Posts Tagged ‘Prayers’

The way to Heaven is straight and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed; and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations.

March 7, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/07/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Keenly aware of my helplessness, I open myself to Your presence and with prayer ask that by faith I may be justified and that In seeking Christ Jesus’ image I to find my food is in doing Your will without thought or concern, and that by drinking the water He gives will stop thirsting for the things under the sun.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – LET ME HELP YOU through this day. The challenges you face are far too great for you to handle alone. You are keenly aware of your helplessness in the scheme of events you face. This awareness opens up a choice: to doggedly go it alone or to walk with Me in humble steps of dependence. Actually, this choice is continually before you, but difficulties highlight the decision-making process. So, consider it all joy whenever you are enveloped in various trials. These are gifts from Me, reminding you to rely on Me alone.

PSALM 63:7-8; JAMES 1:2-3 (AMP)

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I

Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15 or Ex 17:3-7

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed.

So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.”

When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”

God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

I am the God of your father,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

But the LORD said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering.

Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey,

“But,” said Moses to God, “when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”

God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.”

God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. “This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11 or Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
The Lord is king and merciful, the Lord is king and merciful

Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!

Bless the LORD, my soul; do not forget all the gifts of God,

The Lord is king and merciful, the Lord is king and merciful

Who pardons all your sins, heals all your ills,

Delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion,

The Lord is king and merciful, the Lord is king and merciful

The LORD does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed.

His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is king and merciful, the Lord is king and merciful

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.

As the heavens tower over the earth, so God’s love towers over the faithful.

The Lord is king and merciful, the Lord is king and merciful

READING II

Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 or 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Gospel
Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42 or Luke 13: 1 – 9

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.

Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

>

The way to Heaven is straight and narrow: they who wish to arrive at that place of bliss by walking in the paths of pleasure shall be disappointed; and therefore few reach it, because few are willing to use violence to themselves in resisting temptations.

— St. Alphonsus Liguori

< >< Online Sources for Devotion Scripture References & Daily Mass Readings >< >

Link to Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version BibleGateway.com

Links for today’s readings from USCCB using the New American Bible or

Links for today’s readings from EWTN using the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

For audio link to today’s readings from USCCB using the New American Bible click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_07.mp3

For link to today’s video Reflection http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

The Church herself is a field, within which seeds and weeds, the good and the wicked, grow together, a place where there is room to grow, to be converted and above all to imitate God’s patience…

March 6, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/06/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Unconditional love is love perfected; seems easy full of righteousness in those moments when we feel it from You, but giving it Is a path of continuous death to self and loneliness which can only be walked with Jesus by ones side. For perfect love the love we feel in the Spirit through the Son from the Abba Father is something we rarely if ever feel under the sun, for under the sun there are often if not always hidden motives natural to the human condition; thus just as through Jesus we are made presentable to You Lord God, only through Jesus can we be made ready to offer unconditional love. Readied means giving what we receive, and since our only source of unconditional love is in the Spirit through Jesus from You our Abba Father, we must stay focused and connected in and through Jesus.

Unconditional love is also love practiced; just as we must always practice the presence of Jesus, we must always accept and be ready to practice unconditional love. Accepting that in this too, we will stumble and fall, but always be ready through Jesus cleanse our heart and renew a right spirit within to keep at it, practicing it always as we practice Your presence.

Unconditional love is truly the fruit of the Spirit; full of faith in Jesus, and hope that our stumbles and falls will be few. Herein lays a key exercise we must make part of our practice – forgiveness; forgiveness of self for stumbling or falling, to give forgiveness to others we seek to love unconditionally.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – CONTINUE ON THIS PATH WITH ME, enjoying My Presence even in adversity. I am always before you, as well as alongside you. See Me beckoning to you: Come! Follow Me. The One who goes ahead of you, opening up the way, is the same One who stays close and never lets go of your hand. [ am not subject to limitations of time or space. I am everywhere at every time, ceaselessly working on your behalf. That is why your best efforts are trusting Me and living close to Me.

HEBREWS 7:25; PSALM 37:3-4

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Mi 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers

from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm
:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R.        (8a)  The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.

R.        The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gospel
Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’“

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

The Church herself is a field, within which seeds and weeds, the good and the wicked, grow together, a place where there is room to grow, to be converted and above all to imitate God’s patience. The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience. — St. Augustine

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_06.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

I can fit everything into a pattern for good, but only to the extent that you trust Me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be.

March 5, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/05/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Time, Listening and Trust – all attributes of Love; where and how I spend my time, who and how I listen to and I put my trust.

A lot has changed in my life Lord and while I feel those closest to me do not necessarily like all the changes I know and feel these attributes to be true for You and mine; and while the things under the sun may not be going the way I would like and I am likely only falling further behind and maybe evening losing them I stay focused on You!

