the Reflections to date are available to read in the Archives on the website for anyone who's interested. The Weekly
Intentions are available on a plain page to be able to print off and
kept to hand for your own prayer time. The list has become too long now
to include each week but please say the
"Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken minds, broken spirits, broken hearts and broken marriages and may all their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with You. Amen." "Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!" "Breathe in me O Holy Spirit
that my thoughts may all be holy;
"O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen" May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless and guide you and yours and may Mary keep you in Her heavenly mother's care. Mary in Galway
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