Daily Prayer
September 22nd, 2010
"HE sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal"
Luke 9 : 2
In today’s Gospel Jesus summons the 12 Apostles and sends them out on a missionary tour. Jesus realises that His own days are numbered, He is aware that the chief priests are already plotting against Him so He is looking to the future. If His mission is to continue He must prepare His chosen disciples to carry on His work. His instructions are very clear – they are to proclaim the Kingdom of God and heal.
When we set out on a mission we usually prepare all that we need for the journey and for our work – not forgetting accommodation during our stay. But Jesus tells His disciples not to take anything at all with them – not even money! Instead they are to rely on Providence and on the hospitality of those they meet. They are not to be weighed down by unnecessary baggage. The Word of God, which they carry in their minds, hearts will be their only resource.
Following the example of their Master, the Apostles will not waste time with people, who reject their message. They will move on, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel and healing all who open their hearts and homes to them.
Prayer
Lord, we ask your blessing on all whom you have called to proclaim your message of love and healing in our world today. May your Holy Spirit strengthen them in difficult times so that they will always remain faithful to your mission. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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.”
