Understanding & Achieving Spiritual Maturity

In 2001, Christian artist Stephen Curtis Chapman released his song –
God is God. In it, he humbly admits:

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

God is God. And I am not.

To embrace this is to begin to understand true humility. I’m not talking about that kind of false humility and piety that annoys everyone around you. I’m talking about knowing who you are in God. This was my first glimpse at spiritual maturity.

Spiritual maturity is certainly not about “arriving” at a state of holiness and sanctity. It’s much more organic than that.

• Spiritual maturity is about being firmly established in your relationship with God.
• It’s about being comfortable with the fact that He is God and you’re not.
• It’s also about being able to hear what He says about His will for you and your life.
• It’s about abiding in him because we understand His will for us.
• Finally, spiritual maturity is about sharing this Good News with those around you.

Spiritual Maturity is All About Relationship.

Relationship with God is fairly simple. Anyone can do it.

Really.

Jesus gives us a clue to the simplicity of relationship in Jesus gives us a clue to the simplicity of relationship in Luke 6:46-49:

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”

The key here is verse 47:
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them.

Three simple steps:
Come
Hear
Act (Obey)

Simple. So relationship with God looks like this – We come, we listen and we obey. This leads to a firm foundation against the storms and floods of life.

Obstacle Course of Relationship

Unfortunately, we face obstacles to relationship. The primary issue that confronts us is the mixture of truth and lies we develop about God and ourselves. And because we believe this mixture to be true, we act accordingly.

This mixed bag of ideas and understanding comes from our experience of our families, friends, our churches, the media and other influences from our childhood through adulthood. Whether we grew up in stable families or abusive situations, these all form the foundation from which we relate with God.

Our challenge, then, is to sift through the lies and uncover the truth about who God is and who we are. And live there.

Of course, this is so easy to say and often too difficult to do. That’s why we have church. And sacred scripture. And the sacraments. These help us draw near to God and hear his voice. These help us live peacefully in the truth of who we are in God.

Zac Smith understood this completely. A young, thirty-three year old husband and father of three, Zac was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in May of 2009. Unfortunately, the cancer did not respond to chemotherapy and was inoperable due to the diminished state of his liver. Doctors could not offer him any hope.

In an video interview, Zac explained that he found comfort in Matthew 7:11:

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

Zac concluded that God could give no bad gifts – even cancer. And because of this understanding, Zac explained

“This I do know. If God chooses to heal me, then God is God and God is good. If God chooses not to heal me and allows me to die, God is STILL God, and God is STILL good. To God be the glory.”

Even in the face of insurmountable odds and the prospect of leaving his young family without their father, Zac found a way to come into God’s presence, listen to God’s will and to obey God with his whole heart and his whole life.

Because God is God.

That was enough for Zac, who went home to his beloved Father in heaven on Sunday, May 16, 2010. And it should be enough for us too.

Because God is God. To God be the glory.

DaNae Hagelberg’s ‘The Book of Unhidden Secrets. Task One: Forgiveness’

Back Cover:
“‘Mindy, they are sending me to Iraq, and you will be going to stay with your grandparents in Oklahoma. I’ll be gone for a year. I have already talked to them, and you’ll be flying out tomorrow.’

Fourteen-year-old Mindy Hanson isn’t thrilled with the idea of moving to Oklahoma. But from the moment she leaves her father’s side at the airport, strange things begin to happen. Not only is she having extraordinary dreams, but her Bible, the last gift from her mother before she died, starts glowing whenever it’s opened. Soon Mindy and her two new friends, Billy and Tommy, are plunged into an ancient world full of danger and adventure, where they’ll need all their courage and knowledge to survive. In The Book of Unhidden Secrets, DaNae Hagelberg brings historical Jerusalem back to life through the eyes of three unlikely heroes as Mindy and her friends set off on a journey to find King David and complete their task before time runs out. Will they ever be able to return home? Take a look into The Book of Unhidden Secrets to unveil the truth and find a treasure of your own.”

Even before I start the review of this first book in a new series for tweens, let me say, I *loved* the concept of taking the protagonists & her friends back into the Bible into historical Jerusalem to meet King David! From the time I read the back cover I was totally floored and wondered what it would be like if I too could go back into time & visit the Bible greats like David!

I was also a tad worried that the book wouldn’t live upto my expectations and that it wouldn’t be as fun as I hoped - I needn’t have bothered; the book was a fun read.

