Gratitude Prayer by Napoleon Hill

I give thanks daily, not for mere riches, but for wisdom with which to recognize, embrace, and properly use the great abundance of riches I now have at my command. I have no enemies because I injure no man for any cause, but I try to benefit all with whom I come in contact by teaching them the way to enduring riches. I have more material wealth than I need because I am free from greed and covet only the material things I can use while I live.
~Gratitude Prayer by Napoleon Hill

October 23, 2016 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 23, 2016  Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings : http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102316.cfm

Intercessions :  Heavenly Father, your son taught us to pray from the poverty of our hearts. Knowing you always hear and answer our prayers, we present our petitions before you

·        

•      For our church leaders that through their sacrifice and example they may be the voice of God’s answer to the prayer of the poor, we pray to the Lord

• ·        That as we prepare for our upcoming national elections, we may pray for officials who follow Christ as an example of servant leadership. we pray to the Lord, 

• ·        For victims of violence, that they may experience and find consolation and justice in the presence of God and his people we pray to the Lord,               

• ·        For those in our parish families, that we may always respect life in all it stages as a gift from God, we pray to the Lord,

• ·        For the Hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, and the unemployed, that may see God transforming their lives , we pray to the Lord,         

• ·        For those who seek healing. May they open their hearts to the response of the Lord in their lives, we pray

• ·        For those who have asked us for prayers and those who we encounter who need prayers, we pray to the Lord

• ·        For those who have died, and all those who are remembered in the offering of Masses this week.

Father, you hear our prayers, spoke and unspoken.  May we always be humble and approach you in our poverty as we draw near and confidently raise our petitions to you.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Intercessions for October 16,2016

October 16, 2016  Twenty-nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings : http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101616.cfm

Intercessions :  Heavenly Father, your son taught us to persevere in our prayers. Knowing you always hear and answer our prayers, we present our petitions before you

• For our church leaders that through their perseverance they lead us ever closer to God’s merciful love and demonstrate the sharing of that mercy with others, we pray to the Lord
• That as we prepare for our upcoming national elections, we may respect and see the love of God in all people we pray to the Lord, 
• For victims of violence, that they may experience and find consolation and justice in the presence of God and his people we pray to the Lord,               
• For those in our parish families, that we may always respect life in all it stages as a gift from God, we pray to the Lord,
• For the Hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, and the unemployed, that their faith may bring them to new life, we pray to the Lord,         
• For those who seek healing. May they open their hearts to the response of the Lord in their lives, we pray
• For those who have asked us for prayers and those who we encounter who need prayers, we pray to the Lord 
• For those who have died, and all those who are remembered in the offering of Masses this week.

 Father, you hear our prayers, spoke and unspoken.  May we always be persistent as we draw near and raise our petitions to you, knowing that you provide for all our needs.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Intercessions for October 9, 2016

October 9, 2016  Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings : http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100916.cfm

Intercessions :  Heavenly Father, your son reminded us that gratitude for your gifts is the attitude we should hol as we come before you. Knowing you always hear an answer or prayers we present our petitions before you

·        For our church leaders that they lead us ever closer to God’s merciful love and demonstrate the sharing of that mercy with others, we pray to the Lord

·        That as we prepare for our upcoming national elections, we may respect and see the love of God in all people we pray to the Lord, 

·        For those who are living in the storms of life, that they may experience and find consolation in the presence of God and his people,               

·        For those in our parish families, that we may always respect life in all it stages as a gift from God, we pray to the Lord,

·        For the Hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, and the unemployed, that their faith may bring them to new life, we pray to the Lord,         

·        For those struggling with their faith. May they come to feel God’s saving power, we pray to the Lord

·        For those who have asked us for prayers and those who we encounter who need prayers, we pray to the Lord

·        For those who have died, and all those who are remembered in the offering of Masses this week.

Father, you hear our prayers, spoke and unspoken.  May we always stand in expectant gratitude as we draw near and raise our  petitions to you.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Intercessions - October 2, 2016

October 2, 2016  Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings : http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100216.cfm

Intercessions :  Heavenly Father, your apostles asked you to increase our faith, blessed with the gift of faith you have given us, we lovingly lift our petitions to you:

• For those who are experiencing God’s mercy, that they may find themselves coming ever closer to his merciful love and sharing that mercy with others, we pray to the Lord,               
•  That as we prepare for our upcoming national elections, we may realize that God’s love can transform and strengthen us to guide us to select the best leaders, we pray to the Lord,                
• For strangers in strange lands, victims of violence and proclaimers of God’s kingdom, that they may experience and find consolation in the presence of God and his people, we pray to the Lord,                         
• For those in our parish families, that the example of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate this week, may inspire us to praise and experience the touch of our loving God in His Creation and His People, we pray to the Lord,               
• For the Hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, and the unemployed, that their faith may bring them to new life, we pray to the Lord,                        
• For those struggling with their faith. May they come to feel God’s loving presence and harden not their hearts, we pray to the Lord,               
• For those who have asked us for prayers and those who we encounter who need prayers, we pray to the Lord,               
•  For those who have died, Especially Judah Brown, age 2, son of my facebook friend, and all those who are remembered in the offering of Masses this week,  we pray to the Lord,                

Father, you hear our prayers, spoke and unspoken.  May all our petitions help to draw us close to you and help us to live in accordance to your will.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Angel Marks

Today is a day of visits of angels.

Francis of Assisi was visited 800 years ago, and was imprinted with the marks of the suffering Christ by the saraph.

His side, pierced by a sword, his hands and feet pierced by the nails of the cross, just as all of Francis' life, a witness to the depth of God's Love for us.

Some wounds do not heal.  Some wounds are as upraised hands giving witness to the greatness of our Father, God and King.

Today I commemorate the death of one of my great guides, mentor and friend, my grandmother Lottie Kravitz, 20 years ago today. I pray she is in the company of angels, reunited with her husband, brother and sisters.  When the angels took her they left a great millstone of grief tied to my heart.

She suffered her share of life's tragedies, having lost her husband almost 25 years before her own death by cancer. She was a custom made godsend to her siblings, spouse, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She was my biggest support when I was working through life's problems, and was with me on much of my spiritual journey.  Granny is a witness to the depth of God's Love for us.

I miss you Granny.   Some wounds do not heal.  Some wounds are as upraised hands giving witness to the greatness of our Father, God and King.

And how great, loving, and forgiving He is!

A Psalm of Thomas Merton

Today, Father, this blue sky lauds you.

The delicate green and orange flowers of the tulip poplar tree praise you.

The distant blue hills praise you,

together with the sweet-smelling air that is full of brilliant light.

The bickering flycatchers praise you

with the lowing cattle and the quails that whistle over there.

I too, Father, praise you, with all these my brothers,

and they give voice to my own heart and to my own silence.

We are all one silence, and a diversity of voices.

You have made us together,

you have made us one and many,

you have placed me here in the midst

as witness, as awareness, and as joy.

Here I am.

In me the world is present,

and you are present.

I am a link in the chain of light and of presence.

You have made me a kind of center,

but a center that is nowhere.

And yet also I am "here."

-Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, pp. 131-132