Give me the grace to be always and everywhere in your will

"May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord,
furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will. May he carry out in you what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever [and ever]. Amen."  (Hebrews 13: 20 - 21)

My God and Father, you are also the God of Peace.  I say AMEN to the above Benediction. Grant me the grace to be always and everywhere in your will,  Give me also the grace to do always and everywhere your holy will.  I ask for this confidently through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace who is also our Good Shepherd.  Amen!!!

Be content with what you have

"Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”
Thus we may say with confidence:
“The Lord is my helper, [and] I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"  (Hebrews 13: 5 - 6)

Lord, keep my heart free from love of money.  You ask me Lord to be content with what I have.  What if I have nothing?  You ask me to trust you nevertheless and be content in every circumstance.  I want to do this but you have to enable me through your grace.  What I like here Lord is your strong promise never to abandon me, come what may.  Thank you Jesus.

Take nothing for the journey

"He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts."  (Mark 6: 8)

The Apostles went for their first missionary journey obeying and trusting Jesus.  They returned home from the mission growing in faith.  Where can I trust God today?

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.  Through your goodness I have this delay, disappointment, obstacle to offer, let it become for me like a spiritual drink.

I will trust God in every circumstance today.

Do not forget God's gifts

"Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts"  (Psalm 103: 1 - 2)

Today, I offered thanks to God in the Eucharist for His blessings during these trying days. I thank God that I have a roof over my head.  I thank Him for my daily bread and  for health.  I thank God especially for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I thank Him for His precious word.  I thank God for inviting me daily to eat bread in the Kingdom.

O Holy Spirit, thank you for reminding me of the numerous gifts of God.

We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us."  (Hebrews 12: 1)

Every crisis is a trial of faith:  to trust God or not to trust Him.  Every saint living and in Heaven has been tried by fire.  So we have a cloud of witness in the Communion of  Saints cheering us.  We should ask for their help.  They had gone through their  own ordeal by fire and emerged victorious.  They witness to God's faithfulness.

The Enterprise is a Journey of faith.  What do I bring along?  What must I leave behind?  What has become an encumbrance or a distraction during the Journey?   Consider the following:  Heath, Family, Money, Job, Tools, Food, Future?  Has any or  some of these developed into an oppressive and demanding comfort zones?  What can I learn from the present trial?  Rid yourself of every burden and sin that clings.  It is too easy to form habits especially habits of comfort.  Some people cling to their guns.  Others cling to their gyms.  What do I cling to?

I must be patient and steadfast in the race that God has appointed for me in this trial. It is my race.  I have all the resources to win.  There will be no reason for failure.

But seek first the kingdom

"But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." (Matthew 6: 33)

I found a nice commentary for the above scripture from the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2830:

2830 "Our bread": The Father who gives us life cannot not but give us the nourishment life requires - all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with our Father's providence. He is not inviting us to idleness, but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:
To those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying: before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you."  (Jeremiah 1: 4 - 5)

Lord, what would you have me do?

"Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God "face to face", "as he is". So faith is already the beginning of eternal life:
When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy."  (Catechism of the Catholic Church #163)

Thank you Lord for the gift of faith.  I have a taste here and now of "the wonderful things which our faith assures us."

Faith gives us access to the Promise of God's pardon, peace, power, purpose, provision and presence.