Peace be with you!

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

As I write this, I pray for all our families that we be open to the Holy Spirit, to melt us, mould us and fashion us, modelled on the Holy Family of Nazareth.

“Let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts” exhorts St Paul to the Colossians (3:15) in today’s second reading. How true! If we have to have peace in our world, in our country, in our city, in our neighbourhood, in our housing society, in our home… it must first start in the hearts of you and me. For too long many of us have put on masks that ‘all is well’, but deep down in our hearts we harbour pain, hurt, anger and unforgiveness. May the Child of Peace, with His gentle touch restore our peace.

Pope Benedict XVI in his Christmas midnight Mass homily echoes this sentiment, “God has appeared – as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks (Isaiah 9), we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love your childish estate, your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours.”

And so this month, we focus our prayer on this one aspect of the fruit of the Holy Spirit – PEACE – as we pray for the peace which the world cannot give (Jn14:27), which is endless (Isaiah 9:7) and which surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).

1st January is also the World Day of Peace. The Pope in his message for this day writes, “I would like therefore to devote this message for the XLV World Day of Peace 2012 to the theme of education: “Educating Young People in Justice and Peace”, in the conviction that the young, with their enthusiasm and idealism, can offer new hope to the world.” He specifically focuses on the family and educational institutions. “We are living in a world where families, and life itself, are constantly threatened and not infrequently fragmented”, he adds.

The world, the flesh and/or the devil seem to be stealing our peace… BUT, Psalm 29:11 assures us “The Lord will bless his people with peace”. May we not lose hope but trust in His mercy as we pray ‘earnestly’ and ‘fervently’ for peace, especially in our homes and our hearts. We pray also for peace among believers in Jesus Christ, especially during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that we “may be one… so that the world may believe” in Jesus by our witness (Jn 17:21).

May the Prince of Peace whose Birth we celebrate and for whose return we hope, lead us (Is 11:6). May Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Peace, accompany us.

Planted & Built up

“Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (Col 2:7)

The theme that the youth in Spain and the world over are celebrating at the time of penning this letter seems to be so apt in this ‘crazy’ world around. Everything seems to be in a tailspin - the financial markets reflect the shaky position of the US markets and their European counterparts, while, closer home, the political scenario in India continues to be in a tizzy due to the effects and the after-effects of a corrupt system. We truly seem to be a society on “shaky ground”.

And the journey from ‘shaky ground’ to ‘holy ground’ appears to be what the Lord continually calls us to make. From the call to Moses from the burning bush to the call to our youth to be “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ” the Lord invites us to be “firm in the faith”. Reflecting on this verse, in his letter to the young people, our Holy Father writes, “wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.”

But how do we get individuals and nations to accept His presence and worship Him. Romans 10:14 serves as a pointer to us.

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

The responsibility of the proclaimer is tremendous, the joy and reward even greater. And every baptised is called to be a proclaimer. Paul VI clearly stated “To evangelize, is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium nuntiandi, no. 14). How privileged are we to share the good news… to share in the saving work of our Saviour and Lord.

Thus this month we focus our fervent prayer (James 5:16) for the Proclamation Outreach at Mount Mary’s Basilica in Bandra, Mumbai. As thousands upon thousands come to seek the blessings of the Blessed Mother on her birthday, may they discover the Saviour of Mary in whom her ‘spirit rejoices’ (Luke 1:47) as she loving whispers to them to ‘do whatever He tells’ (John 2:5).

We pray that the Holy Spirit, the ‘chief agent of evangelisation’, prepares the soil of the hearts of the proclaimers (to respond generously with their time, their respect and their love) as well as those to whom they are sent (that they have a ‘restless’ and open heart) so that they will bear fruit in “hundred fold” (Mark 4:8).

We thank God in faith-filled anticipation that the hills of the Mount will be covered with “beautiful feet of those bringing the good news” (Rom 10:15) as volunteers, counsellors, proclaimers are drawn by the Lord of the Harvest for His glory alone. Mary our Mother, guide our steps as you guided and taught the Child Jesus. May our teachers and proclaimers truly ‘witness to the beauty of the Gospel with the joy of faith’ (Intentions of the Holy Father for the month of September).

