NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Sixteen
"That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me Jesus, I trust in you. " Jesus, I trust in you.... How many times have I prayed "Jesus, I trust in you", and then questioned if I truly meant it? Many years ago I learned that our intention is the important thing to focus on. Do I want to trust Jesus? Yes, completely and totally. Do I find it hard? Yes, completely and totally! But, when I pray, do I desire to trust? YES, YES and YES As we transition into this Heart Knowledge of who God should be in our lives, let us open ourselves up to God's Voice and let us be honest with Him. If our prayer is, "Jesus, I want to trust you" - that is ok. We have to open the door to our Lord and our desire to trust is an invitation for Him to enter. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.
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NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Fifteen
"From discouragement. Deliver me, Jesus." Have you ever tried to lose weight, pay down personal debt or overcome some struggle in your life? It is HARD and it is WORK! It often strikes me how easy it is to get ourselves "in over our heads" as they say, and how much patience and trust it takes to get ourselves out. Like I said, it is HARD and it is painful - but, Philippians 4:13! (I am not going to give you this one, you have to look it up!) We are officially half way through our Novena. Today we end our focus on petitioning Jesus, "Deliver me, Jesus" and tomorrow we switch our focus to our offering, "Jesus, I trust in you." How fitting it is to finish by petitioning Jesus to deliver us from discouragement. I say this because often to overcome discouragement in our lives we have to fall to our knees and pray, "Jesus, I trust in You." Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Ben White on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Fourteen
"From the fear of what love demands. Deliver me, Jesus." Whew - a hard petition to pray this morning! "From the fear of what love demands..." What does love demand of us? At different points in our lives love can demand very different things. Living in a world that focuses more on, "Whatever I demand and want", can cause us (if we are not careful) to keep our eyes focused on ourselves and not on what true love is demanding of us. There is a lesson I learned from a Priest friend that I lean on often. You see I can tend to be a self-centered person, I fight against it, but I fall into it often. This friend one day, as I was moaning and groaning about something, simply directed my attention to Jesus on the Cross and said, "Here is the only thing that matters." What does love demand of us? Truth and honesty, courage, self-sacrifice, responsibility, empathy, acceptance.... The list goes on and on.... What is love demanding of you today? Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Robert Karp on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Thirteen
"From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth. Deliver me, Jesus." The population that I think about most when I pray this petition is the elderly population. Having a Father and Stepmother who are both 90 years old, I have experienced the days where they feel like more of a burden than a blessing to our family. We do everything we can to reassure them and to demonstrate our love, but the temptation is still there for them to only see the struggle. God puts us on this earth for a purpose and He leaves us here for a purpose. Our job is to pray and to open ourselves up to His desires and His Will. When my Dad is feeling down that he can no longer remember our birthdays or give us gifts, he can no longer support OUR daily needs, I like to remind him that prayer is a gift that he can still give his family, friends and the world - a gift he can give in abundance! And the beauty is, his prayer is worth more and of more benefit to me than a book or a sweater. His prayer offered, can be my daily strength to care for them and to care for them well! I like to believe that the elderly, like little children, have a special place in the Heart of Jesus. They are the Prayer Warriors for the world today and they are important to all of us! "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12: 6-7 Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Twelve
"From the fear of being asked to give more than I have. Deliver me, Jesus." As we pray with this petition today we can certainly see that this fear runs rampant in today's world. Even in our own lives. What I am unwilling, or scared to give up to follow my Lord? What keeps my eyes from focusing on God and what He wants in my life? In what areas am I unwilling to forget myself and put others first? Jesus' encounter with the Rich Young Man, that we hear in Scripture,, came to mind this morning. This lesson was so important that Matthew, Mark and Luke include this encounter in their Gospels. As I read all three at prayer I realized that Mark's telling was my favorite. It is my favorite because Mark includes one line that the other two do not. Mark 10: 17-22 ""Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?...You know the commandments....all these I have observed from my youth... You lack one thing; go, sell what you have..." Now this is my favorite part! Just before Jesus tells the Rich Young Man to go and sell what he has Mark's Gospel tells us that, "...Jesus looking upon him loved him..." Jesus looking upon him loved him..... Our Lord knows that what He asks in our lives is not always easy, but He offers us His strength. He would not ask it if we were incapable of answering. What "one thing" (or many) do we lack to follow our Lord? What do we need to give up to keep our eyes on Him? Will we follow Jesus or, will we walk away like the Rich Young Man - believing that God is asking too much? Our Lord will never ask for more than we are capable of, but He will ask for all that keeps us from Him. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Max Ilienerwise on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Eleven
