Our Father in Heaven

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven..'

Jesus is giving his disciples, and me, the great gift of the Lord's Prayer.

Jesus contrasts the Lord's Prayer with the babble of the pagans. In prayer, less is more. The Lord's Prayer is simple but deep, not only worth praying but worth meditating. Less of my talking allows more for the Lord speaking.

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
Amen.

Now is the Time

But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Mt.9:15

Jesus answers the criticism about his disciples not fasting. They will, in time.

Lent, the time of prayer, almsgiving and fasting. As the joke says, "Now... the prayer and almsgiving I don't mind...." Fasting corals the core of my fleshly desires and so my flesh rebels. But Mother Church encourages me to do it to draw me closer to God. Fasting makes me connect with those less fortunate than me. It makes me appreciate what God has given to me, appreciate having the choice. 

Jesus, I don't recall scripture anywhere depicting you fasting, yet you talked about it often. Now is the time for me to fast. Help me in my weakness.
Saint Catherine of Siena, please pray for me.

Die to Live

If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it.
Lk.9:23,24

Jesus is revealing what is about to happen to himself to his close followers, his passion, his death, his resurrection. He then invites anyone and everyone to follow him in the same death and resurrection process. 

On the face of it, it's not an attractive proposition. Luke's audience knew all about the cross. It wasn't just a heavy burden. It was a cruel instrument of tortuous death. Jesus acknowledges that life can be cruel and tortuous. But the pain of this life is never the end of our story, it's simply the title page. My real life-story starts after the resurrection, life with God in unimaginable glory. 

So, yes... I choose to follow Jesus, to lose my life for his sake. He has promised me he will save me. 

Jesus, life has its pain, following you can be painful. I claim your promise that following you through the pain and death leads to life and life to the fullest. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Less is More

Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.
Mk. 9:37

The disciples have been found out by Jesus for arguing amongst themselves as to who is the greatest. Being the great teacher that he is, Jesus embraces a little child, demonstrating that they are not only to welcome the weak and powerless but to become weak and powerless.

Some things are worth arguing over. Arguing over who is the greatest is not one of those things, not for a Christian. I find it hard to be humble and the world mocks me when I try. And yet, there is Jesus, welcoming children, personifying power in humility. He appears safe to people and so is attractive to them. This is go-against-the-flow stuff. Jesus is saying less is more. Perhaps a virtue I can practice this Lent.

Jesus, my fleshly self screams more is more. Help me take the other path, the path of humility.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Speak Blessing

And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ 
Mk.9:7

Jesus is with Peter, James and John on the mountaintop when he is transfigured into something glorious. A voice from God speaks out Jesus' identity. He is the beloved son.

There is power in a spoken word in season. There are moments in life that present unique opportunities to speak. I'm thinking of occasions like weddings, birthdays, and in my own case recently, retirement. These are times when you have "speaking rights". They are times to speak a benediction. 

This is especially true for us fathers. I recall my son's thirteenth birthday giving a "This is my beloved son" speech. Some family members ridiculed me but I remember my son standing taller and expanding his chest as I spoke. I'm glad I seized the opportunity.

Jesus, help my words always be life-giving and not life-taking. 
Saints Peter, James and John, please pray for me.

Divine Fixation on Others

If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 
Mk.8:34,35

Jesus has just foretold his passion and death, against which Peter protested. To underscore this new way of living, not thinking like man but like God, Jesus says we must shift our fleshly fixation on self to a divine fixation on others. 

This is the core of the gospel I find hard. I'm naturally all about myself. It's hard to be less so that others can be more, hard to die to myself so that others can live more fully. Yet... when that happens for me, how come I feel so much more alive?

Jesus, I struggle to renounce myself. Help me lose my life so it may be saved.
Saint Serapion please pray for me.

Who Do I Say He Is?

‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ 
Mk.8:27-29

Jesus questions his disciples, first about what people are saying about him. Then he makes it personal, causing the disciples to search their own hearts. Impetuous Peter gets it right for once calling Jesus the Christ, the anointed Messiah. 