All for the Glory of God!

As I pen this few lines to you, on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – which I feel is possibly the REAL “Valentine’s Day”, I can indeed feel the surge of love in my heart for my Saviour “who loved me and gave His life for me” (Gal 2:20).

The surge of our hearts, however, must be accompanied by the equal and opposite reaction of our hearts recoiling from sin as we cry the words from the book of Hosea, “My heart recoils within me” when confronted by the thought of ‘going against love’ … which effectively is what sin is.

In the recent past our newspaper and electronic media are buzzing with the news of corruption scandals and fasts. As we reflect on these goings on, and try to discern what the Spirit is saying to us through this, two verses spring out from Scripture;

“You will not let your holy one know corruption” (Ps 16:10)
“Is this the fast that I seek” (Isaiah 58: 5)

While the former Scripture verse refers to bodily corruption, the same can be applied to spiritual corruption as well. If we truly walk in the way of the Lord and yield to His Will then the Holy Spirit shall keep us from all corruption.

The “fast” that the Lord seeks from us, is not only abstinence and fasting from food products, but also one of depriving our ego and starving our pride… so that we can truly be the bread broken for others.

Both these are the essence of the Lord’s Prayer on which we reflect and pray throughout this month. Obedience, flowing out of love, to the Will of God and the readiness to die for love of neighbour, are the two elements that make us “alter Christus (other Christs)”. “On these hang the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40)

This July, let us therefore, truly make the Lord’s Prayer, “our prayer”… so that the “our” in the “our father” comes alive by the power of His Spirit. So that we have the willingness to fast from elements that the Spirit shows us – my pride, my attitude, my desire to jump to conclusions, my stinginess and lack of charity, my eagerness to rush to judge and condemn others, my criticizing nature, my desire for self-glory, etc.

I urge us all, myself included, to spend a few extra moments each day when you pray, to ask the Holy Spirit to show you the areas of “corruption” in your life that need His burning and purifying love. Pray also for the grace to fast from areas of pride and self; that truly the Lord will “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’ as we journey on the path to holiness, which is Christ Himself.

May all we do be for the “Greater Glory of God” and may St Ignatius and the other saints whose feasts we celebrate this month, pray for us. Be with us Mary along the way.

Lent 2011

“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7)

As news swirls all around of corruption, scams and scandals of various hues, I notice myself quickly jumping to judge and condemn. It is so easy to look at the speck, while gingerly dodging the beam in our own eye (Mt 7:3). God’s Word tells us, in what can be viewed as both brutally honest to those in denial and yet calmingly reassuring to those bordering on scrupulosity, that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).

Sin (‘hamartia’ in Greek) means to miss the mark. Even the best sharpshooters tend to miss the mark sometimes, we falsely reassure ourselves. But our mandate from our Lord is very clear, “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Perfect 10/10. Bulls-eye.

For this, rigorous training is need. And Grace. In some sense, that sums up ‘Lent’.

As Pope Benedict XVI in his message for Lent 2011 writes, “The Lenten period, which leads us to the celebration of Holy Easter, is for the Church a most valuable and important liturgical time. As she awaits the definitive encounter with her Spouse in the eternal Easter, the Church community, assiduous in prayer and charitable works, intensifies her journey in purifying the spirit, so as to draw more abundantly from the Mystery of Redemption the new life in Christ the Lord.

He chooses for his theme “You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him.”(Col 2: 12) though which he urges us to rediscover our Baptism, so as to renew our acceptance of the Grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, thus illuminating and guiding all of our actions. He continues, “Through the traditional practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, which are an expression of our commitment to conversion, Lent teaches us how to live the love of Christ in an ever more radical way”.