Not only is it decently paced throughout the book, but the characters are all believable and easy to relate to in today’s world - especially the fourteen year old protagonist Mindy. She’s not a holy joe, in fact far from it. She’s given up her faith post her mother’s death & strange signs or not, she finds it hard to accept God again. The going back to Jerusalem is also well written & interesting from a historical point of view.

My only possible negative critique of the book, was that it was too small & got over way too fast. I would have ideally liked to read more adventure in Jerusalem before the task was completed. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to wait for book 2.

I came under the knife and back again - with tips for you.

I was taken for a heart procedure last week and brought back a few lessons that may be helpful to you.

Before the procedure, I was asked if I had a living will or end of life directive.  I didn’t and my wife doesn’t know if I want to fight on or have the plug yanked in case I’ll turn into a vegetable.

Then I was asked my religion and so was the person next to me.  That cracked me up because my neighbor identified herself as a cafeteria Catholic.

After the interrogation, I was wheeled into the operating room where my groin was shaved.  The female nurse put a skimpy face towel over my pride and joy to give me some assurance of privacy.  At that point, I pretended to be unconscious,  wouldn’t you?  But the doctor kept asking questions so, everyone knew I was conscious.  After a couple of hours the doctor said it was alright.  There won’t be any need for intervention.  I still pretended to be unconscious.  The nurse asked why I was so mellow.  With my groin half shaved and a catheter travelling through my artery, do I have a better choice?

I ended back to the station for monitoring.  I heard that I wasn’t given any anesthesia.  I guess if they don’t hear you wail, scream or groan then you won’t get any.  So, you may want to ask if you ever have this experience.

While laying strapped with tubes, I felt so helpless.  I had to call a nurse to help me pee.  Then there was those moments of solitude.  I did remember to call on an old friend, my Lord Jesus.  I felt him near but not to take me home - not yet.  I sensed a certain disappointment from him about my meaness with Obama and his Catholic supporters.  He seems to say that his way of patience and love will be more effective in the end.  It will be a challenge for me because I hate these Judases with a white heat passion - specially because they facilitate the murder of the weakest and most defenseless: the unborn and the old.

I did have a consolation and that is I tried to follow God’s will most of the time if not always.  I thought of the good that I did when I joined a religious order and taught kids about God.  And my best decision ever was to leave the order because of my doubts about keeping celibacy.  I had a little treasure stashed up in heaven because the Lord saved me and helped me save with an act of love here and there.  How I wish those acts of love were a lot more.  And it is not hard to do.  One needs to forget oneself and forgive others.

But I lived and will see my doctor next week.  He’ll probably tell me to cut down on the red meat.  And I’ll obey.  I’m just in my 50’s and I have 4 young children plus 1 on the way.  Perhaps I can have some more years to my life with life in those years.  It’s up to God’s plan and my cooperation.

More than diet and exercise, I will try to love even my enemies.  I will still expose their deceitfulness and wrong doing but I shall pray for their conversion and not wish them to burn in hell.  I will let go of my resentments and grudges and fight for God and God alone.  I will forgive and let go.  It will be hard but nothing is impossible with God.

Answering Scandal with Personal Holiness by Fr. Roger J. Landry

Below is the text of an inspiring homily given by Fr. Roger J. Landry, a Priest of St Anthony of Padua Parish in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Shared by a Filipino priest serving in a parish church in Osaka, Japan - The text “Answering Scandal with Personal Holiness” is worth reading especially for those who yearn for some answers… It holds good for any kind of personal ‘sins’ of the clergy. A bit long, but faith-building.

The headlines this past week did not focus on the Patriots’ march to the Super Bowl, or on who would QB, Drew or Tom, or even on the President’s State of the Union address and his comment that there are many Al-Qaeda operatives in the US like “ticking time-bombs”. None of these was the top story.

The headlines were captured by the very sad news that perhaps up to seventy priests in the Archdiocese of Boston have abused young people whom they were consecrated to serve. It’s a huge scandal, one that many people who have long disliked the Church because of one of her moral or doctrinal teachings are using as an issue to attack the Church as a whole, trying to imply that they were right all along.

Many people have come up to me to talk about it. Many others have wanted to, but I think out of respect and of not wanting to bring up what they thought might be bad news, have refrained, but it was obvious to me that it was on their mind. And so, today, I’d like to tackle the issue head-on. You have a right to it. We cannot pretend as if it didn’t exist. And I’d like to discuss what our response should be as faithful Catholics to this terrible scandal.

