Step #1: Lectio / ReadMatthew 13:44-46 Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateI remember hearing parables and exhortations of this sort when I was growing up. Give up everything I have and follow the Lord? Does that mean I have to give up all of my money, even to the point of not being able to support myself and my family in the future? Does that mean I have to give up all of my clothing for the poor, even to the point where I don’t have sufficient clothing for inclement weather myself? How can the good and gracious Lord desire that I make myself suffer? This was always a point of contention for me, but I’ve come to see what the Lord means in passages like this. He means that we must place all things to be subservient to Him and the Kingdom. All things must be related to our search for the Kingdom of Heaven. All of our money must be virtuously used for our necessities and then to the necessities of those less fortunate. All of our clothing must be used for our necessity wisely and then given to the poor who need our excess more than we do. All of the aspects of our lives must be up for sale when it comes to the buying of our place in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is the pearl of great price, and everything we have must be able to be offered up as an oblation to obtain the Kingdom. For surely our ability to attain the Kingdom of Heaven was bought for us with the pearl of the greatest price: the price of the Body and Blood of Jesus upon the Cross for the remission of our sins. Therefore, no price can be too high for us to pay for Him, as no price was too high for Him to pay for us. Step #3: Oratio / PrayDear Lord, in what way have I placed my worldly desires and possessions above You? Dear Christ, have I buried myself so I don’t have to seek and find You? Dear Lord, do I truly believe that you are the pearl of great price? STep #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate"Lord, show me Your infinite worth." "Lord, grant me the grace to seek and find You." For the Rest of Your Day...Fast from one thing you like to do for the sake of the Kingdom in your life. Smartphone Lock Screen Today's prayer was prepared by Kevin Poynton.
Step #1: Lectio / ReadMatthew 13:36-43 Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateToday is the feast of St. Anne and Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. They were Mary’s parents, the ones who nurtured her as an infant, and gave her the opportunity and faith to become the mother of our Lord. When we think about Mary’s holiness—the fact that she was immaculately conceived without sin, as well as her faithfulness throughout her life—we can see how holy and steady her parents must have been. Though they are not mentioned in the Bible, and we don’t have historical evidence, Church tradition tells us what we know. According to that tradition, Ann and Joachim struggled with infertility and childlessness for many years, much like Abraham and Sarah. They remained fervent in prayer, perseverance, and devotion to our Lord, even through this hardship. One day, long past their childbearing years, their prayers were answered when an angel appeared to announce that they would have a child. Anne promised to dedicate this child to the Lord, and at the age of three, they delivered Mary to the temple of Jerusalem. Anne is the patron saint of unmarried women, housewives, women in labor, grandmothers, horseback riders, unborn children, and cabinetmakers. Joachim is the patron of fathers, grandparents, married couples, and linen traders. Our Gospel today tells us that we must be faithful, like the good seeds, lest we perish, like the weeds. May we look to the holy, upstanding lives of Anne and Joachim, and follow their example of holiness and faithfulness. Step #3: Oratio / Pray"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father." Lord, when am I the good seed? Lord, when do I resemble the weeds? How can I become more like the good seed? More like Anne and Joachim? Saint Anne, Saint Joachim, beloved parents of Mary, "our life, our sweetness and our hope," please ask our Lord to obtain my request. Amen. Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateThen the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Lord, help me be righteous. Holy Spirit, guide my life. For the Rest Of Your Day...St. Anne & Joachim, pray for us! Ask for their intercession as you strive to model their faithfulness and commitment to the Lord. Smartphone Lock Screen Today's prayer was prepared by Andrea Scott.
STEP #1: LECTIO / READMatthew 20:20-28 The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEThink about the biggest thing you’ve ever asked God for. I’ve had many conversations before where I know I have to ask someone for a huge favor, and I’m not quite sure how to ask or how to lead up to it. Sometimes we are afraid to ask for those big things because we worry that we might be rejected or that we might not receive the answer we wanted. As today’s first reading begins, I imagine the mother approaching the Jesus and having a nice, casual conversation, but Jesus knows that there is something more she wants to say. Honestly, I’m amazed by the mother’s fearlessness and boldness in making such a big request for her two sons. Their mother isn’t afraid to ask for something big. She knows her sons were made for greatness and have the potential to be great saints, but she doesn’t realize exactly what she is asking for. To drink from the chalice that Christ drinks means to endure the suffering that Christ would endure. To sit at God’s right and left does not mean that they would get to rule like a typical king or emperor. When he came to earth, Christ did not need to make his authority felt. In fact, he radically redefined what authority looked like. He taught us that the greatest of all is the one who serves and who loves unconditionally without expecting anything in return. Sometimes we ask big things of God and aren’t always happy with or don’t always expect the answer we receive. While we don’t see the mother’s reaction in today’s reading, I can’t imagine that Jesus’ response is quite what she expected. However, that mother’s sons still became great saints. So when we pray and when we ask God for those big things, we need to realize that God has a plan. Even if we don't receive the answer we hoped for, God is still good. Trust in God and that he will answer your prayers in better ways than you could ever imagine. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAY“What do you wish?” What is the biggest thing I have asked God for? Looking back, what are some ways the Lord has answered my prayers in ways I didn’t expect? How am I a servant leader? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE“Lord, hear our prayer.” “Jesus, I trust in you.” “And if not, God is still good.” FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Think about that big thing that you have asked God for. Keep praying and trust that God hears and will answer your prayers even if it’s not in the way that you expect. SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN Today's prayer was prepared by Maggie Overbeck.
STEP #1: LECTIO / READLuke 11:1-13 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEI remember being a child and really wanting a toy submarine. I wanted it so bad that I even made a deal with the Lord: "God if you get this for me, I will never ask you for anything in my whole life." It was as if I only had a certain amount of life-lines to God before He would say "Sorry, you have exceeded the number of requests permitted to each person." And this mentality that I have to bribe God with "I will never ask again" is exactly the opposite of what Jesus encourages us to do in today's Gospel. Jesus encourages us to keep asking!! Jesus gives the example of a man who's neighbor keeps requesting for bread in the middle of the night. And what does he say? "He will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence." It was persistence that turned the heart of the neighbor, even if not done with a generous heart, it will still be done. And that is where God differs from us; God desires to give us that which will make us happy here on earth so that we can be happy in heaven. Consider the toy submarine that I wanted, the "promise" I made to God was similar to saying "God I will be completely satisfied and need nothing else in this life if I could only have that toy submarine." This would be ludicrous! I was a child, of course I would ask for more things! Food, clothing, housing, help with homework, etc! I need to be helped in this life both as a child and as an adult. God never tires of giving us what we want, but we tire of asking as if we are inconveniencing Him. God made US, we did not make God. He is not inconvenienced by us nor is He disappointed in us nor does He tire of loving us. So follow the command of Jesus...ask Him for what you need. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAYGod, where in my life have I limited your power to give me the happiness you desire me to have? What are the deep desires of my heart that you have given me but I have failed to see? Beyond all else what is one thing that I desire most from God? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATELord, if I ask...you will give. Lord help me to receive your gifts. FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Ask God for big things. SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN  Today's prayer was prepared by Rev. Sean Grismer.
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