“By rendering our table poorer and by bearing some form of deprivation – and not just what is in excess – fasting, far from being depressing, opens us ever more to God and to the needs of others, thus allowing love of God to become also love of our neighbour (Mk 12: 31). The practice of almsgiving is a reminder of God’s primacy and turns our attention towards others, so that we may rediscover how good our Father is, and receive his mercy. By meditating and internalizing the Word in order to live it every day, we learn a precious and irreplaceable form of prayer; by attentively listening to God, who continues to speak to our hearts, we nourish the itinerary of faith initiated on the day of our Baptism”, he writes.

This month as we focus our prayer and efforts not to “miss the mark”, by leaning on Grace and disciplining ourselves, we pray especially for our youth. As Pope Pius XII said, “The sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin”.

We pray and fast, for ourselves and our young people, that we move out of the trap of relativism and focus ourselves on the Way, the Truth and the Life. In the words of our beloved Pope, “May our Lenten journey, in which we are invited to contemplate the Mystery of the Cross, reproduce within us “the pattern of his death” (Ph 3: 10), so as to effect a deep conversion in our lives.”

Be Holy!

“…as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

The above exhortation by our first Pope (1 Pet 1:15,16) is the exhortation with which I wish to begin my letter to you this month. We, in the Western India region – Pune, Goa, Mumbai -, have just been treated by the Holy Spirit (thank you, Lord) to a spirit-filled visit by Steve Ray, passionately challenging us to love Christ and His Church, founded upon Peter the rock (Mt 16:18) and reminding us of the primacy of Peter and his successors… and the need to love and obey them.

And here is St Peter, in 1Pet 1:15-16, reminding us of our calling… to be holy. We began 2011 by reminding and recommitting ourselves to our sanctification – our City, our community, our families, ourselves. This month too we continue to pray that our lives be built on the rock. As we focus our prayer on ‘building’ on the rock, we also pray this month for the property / housing aspect of our brethren in Mumbai – those homeless and those harassed by land-grabbers, corruption, etc.

So many of our community are losing their sleep, peace, health, time and money in property-related matters; daily in court, often fighting cases against their own ‘blood’. May they seek first the kingdom of the Price of Peace. In our endeavour for holiness, the writer to the Hebrews reminds us to “Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14). May we strive to build our lives on Jesus Christ the rock (1 Cor 10:4).

February is known, especially by the young, as the month of Valentine’s Day. Let us make full use of this month to fall once again in love with Jesus and His Word. Let us this month celebrate VD – not Valentine’s Day, but Verbum Domini, the recently published post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation (note, we began this letter with an exhortation to holiness by our first Pope and the same theme continues by our present one), on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.

Let each of us, to the best extent possible, get hold of a copy of this wonderful ‘love letter’ by our Holy Father and fall more in love with The Word of the Lord (Verbum Domini). The Word of God assures us that “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” (Mt 7:24) May we build the foundation of our families, our careers and our ministries on the rock of the Word of God.

Verbum Domini (#85) specifically refers to marriage and families and states that “the word of God is at the very origin of marriage (Gen 2:24 & Mt 19:4-8)”. It continues, “The great mystery of marriage is the source of the essential responsibility of parents towards their children… Spouses, through a love which is faithful, reciprocal and fruitful, are the first to proclaim God’s word to their children. To this end the Synod urged that every household have its Bible, to be kept in a worthy place and used for reading and prayer.” We pray especially this month for families, even with small kids, to build their relationships on the Word, by re-discovering, sharing and praying the Word, through a variety of traditional as well as creative methods, including lectio divina, imaginative prayer, skits etc.

I conclude with the same words that Pope Benedict XVI concludes Verbum Domini “May every day of our lives be shaped by a renewed encounter with Christ”.

A Magnificent way to start the year!

My Soul exults in the Lord, And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour…
For the Mighty One has done great things for me, And holy is his name

Mary’s magnificat (Lk 1:46-49) gives us a wonderful disposition with which to start the New Year. An attitude of praise and gratitude. And a true and deep understanding of our identity and purpose ‘in Christ’.