The first thing we need to do is to understand it from the point of view of our faith in the Lord. Before He chose his first disciples, Jesus went up the mountain all night to pray. He had at the time many followers. He talked to his Father in prayer about whom he would choose to be his twelve apostles, the twelve he would himself form intimately, the twelve whom he would send out to preach the Good News in His name. He gave them power to cast out demons. He gave them power to cure the sick. They watched him work countless miracles. They themselves in His name worked countless others.

Yet, despite all of that, one of them was a traitor. One, who had followed the Lord, who had had his feet washed by the Lord, who had seen him walk on water, raise people from the dead, and forgive sinners, betrayed the Lord. The Gospel tells us that he allowed Satan to enter into Him and then sold the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, handing him over by faking a gesture of love. “Judas,” Jesus said to him in the garden of Gethsemane, “Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” Jesus didn’t choose Judas to betray him. He chose him to be like all the others. But Judas was always free, and he used his freedom to allow Satan to enter into him, and by his betrayal, ended up getting Jesus crucified and executed.

So right from the first twelve that Jesus himself chose, one was a terrible traitor. SOMETIMES GOD’S CHOSEN ONES BETRAY HIM. That’s a fact that we have to confront. It’s a fact that the early Church confronted. If the scandal caused by Judas was all the members of the early Church focused on, the Church would have been finished before it even started to grow. Instead, the Church recognized that you don’t judge something by those who don’t live it, but by those who do.

Instead of focusing on the one who betrayed, they focused on the other eleven, on account of whose work, preaching, miracles, and love for Christ, we are here today. It’s on account of the other eleven - all of whom except St. John was martyred for Christ and for the Gospel they were willing to give their lives, to proclaim to us - that we ever heard the saving word of God, that we ever received the sacraments of eternal life.

We are confronted by the same reality today. We can focus on those who betrayed the Lord, those who abused rather than loved those whom they were called to serve, or we can focus, like the early Church did, on the others, on those who have remained faithful, those priests who are still offering their lives to serve Christ and to serve you out of love. The media almost never focuses on the good “eleven,” the ones whom Jesus has chosen who remain faithful, who live lives of quiet holiness. But we, the Church, must keep the terrible scandal that we’ve witnessed in its true and full perspective.

Scandal is unfortunately nothing new for the Church. There have been many times in the history of the Church when the Church was much worse off than it is now. The history of the Church is like a cosine curve, with ups and downs throughout the centuries. At each of the times when the Church hit its low point, God raised up tremendous saints to bring the Church back to its real mission. It’s almost as if in those times of darkness, the Light of Christ shone ever more brightly. I’d like to focus a little on a couple of saints whom God raised up in these most difficult times, because their wisdom can really guide us during this difficult time.

St. Francis de Sales was one saint God raised up after the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was not principally about theology, about the faith - although theological differences came later - but about morals. There was an Augustinian priest, Martin Luther, who went down to Rome just after the papacy of the most notorious pope in history, Pope Alexander VI.

(image (c) Mariopiperni.com)

This pope never taught anything against the faith - the Holy Spirit prevented that - but he was simply a wicked man. He had nine children from six different concubines. He put out contracts against those he considered his enemies. Martin Luther visited Rome just after Alexander VI’s papacy and wondered how God could allow such a wicked man to be the visible head of his Church. He went back to Germany and saw all types of moral problems. Priests were living in open relationships with women. Some were trying to profit from selling spiritual goods. There was a terrible immorality among lay Catholics. He was scandalized, as anyone who loved God might have been, by such rampant abuse. So he founded his own Church.

Eventually God raised up many saints to combat this wrong solution and to bring people back to the Church Christ founded. St. Francis de Sales was one of them. At the risk of his life, he went through parts of what is now Switzerland, where the Calvinists were popular, preaching the Gospel with truth and love. Often he was beaten up on his way and left for dead. Once he was asked to address the situation of the scandal caused by so many of his brother priests. What he said is as important for us today as it was for his listeners then. He didn’t pull any punches.

He said, “Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder,” destroying other people’s faith in God by their terrible example. But then he warned his listeners, “But I’m here among you to prevent something far worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, those who take scandal - who allow scandals to destroy their faith - are guilty of spiritual suicide.” They’re guilty, he said, of cutting off their life with Christ, abandoning the source of life in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He went among the people in what is now Switzerland trying to prevent their committing spiritual suicide on account of the scandals. I’m here to preach the same thing to you.

What should our reaction be then? Another great saint who lived in a tremendously difficult time can help us further. The great St. Francis of Assisi lived in the 1200s, which was a time of terrible immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting horrible example. Lay immorality was even worse. St. Francis himself while a young man even gave some scandal to others by his carefree ways. But eventually he was converted back to the Lord, founded the Franciscans, helped God rebuild his Church and became one of the great saints of all time.

