“When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (MT 8: 16-17)
We can go to Our Lord with all our problems, our fears and diseases. He always waits for us, ready to respond to our needs. We are His children and He wants the best for us. When we pray, when we listen to Him, and when we follow His will, we understand better Who He is for us and how to be closer to Him.
“Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Gospel Acclamation)
Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on his behalf. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ The chains fell from his wrists.” (ACTS 12: 5-7)
St. Peter was “secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison,” but “prayer by the Church” was stronger. Whenever we are under spiritual attack or whenever we feel totally trapped “by double chains,” we can put our trust in “prayer by the Church” and in God, Who takes care of us, and go to the church before the Blessed Sacrament and ask for help. He always answers.
“You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“He deported all Jerusalem: all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None were left among the people of the land except the poor.” (2 KGS 24: 14)
“None were left among the people of the land’—they lost “all the officers and men of the army. . . all the craftsmen and smiths”; none remained, “except the poor.” And this is the most important group for God; He started the renovation of His nation from this group. We are important for Our Lord, not because we have something or can do something but because we are His children.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.” (MT 7: 16-18)
We bring fruits. All kinds of fruits. But this is not about fruits, it is about “bear[ing] bad fruit” or “bear[ing] good fruit.” We want to be connected with Our Lord, belong to Him and remain in Him: “Whoever remains in me will bear much fruit,”good fruit.
“Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord; whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (MT 7: 13-14)
Our Lord’s rules are simple, but it doesn’t mean that they are easy. Easy is the road “that leads to destruction.” God’s road “leads to life.” With Him everything is possible: “whoever follows me will have the light of life.”
“I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (MT 6: 31-33)
If we are God’s children and He is our Father, like in a family, we do not need to worry about: “what are we to eat or what are we to drink.” Our “heavenly Father knows that we need them all.” Our concern should be: how to love Him more, how to be witnesses to His love and how to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (MT 6: 31-33)
If we are God’s children and He is our Father, like in a family, we do not need to worry about: “what are we to eat or what are we to drink.” Our “heavenly Father knows that we need them all.” Our concern should be: how to love Him more, how to be witnesses to His love and how to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (MT 6: 20-21)
Our modern “treasures” could be a good job or career, popularity or success, importance or wealth. They are good when they are a means to an end: Heaven. When our job or career takes us from our homes, popularity or success takes us from truth, and importance and wealth takes us from normal relationships, we are in danger. “Store up treasures in heaven”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” (MT 7: 4-5)
It is so easy for us to judge. We do this so often and so automatically. It takes time and practice to learn how to protect others. This is why we have the fifth workshop in our Program—how to defend our spouses and how to become his/her advocate. This is the only way to “see clearly”—to stop judging and trying to change our spouses and to start changing.
“The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“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.” (MT 6: 9-13)
It is the only prayer we received from Our Lord. When we pray the “Our Father,” we are so connected to Our Lord, Who taught us His prayer. We say the “Our Father” as a part of the Rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet as well as during the Mass, but this prayer, because of its uniqueness, deserves to be said more often to celebrate our “spirit of adoption as sons.”
“You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father!” (Gospel Acclamation)