I always eventually circle back to this question from Jesus. Who do I say he is? It's important. My answer can change depending on what is happening in my life, on what I had for dinner last night and whether it agrees with me even. The only correct answer never changes and Peter nailed it. He is the Christ. 

Jesus, you are the Christ, the one who leads me back home to God. I place my trust in you.
Saint Peter, please pray for me.

I Want to See Again

Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ 
Mk.8:23

Jesus is moved by the pleas of the blind man's friends. In private, he places spittle twice on the man's eyes and his sight is returned.

A number of points stand out in this event. The blind man has friends committed to him. Jesus follows a complicated healing process involving much touching of the blind man's hands and face. The healing requires two steps from Jesus. The healing is undertaken in private.

In the Gospels Jesus' healing is recorded as occurring spontaneously, instantly, slowly, unconsciously, deliberately, remotely, intimately, from direct pleas and from the intercession of others, in fact in just about every different way possible. There is no set formula, barring each occurrence had the presence of faith. 

As an aside, there are two other instances of Jesus using his spittle to heal blindness, including John 9:1-7 where Jesus makes mud with his saliva before laying it in the blind man's eyes. This gives a whole new meaning to the salutation, "Here's mud in your eye".

Jesus, there are areas in my life where I suffer a blindness to my own brokenness. Lord, I want to see again.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Send Workers

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. 
Lk.10:2

Jesus is commissioning the seventy-two for their mission trip. The first act of preparation is to ask God, the Lord of the harvest, for labourers. 

Evangelisation is harvest work. A rich harvest is the result of generous sowing and generous sowing on rich soil. This all involves labourers, a team committed to a purpose. It's not meant to be undertaken by a lone ranger. Jesus himself engaged the labour of seventy two others and still he said to pray for more workers.

I wish I had seventy two on our Alpha Course team. We need a team of at least eight. I've invited ten. Six have said yes. I need to keep asking the Lord of the harvest for more workers.

Jesus, the harvest is rich but the labourers are few. Please send more team members for our Alpha Course.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

A Sign

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ 
Mk.8:11,12

Out of their disbelief, the Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus. Jesus leaves them with their unbelief.

Countless miracles had already been instigated by Jesus but the Pharisees demanded more. Would one more sign have been enough to change their hearts? Probably not. The signs were not what Jesus came for. They are simply signposts pointing to his real message which is to turn from sin and come back home to God. 

Faith is a belief in things unseen. Jesus said blessed are those who have not seen yet believe. That's me. I'm grateful for the healings, blessings and miracles (including the very beating of my heart at the moment) that I have witnessed, but my faith doesn't rely on them. 

Thank you Jesus for the gift of faith you have given me. Help me be a sign so others may believe. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

From Shame to Joy

Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths. The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Gn.3:7,8

Adam and Eve have succumbed to the promise of Satan that they will be like Gods when they eat of the forbidden fruit.  The first fruit of knowledge was shame, followed by fear and trying to hide from God.

Where there are secrets, there is shame. This is the cycle of sin. I do something in secret that I know is contrary to God, shame takes hold of me and I try to hide from God. Trying to hide from God is like a child squeezing his eyes shut and shouting, "You can't see me!"

The antidote moves in the opposite direction. Bring the sin out into the light of God. Immediately it loses its power. Secrets and shame evaporate, being replaced by intimacy and rejoicing. Thank God for the Confessional.

Jesus, thank you for your great mercy and love that blows away my shame and fills me with joy.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Truly I am Blessed

O blessed are those who fear the Lord
   and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
   You will be happy and prosper.
Happy are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
   in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the olive,
   around your table.
Ps. 127:1-3

The psalmist sings of the blessings flowing from his fear of the Lord, the provision from his work, the fruitfulness of his family.

Psalm 127 is a Song of Assents, sung while climbing the very steps of the temple. It is the song of a grateful heart that is going to meet its provider in worship.

It is good to recall God's blessings and to thank him for them.

