A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort

at easy answers, half–truths, and superficial relationships,

so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed

for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,

so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in their world,

so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

Firesetter at 37

Lord, I praise you for the strength
of mountains, the longevity of trees,
though I wish them not for myself.
Neither the urgency of streams,
predisposed to seek the lowest level.
Rather I pray for the patience
of bees, working together to share
the fruits of their labor in ways
even they can’t fully contemplate.



9 November 2015
Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm
Bulusan, Sorsogon

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the Church's mission.

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

The Archbishop Oscar Romero Prayer: A Step Along the Way

by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw 

This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, drafted for a homily by Card. John Dearden in Nov. 1979 for a celebration of departed priests. As a reflection on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Bishop Romero, Bishop Untener included in a reflection book a passage titled "The mystery of the Romero Prayer." The mystery is that the words of the prayer are attributed to Oscar Romero, but they were never spoken by him.

Our Father

Tuesday, 1st Week of Lent
Gospel Reading: Mt 6, 7-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “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.”


HOMILY

Our short Gospel passage describes to us the nature of Christian prayer.

1. It is not about the multiplicity of words or length of time spent as about the authenticity of relationship we built.

Prayer is basically communication, and communication builds relationship. The special thing with prayer is that it is our relationship with God that it builds. Does it mean that we are better off without our rosaries and lengthy prayers? Not really. It's just that now we know these prayers spring from our relationship with, or to use the language of prayer, our devotion to, God.

2. It is about putting God first.

Even when we approach God bringing ourselves and our pressing concerns, still we begin our prayer by acknowledging God's reign over us, or as He would like us to know Him, His being our Father. Because God is our Father, He knows our needs and cares for us more than we can take care of ourselves. Thus, we pray primarily to worship God, to seek His Kingdom and His will. And because we have a loving Father, we can approach Him and beg for our daily bread and many other needs.

3.  It is about being transformed by our prayer.

When we pray we become closer to God, and the closer we are to Him, the more we hear His invitation to share His life with us. Meaning, the more we pray and build our relationship with God, the more we are transformed according to His image and likeness. In simple terms, we ask ourselves: are we becoming more loving as we pray? A basic expression of this love is our capacity to forgive. Why forgiveness? When we forgive, we bring the love of God to those who have sinned against us, to those who least deserve it, or to put it another way - we bring God's love to those who need it most.

This is how Jesus taught us to pray.

A Prayer on Turning 34

As I turn 34, I found advice in an old truism:
I acquired courage and sought to change the world.
I acquired wisdom and sought first to change myself.

And transformations are defined
more by the things I need to let go,
than the ones I need to acquire.

And so today Lord, as I turn 34,
I beg for the grace of a
passionate humility.

I pray for a consuming passion
to serve and to learn, to work and to listen,
to not be discouraged, especially
when dreams are too far to completion,
and inspiration is hard to come by.

I pray for a contrite humility
to confront myself, to break free
from self-deception, to suffer fools gladly
(aware that many times I play the fool myself),
to find glory in honest defeats
and redemption in mercy.

Through Christ, Good Shepherd,
living sign of passionate humility.
Amen.



9 November 2012
Chancery, Diocese of Legazpi

Prayer for the Day of the Unborn

 

In 2004, Pres. Arroyo issued Proclamation # 586 declaring every March 25 as "Day of the Unborn" in the Philippines. It is urged that churches will have a special recognition of pregnant mothers and special prayers and blessings to them on this day.

.......

RITE OF BLESSING FOR THE DAY OF THE UNBORN

Psalm 145:13-21

The Lord is faithful in all His words

and holy in all His works.

The Lord lifts up all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look hopefully to You,

and You give them their food in due season;

You open Your Hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is just in all His ways

and holy in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

to all who call upon Him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him,

He hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord keeps all who love Him,

but the wicked He will destroy. 

May my mouth speak the praise of the Lord,

and may all flesh bless His Holy Name forever and ever. 

Prayer for Unborn Children

God, our Creator, by Your love the world is filled with life,

through Your generosity one generation gives life to another,

and so are Your wonders told and Your praises sung.

We look to You in our love and in our need:

may it be Your will that we bear (adopt) a child to share our home and faith.