“First of all, I have no hesitation in saying that all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness.” The words of our earlier Holy Father at the start of the New Millennium continue to ring true as we commence our New Year. Pope John Paul II stresses “the call to holiness” as “an intrinsic and essential aspect”. He continues in his Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, “This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thes 4:3). It is a duty which concerns not only certain Christians: All the Christian faithful, of whatever state or rank, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). This ideal of perfection must not be misunderstood as if it involved some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few “uncommon heroes” of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual. The time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living.” (NMI #30,31)

It is towards this end that our intercession this month focuses on praying with renewed fervour for our sanctification. And not only for ourselves, but also that of our communities, our land and our Church. Let us, as intercessors, humbly and boldly take our place, lest the Lord say, “And I sought for anyone among them who would … stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ez. 22:30)

We also wish to take this opportunity to sincerely appreciate each one of you and your continued zeal for intercession. Month-on-month we are edified by your enthusiasm and the feedback we get. Many are going through ‘the valley’ but the grace of God continues to ‘lift our heads’ (Ps 3:3). As we ‘labour’ in prayer for our Church – this month with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Catholic Apologetics Programs – we know that our ‘labour is not in vain’ (1 Cor 15:58).

Pope John Paul II continues, “This training in holiness calls for a Christian life distinguished above all in the art of prayer.” (NMI#32) “Our Christian communities must become genuine “schools” of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly “falls in love”.

How grateful we are to the Holy Spirit, our sanctifier, who has inspired the Church to begin every New Year honouring Mary–the Mother of God. A model of holiness and prayer. May her blessings and prayers be with us throughout this year as we ‘press on’ (Phil 3:12) to ‘sanctify ourselves’ confident that ‘tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among’ us (Joshua 3:5). Let us boldly say “I know not what my future holds, but I know Who holds my future.” Wish you a Holy New Year ahead.

Year End Musings

As I sit to write this year’s last letter on a day which many celebrate as Thanksgiving Day, my mind rejoices with the psalmist who says “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart” (Ps 138:1). Indeed there is so much to praise and thank God for, as we come to the end of this year.

Some interesting thoughts come to mind: For a finite year we thank an infinite God, for a year coming to an end we thank a God who is from everlasting to everlasting (Ps 103:17), as the year becomes ‘old’, our God’s mercies are ever new (Lam 3:23). How blessed we are! Halleluiah!!!

“Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5) our Lord assures us, as we come to the end of the old year. We pray for a renewed heart and renewed spirit (Ps 51:10), a renewed mind (Rom 12:2) and renewed bodies. In addition, this month, we pray for a renewed sense of responsibility as citizens; both as citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20) as well citizens of our planet Earth.

Pope Benedict XVI’s opened this year 2010 by choosing the theme: If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation.As we come to the end of this year, it is for each of us, especially those in Mumbai where the Archdiocese has adopted the theme ‘Care for Creation’, to examine our role in this regard. To the 3 Rs of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’ our Pope adds a fourth, ‘Respect’.

“Respect for creation is of immense consequence”. Our Pope continues “Man’s inhumanity to man has given rise to numerous threats to peace - wars, acts of terrorism, and violations of human rights. Yet no less troubling are the threats arising from the neglect – if not downright misuse – of the earth and the natural goods that God has given us. For this reason, it is imperative that mankind renew and strengthen “that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying””.

This month as we celebrate the birth of the firstborn of all creation (Col.1:15) we bring to the manger our promise to respect creation. How amazing that He, through whom and for whom all things in heaven and on earth were created (Col.1:16), chose to be born in an ‘eco-friendly’ manner – a cave for his shelter, straw for his bed, animals for company, the night sky with the bright star overhead. May we too uncomplicate our Christmas celebrations.

Santa Claus didn’t die on the cross for us. May we always remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. May we, in this season of giving, celebrate Him who sent us His Son (John 3:16), celebrate Him who emptied Himself (Phil 2:7) and celebrate Him who gives us a variety of gifts (1 Cor 12:4).

O Come let us adore Him. Christ the Lord. Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

The Lord be with you… (and you say?)

The Lord be with you.

And before we mechanically say in our minds, “And also with you”, I would like you (and me) to pause and reflect on these words we hear so very often.

