The Lord's Prayer

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 - TUESDAY
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent (Violet)
Lectionary: 225
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading 1
Is 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.

Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Verse Before the Gospel
Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel
Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is a main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not change you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

The Lord's Prayer

JUNE 22, 2023 THURSDAY
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
Optional Memorial of Saint John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr and Saint Thomas More, Martyr (Red)
CYCLE A - YEAR I
Lectionary: 368

Reading 1
2 Cor 11:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!
Please put up with me.
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,
your thoughts may be corrupted
from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these ""superapostles.""
Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;
in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted,
because I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge?
I plundered other churches by accepting from them
in order to minister to you.
And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone,
for the brothers who came from Macedonia
supplied my needs.
So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
By the truth of Christ in me,
this boast of mine shall not be silenced
in the regions of Achaia.
And why?  Because I do not love you?
God knows I do!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8

R.(7a) Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.

R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.

R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.

R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia
Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This is how you are to pray:

'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.'

"If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

How has the quality of your prayer time improved over the years?

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not change you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus' words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

The Lord's Prayer

FEBRUARY 28, 2023 TUESDAY

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE A - YEAR I

Lectionary: 225

Reading 1

Is 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:

Just as from the heavens

the rain and snow come down

And do not return there

till they have watered the earth,

making it fertile and fruitful,

Giving seed to the one who sows

and bread to the one who eats,

So shall my word be

that goes forth from my mouth;

It shall not return to me void,

but shall do my will,

achieving the end for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

R. (18b)  From all their distress God rescues the just.

Glorify the LORD with me,

let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

The LORD has eyes for the just,

and ears for their cry.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,

to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,

and from all their distress he rescues them.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Verse Before the Gospel

Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel

Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:

"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,

who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

"If you forgive men their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men,

neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is a main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not change you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

The Lord's Prayer

OCTOBER 05, 2022, WEDNESDAY

Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest (White)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 463

Reading 1

Gal 2:1-2, 7-14

Brothers and sisters:

After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,

taking Titus along also.

I went up in accord with a revelation,

and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–

but privately to those of repute–

so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.

On the contrary,

when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,

just as Peter to the circumcised,

for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised

worked also in me for the Gentiles,

and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,

James and Cephas and John,

who were reputed to be pillars,

gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,

that we should go to the Gentiles

and they to the circumcised.

Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,

which is the very thing I was eager to do.

And when Cephas came to Antioch,

I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.

For, until some people came from James,

he used to eat with the Gentiles;

but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,

because he was afraid of the circumcised.

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,

with the result that even Barnabas

was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not on the right road

in line with the truth of the Gospel,

I said to Cephas in front of all,

"If you, though a Jew,

are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,

how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 117:1bc, 2

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

Praise the LORD, all you nations,

glorify him, all you peoples!

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

For steadfast is his kindness toward us,

and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.

Alleluia

Rom 8:15bc.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons

through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

It is clear that prayer was essential for Jesus – for his identity and his mission. Prayer expressed Jesus’ relationship with his Father. He taught his followers how to pray, and he made time for it himself, no matter what needs and demands pressed on him.

The Lord’s Prayer is the model for all prayer. It contains the essential petitions for truly Christian prayer and living. Do I allow this prayer to mould me as a person and to directly influence my relationship with God and with my neighbour? Do I do likewise?

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, each day I depend upon you. I confidently ask for daily bread for my family and myself. And you generously keep on giving. Also I thank you for your loving forgiveness when I disappoint you. Give me a forgiving heart when others disappoint me.

Jesus Teaching On Prayer

JULY 24, 2022, SUNDAY

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Green)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 111

Reading 1

Gn 18:20-32

In those days, the LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,

and their sin so grave,

that I must go down and see whether or not their actions

fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.

I mean to find out."

While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom,

the LORD remained standing before Abraham.

Then Abraham drew nearer and said:

"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?

Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;

would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it

for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?

Far be it from you to do such a thing,

to make the innocent die with the guilty

so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!

Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"

The LORD replied,

"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,

I will spare the whole place for their sake."

Abraham spoke up again:

"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,

though I am but dust and ashes!

What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?

Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"

He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only forty are found there?"