"From disbelief in Your love and presence. Deliver me, Jesus." In the hardest moments of our lives we can be tempted to believe that our Lord is not there with us, that He doesn't care. The truth is He is always there with us, always there sharing our grief, our struggles, our joys. My mother comes to mind this morning! On the morning of my brothers death at 16 years of age, I remember arriving home from the hospital and lying on the bed with Mom. The memory is so real I can almost smell the pillows - the lesson she taught me that morning, is also very real and cherished. On the most devastating morning of my mother's life she wanted nothing but to remain on her bed and pray the Rosary together; she was seeking out the only One who could give her strength - her Lord and her Love! We are human though and we must remember that. For the remaining years my mother lived she had days where she was so angry with God yet, the very next day, or even hours later she would be seeking Him out and leaning on Him once again. Saint Martha gives us an example of this very human side of us, "Lord, if you had been here...." But then within moments she professes, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ..." John 10: 21,27 In the words of a song by JJ Heller, "When my heart is broken, I never leave [Y]our hands..." May we profess with Saint Martha today (and my mother) Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ. Saint Martha, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Om Prakash Sethia on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Ten
"From restless self-seeking in the present moment. Deliver me, Jesus." Matthew's Gospel tells us, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matthew 6:21 What or who is the "treasure" in our lives? Are we constantly trying to find happiness in new things, never feeling quite settled? Until God is the "treasure" in our life and the place where our heart is found, restless self-seeking will always draw our attention from one thing to another. Lasting happiness will never be found in the "things" of the world. Our lasting happiness will only come when we open our hearts and invite the ONE into our lives! "Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10 Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Nine
"From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past. Deliver me, Jesus. I think we need good St. Paul once again this morning: "This is the covenant that I will make with them...I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds. I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more." - Hebrews 10:16-17 A recurring theme I see in many of the men and women we serve is to let their past define who they are today - to feel like they have no choice. Not true! Our choices, our sins, our hurts, our experiences from the past certainly have influenced who we are today, that is life, but they do not and should not define us today. We are NOT the sins of our past. Our choices today do not have to be our choices of yesterday. If the Lord can put our past behind Him, as St. Paul reminds us, can't we also put our past (or just as importantly, the past of others!) behind us? May we pray today to allow the Lord to, "...put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds." May we know today that the only moment from our past that matters is the moment God our Father created us and destined us for greatness, at the moment of conception. We are, every one of us, beautifully and wonderfully made by the Creator of all! Let us claim that truth today! Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Eight
"From anxiety about the future. Deliver me, Jesus." Certainly in the world today anxiety is felt by many. A reminder from St. Paul about trust in the Lord is fitting: "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6-7 Anxiety about what is ahead of us is a tough one to fight. But Saint Paul reminds us that if we hand-over our fears, our needs, and our struggles (through prayer) our Lord will replace them with peace and trust. Recently I had a conversation with a man who struggles with sobriety. He shared with me that he knows that the struggle will always be a part of his life, but he is also very aware that his journey requires a daily choice. His words, "I get up every day and I have to choose not to drink." It is the same with our anxiety and our trust in God, will we choose to trust Him today? Will we get up every morning and hand Him our worries and our fears? Pope Saint John XXIII had a morning offering to the Lord - Obedience and Peace. Throughout his life he desired only to do God's will and to do it without anxiety or complaining. The lived example of this great Saint demonstrates for us that he also knew trusting God fully requires from us a daily choice! Have no anxiety about anything... Holy Saints of God, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. Photo by Arturo Rey on Unsplash NOVENA OF TRUST - Day Seven
"From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will. Deliver me, Jesus." After allowing this petition to "marinate" a little, I can see the reluctances to God's will in my life. The times I have kept His desires at arms length, or the times that I have been incredibly slow to move on something that I feel is clearly what God is asking of me. I remember years ago speaking to a priest friend about something I felt God was asking of me and Father simply looked at me and said, "What are you waiting for." If I am honest with myself, I was waiting for God to change His mind! God's will is not always our will. But God's will for our lives is the only path to true and lasting happiness. His will should be our only desire! Whatever God is asking of you today, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Saint Pope John Paul II, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. |
Director -Deacon Dennis Moore
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