For I hold true and close the time that I share with You each morning; always looking to cleanse my heart and renew a right spirit within me. I listen closely for Your call, always seeking to perfect my discernment of the voice of the Spirit from the voices under the sun. And I seek to put my trust only in You, even when I doubt, for I feel my doubts are only the voices under the sun that seek to keep me from becoming that which You created and are willing me to be.

You have taught me using the ways and errors of my past and while many problems lay ahead; I know now how much time, listening and trust are all acts of love. This is why I fight off the ways under the sun to make and keep these my focus and first with You and mine.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE. Though many things feel random and wrong, remember that I am sovereign over everything. I can fit everything into a pattern for good, but only to the extent that you trust Me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be. The very same problem can become a stumbling block over which you fall, if you react with distrust and defiance. The choice is up to you, and you will have to choose many times each day whether to trust Me or defy Me,

The best way to befriend your problems is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties. You can even give persistent problems nicknames, helping you to approach them with familiarity rather than with dread. The next step is to introduce them to Me, enabling Me to embrace them in My loving Presence. I will not necessarily remove your problems, but My wisdom is sufficient to bring good out of everyone of them.

ROMANS 8:28 (AMP); 1 CORINTHIANS 1:23-24

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.

One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
“Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them.”

So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: “Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams.”

When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
“We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood,” he continued,
“just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright.”
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.

They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
“What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.”
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Responsorial Psalm
105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R.        (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Gospel
Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

Oh how precious time is! Blessed are those who know how to make good use of it. Who can assure us that we will be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, to the voice of the royal prophet: “Today if you hear God’s voice, harden not your heart.” Let us not put off for one moment to another what we “should” do, because the next moment is not yet ours! — St. Pio of Pietrelcina

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_05.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

Be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving to God and His glory. For when we meet in this way, the forces of Satan are rendered powerless and his destructive power is cancelled in the concord of your faith.

March 4, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/04/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Today’s Gospel and video reflection provide and exclamation mark to today’s readings with a message and a lesson we all should watch and listen to; especially in these today’s… thank You Abba Father, Lord Jesus who in the Holy Spirit moves and convicts me when from the self pity that lurks roaming like the lion to take my focus off of You opening the way for fear, anxious, worry, selfishness and pride to devour my faith and extinguish my hope while hardening my heart.

O for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on me (us) and on the whole world; helping me (us) to be more that the children that Jesus Your Son adores and protects, than the adults we have become under the sun. More like the boy in today’s video reflection.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – REFUSE TO WORRY! In this world there will always be something enticing you to worry. That is the nature of a fallen, fractured planet: Things are not as they should be. So the temptation to be anxious is constantly with you, trying to worm its way into your mind. The best defense is continual communication with Me, richly seasoned with thanksgiving. Awareness of My Presence fills your mind with Light and Peace, leaving no room for fear. This awareness lifts you lip above your circumstances, enabling you to see problems from My perspective. Live close to Me! Together we can keep the wolves of worry at bay.

LUKE 12:25-26; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Jer 17:5-10

Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds.

Responsorial Psalm
1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R.        (40:5a)  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R.        Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Gospel
Lk 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.’

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

Be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving to God and His glory. For when we meet in this way, the forces of Satan are rendered powerless and his destructive power is cancelled in the concord of your faith. — St. Ignatius of Antioch

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_04.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

My sheep know My voice and follow Me wherever I lead.

March 3, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/03/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As a prisoner of the Lord is the way Ephesians 4:1 starts; when I think about those things I feel to be true (1) that you planted the seed in our hearts to know, love and have a relationship with You I guess we are all prisons to that need and will never be free of that need. However I feel as we are awakened and accept and embrace this need we begin to hear His call and learn that Jesus is the way and path to fulfilling these needs, and that we must become masters of death, death to ourselves. For I have learned to think and feel that the longer we take to awaken and accept the calling the more we become prisons of and to ourselves, for (2) we do not sin against You or others, while I know I have hurt and disappointed You and mine, the true price of sin is within and against ourselves, for I feel sin is that which is un-natural to the spirit beings that we are within physical form as human beings; and as the physical like everything under the sun is passing and temporary, it is the spirit that makes us eternal beings. So the longer we remained prideful, selfish, pleasure seeking physical human beings the more the suffering as we die to that part of us for the service of others. For service of others is as natural to us as the need to know, love and have a relationship with You, for we are created in Your image, thus the more we know, love and spend time with You, the more we end up suffering to serve. And yet just as (3) I feel one moment with You is better than thousands elsewhere, I feel and have felt the joy of service and knowing I am in line with Your will is better than the suffering it takes to get there. So again I die to myself, for what else can I do.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – I LOVE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE not for what you do. Many voices vie for control of your mind, especially when you sit in silence. You must learn to discern what is My voice and what is not. Ask My Spirit to give you this discernment. Many of My children run around in circles, trying to obey the various voices directing their lives. This results in fragmented, frustrating patterns of living. Do not fall into this trap. Walk closely with Me each moment, listening for My directives and enjoying My Companionship. Refuse to let other voices tie you up in knots. My sheep know My voice and follow Me wherever I lead.

