Jesus, High Priest
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.
1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.
The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]
The Word Among Us
Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:1-5
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3)
This image seems rather exaggerated. Obviously, we couldn’t imagine walking around for even one second with a wooden beam in our eye, let alone a splinter! But Jesus often used such dramatic images to get the attention of his listeners. So why does he make such a glaring contrast between the small and the large here?
Because Jesus cares deeply about the way we perceive one another. When we focus our attention on criticizing the people around us, it can make us blind to our own faults. And it’s clear that Jesus considers this kind of spiritual blindness to be a very serious problem. In fact, he says that the very reason he came to earth was so that those “who do not see might see” (John 9:39). Think about the Pharisees Jesus rebukes later in Matthew’s Gospel. He calls them “blind guides” because they try to guide their followers’ behavior but don’t seem to be guiding them closer to the call to love God and neighbor (23:24).
What Jesus really wants us to focus on is the heart of the law; he wants us to see his heart for our neighbors. And if the “wooden beam” of sin is getting in the way of that, we need to see that too—and get rid of it. Jesus isn’t interested in condemning us for our sin or burdening us with shame about it. He just wants us to be free of it so that we can love him more fully and see our neighbors the way he sees them.
Let’s face it—sin obscures our vision, especially the way we look at other people. It can make us suspicious of their motives, and it can lead us to put people in negative categories. So take some time today and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see the “plank” in your own eye, the sin that clouds your perception of other people. Ask the Lord to forgive you. Then let Jesus help you to see as he sees.
“Lord, help me to see myself and each person I will meet today in the light of your truth—and the fullness of your mercy!”
2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18
Psalm 60:3-5, 12-13
One Bread, One Body
Monday, June 22, 2020
> >St. Paulinus of Nola, Sts. John Fisher & Thomas More
2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15, 18
Psalm 60:3-5, 12-13
cause and effect
“They did not listen...they rejected [God’s] statutes...and the warnings which He had given them.” —2 Kings 17:14, 15
The Israelites experienced the consequences of rejecting God thousands of years ago, and modern society is following the same path. If the causes are similar, the results may be as well.
• Persist in sin, and receive the wages of sin: death (Rm 6:23).
• Condemn others, even silently, and be condemned (Mt 7:2).
• Fail to give alms, and cause others to suffer (Sir 14:4-9).
• Fail to evangelize, and reap a godless society.
• Put your trust in contraception and reap a culture of death.
• Sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind (Hos 8:7).
Our sinful, human nature tends toward death (Rm 8:6), and even pursues death. However, we have hope in Jesus, Who is our only Hope. When we live for Jesus alone, He breaks the destructive cycle of sin and gives us a new set of consequences:
• Repent, obey God’s commands, worship Him alone, and a thousand generations of your descendants receive His mercy (Ex 20:5-6; 1 Pt 2:10).
• Sow God’s Word, and reap much fruit (Mk 4:8).
• Trust God, give alms, and sow your money generously for Him, and He will wipe everything clean for you (Lk 11:42), open the floodgates of heaven to bless you beyond measure (Mal 3:10), and let you reap bountifully (2 Cor 9:6).
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life” (Dt 30:19). Break out of the vicious cycle. Obey God.
Prayer: Jesus, save me from myself. Save me for a life of obedience, service, holiness, and worship. I give my life totally to You.
Promise: “The measure with which you measure will be used to measure you.” —Mt 7:2
Praise: St. Paulinus was born to a wealthy family. After the death of his only son, he began a life of austerity. He was converted to the Faith by Sts. Augustine, Jerome, Martin of Tours, and Ambrose.