Loving God, be close to us as we pray to love and do Your will.

You are our God, nourishing us forever and ever. Amen.

Dear St. Gerard Majella, Saint Raymond Nonnatus,

patrons for pregnant women

and St. Catherine of Sienna,

patron against miscarriages,

please intercede for us.

Prayer and Blessing of Pregnant Mothers

All make the sign of the cross. The leader begins:

Let us bless the Lord Jesus,

who in the womb of the Virgin Mary became one of us.

Blessed be God forever.

All respond:

Blessed be God forever.

The leader may use these or similar words to introduce the blessing:

Join now in listening to the Scripture and in blessing this mother-to-be

that she may cherish the child in her womb

and await birth with great hope and faith.

Then Scripture is read:

Listen to the words of the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:39-45:

During those days, Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

The Gospel of the Lord.

All respond:

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

After a time of silence, all join in prayers of intercession. The Hail Mary, the Memorare, or other prayers asking for the protection of Mary may be appropriate. After the Lord's Prayer, the leader may invite all to extend their hands toward the mothers or to place their hands on them in blessing. Use either Prayer A or Prayer B next.

Prayer A:

Gracious Father, Your Word, spoken in love,

created the human family

and Your Son, conceived in love,

restored it to Your friendship.

Hear the prayers of (mother's name),

who awaits the birth of her child.

Calm her fears when she is anxious.

Watch over and support her

and bring her child into this world

safely and in good health,

so that as members of Your family

she may praise You and glorify You through Your Son,

Our Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Amen.

Prayer B:

God has brought gladness and light to the world

through the Virgin Mary's delivery of her child.

May Christ fill your heart with His holy joy

and keep you and your baby safe from harm.

We ask this in His Name, who is Lord, forever and ever.

Amen.

All make the sign of the cross. The leader concludes:

May God, Who chose to make known

and to send the blessings of eternal salvation

through the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

bless us and keep us in His care, now and forever.

Amen.

Holy Water is then sprinkled to the pregnant mothers followed by clapping of hands by the churchgoers.

Prayer of Reparation for the Sin of Sacrilege and Blasphemy

Manila Archbishop Cardinal Rosales prescribes this prayer as a Catholic and Christian response to the sins of sacrilege and blasphemy that was the recent public exhibition at CCP of repulsive and obscene anti-Christian thrash/art. The prayer is to be prayed in all Masses in the Archdiocese of Manila on August 21 to 28, 2011. Also the Cardinal declares August 26 as Day of Penance and decrees that the Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins be used, with the presider in purple vestments.

Prayer of Reparation for the Sin of Sacrilege and Blasphemy

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,
out of love for us, your sinful creatures,
you became man and sacrificed your life on the cross.

Trust in the slow work of God

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
       to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
      to something unknown,
      something new.
Yet it is the law of all progress that is made
      by passing through some stages of instability
      and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on
      as though you could be today what time
      -- that is to say, grace --
      and circumstances
      acting on your own good will
      will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new Spirit
      gradually forming in you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
      that his hand is leading you,
      and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
      in suspense and incomplete.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God,
      our loving vine-dresser.

Amen.


-- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Litany for Life

Lord, have mercy - Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy - Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy - Lord, have mercy
Christ hear us - Christ, graciously hear us

Prayer for a Church Renewing

PRAYER FOR THE FIRST LEGAZPI DIOCESAN PASTORAL ASSEMBLY

Loving Father, we thank you for the gift of faith
handed down by the Apostles to generations.
We thank you for the gift of the community of the faithful
that nourishes our growth in Christian life.

As we prepare for our First Diocesan Pastoral Assembly,

The Case for Unceasing Prayer

HOMILY
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C – 17 October 2010

Readings: Ex 17:8-13; Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Tim 3:14-4:2; Lk 18:1-8


The moral lesson of this Sunday’s Gospel parable is quite clear from the start. “Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.”

1. Pray always and without ceasing.

Here is a judge who couldn’t care less about God or other human beings, basically a bad person. Then here is a widow, penniless, powerless but for her persistence to get a fair judgment from the judge. Eventually, the judge relented and gave her what she asked for.

If bad people can be influenced to grant favors to less privileged supplicants, how much more will it be with God? “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?”