Do we realize the importance of these words? Or are we become so numbed by the pressures of the day and the noises around us, that instead of having goose-bumps every time we hear these words, we rattle off our response like a well-rehearsed formula.

“The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28) said the angel to Mary. And the process of the greatest miracle in history began when Mary replied with her ‘FIAT’ (yes). Another recent “miracle” reminded us of the power of ‘God with us’.

Yes, the term “miracle” was used liberally, the world over, by the so-called ‘secular’ media when they reported the rescue of the trapped miners from the Copiapo mines in Chile. Amidst fireworks and flags and banners and buntings and noise and gaiety one could not miss the presence of the clasped hands, the clutched rosaries, the pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the well-worn Bibles, the quick signs of the cross, the bended knees, the T-shirts carrying in bold letters ‘gracias, senor’ (thank you, Lord). All this in full glare of the world-wide media (one channel alone reported over 7 million viewers). All well summed up in the words of one of the 33 miners when they were still trapped, “There are actually 34 of us, because God has never left us down here.”

How wonderfully reassuring to know that God is with us, He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deut 31:6). Even in our deepest, darkest moments he is there (Ps 23:4). In the case of the Chilean miners the outcome was jubilant; in some cases the end-result seems cruel, harsh, unbearable, tragic. The true miracle is in the journey… where He walks with us. In our joys and in our sorrows, He is with us. Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14, Mt 1:23).

As we, this month, enter into the liturgical new year of the Church with the season on Advent, may we be alive and alert to His presence in our lives. He is with us. He walks with us. He dwells in us. In all His greatness, splendour and majesty (Psalm 104:1,2), the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, abides (Jn 15:5) with His people.

This month as we celebrate the feast of Christ the Universal King, let us truly make Him the king of our hearts, our lives and our homes.

May the Lordship of Jesus and the establishment of His kingdom be our hearts greatest desire and may the Holy Spirit our helper (Jn 14:26) help us to make it a reality.

Musings from Staten Island

There she stood magnificent and glorious. At the gateway to the city which is arguably the gateway to the world. The lady ‘who never sleeps’ watching over ‘the city that never sleeps’. I still can vividly see in my mind’s eye the image during my visit to New York a couple of weeks ago when I paid a visit to the lady. With the symbol of hope in her hand – hope for a hurting and hopeless world.

And yet all eyes were focused on the lady across the river.

While thousands, in fact millions, visit the lady with the torch a.k.a. the Statue of Liberty, there was not a single visitor at the time I paid a visit to the church of Our Lady of the Rosary across the street from the Staten Island ferry terminal. Granted it was an odd hour of the day but the contrast was indeed dramatic; at that very hour hundreds were pouring into ferries / cruises to marvel at one of the most universal symbols of Freedom and Democracy, while the lady that gave birth to the ‘One Who sets us absolutely free’, often goes unnoticed.

The month of October is indeed a blessed month – a month dedicated to praying for the Missions as well as the month of the Holy Rosary. Pope Paul VI was abundantly clear and direct, saying “To evangelize is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium Nuntiandi, no. 14).

And so this month we pray for missions and missionaries all over the world, especially for the land of the Americas (Canada, USA and Mexico) – the land that is at the forefront of global economic and political power; a land in a position of tremendous influence and yet increasingly gripped by a culture of death.

We pray though the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and the patroness of the pro-life movement. And providentially we are not the only ones praying for the Americas at this time. During these months, culminating on Dec 12th the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a group known as the Knights of Columbus are conducting ‘the running of the rose’, wherein three silver roses (representing the prayers and devotion of the people of Canada, USA and Mexico) will be carried across the length and breadth of the Americas. This year there are 3 roses travelling simultaneously starting in Ontario and then travelling on the west coast, central United States and the east coast. All three roses will meet at the same time in Texas to travel over the International Bridge and thereon to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. May Mary unite all our prayers that America desires and comes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We also remember in our prayer, missionaries in our own motherland and pray for those who are persecuted for their faith in Christ. We pray of ourselves that we transformed by the ‘renewal of our minds’ (Rom 12:2), as each one of us, who are baptised, is called to be a proclaimer of the Good News – by our words and more importantly by our very lives. May St Teresa, patroness of missions, be an example of joyfully offering our ‘ordinary’ daily lives for the Gospel.