Father, thank you for the provision from my work. Thank you for my wife, my children and my grandchildren. Truly I am blessed.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Change of Heart

For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.
Mk.7:21-23

Jesus emphasises that, contrary to the teaching of the Pharisees, it's not what goes into a man that makes him unclean. It's what comes out of our core self, our heart, that defiles us. 

I've been guilty of every one of the "rotten heart" sins listed by Jesus, including murder if I consider what my backstabbing judgements do to a person's character. How do I receive heart surgery? Well, the confessional is a good place to start. Restitution where possible continues the healing. Inviting Jesus into my heart completes the process.

The children's song I sing with my grandchildren is a great invocation. 

Into my heart
Into my heart
Come into my heart Lord Jesus.
come in today
come in to stay
Come into my heart Lord Jesus.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Rest

On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he had rested after all his work of creating.
Gen.2:2,3

The God of infinite power chose to rest on the seventh day of creation, establishing a pattern for mankind to follow.

Rest is holy and spiritual. God made it so. There's something powerful when we all rest together. The Church defines Sunday as the seventh day for resting. My spirit and body are restored in those twenty four hours. Our Sunday of rest is worth fighting for.

Father in Heaven, thank you for modelling work and modelling rest. Help me follow you in both.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Secret Place and Market Place

Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. 
Mk.6:31

The apostles have just returned from their first mission trip. Jesus saw they were exhausted and called them to rest.

William Barclay a biblical scholar, writer and broadcaster, put it well: ‘The rhythm of the Christian life is the alternate meeting with God in the secret place and serving people in the market place’. 

Action without prayer is a house built on sand and bound to fall. Prayer without action is self-serving and stale.  My daily prayer time comes to fruition only when I leave and act on it. Secret place and market place. I need to be moving from one to the other and then back again.

Thank you Jesus for meeting me in the quiet place. Direct me by your Spirit now into the marketplace. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

More than Expected

Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Alleluia!
Lk8:15

Today's Gospel Acclamation is taken from Luke where Jesus is explaining the parable of the seeds to his disciples. The rich soil in the parable represents those people who hear God's Word and keep it with a generous heart.

This acclamation precedes the sorry tale of John the Baptist's beheading through the treachery of Herod's wife, Herodias. John heard God's word and was generous in his perseverance in keeping it. Where is his happiness in his beheading? Obviously this scene is not the end of John the Baptist's story. Heaven awaits him. 

To be generous is showing a readiness to give more of something, especially money, than is strictly necessary or expected. There is a guaranteed happiness in generosity. It can come in this world or the next, when doesn't really matter. The point is to have a disposition of generosity. 

Jesus, help me have an open hand and give more than is expected, like you.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Upright and Devout

There was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple.
Lk.2:25-27

Jesus is presented at the Temple by Mary and Joseph, as required by Jewish law. Two prophets, Simeon and Anna led by the Holy Spirit, testify who the baby Jesus is, salvation of all nations and a light to the world. 

When Jesus couldn't speak for himself the Holy Spirit motivated people to speak for him. The Holy spirit led the three wise men in the form of a star to baby Jesus and to worship him as King of the Jews. The Holy Spirit led Simeon and Anna to see Jesus in the Temple and proclaim who he is. 

All these people were upright and devout, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them. There is the key for me to becoming a channel of the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus to the world.

Come Holy Spirit, work in me, lead me to proclaim Jesus as the Light of the World, as salvation to the nations. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Extraordinary in the Ordinary

This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him.
Mk.6:3

Jesus is rejected in his hometown where he is seen simply as a carpenter's son. 

The familiar can blind us to the extraordinary. Jesus' own family and home community couldn't get past him being the son of Joseph the carpenter. As a consequence they missed God. Their lack of faith actually stopped Jesus from working miracles there. 

The familiar can blind me from God in the people, family and places I reside day to day. God turns up in the most unlikely places. He turned up in me, of all people! I need to be open to God being in the mundane that surrounds me. The ordinary can be harbouring the extraordinary.

Lord Jesus, I get too familiar with you. Help increase my faith and see you at work in the ordinary so you may work miracles.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.