Once, one of the brothers in the Order of Friars Minor asked him a question. The brother was very sensitive to scandals. “Br. Francis,” he said, “What would you do if you knew that the priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?” Francis, without missing a beat, said slowly, “When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the Sacred Body of my Lord from the priest’s anointed hands.”

What was Francis getting at? He was getting at a tremendous truth of the faith and a tremendous gift of the Lord. No matter how sinful a priest is, provided that he has the intention to do what the Church does - at Mass, for example, to change bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood, or in confession, no matter how sinful he is personally, to forgive the penitent’s sins - Christ himself acts through that minister in the sacraments.

Whether Pope John Paul II celebrates the Mass or whether a priest on death-row for a felony celebrates Mass, it is Christ who himself acts and gives us His own body and blood. So what Francis was saying in response to the question of his religious brother that he would receive the Sacred Body of His Lord from the priest’s anointed hands, is that he was not going to let the wickedness or immorality of the priest lead him to commit spiritual suicide. Christ can still work and does still work even through the most sinful priest. And thank God!

If we were always dependent on the priest’s personal holiness, we’d be in trouble. Priests are chosen by God from among men, and they’re tempted just like any human being and fall through sin just like any human being. But God knew that from the beginning. Eleven of the first twelve apostles scattered when Christ was arrested, but they came back; one of the twelve sinned in betraying the Lord and sadly never came back. God has essentially made the sacraments “priest-proof”, in terms of their personal holiness. No matter how holy they are, or how wicked, provided they have the intention to do what the Church does, then Christ himself acts, just as he acted through Judas when Judas expelled demons and cured the sick.

And so, again, I ask, “What should the response of the Church be to these deeds?” There has been a lot of talk about that in the media. Does the Church have to do a better job in making sure no one with any predisposition toward pedophilia gets ordained? Absolutely. But that would not be enough. Does the Church have to do a better job in handling cases when they are reported? The Church has changed its way of handling these cases, and today they’re much better than they were in the 1980s, but they can always be perfected.

But even that is not enough. Do we have to do more to support the victims of such abuse? Yes we do, both out of justice and out of love! But not even that is adequate. Cardinal Law has gotten most of the deans of the medical schools in Boston to work on establishing a center for the prevention of child abuse, which is something that we should all support. But not even that is a sufficient response.

The only adequate response to this terrible scandal, the only fully Catholic response to this scandal - as St. Francis of Assisi recognized in the 1200s, as St. Francis de Sales recognized in the 1600s, and as countless other saints have recognized in every century - is HOLINESS! Every crisis that the Church faces, every crisis that the world faces, is a crisis of saints. Holiness is crucial, because it is the real face of the Church.

There are always people - a priest meets them regularly, you probably know several of them - who use excuses for why they don’t practice the faith, why they slowly commit spiritual suicide. It can be because a nun was mean to them when they were nine. Or, because they don’t understand the teaching of the Church on a particular issue. There will doubtless be many people these days - and you will probably meet them - who will say, “Why should I practice the faith, why should I go to Church, since the Church can’t be true if God’s so-called chosen ones can do the types of things we’ve been reading about?” This scandal is a huge hanger on which some will try to hang their justification for not practicing the faith. That’s why holiness is so important.

They need to find in all of us a reason for faith, a reason for hope, a reason for responding with love to the love of the Lord. The beatitudes which we have in today’s Gospel are a recipe for holiness. We all need to live them more. Do priests have to become holier? They sure do. Do religious brothers and sisters have to become holier and give ever greater witness of God and heaven? Absolutely. But all people in the Church do, including lay people! We all have the vocation to be holy and this crisis is a wake-up call.

It’s a tough time to be a priest today. It’s a tough time to be a Catholic today. But it’s also a great time to be a priest and a great time to be a Catholic. Jesus says in the beatitudes we heard today, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you falsely because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great.” I’ve been experiencing that beatitude first hand, as some priests I know have as well.

Earlier this week, when I finished up my exercise at a local gym, I was coming out of the locker-room dressed in my black clerical garb. A mother, upon seeing me, immediately and hurriedly moved her children out of the way and shielded them from me as I was passing. She looked at me as I passed and when I had gone far enough along finally relaxed and let her children go - as if I would have attacked her children in the middle of the afternoon at a health club!