We also gratefully thank the Holy Spirit, the chief agent of evangelisation, for the graces rained down on all the pilgrims He ministered to through the volunteers at the Proclamation Outreach at Mount Mary’s Basilica. What marvels the Lord worked for us; indeed we are glad. (Ps 125:3). Praise you, O Lord of the Harvest.

October 2010

(We apologise for publishing our intercessions late this month - I have pre-dated it here while loading so it shows 1st October as the date of posting. I really hope you pray all the intentions of the days missed as well! Remember God is never in our debt - when you pray for others, He will repay you abundantly!)

Daily Intercessions through the Word of God – April 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
Fri
1/10/2010 1 Cor 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor, Patroness of the Missions. Saint Therese of the Child Jesus preferred the anonymity of the cloister. She never went on ‘missions’, never founded a religious order, never performed ‘great works’. In the brief 24 years that she lived on this earth, her graces touched the lives of so many. She was devoted to simplicity and the accomplishment of small dutie, in the service of God. In this month dedicated to the Missions, we ask God to give us the grace to offer all the things we do during the course of the day, however small and insignificant they may be, for the salvation of the world and the strengthening of His Church. This month we focus our prayers for missionary work, with a specific emphasis on the Americas. We also focus on praying the Rosary, that it may once again be a time of prayer to bring the whole family together. Let us also pray specially for missionary work in our nation

Sat
2/10/2010 Ps 91:11 For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways
Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, ‘Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life’ (CCC 336). Let us constantly ask for their protection against all the wiles of the enemy and pray – Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, rule and guide. Amen

Sun
3/10/2010 Matt 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell
We lift up areas in our country, especially Karnataka, where violence against Christians is on the rise; may God restrain the designs of the evil forces operating there so that His people may be able to live in peace and that the Gospel reaches all peoples. Pray for persecutors also

Mon
4/10/2010 Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well
As the church celebrates the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Founder of the Franciscans - we pray through his intercession that the youth in the Americas may have an experience, like him, of renouncing worldly values to follow Christ. We also pray very specially for youth animators in parishes all over the Americas that they would be role models, another Christ for the youth to imitate. For this XLIII World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict VI has chosen the theme: If You Want to Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation. As St. Francis is also the Patron Saint of Ecology and the Environment, we pray for our city and world suffering from pollution and global warming

Tue
5/10/2010 John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly
Today is pro-life Day; say this prayer for United States of America which is in the clutches of a culture of death, that God would reverse this anti-life attitude - Father, we beg Your blessing for the Right to Life, the Unborn, the weak, the sick and the old; all who are finding themselves being targets of the vicious culture of death; that our Lord Jesus bless and protect all who stand up for the Christian dignity of persons. Enlighten those who are traveling down death’s highway by their involvement, in any way, with either the contemporary death culture, selfism, relativism, or any of the new age errors of our times. Help America to turn from the sin of abortion and return to Christ, and once again become a Christian nation, on the narrow road, that is, the path to becoming a nation and culture under God. Amen

Wed
6/10/2010 Matt 9:32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven
We pray for Christian missionaries working in very hostile, trying and difficult situations all over the world; may they see the fruit of their labour and in times of loneness and despair; may the comforter the Holy Spirit, strengthen and console them to press on and not give up for Christ’s sake. We also seek God’s Hand of favour and protection on each one of them as they labour to bring people into God’s kingdom

Thu
7/10/2010 Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary - In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted ‘Our Lady of Victory’ an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, for the success of the mission of the Holy League to hold back Muslim forces from overrunning Western Europe. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast day to ‘Feast of the Holy Rosary’ - through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may the Lord block every attack of the enemy against the Church and her people in the Americas. Pray the Rosary today for the Pope’s intentions

