21 October
October 21st, 2010
"Since then there has never been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the one who knew Yahweh face to face."
Deut. 34 : 10
Knowing God is not dependant on knowledge as we usually understand the meaning of the word. In past times, most people were illiterate. They could neither read nor write. However, that did not prevent them from having a deep relationship with God. They didn’t just know about God. They knew Him intimately in the depths of their hearts. They were always present to God. An old Irish proverb says, “Is giorra cabhair Dé ná an doras.” Translated it means, “God’s help is nearer than the door.”
In Gaelic (Celtic) spirituality, we find a people with a very close relationship with God. To them, He was an intimate friend, one who was with them in their daily work, their seasonal occupations, their joys and sorrows. They lived close to nature in which they invariably saw God’s hand at work. This is knowing God.
Prayer
Prayer : "May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him" St. Paul to Eph. 1 : 17
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
