"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." (Matthew 17:5)
Thank you Father for pointing Jesus to us. Open our hearts to listen to the words of your Son. Move our wills to obey him.
We listen to Jesus in the scriptures. St. Jerome says that ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ. We listen to Jesus especially as the scripture is proclaimed in the Eucharist. We also listen to Jesus in the prayers of the Church.
"Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God." (2 Timothy 8)
The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary contemplates the passion of Jesus Christ from Gethsemane to Calvary. We pray for the grace to share in these sufferings in our daily life, starting in small things. We remember that he who is faithful in little things will be faithful in bigger things. If we cannot accept pinpricks for the sake of Christ, definitely, we cannot accept martyrdom.
"Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and shield.
For in God our hearts rejoice;
in your holy name we trust.
May your kindness, Lord, be upon us;
we have put our hope in you.
(Psalm 33: 20-22)
I place my hope for the success of the Enterprise on God alone.
I started the Enterprise with the Lord; I am continuing it today with the Lord. And with God's grace, I shall conclude it with the Lord.
"Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you … " (Genesis 12: 1 – 4)
The Enterprise is a going forth from the land of my kinsfolk. It is leaving behind my father's house for the land that God has shown me. The Enterprise is journey with Christ and to Christ. God promises me abundant blessings.
Father, I hear your word again today and I believe it. Let it be done to me according to your word and not according to the smallness of my faith.
I hold firmly to this word. I never waver from this vision. My faith in this has been compounding since 0296. Thank you Father. As my faith compounds, my patience is strengthened. Faith that is firm is also patient.
"Father of light, in you is found no shadow of change but only the fullness of life and limitless truth. Open our hearts to the voice of your word and free us from the original darkness that shadows our vision. Restore our sight that we may look upon your Son who calls us to repentance and a change of heart …. " (Opening Prayer in Mass)
God is the Father of light. Satan is the father of lies. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Satan changes all the time like a chameleon to suit his agenda. In God is found fullness of life and limitless truth. In Satan is found death and empty lies.
Because we know that everything is a gift, we pray to God to open our hearts to the voice of his Son; without this grace, we cannot hear Jesus speak to us in his word. If we do not perceive clearly the light in God's word, it is because we still have darkness in us that clouds our ability to see. We ask God to free us from this darkness and restore our sight that we may see Christ in his word calling us to repentance and change of heart.
"God our Father, help us to hear your Son. Enlighten us with your word, that we may find the way to your glory … " (Mass Prayer in Lent)
God is our Father. I am never tired of repeating this because it is such a comforting truth. Jesus Christ in his ministry of the word paints the picture of a Father that is altogether loving and immensely compassionate. I need to remember that I have such a Father as I face struggles in my life. Jesus says that our Father already knows what we need and will provide fully for every need.
The Father wants us to know and accept his Son, Jesus. He gives us the grace to hear and understand his word. To understand and accept the words of Jesus Christ is to find the way to glory.