FREE DIGITAL. the week of February 26, 2017 DAILY UNIVERSAL PRAYER AND COMMENTARY

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1 FREE DIGITAL SAMPLE FOR the week of February 26, 2017 DAILY UNIVERSAL PRAYER AND COMMENTARY CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN PRINT

2 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017 (Lec. 82) 1) Isaiah 49: ) 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 3) Matthew 6:24-34 FOCUS: No one can serve two masters. EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Today s Gospel reminds us that we cannot serve both God and mammon. This means we must choose either to serve our own selfish desires, or choose to serve God and strive to love him above all things. Only one of these choices provides an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. Given this, let us seek in prayer the grace needed to choose wisely. The first reading ensures the people of Israel that God will not forsake them. In the second reading, Saint Paul extols us to live in a trustworthy manner so that when God judges and reveals the hiddenness of our hearts, we will be judged worthy. In the Gospel, Jesus encourages his followers to place their trust in God alone. PRIEST: Trusting in God to fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts, and knowing that God will provide for all our needs, let us now offer our prayers of petition to our God. 1) For the Church, the body of Christ, as we prepare to enter the season of Lent, may we commit to growing in our trust in God to provide for our needs, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For civic leaders at all levels of governance, may they, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, work to promote a respect for people of different faith and religious traditions, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For those who live on the margins of society and lack basic necessities, that their suffering may be alleviated and their needs met through the generous work of people of goodwill, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For all those assembled here, may we strive to seek God as the provider of our heart s desires as we work to build a community of peace and harmony, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For all those who have died, may they come to enjoy everlasting peace and happiness in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Gracious and loving God, hear our prayers and grant us the grace needed to serve you faithfully that we might come to enjoy eternal life in heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

3 Monday, February 27, 2017 MONDAY OF (Lec. 347) EIGHTH WEEK 1) Sirach 17:20-24 IN ORDINARY TIME 2) Mark 10:17-27 FOCUS: Prayer is key to developing a closer and stronger relationship with God. Many of us desire a closer relationship with the Lord. Our first step to that relationship could be to simply pause during the course of our day wherever we may be and voice aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, this desire to the Lord. As the Scriptures assure us, God will answer our prayer; he always responds to those who seek him. The first reading speaks about the gravity of sin and pleads for sinners to repent and return to the Lord, who is merciful. In the Gospel, a man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus tells him to give away what he has and follow him, the man went away sad, for he had many possessions. PRIEST: With hearts full of gratitude, we bring the Father our prayers for ourselves and for the needs of others. 1) For Church missionaries who devote their lives to sharing the Gospel with others, that God may bless their efforts and may they radiate the joy of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For world leaders, that they may not forget those suffering and displaced by wars or natural disasters, but work to bring them the relief they need, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the sick in mind or body, that they may never lose hope that God is aware of their suffering and their needs, and may they experience the love of God through our prayers and the efforts of compassionate caregivers, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For our parish community, that we may elect to spend more time with Jesus in prayer so that he may open our hearts to the joy and peace of true discipleship, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, that they may enjoy eternal joy and peace in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Heavenly Father, hear and answer our prayers according to your most holy will. For we offer them to you through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

4 Tuesday, February 28, 2017 TUESDAY OF (Lec. 348) EIGHTH WEEK 1) Sirach 35:1-12 IN ORDINARY TIME 2) Mark 10:28-31 FOCUS: By offering God all that we have and all that we are, we please him and receive many blessings in return. God desires most of all the offering of what is most dear to us. He wants us to offer him our innermost selves our very hearts. God also wants us to give generously of our time, talent and treasure. For by doing these things, we help build up God s kingdom on earth and come to experience God s good gifts more abundantly in our lives. In our reading from Sirach, we learn that the offering most pleasing to God is a pure and merciful heart. In our Gospel, Jesus reminds Peter and the other disciples that God has great gifts in store for those who have left everything to follow him. PRIEST: Knowing that God is merciful and desires that we come to him with our needs, we turn to him in humble petition. 1) For all members of the Church throughout the world, may we be animated by God s mercy in all that we do, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For national and world leaders, may their decisions be guided by a desire for justice and peace, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the poor and hungry, may they find relief through the generosity of Christians and others of goodwill, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For our parish community, may we be united in making our lives a pleasing offering to God, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For those who have died, may they experience the loving embrace of God for all eternity in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Heavenly Father, hear our prayers and petitions today, for we ask them in faith through Jesus, our Lord.

5 Wednesday, March 1, 2017 (Lec. 219) 1) Joel 2: ) 2 Corinthians 5:20 6:2 3) Matthew 6:1-6, ASH WEDNESDAY FOCUS: Our acts of repentance allow us to renew our life in Christ. Today s readings encourage us to take stock of our relationship with God. We aren t always attentive to how sin separates us from God and the glorious life God has envisioned for us. Lent offers us an opportunity to reflect on our character as it is demonstrated through our words and deeds. Repentance allows us to renew our life in Christ. In the first reading, the prophet Joel encourages repentance: Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful. The second reading reminds us that we are ambassadors for Christ that our actions matter. The Gospel makes clear that the actions we take are not for public praise but for private prayer, and that God knows our hearts. PRIEST: Although at times we fall short of living in the way God calls us to live, let us with humble hearts seek God s grace and mercy as we offer our prayers of petition. 1) For members of the Church, may we heed the prophet s words to return to God with our whole hearts, and may our actions demonstrate that we are joy-filled ambassadors of Christ, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For world leaders, may they be inspired by the Holy Spirit to seek opportunities to lessen sectarian tension so individuals can live in peace with their neighbors, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For those who suffer in mind or body, may they find comfort in the tender care of Christians and consolation in the abounding steadfast love of God, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For each of us gathered here today, may we journey through Lent taking stock of our relationship with God, so that, by reflecting on our sins and seeking repentance, we will renew our life in Christ, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For all those who have died marked with the sign of faith, may they come to enjoy eternal life in God s heavenly kingdom, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Gracious and loving God, we turn to you with humble and contrite hearts. Hear the prayers we offer and grant them according to your will. Through Christ our Lord.

