The great method of prayer is to have none. If in going to prayer one can form in oneself a pure capacity for receiving the spirit of God, that will suffice for all method.

-- St. Jane Frances de Chantal

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

The Word Among Us

Daily Meditation: Matthew 10:16-23

I am sending you. . . . Do not worry. (Matthew 10:16, 19)

Jesus makes it clear: there are consequences to being sent out in his name. He tells his disciples that they will be handed over, persecuted, and rejected. But then he says something unexpected: “Do not worry” (Matthew 10:19). The Holy Spirit will be with them, he promises, speaking through them and showing them what they are to say and do.

Few of us will face imprisonment, beatings, or execution for sharing the gospel. Nevertheless, every time we open our mouths to talk about the Lord, there is always the risk that someone will reject us or ridicule us. To which Jesus says, “Do not worry.”

Why? Because of who you are!

You are a new creation. In Baptism, you were “born from above” as a child of God (John 3:3). As a new creation in Christ, you share in Jesus’ calling to preach the good news. Your identity comes from who God says you are, not from what other people might say or think. So try not to worry about rejection. God will always accept you even when no one else does.

You are justified. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). You don’t have to wait until you’ve mastered every sin to share your faith. Sins and weaknesses and past failures do not disqualify you from telling the good news today. They might even make your words more credible! God will compensate for your every inadequacy.

You are filled. You are not on your own. The Holy Spirit is in you and with you to sustain you, to direct your thoughts, and to speak through you. You don’t need to worry about saying just the right words. The Holy Spirit can give you the right thing to say, or simply give your words special significance for someone else. He will even help you recognize the right time to say nothing at all.

God has equipped you to bring his love to a hurting world. So don’t worry! He has great confidence in you—a confidence based not just on your own gifts and abilities but on who you are in Christ Jesus.

“Father, thank you for making me a new creation. Give me the courage to share your good news.”

Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for July 10, 2020:

(Reader’s Tip) “My husband leads me to seek God and I lead him to see God in our family.” Recognize the ways in which your spouse is leading you to see God, and thank them.