Parable said, moral lesson delivered, thus end of the story? Not quite. For at the end of the passage, Jesus gave a thought-provoking question: “but when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” What does this mean? Clue: Prayer is not just about getting what we want.

Prayer to the Archangels

Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
29 September


A Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan
and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

A Short Prayer in Remembering 9/11

Today is the 9th anniversary of 9/11.
Lord God, we pray for the victims
from all sides, the living and the dead;
and for their oppressors as well,
whether they believe in You or Allah or none at all.
Inspire us to seek real freedom
that comes from peace that happens
only when justice and mercy meets.
Amen.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...

The Power of Prayer

HOMILY
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C

Readings: Gen 18:20-32; Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8; Col 2:12-24; Lk 11:1-13


The words of Jesus in our Gospel passage this Sunday are prompted by a disciple asking: “Lord teach us how to pray.”

During Jesus’ time, it was the custom for a Jewish rabbi or teacher to teach his followers a simple prayer they could regularly use, and which has the additional benefit of defining the group’s identity. The disciples now make a request along this line. What Jesus taught them was more than just a prayer they could call their own, but a whole new way of looking at prayer and life. Here is what He taught them – and us.

Disturb Us O Lord

Disturb us, Lord,
when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come true
because we have dreamed too little,
when we arrive safely
because we sailed too close to the shore.

Road to Emmaus

Who is this stranger who
interrupts our sad musings
with lively gait, his words make
impassioned palettes of the law
and the prophets, suffusing the grey
bleakness of these past days
with lights and shades we never
knew existed? On the road

Now at twilight, we thought
that distance might help
clear the dark hues that fill
our minds, that cloud
our places of gathering.
They were warm and humid,
and locked tight to create
a measure of safety, a refuge
for sinners, the spirit of fear
unable to escape as well.

But here the breathing is easy,
and our hearts are ember light.

And though the dark be upon us,
we wouldn't have mind at all
but for practical considerations
like a place to stay for the night
or the warmth of a meal. Should
we ask him to come in?

He doesn’t mind either, and maybe
he wont’ be a stranger for long.

A Resurrection Song

Something stirs this early morning stillness
and makes solemn chant of bird song
and rooster crow. Something. It is

Sunlight seeping through fissures
between leaves, twigs, garden.

It is motion, painting wisp-clouds
from ash blue to sepia cotton
afire. It is a new spirit

Rising from frozen ground and
misty wanderings over sudden
turn of events. Yesterday.
And the day before.

An event, so unassuming
and bare, naked as bared plots
and crucifixions. Who is it
you are looking for?

No regalness, no Handel's Messiah here,
only the theatrics of an angel
perched on a boulder

Unrolled now, exposing
a gaping mouth, voiceless
on a stone wall; Moses on Mount Sinai
dispensing advice to

A couple or so women
staring; unaware of his own charm
or shock value: two guards, dead
frightened, on the ground.
He is no longer here.
He is risen.

Just like that. Just like that.

No ornate cathedral splendor.
No outburst of rainbow colored majesty.
No fiery phoenix he.
Excuse me, sir, are you
the gardener?

It is I.

No hero's welcome here
either, no victory parade.
But a homecoming, yes,
for a prodigal Son sans

The fattened calf. A private party then,
by invitation only, with warm anxious
embraces and holy kisses.

Be not afraid -- he disposing
the first order of the day.
Peace be with you. I am
hungry. What's for dinner?

Later we would begin to understand,
not too fully, just enough, elsewhere
the world blooms on its own, or so it thinks,
and men mind their own business.

But here, today, it is
different. It is the LORD!



23 November 2003
Rm 333, SHN, Novaliches

Morning Benediction

Blessed be the Lord,
the God of mornings, sunlight
passing through curtains,
suffusing the room with the
glow of possibilities.

He gives me strength,
unmerited like the dawn,
makes hard work bear fruit.
I drink the cup of morning's
goodness, as I bless the Lord.



/October 2009, Banaw, Bacacay, Albay

Psalm 139 (a double tanka)

Yahweh, I know you are near
even when I don't
care, when I let the concerns
of life overwhelm
my pray'r, O God, you are here.

When I need you, you are here
by my side, to guard
me against the demons I've
made - could have been lost
but for You, Lord, who are near.