But while we all might have to suffer such insults and slander falsely on account of Christ, we should indeed rejoice. It’s a great time to be a Christian, because this is a time in which God really needs us to show off his true face. In bygone days in America, the Church was respected. Priests were respected. The Church had a reputation for holiness and goodness. It’s not so any more.

One of the greatest Catholic preachers in American history, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, used to say, that he preferred to live in times when the Church has suffered rather than thrived, when the Church had to struggle, when the Church had to go against the culture. It was a time for real men and real women to stand up and be counted. “Even dead bodies can float downstream,” he used to say, pointing that many people can coast when the Church is respected, “but it takes a real man, a real woman, to swim against the current.”

How true that is! It takes a real man and a real woman to stand up now and swim against the current that is flowing against the Church. It takes a real man and a real woman to recognize that when swimming against the flood of criticism, you’re safest when you stay attached to the Rock on whom Christ built his Church. This is one of those times. It’s a great time to be a Christian.

Some people are predicting that the Church in this area is in for a rough time, and maybe she is, but the Church will survive, because the Lord will make sure it survives. One of the greatest comeback lines in history happened just about 200 years ago. The French emperor Napoleon was swallowing up countries in Europe with his armies bent on total world domination. He then said to Cardinal Consalvi, “I will destroy your Church.” (”Je detruirai votre eglise!”) The Cardinal said, “No you won’t.” Napoleon, all 5′2″ of him said, (”Je detruirai votre eglise!”) The Cardinal said with confidence, “No you won’t. Because, not even we have succeeded in doing that!”

If bad popes, immoral priests and thousands of sinners in the Church haven’t succeeded in doing so from the inside - he was saying implicitly to the general - how do you think you’re going to do it? The Cardinal was pointing to a crucial truth. Christ will never allow his Church to fail. He promised that the gates of hell wouldn’t prevail against his Church, that the braque of Peter, the Church sailing through time to its eternal port in heaven, will never capsize, not because those in the boat won’t do everything sinfully possible to turn it over, but because Christ, who is in the boat, will never allow it to happen. Christ is still in the boat and he’ll never leave it.

The magnitude of this scandal might be such that you may find it difficult to trust priests in the same way you have in the past. That may be so, and that might not be completely a bad thing. But never lose trust in Him! It’s His Church. Even if some of those he chose have betrayed him, he will call others who will be faithful, who will serve you with the love with which you deserve to be served, just like after Judas’ death, the eleven apostles convened and allowed the Lord to choose someone to take Judas’ place, and they chose the man who ended up becoming St. Matthias, who proclaimed the Gospel faithfully until he was martyred for it.

This is a time in which all of us need to focus ever more on holiness. We’re called to be saints and how much our society here needs to see this beautiful, radiant face of the Church. You’re part of the solution, a crucial part of the solution. And as you come forward today to receive from this priest’s anointed hands the sacred Body of your Lord, ask Him to fill you with a real desire for sanctity, a real desire to show off His true face.

One of the reasons why I’m here in front of you as a priest today is because while I younger, I was under-impressed with some of the priests I knew. I would watch them celebrate Mass and almost without any reverence whatsoever drop the Body of the Lord onto the paten, as if they were handling something with little value rather than the Creator and Savior of all, rather than MY Creator and Savior. I remember saying to the Lord, reiterating my desire to be a priest, “Lord, please let me become a priest, so I can treat you like you deserve!” It gave me a great fire to serve the Lord.

Maybe this scandal can allow you to do the same thing. This scandal can be something that can lead you down to the path of spiritual suicide, or it can be something that can inspire you to say, finally, “I want to become a saint, so that I and the Church can give your name the glory it deserves, so that others might find in you the love and the salvation that I have found.” Jesus is with us, as he promised, until the end of time. He’s still in the boat.

Just as out of Judas’ betrayal, he achieved the greatest victory in world history, our salvation through his passion, death and resurrection, so out of this he may bring, and wants to bring, a new rebirth of holiness, a new Acts of the Apostles for the 21st century, with each of us - and that includes YOU - playing a starring role. Now is the time for real men and women of the Church to stand up. Now is the time for saints. How do you respond?

Celebrate Jesus’ love!

What marvels the Lord works for us, indeed we are glad (Ps 126:3).

I write, filled with gratitude at the grace of the Lord for all His many blessings – the more recent of which was an incredible spiritual experience at Lourdes, literally ‘out of the blue’. Miracle after incredible miracle lined-up making a ‘free’ weekend during a business trip turn into one of the most profound experiences of God’s love and provision. Truly we have a great, big, wonderful God (with a great big wonderfully large heart!!!).

