Daily Prayer
June 16th, 2010
"When you pray, go into your room and pray to your Father who is in secret"
Matt. 6 : 6
Today’ the liturgy invites us not to parade our good deeds to attract attention. There is something ingrained in human nature that enjoys affirmation. It was a character weakness in the time of Jesus and it is still alive today. He did not approve of the applaud given to the generous benefactors in the Synagogue, and He said “when you give alms, let it be done in secret.”
When we speak to God in our everyday normal speaking language, we are praying. Jesus prayed constantly and talked a lot about prayer. In the Gospel we read that the hypocrites are those who like to be seen and applauded when they give alms, pray or fast. God, who knows what lies in the human heart, cannot be deceived. We are never more like God than when we are generous in giving: of our time, our money, our hearts, our energy. May we give as God would have us give: humbly, gently, quietly and without a great show.”For it is in giving that we receive.” St. Francis of Assisi.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, create in me a peaceful heart. You are the cornerstone upon which I build my life. May I love the things that you love and open my heart to all in need. 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.”