He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty."

Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.

What if only thirty are found there?"

He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."

Still Abraham went on,

"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,

what if there are no more than twenty?"

The LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty."

But he still persisted:

"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.

What if there are at least ten there?"

He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8

R.(3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,

for you have heard the words of my mouth;

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;

I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Because of your kindness and your truth;

for you have made great above all things

your name and your promise.

When I called you answered me;

you built up strength within me.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,

and the proud he knows from afar.

Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;

against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will complete what he has done for me;

your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;

forsake not the work of your hands.

R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Reading 2

Col 2:12-14

Brothers and sisters:

You were buried with him in baptism,

in which you were also raised with him

through faith in the power of God,

who raised him from the dead.

And even when you were dead

in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,

he brought you to life along with him,

having forgiven us all our transgressions;

 obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,

which was opposed to us,

he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

Alleluia

Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a Spirit of adoption,

through which we cry, Abba, Father.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread

and forgive us our sins

for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend

to whom he goes at midnight and says,

'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey

and I have nothing to offer him,'

and he says in reply from within,

'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked

and my children and I are already in bed.

I cannot get up to give you anything.'

I tell you,

if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves

because of their friendship,

he will get up to give him whatever he needs

because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;

and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

What father among you would hand his son a snake

when he asks for a fish?

Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?

If you then, who are wicked,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

It is clear that prayer was essential for Jesus – for his identity and his mission. Prayer expressed Jesus’ relationship with his Father. He taught his followers how to pray, and he made time for it himself, no matter what needs and demands pressed on him. 

The Lord’s Prayer is the model for all prayer. It contains the essential petitions for truly Christian prayer and living. Do I allow this prayer to mould me as a person and to directly influence my relationship with God and with my neighbour? Do I do likewise?

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, each day I depend upon you. I confidently ask for daily bread for my family and myself. And you generously keep on giving. Also I thank you for your loving forgiveness when I disappoint you. Give me a forgiving heart when others disappoint me.

The Lord's Prayer

JUNE 16, 2022, THURSDAY

Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Green)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 368

Reading I

Sir 48:1-14

Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah

whose words were as a flaming furnace.

Their staff of bread he shattered,

in his zeal he reduced them to straits;

By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens

and three times brought down fire.

How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!

Whose glory is equal to yours?

You brought a dead man back to life

from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.

You sent kings down to destruction,

and easily broke their power into pieces.

You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness.

You heard threats at Sinai,

at Horeb avenging judgments.

You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance,

and a prophet as your successor.

You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,

in a chariot with fiery horses.

You were destined, it is written, in time to come

to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,

To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,

and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.

Blessed is he who shall have seen you

And who falls asleep in your friendship.

For we live only in our life,

but after death our name will not be such.

O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind!

Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,

wrought many marvels by his mere word.

During his lifetime he feared no one,

nor was any man able to intimidate his will.

Nothing was beyond his power;

beneath him flesh was brought back into life.

In life he performed wonders,

and after death, marvelous deeds.

Responsorial Psalm

97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;

let the many isles be glad.

Clouds and darkness are round about him,

justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Fire goes before him

and consumes his foes round about.

His lightnings illumine the world;

the earth sees and trembles.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,

before the Lord of all the earth.

The heavens proclaim his justice,

and all peoples see his glory.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

All who worship graven things are put to shame,

who glory in the things of nought;

all gods are prostrate before him.

R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons

through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,

who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

‘Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.’

“If you forgive others their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others,

neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is a main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not change you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

The Lord's Prayer

MARCH 08, 2022, TUESDAY

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 225

Reading I

Is 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:

Just as from the heaven

            the rain and snow come down

And do not return there

            till they have watered the earth,

            making it fertile and fruitful,

Giving seed to the one who sows

            and bread to the one who eats,

So shall my word be

            that goes forth from my mouth;

It shall not return to me void,

            but shall do my will,

            achieving the end for which I sent it.

Responsorial Psalm

34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.

Glorify the LORD with me,

            let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

            and delivered me from all my fears.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

            and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

            and from all his distress he saved him.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

The LORD has eyes for the just,

            and ears for their cry.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,

            to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,

            and from all their distress he rescues them.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

            and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

R. From all their distress God rescues the just.

Verse before the Gospel

Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel

Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,

who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them.