And it is this heart that we venerate this month of June as we celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – a celebration and worship of the heart of God which ‘so loved the world’ (John 3:16) ‘while we were yet sinners’ (Romans 5:8). This month we focus our reflection on the ‘heart’ of Christ and the Christian heart – each scripture verse we reflect on each day this month contains the word ‘heart’ to show how precious we are to the heart of God and how much He desires to dwell in our hearts.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). Even to the extent of the horrifying death on the cross, to purchase for us our salvation. Tetelestai. In Greek meaning “paid in full”. This Greek word occurs in John 19:30 where it is commonly translated “It is finished.”

This heart that overflowed with love – to the extent of Him breaking His body and shedding His last drop of blood. To pay the ultimate price. For us and for our salvation (Nicene Creed). This very body and blood we celebrate and commemorate at every Eucharist and in a special way this month on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Truly the Lord desires to nourish and equip us with Himself. As the beautiful prayer of St Francis of Assisi states;

O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself
that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves; so that
He Who gives Himself totally to you, may receive you totally.

As we pray this month, let us daily offer Him our hearts – our constant prayer being “Create in me a new heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps 51:10). May the Lord, the Holy Spirit, constantly find us open and attentive to his promptings and infilling. That He may blow over our lives, our world and our church. We pray in a special way this month for our priests as we come to the close of the Year for Priests – that they find their refuge and strength in the Sacred Heart of Jesus from which flowed ‘the sacramental life of the Church’ (Preface for the Mass of the Sacred Heart). We also remember in prayer those affected by the air tragedy at Mangalore.

May each one of us and our families find our shelter in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.

June 2010

Daily Intercessions through the Word of God – May 2010

Sanctuary Intercessors – India Branch of FBB
International Catholic Charismatic Missionary Intercessors of the Fellowship of the Burning Bush (FBB)
The ‘Intercession Diary’ has the approval and blessings of the Bishops’ Team of the Archdiocese and contains intentions of our Cardinal and the Bishops

(Join us in agreement to intercede each day according to the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit how to pray to actualize God’s promises in each situation)

Day/Date Interceding According to the Mind of Christ

Tue
1/6/2010

1 Pet 3:15 But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence
Feast of Saint Justin Martyr (100–165 AD), an early Christian apologist and saint. We bring to the Lord our shepherds and lay faithful in the church, especially those exposing erroneous teachings in matters of faith and morals and also those cautioning against the dangers of the new age philosophy that is slowly gaining acceptance. Pray for the apologetics ministry in our Archdiocese and The Family of Faith Foundation (FFF), that the Lord would bless their efforts. This month we focus our reflection on the ‘heart’ of Christ and the Christian heart – each scripture verse contains the word ‘heart’ to show how precious we are to the heart of God and how much He desires to dwell in our hearts. This week we prepare our hearts to celebrate worthily the ‘Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ’, reflecting on different parts of the Mass, the ‘heart’ of Christian worship. Today we reflect on the ‘Penitential Rite’; let us offer the Eucharist asking for mercy for those who have strayed away from the faith, specially those living in serious sin, that they would once again come back to Christ

Wed
2/6/2010 Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God
Today as we reflect on the ‘Liturgy of the Word’, ask God to give us a revelation that His Word has the power to heal the sick, deliver those in bondage, save the lost, raise the dead to life again, convict the sinner, give comfort to the hopeless, etc.. May we be blessed with the gift of praying the Psalms daily. Let us offer the Eucharist today that God would make us instruments of the power of His Word to bring healing, deliverance, conviction, faith and hope to those seeking the truth. Feast of St. Peter and St. Marcellinus - two Roman martyrs who suffered under the Diocletian persecution, about the year 303; the first was an exorcist, the second a priest. Through their intercession we pray for the persecuted church in the State of Karnataka that God would give them a firm resolve to stand for Christ

Thu
3/6/2010 James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts
Today as we reflect on the ‘Offertory’, let us offer in the Eucharist all the priests as the close of the Year for Priests nears, that they would offer their lives to the Lord in surrender to His loving will, knowing that His will bring peace, joy and fresh enthusiasm to become other Christs. Feast of St Charles and companions, he was one of 22 Ugandan martyrs who converted from paganism. Through his intercession, pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life in our Archdiocese and for the persecuted church in Uganda and other parts of Africa

