Step #1: Lectio / ReadLuke 1:39-56 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateToday is the last day of the month of May, where we remember and in a special way pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in honor of her today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. The Visitation, which we just read, is where Mary goes "in haste" to the hill country to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. On a great day like today, it is only fitting to take some special time to reflect on Mary. Elizabeth, realizing even at a difference that there is something special with Mary, knows that Jesus is with her and runs out to greet her. John, in the womb of his mother, notices the presence of Jesus as well, and we hear that he actually leaps in the womb of his mother. Elizabeth is truly convinced then, and lets out her praise and her prayer of thanksgiving that Mary is with her. After this, we hear Mary say some of the most beautiful words ever spoken in Scripture. This prayer that she prays, called the Magnificat, which means "[my soul] magnifies", is one of the most beautiful prayers even prayed and continued to be said each day in the Liturgy of the Hours. At the heart of Mary's prayer is an insight into who she truly is: she is the one who magnifies, who brings into clearer vision, who God is. Right from the beginning, when Elizabeth's attention is on Mary, she points right to the "glory of God" and the "greatness of" her Savior, who of course is her Son. Mary gets a whole month devoted to her, and feast days throughout the whole year, not because of her own greatness but because she ceaselessly magnifies the Lord and points of all those who encounter her to her Son, our Savior. If you don't regularly have a chance to pray to Mary, begin that today. Take some time today to pray the rosary - the joyful mysteries, if you want, contain today's feast in them - and reflect on Mary's constant and fervent desire to magnify the Lord and point you to Him. Are you letting her help you there? Are you developing a relationship with your Mother, who knows you intimately and knows her Son, our Lord, better than anyone, and letting her help your spiritual life? The other big reason we look to Mary, other than her role in leading us to her Son, is her witness of the Christian life. When she says that she magnifies the Lord, she gives us insight into who she is, and also into who we should be. As you pray for Mary's help and intercession today, ask her to help you look more like her, always pointing everyone you meet to Jesus and to His Glory. Our Lady, first among the saints, pray for us! Step #3: Oratio / Pray“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant." How often do you ask for the intercession and help of Mary? What are some steps you can take to grow your devotion to her? Do you make sure to find ways to point those around you to Jesus? What about the way that Mary lived and prayed particularly inspires you? Step #4: Contemplatio / contemplateBlessed Mother, lead me to your Son. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. He comes to the aid of His servants. For the REst Of Your DAy...Carve out time to pray with the Blessed Mother. Say a Hail Mary when you get stressed, and make time later today to say a Rosary. Smartphone Lock ScreenToday's prayer was prepared by Jason Theobald.
STEP #1: LECTIO / READ2 Peter 1: 2-7 Beloved: May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEBeloved: May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. It all begins with the One who loves. You are a beloved child of God… that is your only identity. But who is this that longs for us? He is the God-Man, Jesus. The One in unity with the Father, comes directly to your aching heart to save you from sin, lies, emptiness, bitterness, and from hopelessness… and He desires to bring you to true life, to deep joy, radical love, consistent friendship. He is the lover of your soul. He is the Savior of the world, your Savior. Your Jesus. He is a person… who is God. He is not a figment of your imagination or a comforting thought – He has a living, beating heart for you. He is gentle yet strong. His heart aches for closeness with you. Today is the day the Lord has made for you to know Him. He wants to be known by you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants to fill you with His life and His peace far beyond the expectations of your heart. He wants to be your everything. He gives you every promise and every goodness as St. Peter tells us, but that doesn’t let you off the hook. You’re still invited to say yes to His gift of Faith. Surrender to the reality that God’s goodness could be true. Let Him prove you right. He longs for it. Take chances in love. The reward is great. With His love outstretched, and your grabbing on tight, you can rest your heart in His. He looks at you and sees the depth of your potential goodness. Your faith should lead you to virtue. Choosing to act for Him will form your own heart into one of love for Him. God is so far beyond our understanding, and yet, it is through getting to know Him, and more about Him that this grace and peace may be ours in abundance. Living a holy life can feel stale. Being on this journey in faith for so long, there are times I can think back to where I felt like I must be doing something wrong with my faith life… I had felt agitated, lonely, and even hopeless. Peter doesn’t say that sometimes grace and peace are ours…He says that grace and peace may be ours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Gaining knowledge of Jesus is possible on good days and bad days. It may be more challenging in some moments, but let your faith lead you to good action and let that good action stir up the desire to know why you act rightly…the Divine Why…The Lord Jesus Christ. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAYBeloved: May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. How is Jesus inviting you to know Him? What is a way that you can come to know Jesus better?What are the parallels of a relationship with Jesus and others? What could abundant peace and grace look like in your life? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE"For You, Jesus." "Help me see Your abundance." "He wants more for me than I think I deserve." FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Think about Jesus as a friend. How do you picture Him? Think of something to do for Him as your friend to make Him smile. SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN Today's prayer was prepared by Bobby Blood, seminarian for the Diocese of Rockford.
