delete
«
»

Saint Boniface, Bishop, Martyr

June 5th, 2010

"Fan into flame the gift you have received"
2 Tim. 1 : 6

The story is told of an old lady whose house was over shadowed by a huge, dark rocky mountain. She heard a sermon about faith that could move mountains. So, having prayed for a miracle one night, she looked out the window next morning and there was the mountain as grim looking as ever. Her comment was “Ah sure I knew you would still be there.”

In St. John’s Gospel 4 : 46-54, we hear of an official from Herod’s Court who came to ask Jesus to cure his son who was at the point of death. Jesus told him to go home that his son would live. He departed for home straight away. That official took Jesus at his word, believed in him and trusted him to cure his son. He had faith and his faith was rewarded. He and his whole family believed in Jesus. They got the gift of faith. After all, faith is a gift we need to pray for.

Prayer


Lord, you said to the Apostles caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, "Why did you fear, oh you of little faith ?" Like the Apostles our faith, is often weak. Yet we know all things are possible for those who trust in you, Lord. Help us to leave the present and the future in your hands. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. 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.”

Daily Prayers

    • Themes for Reflection

    Request a Prayer