Tag Archives: Prayer

Called to holiness

Christ calling the apostles

We are all called to sanctity

Many  think only a few extraordinary people are called to sanctity and that it is sufficient for the rest to limit themselves to being good. But God has loved everyone and he wants all to love him with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength. All are called to sanctity and sanctity is within the reach of all. In this meditation we will consider how:

  • God has called each and everyone from all eternity to fulfill a mission
  • Christ loves everyone and he wants all to love him in return
  • To bear fruit we must be branches very united to the vine who is Christ
  • We are united to Christ through prayer, penance, the sacraments and fulfilling his will

Life of Prayer

vocal prayer and mental prayer

 

 

 

In our hectic life it is essential to find the time each day to stop and converse with God in prayer. In this meditation we consider:

  • Why we should pray
  • The different forms of prayer
  • The qualities our prayer should have
  • How to deal with distractions in prayer

Do not judge

christ-and-the-woman-taken-in-adultery-1653-oil-on-canvas-louvre-paris-france-poussin

 

We all tend to judge others, to criticise them, find fault and be judgmental. The encounter of Our Lord with the woman caught in adultery has much to teach us about how to be less quick to judge. In this meditation we will consider:

  • Our Lord’s encounter with the woman caught in adultery
  • Reasons why we tend to be judgmental
  • What we can do to be less ready to judge and more ready to forgive
  • Words of St Josemaria Escriva from his book The Way

The Prodigal Son

Prodigal Son 2

 

One of the most beloved parables is that of the Prodigal Son, who leaves his father’s home for a life of sin, then repents and returns to a warm embrace and a big celebration. Jesus gives us the parable to tell us that if we are sorry for our sins, God our merciful Father will always forgive us, no matter what we have done. In this meditation we consider:

  • The story of the Prodigal Son
  • Why Christ gave us the sacrament of Penance
  • Why telling our sins to a priest corresponds to our human nature
  • Ten benefits of going to confession
  • How regular confession helps us grow in holiness
  • What Pope Francis says about the importance of confession
  • How we should help others make use of this sacrament

Meditation “Blessed the merciful”

The parable of the prodigal son is mercy perosnified.

A great example of mercy is the parable of the prodigal son.

Now that the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis has begun, it is good to meditate on this important virtue so that we can discover new and better ways to live it out in our daily lives. In this meditation we will consider:

  • How God is merciful to us
  • What the Scriptures say about mercy
  • The nature of mercy
  • Why it is so important that we live mercy ourselves
  • The seven corporal works of mercy
  • The seven spiritual works of mercy

Meditation “Preparing for Christmas”

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our saviour.

Every nativity scene you look at always has Mary, our holy mother with her son and St Joseph, her spouse.

Now that we are in Advent, we want to prepare well for Christmas. A good way to do this is by the hand of Our Lady. After all, she too prepared for the birth of Christ. In this meditation we consider nine lessons Our Lady gives us about how to prepare for this great feast:

 

 

 

  • Avoiding sin and going to confession
  • Docility to the will of God
  • Charity with others
  • Spreading joy
  • Presence of God
  • Not complaining about hardship
  • Penance
  • Contemplation and meditation
  • Bringing Christ to others

Meditation: Giving thanks for everything

We are accustomed to ask God for many favours but how often do we remember to thank him for the gifts he has given us? Are we perhaps like the nine lepers who were healed but did not return to thank Jesus? In this meditation we consider:

  • How much Jesus appreciates that the Samaritan leper returned to give thanks
  • Jesus himself gives thanks to the Father
  • St Paul exhorts the early Christians to give thanks always
  • Everything we have is a gift from God
  • We should give thanks for such general gifts as creation, the Incarnation, Redemption, the Church, the Sacraments
  • We should thank God for our life, our family, our health, our talents, our food, clothing and shelter, the good things we have done
  • We should thank God for the unknown blessings and even the crosses God shares with us

Meditation – Love for the Rosary

In 1883, Pope Leo XIII declared October the month of the Rosary. The Holy Rosary is a traditional prayer, going back at least a thousand years. It is a prayer we should say often and well. In this meditation we consider:

  • How the Rosary came to be
  • The recommendation of the Rosary by popes and saints
  • Why the Rosary is such a powerful prayer
  • Why the Rosary is such a rich prayer
  • The importance of the family Rosary
  • How we can say it better

Meditation “Sacrament of Mercy”

One of the great treasures of the Church, one which at the same time is sadly little used, is the sacrament of Penance, given to the Church by Christ on the very evening of his Resurrection. In this meditation we consider:

  • The mercy of God as seen in the parable of the Prodigal Son
  • Christ’s institution of the sacrament on Easter Sunday
  • Why the sacrament of Penance responds to deep seated human needs
  • The many benefits we receive in the sacrament
  • Why we should go to confession regularly
  • How we should take others to this sacrament

Meditation “As I have loved you”

Christ gave us a new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. It is not always easy to do this but it is very important to try, so that we spread the love of Christ in the world. In this meditation we consider various ways we can do this:

  • Spirit of service
  • Sacrifice
  • Compassion
  • Affection
  • Love for our “enemies”
  • Forgiveness