Daily Devotion July 6, 2021

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Prayer for the Week (July 4-July 10, 2021)

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Let us pray that we reject not the Word of God
    coming among his own:
God, our Father without equal, your Son, your Word,
    came among us as one of our own,
    our own flesh and blood.
Dispose us to welcome him always and to listen
    to what he tells us through the Holy Spirit,
    even when his Word upsets and disturbs us,
    for it is a Word of life and grace.
Give us the courage to pass on his Word to one another,
    so that it liberate us all and lead us to you as your one people.
Amen.                                                                                                     (Claretian Publications)

Sunday Reflection (July 4, 2021)

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Do you ever reason as Paul had at one time?  If only I could rid myself of this one thorn in the flesh, then I would be complete for God’s work and indeed do more (2 Corinthians 12:2-10). Paul reminds us: Divine 
power reveals itself through human weakness. God works through us despite our imperfections, and as a point of clarification, this is not an excuse for doing nothing to overcome a weakness; rather, it is recognizing the difference between weaknesses and thorns in the flesh that we can conquer and those we cannot.
 
If we admit our weaknesses, we begin to come to terms with God’s grace, and when we experience God’s grace, we can help others who are dealing with their own weaknesses and thorns in the flesh:  We need God and one another. We do not have to strive to be somebody we are not. God takes us as we are and works through us as we are and transforms each one of us in a unique way unto the Image of Christ, despite our thorns in the flesh.

Daily Devotion June 29, 2021

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Prayer for the Week (June 27-July 3, 2021)

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Let us pray for the strength to reject
    the darkness of sin:
Father in heaven, the light of Jesus has scattered
    the darkness of hatred and sin.
Called to that light, we ask for your guidance.
Form our lives in your truth and our hearts in your love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Sunday Missal, alt.)

Sunday Reflection (June 27, 2021)

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Despite all the hardships King Saul had caused David, David had
kind words for King Saul. David was able to see the positive in King Saul
and what he had done for the Israelites (2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27).
Think about it: When someone has done us wrong, how difficult is it
to see their good side?
 
Psalm 130, attributed to David, reminds us of God’s graciousness to us 
despite our sins. In Christ, “God responds to us with grace and 
forgiveness rather than the wrath of God” (NIV Jesus Bible, alt.).
May we likewise respond with grace and forgiveness rather than wrath.

Daily Devotion June 15, 2021

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Sunday Reflection (June 13, 2021)

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Think of ourselves and Christ’s Church as farmers who plant seeds, and the seed that we plant together is the Good News of Jesus Christ.  
We plant it through our proclamation and actions in response to God’s love revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  Yet, planting seeds is not always easy. 
We do not always see the results of that which we have planted (Mark 4:26-32).
 
Someone else may reap the benefit of that which has been planted through us. This can lead to discouragement, or to a greater faith 
in God’s ability to bring to fruition that which God has planted through us. Nevertheless, through us God plants the seed, and likewise,
God works the miracle, so with confidence, keep planting with patience.

Prayer for the Week (June 13-June 19, 2021)

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Let us pray to the Father whose love gives us strength to follow his Son: God our Father, we rejoice in the faith that draws us together.
May your encouragement be our constant strength to keep us one in the love that has sealed our lives.
May we live the Gospel we profess by listening to the Holy Spirit who leads us in the way of Christ.
Amen.

(Sunday Missal, alt.)

Daily Devotion June 8, 2021

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