Ever faithful is our God, despite our unfaithfulness.
Let’s praise God, whose might is like no other, and whose faithfulness surrounds Him. Praise Him that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne, and that steadfast love and faithfulness go before Him. Psalm 89:8-14
How are you seeing the face of a loving and just God during your lenten journey? I know I’m living in moment’s of grace where I am rising up from the death-like quality of my persistent faults and I’m praising God for His graciousness.
Let us pray:
A God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.
Exodus 34:6-7
In the wilderness of lent, are you mumbling and grumbling losing your focus? Or do you continue to orient your heart in praise of God? Lent shows us God’s mercy and love for us, despite our worthiness, despite our weakness, despite what we truly deserve.
Praise the Lord, who is like no other, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression.
Praise Him for His mercy – He does not retain his anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love.
Praise Him for His compassion and for His forgiveness.
Let us pray.
He will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Holy moments are generous moments, where we are present, where we see God, and that is generous. With that perspective, every moment can be a holy moment. Praise be to God for his holiness.
Let us pray.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! Isaiah 6:3
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
As a recovering perfectionist, my view of what is perfect has changed a lot as God’s grace has enlightened me. Rather than striving for perfection, I give glory to the one who is perfection himself. This right praise constantly shows me I’m loved despite my imperfections and allows me to rest in “Whose” I am.
Let us pray.
Praise the God whose way is perfect. Praise Him that His Word proves true and that He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Praise the Lord for being the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable (Isaiah 40:28). His ways are higher than your ways, and His thoughts higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
We are all familiar with temptation, that desire from within that invites us to act, contrary to what we know to be right. We are called to seek God‘s guidance and strength to persevere against temptation, for God does not tempt us. Rather, he offers us the ability to resist the temptation to grow in holiness. We are called to be pure of heart, and when we walk with God at our side, we are more easily able to achieve that goal. We are delivered. What are the things that tempt you? Ask for God’s help to identify and persevere against them.
God of all understanding, you are our source of strength and perseverance, in the midst of trials and Temptations. You lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil. Protect us oh, Lord, from fear and doubt, from sadness, and a spare, from isolation and loneliness, from trials, and temptations, from persecution, weariness us, the tendency to give up, apathy, pain and hardship, sickness and death. Help us recognize you are by our side, offering compassion and assistance, so that we may overcome the wearisome burdens. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen
Little by little, we can make our daily life more and more prayerful. Over time, we can incorporate those suggestions that work with our schedule and that we are ready for spiritually.
There is a particular spiritual practice that Francis de Sales highly recommends that is possible for all of us: even on those ‘impossible’ days when we are perhaps unable to undertake our normal spiritual practices, we can stay rooted in prayer by constantly addressing brief prayers to the Lord. These can be acts of love, of adoration, of faith, of hope, of petition, or simply saying the name of Jesus—throughout the course of the day.
God, I seek you and my soul thirsts for you as if I’m in the desert. I have seen you, Holy One, in your power and glory. Your steadfast love is better than life itself and I praise you, with my body, mind, and soul. I will bless you as long as I have breath within me. I lift my heart up to you and call You Holy. Amen
How delighted God must be when we simply surrender our hearts enough to say “Here I Am, Lord.” No agenda, no request, no expectations, nothing but an openness to be with our Lord.
This is true and right praise, the justice God requires of us. True surrender is to orient our hearts enough to let go and let God lead us to where he wants to lead. We glorify God with sweet such words.
Here I am Lord.
Why do we as Catholics always pray the rosary and repeat traditional prayers? Repetition can have real meaning and it is the repetition of life. We can certainly pray spontaneously from the heart, expressing ourselves to God but we can also feel free to pick up prayers that were written by great men and women from our past. They can actually give us words to pray and can inspire the prayers of our heart.
This is how we are to pray, from the heart, we are not to babble. Babbling is when we think God can be persuaded with the right words or petitions to get what we want. We don’t use prayer to manipulate God; we keep it simple and understand that it is a familial relationship between us and our Heavenly Father. Afterall, Jesus taught us how to pray.
In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matthew 6:7-15.
Lord, I am aware that you know what is best for me, and that is why I believe in you. You are more interested in my spiritual well-being than I am, and that is why I trust in you. You always give me your loving forgiveness in spite of my sins, and that is why I love you.
Lord, teach me how to pray.
Smitten With Goodness 