Fri
8/10/2010 2 Chro 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land
We fast today for the Americas as we begin a nine day novena tomorrow, that the Gospel which was brought to these lands amidst much hardship, sacrifice and sufferings by the early missionaries, may through their intercession continue to bear much fruit in our times and that out of every evil influence and culture that prevails there, God would raise up many God fearing men and women to once again bring back the Gospel. Each day of this Novena the following should be prayed - the Invocation for that day, the Refrain and an Our Father, 3 Hail Marys and a Glory be. Refrain: O Lady of Guadalupe, pray for the Church in America for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit

Sat
9/10/2010 1 Pet 1:16 Since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy
Invocation Day 1: Mary, Mother of Jesus, hear the prayer for the Church in N. America – Canada, USA and Mexico, a people rich in promise, a people much in need of God’s mercy and grace. As you brought forth Jesus to the world, draw them to Christ. We pray for holy priests who would use the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit for building the kingdom and that their lives would reflect lasting fruit

Sun
10/10/2010 Exod 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
Invocation Day 2: Mary, Mother of America, hear the many voices of their land pleading for the mercy of your Son, seeking the shepherd’s voice to lead them on the right path. Hear the praise of your sons and daughters and bid your Son to free them from the scourges of sinful addiction – drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, pornography, materialism, hedonism, homosexuality, gambling, occult, rock culture, selfishness, want etc. Pray that the Lord would raise up spirit filled workers in His vineyard to spread the Gospel of hope

Mon
11/10/2010 Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land
Invocation Day 3: Mary, Mother of Compassion, hear the prayer of those most in need of God’s mercy. Hear the little child whose belly hungers, the old man with no one to love, the mother tempted to abandon/abort her child. Pray for them to the author of life, that the Fruit of your womb may save and protect them. Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to dispel those lands from the culture of death

Tue
12/10/2010 Ezek 36:25-26 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you
Invocation Day 4: Mary, Mother of Conversion, pray to your Son for the virtue of hope among youth, that He frees them from doubt and gives them the courage to be children of God. Pray that the light of the world may dispel the darkness of fear, remaking their stony hearts in the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus your Son. Pray for a renewal of faith to sweep over the Church, especially bishops and priests

Wed
13/10/2010 Ps 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
Invocation Day 5: Mary, Mother of all Saints, pray for your children in America. Pray for those who seek to imitate your example in humble service to the Gospel of Life and the poorest of the poor. Pray that your Son may lead them from the darkness of sin to the light of His eternal glory. Pray also for vocations to the priesthood and religious life and for discernment for the youth to have the mind of Christ

Thu
14/10/2010 John 17:21 That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me
Invocation Day 6: Mary, Mother of Unity, intercede for the Church in America, that the many Christian denominations may be gathered together to form the one people of the New Covenant. Pray for humility among Christian leaders not to seek their own will and glory but strive for the greater glory of God. Mother of the human race, ask your Son to pour out upon them a spirit of compassion and solidarity

Fri
15/10/2010 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God
Invocation Day 7: Mary, Mother of the Church, help the Church in these lands to follow your example of sublime love and profound humility. With you, may they be obedient to the commandment of love, and give themselves whole heartedly to seeking the glory of Christ and serving the needs of their brethren. Pray for a spirit of self sacrifice, penance and prayer for every Christian in America

Sat
16/10/2010 John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth
Invocation Day 8: Mary, Mother of all Christians, hear the prayers of all who worship the Name of your Son, Jesus, their hope and salvation. Through your intercession, may the Church enjoy unbroken peace and may politicians never detract from the founding fathers of this nation who prepared the constitution keeping the Word of God as its foundation. Protect her from the powers of darkness and deceit

Sun
17/10/2010 1 Tim 4:2 Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching
Mission Sunday- Reminds us of our call to evangelize in word and by our lives. Let us be exhorted by the words of Pope Paul VI: “To evangelize, is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium nuntiandi, no. 14). The Holy Spirit is the chief agent of evangelization…. Lord pour your Spirit afresh on each one of us