EPHESIANS 4:1-6; JOHN 10:4

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Jer 18:18-20

The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
“Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word.”

Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them.

Responsorial Psalm
31:5-6, 14, 15-16
R.        (17b)  Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R.        Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.

Gospel
Mt 20:17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, “What do you wish?”
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus said in reply,
“You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He replied,
“My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

Would that men might come at last to see that it is quite impossible to reach the thicket of the riches and wisdom of God except by first entering the thicket of much suffering, in such a way that the soul finds there its consolation and desire. The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first, and in truth, to enter the thicket of the cross.

— St. John of the Cross

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_03.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

March 3, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/02/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

To walk with Jesus in my heart and on my mind is what I want; to interact with others as He would is what I seek. There is so much I do not understand and more that I do not know what to do about. All I know is most of what I felt yesterday cannot be felt today if this is what I want to do. So I ask that You cleanse my heart and create a right spirit within me likened to Jesus and willing to die to myself for others without second thought or question.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; all lasting Life emanates from Me. People search for life in many wrong ways: chasing after fleeting pleasures, accumulating possessions and wealth, trying to deny the inevitable effects of aging. Meanwhile, I freely offer abundant Life to everyone who turns toward Me. As you come to Me and take My yoke upon you, I fill you with My very Life. This is how I choose to live in the world and accomplish My purposes. This is also how I bless you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. The Joy is Mine, and the Glory is Mine; but I bestow them on you as you live in My Presence, inviting Me to live fully in you.

JOHN 11:25; MATTHEW 11:28-29; 1 PETER 1:8-9(KJV)

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Is 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!

Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;

But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

Responsorial Psalm
50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R.  (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”

R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R.        To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel
Mt 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

It’s true he was a sinner. But don’t pass so final a judgement. Have pity in your heart and don’t forget that he may yet be an Augustine, while you remain just another mediocrity.

— St. Josémaria Escriva

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_02.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com

Our citizenship is in Heaven! We are to cling to Jesus and not to any blessings or moments of peace or comfort under the sun. Be well ordered.

March 2, 2010

My Daily Prayers and Readings for 03/01/2010

< >< My Daily Prayer >< >

Abba Father, Lord Jesus, in the Spirit, one God the Abba Father, Christ Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I come to You with open mind and heart, ready to listen more to You than my own doubts. Asking and praying that You remind me and show me just how much loneliness is only a state of mind, a human condition, for You are always with me, leading me as I seek Your will and purpose. Teach me how not to expect understanding from anyone, give me eyes of faith to know that stepping out in line with Your will not cause me to lose that which I hold dear. Show me the secrets hidden in every moment and every Word; help me to live in heaven on earth, well ordered, clinging not to any blessings or moments of peace or comfort, but only to Jesus ready to serve. For my citizenship is in Heaven with Him, now and for eternity.

In Jesus name I ask and pray, that You bless me and mine for fulfillment of Your will and that You create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, for one walk; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

< >< Jesus Calling Daily Devotion >< >

March – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4

Today – WHEN SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE OR THOUGHTS makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: “Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.” Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 (NASB); ISAIAH 26:3

< >< Today’s Mass Readings >< >

Reading I
Dn 9:4b-10
“Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.

Responsorial Psalm
79:8, 9, 11 and 13
R.  (see 103:10a)  Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R.
Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R.
Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.

R.        Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

Gospel
Lk 6:36-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you.”

< >< Today’s Video Reflection >< >

We are at Jesus’ disposal. If he wants you to be sick in bed, if he wants you to proclaim His work in the street, if he wants you to clean the toilets all day, that’s all right, everything is all right. We must say, “I belong to you. You can do whatever you like.” And this.. is our strength, and this is the joy of the Lord. — Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

< >< Daily Mass Readings Online Sources>< >

USCCB and EWTN

For link to Scripture readings and Bible search click:

New American Bible USCCB

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition EWTN

For audio link to today’s readings click:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_03_01.mp3 Audio

For link to today’s video Reflection click:

http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml Video

< >< Other sources of inspiration on God’s Word >< >

EWTN

Today in the Word

Moody Radio Online

Today in the Word Radio Online

< >< Bible Online >< >

BibleGateway.com Devotion Scriptures unless noted from New International Version

< >< One Walk >< >

Follow what I am thinking, listening and reading visit www.RichardAngulo.com

Follow what I am doing, visit www.raagroup.com