Category: Prayer
Friar’s Corner: Jesus is our daily Bread of Life
St. Luke’s gospel this Sunday tells us that two disciples, Cleopas and an unnamed disciple, had left Jerusalem even though the women had told them that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb and that they had seen him in his new presence. These two disciples were walking along to Emmaus and a stranger began to walk with them as they were talking about those things that had happened to Jesus. This stranger they did not recognize began to explain why Jesus had to go through those things. Briefly, it was toward evening and they stopped at an inn for dinner and rest. When did they recognize him it was Jesus? At the meal when he took the bread, blessed and broke the bread. They had been at the Last Supper. Their eyes were opened yet Jesus instantly vanished. They ran back to the Upper Room to tell the others. This story is critical. Pray and think about it.
The Rustle of Fear
“To him who is in fear it seems as if everything around him rustles.” — Sophocles (497 BC)
What are we noticing now that was in plain sight all along? Do we sense the rustling of poverty, sickness, loneliness and death? Haven’t these been around us all our lives? We look at how the world around us is changing – and not for the better. It’s is all too easy to be afraid of what we didn’t notice on Ash Wednesday when we determined our disciplines for what became the Longest Lent.
The rustlings draw louder as fear threatens to consume us, We know we don’t have the confidence and wisdom to deal with its demands on our own. How do we sort out what we must accept, what action we are called to carry out, and what we must leave to providence? And I don’t mean denying and ignoring the needs we find all around us.
The fact we find hard to accept is that we can choose victory over fear in trusting Jesus by surrendering to his will and staying open each moment to his presence when victimhood is rustling around us.
Friar’s Corner: New life with Jesus
For much of the world, those connected to the electronic world, we are in shock. For the northern part of our planet with all of our science and medical technology, we are still baffled. Most of the media is focused on the virus, its symptoms and effects and not having a remedy to eliminate it and bring us back to where we were a few months ago.
Returning to where we were is not going to happen. For those more spiritually-minded this is God’s wake-up call to the whole world. He had to do this because many are trying to throw God out of their lives. They don’t want his love and mercy. They don’t want to really love and help others.
Friar’s Corner: Staying close to Jesus as his friend
As we tune our satellite dish to Jesus, tell him how much we love him and want to follow him, we can be assured that he will bring us to be with him in his eternal glory of heaven. If he does not call us now, we still have more work to do down here to spread his love, hope, peace and joy as evangelists and ambassadors.
Friar’s Corner: Jesus is our resurrection and new life
As this virus spreads, many will be called from earthly life. Let us get our life in order and be ready to go with Jesus if he comes for us. Get on the web and look up some definitions of what the scriptures say about heaven and what the church has developed since then. Read stories about people who had departed this life and were sent back. They tell us some wonderful stories of what is on the other side and “not to be afraid of death.”
Friar’s Corner: Protected in God’s radiant glory
Come, Light of God’s own glory!
Seal and protect us and our family,
in a protective home of Your glory!
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
especially the Coronavirus
and all its effects.
Grant us peace in our days.
In your merciful love,
keep us free from sin and all viruses
and protect us from all our fears,
anxieties and worries,
as we await in joyful hope
for the second coming
of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Friar’s Corner: Burn bright with Jesus
As we pray, we intensify Christ’s light/power in us and we burn or glow more brightly for God as we go about our daily life in the world. The more of us who “light up for Jesus,” the more we help set others alight for Christ. Amen! Let us light up the culture and world around us to get out of the darkness of the evils that surround us and shine with the life and love of Jesus Christ for all people.