Mon
18/10/2010 Lam 3:22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end
Day 9: God of power and mercy, you blessed the Americas with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. By her prayers enable all people in the Church to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Instill justice in their hearts that your peace may reign in the world. We pray for the policies of the governments in America especially USA, that they will use their power and position to facilitate peace and truth

Tue
19/10/2010 Jer 29:7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.. pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare
Keep this day as a day of thanksgiving - giving thanks to the Lord for our city, the government, the municipal corporation and the bureaucrats that govern our city, all the amenities we enjoy, the many schools and colleges that offer our children education to build their future, for the many job opportunities and for the freedom to preach the Gospel. Pray the Rosary today for protection of Mumbai from evil

Wed
20/10/2010 1 Tim 2: 1-2 I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority
Pray for political/civic leaders that God would give them grace to be transparent in all their undertakings for the common good of all peoples. We also pray for the religious leaders of various communities in India that they may be filled with humility and fraternal love

Thu
21/10/2010 Phil 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves
We pray for the authorities in our city that they truly serve the ‘whole’ city – especially the poor and the marginalized. We also pray for the migrants and homeless in our city who are preyed upon and exploited, especially children and women. May the Holy Spirit be with those who are serving the marginalized, especially the Christian institutions, that they may truly reflect Jesus Christ in all that they say and do

Fri
22/10/2010 Luke 12:21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God
We lift up every industrialist in our city who has benefited from its cosmopolitan nature; may God bless them with wisdom and grace not to just amass wealth, but to be ready to share with those who serve them and for the common good of the city and country

Sat
23/10/2010 Ps 129:5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backwards
We pray today for protection against terrorist and their agents whose aim is to cause mayhem and disturb communal harmony in our city. We also pray for those who are brokering peace in the Middle East, that the Lord who walked those lands may draw all men in harmony

Sun
24/10/2010 Rev 5:9b Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God
Today through the Eucharist we pray for mercy, that the ‘Blood of the Lamb’ wash away every sin and evil that our city is associated with. We pray for the homeless, the destitute, the many faceless millions who migrate into our city, that they experience the love of Christ

Mon
25/10/2010 Sir 38:1 Honor the physician with the honor due him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him
We pray for our catholic doctors and lawyers practicing in our city; may they be examples of honesty and integrity for others to follow. We pray for Christian schools/colleges that the young people studying there may experience the light of the Gospel and find meaning in life

Tue
26/10/2010 1 Tim 6:10a For the love of money is the root of all evils
Lift up to our God the builders’ lobby and the corruption between them and the corporators/officials as regards flaunting of FSI, the proposed plans for the SEZs, the underworld tactics to intimidate tenants/land owners, using unscrupulous means of securing public land, etc. We pray for those Christians looking for appropriate housing that Jehovah Jireh will supply their need. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Wed
27/10/2010 Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil
Keep the 2nd Apologetics Convection scheduled in January 2011 in your prayers, that the Holy Spirit will guide every plan and decision

Thu
28/10/2010 Pro 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will direct your paths
Feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude - Pray for all hopeless cases through the intercession of St. Jude

Fri
29/10/2010 Luke 2:37 And as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day
A day of fast for the Night Vigil tomorrow at St. Andrew’s College Chapel; focus of intercession - praying for unity according to Psalm 133:3. Pray also that the Lord will bless, protect and anoint all those serving, attending and those leading

Sat
30/10/2010 Dan 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes
We continue to lift up the Inner Healing Ministry that they are protected and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We also lift up ‘Joyful Noise’, a ministry focused on making young people aware about their music choices

Sun
31/10/2010 Luke 2:32 A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel
We end this month of prayer for the Americas and our city that we Christians may truly live Spirit filled lives, and that each parish focuses on spreading the Gospel; enabling the Church to truly be a beacon of hope for the city

Holy Father’s Intentions for the Month (Pray for these intentions daily)
General Intention: That Catholic Universities may increasingly become places where, in light of the gospel, people may experience the unity of faith and reason. Missionary Intention: That World Mission Day may help Christians realize that the task of proclaiming Christ is a necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity.

—
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.

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