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

            Our Father who art in heaven,

                        hallowed be thy name,

                        thy Kingdom come,

            thy will be done,

                        on earth as it is in heaven.

            Give us this day our daily bread;

            and forgive us our trespasses,

                        as we forgive those who trespass against us;

            and lead us not into temptation,

                        but deliver us from evil.

“If you forgive men their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men,

neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is a main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not change you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

Jesus Teaching on Prayer

OCTOBER 06, 2021, Wednesday
Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
(Opt. Mem.) Saint Bruno, Priest (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 463

Reading I
Jon 4:1-11

Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, “I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live.”
But the LORD asked, “Have you reason to be angry?”
Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah’s head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
“I would be better off dead than alive.”
But God said to Jonah,
“Have you reason to be angry over the plant?”
“I have reason to be angry,” Jonah answered, “angry enough to die.”
Then the LORD said,
“You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?”

Responsorial Psalm
86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10

R.    (15) Lord, you are merciful and gracious.

Have mercy on me, O Lord,
    for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
    for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

R.    Lord, you are merciful and gracious.

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
    abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
    and attend to the sound of my pleading.

R.    Lord, you are merciful and gracious.

All the nations you have made shall come
    and worship you, O Lord,
    and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
    you alone are God.

R.    Lord, you are merciful and gracious.

Alleluia
Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Lk 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, 

“When you pray, say:
    Our Father, hallowed be your name,
        your Kingdom come.
        Give us each day our daily bread
        and forgive us our sins
        for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt         to us,
        and do not subject us to the final test.”

REFLECTION:

It is clear that prayer was essential for Jesus – for his identity and his mission. Prayer expressed Jesus’ relationship with his Father. He taught his followers how to pray, and he made time for it himself, no matter what needs and demands pressed on him.

The Lord’s Prayer is the model for all prayer. It contains the essential petitions for truly Christian prayer and living. Do I allow this prayer to mold me as a person and to directly influence my relationship with God and with my neighbor? Do I do likewise?

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, each day I depend upon you. I confidently ask for daily bread for my family and myself. And you generously keep on giving. Also I thank you for your loving forgiveness when I disappoint you. Give me a forgiving heart when others disappoint me.

The Lord's Prayer

June 17, 2021, Thursday
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 368

Reading I
2 Cor 11:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!
Please put up with me.
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,
your thoughts may be corrupted
from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these “superapostles.”
Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;
in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted,
because I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge?
I plundered other churches by accepting from them
in order to minister to you.
And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone,
for the brothers who came from Macedonia
supplied my needs.
So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
By the truth of Christ in me,
this boast of mine shall not be silenced
in the regions of Achaia.
And why?  Because I do not love you?
God knows I do!

Responsorial Psalm
111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8

R.    (7a)  Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
    in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
    exquisite in all their delights.

R.    Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Majesty and glory are his work,
    and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
    gracious and merciful is the LORD.

R.    Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
    wrought in truth and equity. 

R.    Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.

or:

R.    Alleluia.

Alleluia
Rom 8:15bc

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Mt 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
"If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is a main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not charge you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.

This Is How You Are to Pray

February 23, 2021, Tuesday
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent (Violet)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
RDGS: IS 55:10-11/ PS 34:4-5. 6-7. 16-17. 18-19
GOSPEL: MT 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
"If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Prayer engages us in praise of God, in desiring God's will to be done and God's kingdom to come on earth; in prayer, we ask for what we need for the day, and for the grace of forgiveness for self and others, and to stay on the path of our love and convictions. This is the main part of Jesus' prayer; daily prayer engages us in one or more of these as we grow in the likeness of the heart of Jesus.

I pray that I may receive from God what I need and that I may be generous and free in my giving to others. I see that everything I give comes from God.

PRAYER:

Father, as I turn to you in prayer, you already know what I need. I do not charge you by asking; I change myself. I love to reflect on Jesus’ words: that I may call God my father and work to make his name known and revered. I shall be forgiven as I forgive others. I beg for nourishment enough for the day, and for deliverance from evil.