STEP #1: LECTIO / READMatthew 23: 13-22 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.” STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEToday we celebrate the feast day of the Coronation of Mary. What is that? It is literally the crowning of Mary as Queen of all of heaven and earth. Pretty cool. One of my favorite titles for Our Lady is 'Queen of All Hearts.' And I think I love this title because it represents the beauty of Mary but also the beauty of each and every one of us. Each of us was intimately created by God and therefore He has a deep love not only for creation in general, but in particular, you. He created you and knows you. He wants you to be happy in this life and to spend eternity with Him. That is why He gave us our mother, Mary. Not only did He give this humble little woman from Nazareth as mother, but he gave her as Queen. Why? Because queens have the ear of the King. Think about Medieval times, going to the king with a request, you would have felt like a small little ant because you know he is a busy man with a whole governance to rule, but if you could only speak to the queen and win her heart, then you can have confidence that your request will be heard by the king. So it is with our God and our mother, Mary. It is not that we should feel small going to God with our requests, but that He understands how we might feel insignificant or as if He is too distant. He has given us someone who has our attention and our heart, Mary. She who loves us as her own children and will make any request on our behalf to the most benevolent and gracious King, Our Father. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAYWhat is it about the Pharisees that the Lord disapproves? If they lock the kingdom of heaven by their wickedness, what might be ways to unlock those same gates with our own lives? How might Mary be an aid in avoiding Pharisitical tendencies? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE"Mary, Come be queen of my heart." "Mary, I give to your my heart." "Mary I consecrate to you my life." FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...How do you see the Blessed Mother active in your life SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN  Today's prayer was prepared by Rev. Sean Grismer.
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