6 Thursday, March 2, 2017 (Lec. 220) 1) Deuteronomy 30: ) Luke 9:22-25 THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY FOCUS: In order to enjoy eternity with the Lord in heaven, we must follow in his footsteps here on earth. If we take a trip to an unfamiliar place and fail to follow directions on a map or a GPS, we ll most likely get lost. Similarly, Christ through his life, death and resurrection revealed the way we need to live so we might enter into eternal life. So let us take up our cross and follow Jesus so we may stay on course and one day join him in heaven. In today s first reading, Moses makes plain the choice between life and death, the blessing and the curse, as he challenges the Israelites to choose to keep the Lord s commandments. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that to live as one of his disciples we must take up our cross each day and follow him. PRIEST: Let us lift up our minds and hearts to the Lord as we present our petitions to him. 1) That all members of the Church may make a concerted effort this Lenten season to grow in our faith and love for the Lord, so we may share fully in the joy of Easter, let us pray to the Lord. 2) That the Lord will enlighten the minds and hearts of all elected officials to protect the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, let us pray to the Lord. 3) That those who have fallen away from the practice of their Catholic faith may find their way back to God s loving embrace during this Lenten season, let us pray to the Lord. 4) That we in this Eucharistic community may always be willing to follow in the Lord s footsteps, and take up our cross each day to follow him, let us pray to the Lord. 5) That all of our deceased friends and relatives, and all who have died, may enjoy eternal happiness with the Lord in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. 6) (Special petitions) PRIEST: Lord God of hope, we present these prayers in faith. We ask that you hear and answer them. Through Christ our Lord.

7 Friday, March 3, 2017 FRIDAY AFTER (Lec. 221) ASH WEDNESDAY 1) Isaiah 58:1-9a (Opt. Mem. 2) Matthew 9:14-15 Saint Katharine Drexel, Virgin) FOCUS: For fasting to bear good fruit in our lives, its goal must be to help us grow in our love for God. For the Lenten discipline of fasting to bear good fruit, it must be directed toward helping us grow in love for the Lord. Perhaps we can do less of an activity we enjoy during Lent, or we can spend fifteen more minutes a day in prayer. Either way, we must strive to let our light break forth like the dawn, as we heard in Isaiah. The first reading reminds us that if fasting is to bear good fruit, it must be directed toward helping us grow in our love for God and living as God calls us to live. In the Gospel, Jesus responds to a question of why his disciples do not fast by teaching that when he the bridegroom is no longer with his disciples, then they will fast. PRIEST: Father of mercy, you ask us to always be mindful of the needs of those less fortunate. We bring our petitions before you in a spirit of gratitude and supplication. 1) For our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all clergy, that God may grant them the spiritual and physical strength they need to preach and teach the Gospel and build up God s kingdom on earth, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For those who serve in positions of leadership, may they strive to be models of servant leadership, and always act with integrity and honesty, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For those who have lost their homes because of natural disasters around the world, may they receive help from people of good will and may God give them the strength to rebuild their lives, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For Catholics around the globe and in our parish community, that we may join in serving the poor and supporting Catholic missions, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For the faithful departed, may they be wrapped in the loving embrace of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, for all eternity, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Gracious and loving God, we come to you mindful of our sinfulness. We ask that you grant our petitions according to your will, through your son, Jesus Christ.

8 Saturday, March 4, 2017 SATURDAY AFTER (Lec. 222) ASH WEDNESDAY 1) Isaiah 58:9b-14 (Opt. Mem. 2) Luke 5:27-32 Saint Casimir) FOCUS: We are all sinners in need of repentance. Jesus tells us in today s Gospel that he has come to call sinners and not the righteous to repentance. In this season of Lent, we come to understand that we are all sinners, in need of forgiveness and a spirit of repentance. Let us work to cultivate that spirit by praying daily with humble hearts. Isaiah presents us with a litany of ways to show our love for God especially by taking care of those who are in need and by keeping the Sabbath holy rather than seeking to fulfill our own desires. In the Gospel, Jesus calls Levi, the tax collector to come and follow him. Levi responds to this call by leaving everything behind to follow Jesus. PRIEST: God calls us to watch out for one another as brothers and sisters, and so we present to our loving God the needs of our family near and far. 1) For all members of the Church, that we continue to share the love of God with all whom we meet, and strive to do his will each day, let us pray to the Lord. 2) For government leaders and elected officials, that they might use the resources at their disposal to ensure they are meeting the basic needs of all whom they serve, let us pray to the Lord. 3) For the hungry and homeless, may we strive to be the hands and hearts of Jesus for them as we tend to their needs, let us pray to the Lord. 4) For the Elect who are beginning the Lenten period of deepening their faith, may it prove to be a fruitful time for them as they prepare to enter the Church, let us pray to the Lord. 5) For all who have died, that they might receive a place at the eternal banquet in heaven, let us pray to the Lord. PRIEST: Gracious God, hear our prayers and grant us the grace needed to walk in your way of love. We ask this in the name of your son, Jesus.