My Family Prayer Book

      2024-Feb-25: Second Sunday in Lent   Welcome to our Faith sharing meeting. Today we will be discussing the readings for the Second Sunday in Lent on page 50 of our book, 'At Home with the Word 2024'. Let us begin our faith-sharing meeting today with a prayer attributed to Pope Francis.  In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. This Lenten season let us embrace the opportunity to: Fast from hurting words and say kind words. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. Fast from worries and have trust in God. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness and fill our hearts with joy. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. Fast from words and be silent so we can listen. We pray that our only desire and our one choice is to choose what better l...

  Sep-12 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary time Isaiah 50:4c-9a This is the third of four passages in Isaiah that make up the “Songs of the Servant” (42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12). The identity of this servant is greatly debated. Was it an individual or the nation of Israel? Here the term Lord God is used 4 times verse 4: The Lord GOD gave me a tongue verses 5-6: The Lord GOD opened to me ears verses 7-8: But the Lord GOD helps me verse 9: The Lord GOD helps me First two times in past tense where Lord God teaches the prophet/servant, last two in present tense where Lord God is there to help the prophet/servant Psalm 116 Psalm 116 is a prayer of thanksgiving that begins by saying that God has rescued the psalmist from trouble (verses 1-2). Then the psalm describes the distressing circumstance now past (verse 3), recalls a prayer for help (verse 4) along with the Lord’s saving response (verses 5-11) James 2:14-18 James, the action disciple, calls on all Christians to live the w...

  Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Corpus Christi Exodus 24:3-8 At Mount Sinai, Moses delivers to the Israelites the laws and regulations - the Torah - that affirms their covenant with God.  The 12 pillars represent the 12 tribes of Israel (sons and grandsons of Jacob aka Israel). The 12 apostles are the new representatives of modern covenant Sprinkling of blood to seal the covenant is a precursor of the crucifixion and death of Christ Psalm 116 Called the psalm of the righteous - it first poses the question of how one can repay God for all his generous gifts then proceeds to answer it by saying, ‘by offering praise and thanksgiving’ Hebrew 9:11-15 The priestly sacrifice of Jewish priest in the temple was a symbol of the one true redemption: the death and resurrection of Christ was the Christ officiated as high priest in a much more magnificent and perfect temple than either the man-made tabernacle or the temple of old.  Just as a Jewish high priest passes through the o...