Fri
4/6/2010 Mt 18:35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart
Today in prayer and fasting reflect on the ‘Our Father’ – Offer this Eucharist that God would establish His kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, where brotherly love and concern would govern every member in the Body of Christ and that others seeing this would be drawn to Jesus, the true Bread of Life. May we fast and pray for the gift of being able to forgive truly and sincerely from our hearts

Sat
5/6/2010 Col 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful
Reflect on the ‘Sign of Peace’ – Let us offer the Eucharist today that we in the Body of Christ would know that peace is a gift from the Lord won for us through the cross, and having received it, we would spread it to those around us. Feast of Saint Boniface, a Benedictine monk, born in England. He was consecrated the first bishop of Germany after only four years of preaching there. He organized the Church in this area. He was martyred while preaching among the Frisians. We ask through his intercession that the materialist, hedonist and the ungodly part of society of Great Britain would return back to Jesus. Pray the Rosary for vocations to the priesthood in Europe

Sun
6/6/2010 Lk 24:30-32 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them…Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us
Feast of Corpus Christi. We pray for a renewed love for the Eucharistic Lord, that by sincerely and fully participating in the Eucharistic Meal, we may become more and more like Christ daily. We pray specially for all those in the church who have doubts of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist; may God forgive their unbelief and grant them grace to believe

Mon
7/6/2010 1 Thes 2:4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts
We lift up the following priests - Shavito Correia, Lawrence D’Souza, Sean Sequeira, Gavin Lopes, Alban D’Souza, Tarsicius Fernandes, Sachin Lopes, Navin Mendonca, Michael Pen, Henry Sequeira and Daniel Fernandes- ordained this year for our Archdiocese. As they begin their priestly ministry in the various parishes, pray that their first love would always be the Lord and from it would flow their love for the flock, reaching out to God’s people in compassion and concern. May they be fired with zeal by the Holy Spirit to proclaim with joy

Tue
8/6/2010 John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me
We lift our students awaiting their X standard board results; may God fill their hearts with His peace, take away all unnecessary anxiety and panic. We pray that those who have put in their best would reap the fruit of their efforts and those who fail have grace to learn from their mistakes and make it a stepping stone to success. We pray that failure may not drive students to take the extreme step of suicide and that they would be delivered from the spirit of despair and frustration

Wed
9/6/2010 Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him… he will direct your paths
We remember in prayer today all the seminarians studying for the priesthood in our Archdiocese. We pray specially for those joining this year that as they study God may confirm in their hearts His call to holiness and service of His people; may they also grow in stature, wisdom and knowledge and may the favor of God rest upon them

Thu
10/6/2010 Phil 1:12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you
Let us lift up in prayer the newly appointed parish priests in our Archdiocese that God would give them strength to face new challenges, new settings and grace to be totally devoted to the people they serve. Also keep in prayer every priest transferred to a new parish

Fri
11/6/2010 Matt 11:28, 29 Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Retired Navy Rear Adm. Jeremiah A. Denton Jr. recounted his seven years and seven months as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War in his 1975 book, ‘When Hell Was in Session’; made into a movie in 1979. In the most difficult moments, Denton had remembered the formal prayer he often said and repeated the words with reverence, ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to Thee’. Let us say this prayer for ourselves, our families and the church, especially our priests, as we close the Year for Priests

Sat
12/6/2010 Lk 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart
Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary – Let us consecrate every family in our Archdiocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, asking for her motherly protection for each of us and her intercession to keep us united in love for Jesus and each other

Sun
13/6/2010 Matt 14:27 Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid
Truly the family is the cradle for vocations. Today let us honour the parents of each of our newly ordained priests who have so willingly given their sons to serve in the vineyard of the Lord; may God bless them with good health and meet all their needs, spiritual and temporal, and may they know that God cannot be outdone in generosity

Mon
14/6/2010 Lk 1:66 And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him
As the new academic year begins, we pray for all students to take interest in their studies right from the start. Pray for student-teacher relationships. Pray for every non-Christian studying in our Catholic schools and institutions in our Archdiocese, that the Holy Spirit may create a curiosity in their hearts and minds about the person of Jesus and may this grow into a hunger so that the fullness of the Gospel and the knowledge of Christ as Saviour would one day reach them

Tue
15/6/2010 2 Cor 4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart
We lift up the principals of every catholic school/college in our Archdiocese. As the new academic year begins, may God empower them with a vision to use our schools as vehicles where the Gospel would be made known. Also pray that God would use them to strengthen the faith of catholic students by giving them grace to know that the highest purpose of the curriculum is moral and spiritual. Pray also for strength for our principals to withstand the pressures of politicians for admissions during this time

