Saturday - May 26, 2018
“We are not saints yet, but we, too, should beware. Uprightness and virtue do have their rewards, in self-respect and in respect from others, and it is easy to find ourselves aiming for the result rather than the cause. Let us aim for joy, rather than respectability. Let us make fools of ourselves from time to time, and thus see ourselves, for a moment, as the all-wise God sees us.”
-- St. Philip Neri
May 26, 2018
Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest
Lectionary: 346
Reading 1JAS 5:13-20
Beloved:
Is anyone among you suffering?
He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits?
He should sing a song of praise.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the Church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Elijah was a man like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain
and the earth produced its fruit.
My brothers and sisters,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.
Is anyone among you suffering?
He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits?
He should sing a song of praise.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the Church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Elijah was a man like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain
and the earth produced its fruit.
My brothers and sisters,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.
Responsorial PsalmPS 141:1-2, 3 AND 8
R. (2a) Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken to my voice when I call upon you.
Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; strip me not of life.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken to my voice when I call upon you.
Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.
O LORD, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; strip me not of life.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.
AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it."
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it."
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
******************************
"LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME"
Do you ever bless your children? Do you ever lay your hands over them?
Although it may not be obvious and may go unnoticed, children pay the price for things that some of us adults have not yet resolved: immature unions, violent relationships, irresponsible separations, sexual abuses, and a thousand other issues.
Our children need to know the great love we have for them. They need to experience that they are truly loved. They need to see that we dedicate ourselves to them, that we understand them, and that we care and sacrifice for them. They need to see that we would willingly give our lives for them!
Especially at this particular time, talking with our children is of vital importance. But did you know that the words we say have supernatural effects? Did you know that our words can be either a blessing or a curse to our children?
Scripture tells us: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) Can we kill someone with the tongue? Absolutely! We can kill the innocence of our children - their joy, their hope, their relationship with God. Our comments may be negative and wounding. “You’re always the same; you never do anything right!” “What can we expect from you?” “I already knew you wouldn’t do this well!” With words like this, we curse them.
On the other hand, we can safeguard their future by using words that are a blessing. “What a good son; you've made it!” Or “It didn’t turn out the way you hoped, but you did your best. I’m so pleased with all your efforts!” Or “What a good daughter you are! I’m proud of you!” Hearing responses like this, our children will be encouraged more and more every day, and with God’s grace, we will develop their self-confidence as we bless them with our words.
In the Old Testament, fathers used to pronounce words of blessings on their children so that these blessings could become a reality in their lives. We read in Genesis 49:1, “Jacob called his children and said, ‘Come closer and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future…’” (It is worth reading this beautiful passage where Jacob blesses each of his children: Genesis 49:1-28) Was Jacob a seer? No. Jacob knew each of his children very well because he had watched them for years. He knew about their mistakes and successes and, above all, he knew about his own shortcomings as a father. But, at the last moment of his life, he pronounced a blessing on each of them, thus uniting himself with God to influence the future of his children.
God does not expect us to be perfect moms or dads because he knows that here on earth we’ll never be. But he does ask us to not prevent the children from approaching Jesus. And our gestures, our words, our decisions can make our children not want to approach God because of fear, distrust, or ignorance.
Jesus is the only Savior of our children, but we, dads and moms, are indispensable on this earth. Our Almighty Father wants to trust you and me to lead our children to salvation. And although it seems like a daunting task, a lot depends on us to help make it happen!
Let’s pray for our children! Let’s pray for them day and night, never tiring of taking them to the throne of our Father and presenting them to him - not because God needs to be reminded of who his children are, but to unite ourselves with him and, together, lead our children on the path of good.
Although it may not be obvious and may go unnoticed, children pay the price for things that some of us adults have not yet resolved: immature unions, violent relationships, irresponsible separations, sexual abuses, and a thousand other issues.
Our children need to know the great love we have for them. They need to experience that they are truly loved. They need to see that we dedicate ourselves to them, that we understand them, and that we care and sacrifice for them. They need to see that we would willingly give our lives for them!
Especially at this particular time, talking with our children is of vital importance. But did you know that the words we say have supernatural effects? Did you know that our words can be either a blessing or a curse to our children?
Scripture tells us: “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21) Can we kill someone with the tongue? Absolutely! We can kill the innocence of our children - their joy, their hope, their relationship with God. Our comments may be negative and wounding. “You’re always the same; you never do anything right!” “What can we expect from you?” “I already knew you wouldn’t do this well!” With words like this, we curse them.
On the other hand, we can safeguard their future by using words that are a blessing. “What a good son; you've made it!” Or “It didn’t turn out the way you hoped, but you did your best. I’m so pleased with all your efforts!” Or “What a good daughter you are! I’m proud of you!” Hearing responses like this, our children will be encouraged more and more every day, and with God’s grace, we will develop their self-confidence as we bless them with our words.
In the Old Testament, fathers used to pronounce words of blessings on their children so that these blessings could become a reality in their lives. We read in Genesis 49:1, “Jacob called his children and said, ‘Come closer and I will tell you what will happen to you in the future…’” (It is worth reading this beautiful passage where Jacob blesses each of his children: Genesis 49:1-28) Was Jacob a seer? No. Jacob knew each of his children very well because he had watched them for years. He knew about their mistakes and successes and, above all, he knew about his own shortcomings as a father. But, at the last moment of his life, he pronounced a blessing on each of them, thus uniting himself with God to influence the future of his children.
God does not expect us to be perfect moms or dads because he knows that here on earth we’ll never be. But he does ask us to not prevent the children from approaching Jesus. And our gestures, our words, our decisions can make our children not want to approach God because of fear, distrust, or ignorance.
Jesus is the only Savior of our children, but we, dads and moms, are indispensable on this earth. Our Almighty Father wants to trust you and me to lead our children to salvation. And although it seems like a daunting task, a lot depends on us to help make it happen!
Let’s pray for our children! Let’s pray for them day and night, never tiring of taking them to the throne of our Father and presenting them to him - not because God needs to be reminded of who his children are, but to unite ourselves with him and, together, lead our children on the path of good.
To pray for your beloved children use this Prayer to Place Your Child into the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
Prayer to Place Your Child into the Sacred Heart of Jesus
[using the prayer of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque]
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of <state your request> for <name>.
Our Father….
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of <state your request> for <name>.
Our Father….
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of <state your request> for <name>.
Our Father….
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
Hail Mary….
Glory Be to the Father….
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.
Say the Hail Holy Queen prayer
and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
-----------------------------
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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