Step #1: Lectio / ReadLuke 9:11b-17 Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets. Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateAs the Catholic Church universal joins together in celebration of one of the highest Feast Days of the Church’s calendar, Corpus Christi, we turn our attention to FOOD, something we all love! Years ago when I spent some time working in the food industry, our entire kitchen staff was often challenged to make gourmet meals out of the simplest everyday ingredients. Frequent special requests would lead us to combining frozen foods, fresh veggies, maybe a few left over steaks from the night before, the secret ingredient and then in no time presto… a beautiful dish for some hungry stomachs. These experiences taught me a lot, but the simple lesson was this…”the secret to a good meal is the love put into it.” On this great Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Jesus reminds us that great meals can come from the simplest everyday ingredients. Bread and fish in the Gospel becomes an abundance of food for 5,000 hungry people. Bread and wine through the power of the Holy Spirit become truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Think about this… a few ingredients offered with great love can become an incredible meal that feeds billions. Holy Mass is important beyond our understanding because Jesus, who is LOVE ITSELF, gives the totality of who He is so we can have the best food (the Eucharist); food that carries us to eternal life. Even though the ingredients might seem simple at Mass, know that because of His Love, we are present not only at the Cross, but partaking in a gourmet meal, a true foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet. Praise God for this gift! Step #3: Oratio / Pray"Five loaves and two fish are all we have." Is your favorite food earthly or heavenly? Be honest! Jesus promises eternal life for those who eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. Is there anything that keeps my from this great promise? Where do I need to put more love into my devotion to the Eucharist? Is Jesus calling you closer to Him? Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." "They all ate and were satisfied." For the Rest of Your Day...Have you encountered Jesus today in the Eucharist? He is waiting for you. Stop by for a visit... better yet, if it is not too late for Mass, come and receive Him who is our Heavenly food. Smartphone Lock SCreenToday's prayer was prepared by Fr. John McNamara.
STEP #1: LECTIO / READGospel: Mark 11: 27-31 Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”– they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” Then Jesus said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.” STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEHave you ever wanted to win an argument so badly you start speaking nonsense? I have. I have a huge need to always be right. Even to the point of making up some weirds things just so I don’t have to admit I was wrong. One time, my mom scolded me for not closing the front door, so I told her I purposely left it open so I could hear the rain. Yeah....not my brightest moment. But I was put on the spot and needed to be right. That is exactly what happened to the chief priests in today’s Gospel. They have a need to be right and to prove Jesus wrong. They wanted to trap Him. They wanted to make Jesus say something that they could use against Him. If Jesus said He was acting under His own power, they could arrest Him for saying He is God. If He said God gave Him authority they could arrest Him for blasphemy or basically saying God did something that God did not. But Jesus of course was too smart for them. He knew what they were trying to do. He knew they had given Him a no win scenario. They were trying to arrest Him, or prove Him wrong. He knew they would be looking for Him to make a misstep. Jesus then found a third option to the no win scenario. He gave them a dilemma right back. They knew they could not answer without admitting Jesus was God or without angering the crowd around them. Stuck, they decided not to answer. They become silent. They are unable to handle the truth of the matter. This Gospel works to help us understand not only the importance of telling the truth but also about facing it. When we are unwilling to admit to the truth we have to twist and wiggle (or say you purposely let the wain come in the house) just so that you still appear to be right. When you continue to deny the truth before you you dig yourself a deeper and deeper hole. The chief priests were eventually left with no other option but to wrongly kill Jesus. Admitting the truth may be hard, but often it is a freeing feeling. It might be humbling, but it opens you up to a brighter, freer, fuller future. “Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit by which it soars to the truth.” ― St. Pope John Paul II STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAY“Faith and Reason are like two wings of the human spirit by which it soars to the truth.” How do I respond when confronted with the truth? Do I believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life? How can I share the truth of the Gospel? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE"Jesus, share the truth with me." "I want to soar to the truth." "Guide me to share your truth." FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Today, pray about how you can share the truth about Jesus with others. How can you share that He is Lord and that He is important to you? SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN Today's prayer was prepared by Lisa Kendzior.
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