Wed
16/6/2010 2 Cor 7:2 Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one
Continue to pray that the Government in Karnataka and other states would shun and book under the law, every fundamentalist person/organisation still terrorising Christians; may God grant them a firm resolve to protect Christian lives and property

Thu
17/6/2010 Jn 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water
We pray that our city, state and country would receive adequate supply of rains this monsoon, so that our lakes would be filled with enough supply of drinking water, our fields would receive the just amount for a plentiful harvest and our other requirements would be met

Fri
18/6/2010 Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
Fast and pray for the pilgrimage to the Holy Land organized by Fr. Byron Mendonca and supported by FBB, for God’s hand of favour on all the arrangements as regards the pilgrimage namely; visas, flights, immigrations, travel, border crossings, hotel accommodation

Sat
19/6/2010 Eph 3:17 …So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love
Lisbon, Portugal (RGJ.com, May 11/01) Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday blamed the church’s own sins for the clerical abuse scandal — not a campaign mounted by outsiders - and called for profound purification to end what he called the ‘greatest persecution’ the church has endured. Spend time in prayer imploring our Eucharistic Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to bring good out of this evil situation

Sun
20/6/2010 2 Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart
Let us joyfully keep Sundays holy unto the Lord and as we worship the Lord today through the Holy Eucharist - the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC 1324) - let us offer this Eucharist for all our brethren to freely keep this day always as a day unto the Lord

Mon
21/6/2010 Ps 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart
Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian noble and son of a compulsive gambler, who grew up in a castle. Through his intercession, we pray for our college-going youth in our Archdiocese, that God will give them direction for the future and discernment to keep away from sin. Lift up children facing hardships in the home with alcoholic, unfaithful, workaholic or chemical dependant parents that they would not lose hope but experience the love of God in Christ Jesus

Tue
22/6/2010 Rom 5:5b God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us
Let us pray the Rosary for the conversion of Europe and America to find their roots in Christ and the Gospel

Wed
23/6/2010 1 Tim 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith
We pray that citizens in our city would be aware that all maintenance and re-surfacing of roads with paver blocks, construction of drains, footpaths, etc is financed from taxpayers money and not through the kind favour of any politician as advertised. Continue to pray that anti-people schemes would be thwarted, including the plans for the SEZ in the Gorai-Uttan Belt thus safeguarding our Christian villages

Thu
24/6/2010 Col 4:8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts
As we intercede with St John the Baptist, may God raise many prophets in the Church with a mission of urgency so that they would turn many of the sons in the Church to the Lord their God, and walk before the Lord in the spirit and power of Eli’jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make the people ready for the coming of the Lord

Fri
25/6/2010 Lk 9:47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side
A suggested day of fast – Pray for the upcoming night vigil at St. Andrew’s College Chapel, Bandra. Theme: Putting Christ back in our School Curriculum and praying that our children be equipped, when faced with difficult situations, to turn to Jesus

Sat
26/6/2010 Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled
Pray for the work of the two ministries ‘Inner Healing’ and the ‘Joyful Noise’ that the Lord would continue to use them in our city

Sun
27/6/2010 Acts 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us
We continue to pray for the proclamation effort at Mount Mary’s Basilica, Bandra. We pray that the Lord of the Harvest sends a new zeal among the labourers to reach out to the non-Christians who are being prayed with

Mon
28/6/2010 Acts 27:25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told
Feast of St Irenaeus Bishop and martyr, his writings give him an honored place among the Fathers of the Church for they laid the foundations of our theology. Pray for our Cardinal and bishops that they would always guard the deposit of faith passed on by the apostles

Tue
29/6/2010 Eph 3:13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory
Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul – Through their intercession, may the church be strengthened in these difficult times to withstand the onslaught of the enemy and be bold in proclaiming the Gospel to all men that Jesus is Saviour and Lord

Wed
30/6/2010 Gal 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father
As we come to the end of this month, we pray to the Holy Trinity to truly dwell and rule in our hearts. May our constant prayer be ‘Create in me a new heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me’

Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month (Pray for these intentions daily)
General Intention: That elections in every nation may be carried out with justice, transparency, and honesty, respecting the free decisions of citizens.

Missionary Intention: That Christians may strive to promote everywhere, but especially in our cities, education, justice, solidarity, and peace.

—
Vetted by Fr Byron Mendonca, Assistant Parish Priest, Mt Carmel Church, Mumbai, India.
All scripture passages are taken from Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
We suggest you print out this page & keep it in your Bible.
Please contact Royston@Glorify-God.com for any feedback.