1/20/26
NIGHT PRAYER: Tuesday 1/20
When someone pushes my buttons, Lord,
when a brother or sister gets under my skin;
when, try as I might, I find no worth
in someone's existence;
when I'm tempted to curse and even to hate,
a person whose values, deeds and ideas,
are directly opposed to my own;
when I'm just at a loss to discern or to see
what you find to love in my enemy...
It's then I must stop and look at myself:
at the missteps and false starts I try to forget;
at all of my broken, dysfunctional parts
and the story that's made me the person I am;
at my self-admiration, my ego and pride;
at the truth I avoid, withhold and deny;
at my sins and transgressions and character flaws;
at my arrogant smugness and cocky conceit;
at my cover-ups, half-truths and outright lies;
at my self-indulgence and careless neglect
of those whose needs are much greater than mine;
at my reckless pursuit of the bling I envy
and my foolish desire for things I don't need;
at my apathetic lack of concern
for what deserves my time and attention;
at my lack of discretion, wisdom and prudence,
restraint and caution - and common sense;
at my wasting the treasure, the talent and time
you've offered me to share and enjoy;
at the ways I ignore and miss and forget
your grace and your peace in my life every day...
All of that, Lord, and still you love me,
still find in my a reflection of the image divine
in which I was made...
You know all my sins, the big and the small,
both public and private, present and past,
but you look upon me through your merciful eyes
and you see the person you made me to be,
the man, the woman you call me to be,
the person you know I want to be
and who, by your grace, I'm becoming...
You know all my faults even better than I do,
you know how I'll fall long before I stumble;
you know my weaknesses, flaws and failures
and wait to be my healing and pardon,
my strength, my power, my hope...
You see right me through me,
you don't miss a thing,
and still you love me for who I am:
a sinful child you freely pardon;
a broken child you mend and heal;
a forgotten child you call by name;
a lonely child you hold with love;
a wild child you tame with patience;
a foolish child you understand;
a lost child you find and keep...
So, when someone pushes my buttons, Lord,
when a brother or sister gets under my skin,
remind me of how much you love me,
- with all of my faults and sins -
and help me to love my neighbor
as I pray they might love me...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep rest in your peace...
Amen.
I Have Loved You Michael Joncas
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1/19/26
Pause for Prayer: TUESDAY 1/20
I know so many folks who are losing hope: finding it more and more difficult to trust that all is not lost, that things will turn around, that better days are coming, that help is on the way, that the Lord is at their side, that all is in God's hands and that all things shall be well...
So for these friends, I'm posting this prayer - with the hope they'll make it their own
and find in their faith the hope they need today...
When I'm lost in the dark, Lord,
give me hope of a new day's dawn...
In the midst of my distress,
give me hope for serenity...
When I feel trapped in my past,
give me hope for all that's ahead...
When sadness overwhelms me,
give me hope for the peace you promise...
When I'm lost in my confusion,
give me hope for understanding...
When I'm feeling all alone,
give me hope for real companionship...
When I'm lost in doubt and fear,
give me hope and trust in faith...
When I fear there's no one there,
give me hope for someone's helping hand...
When I'm at my weakest point, Lord,
give me hope for strength and courage...
When war and terror threaten
give me hope for peace around the world...
When it seems there's simply no way out,
give me grace to hope for hope...
And when I'm feeling hopeless
help me find my hope in you, Lord,
And when I'm feeling hopeless
help me find my hope in you, Lord,
the source of all and every hope...
Amen.
I Set My Hope by Matt Papa
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When this life of trials tests my faith
I set my hope on Jesus
When the questions come and doubts remain
I set my hope on Jesus
For the deepest wounds that time won’t heal
There’s a joy that runs still deeper
There’s a truth that’s more than all I feel
I set my hope on Jesus
I set my hope on Jesus
My rock, my only trust
Who set His heart upon me first
I set my hope on Jesus
Though I falter in this war with sin
I set my hope on Jesus
When I fail the fight and sink within
I set my hope on Jesus
Though the shame would drown me in its sea
And I dread the waves of justice
I will cast my life on Calvary
I set my hope on Jesus
Though the world call me to leave my Lord
I set my hope on Jesus
Though it offer all its vain rewards
I set my hope on Jesus
Though this heart of mine is prone to stray
Give me grace enough to finish
’
Till I worship on that final day
I set my hope on Jesus
NIGHT PRAYER: Martin Luther King, Jr Day
On this Martin Luther King Day,
let's pray in the very words of the man we honor...
Most gracious and all wise God,
before whose face the generations rise and fall;
Thou in whom we live, and move, and have our being:
We thank thee
for all of thy good and gracious gifts,
for life and for health;
for food
and for raiment;
for the beauties of nature and human nature.
We come before thee
painfully aware of our inadequacies and shortcomings.
We
realize that we stand surrounded
with the mountains of love
and we
deliberately dwell
in the valley of hate.
We stand amid the forces of
truth
and deliberately lie.
We are forever offered the high road
and yet we choose to travel the low road.
For these sins O God forgive us.
Break the spell of that which blinds our minds.
Purify our hearts that we may see thee.
O God in these turbulent days
when fear and doubt are mounting high
give us broad visions, penetrating
eyes,
and the power of endurance.
Help us to work with renewed vigor
for a
warless world,
for a better distribution of wealth
and for a
brother/sisterhood that transcends race or color.
In the name and spirit
of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Shed a Little Light by James Taylor
- performed by The Maccabeats / Naturally 7
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Let us turn our thoughts todayTo Martin Luther KingAnd recognize that there are ties between usAll men and women living on the EarthTies of hope and loveSister and brotherhood
That we are bound togetherIn our desire to see the worldBecome a place in which our childrenCan grow free and strong
We are bound together by the taskThat stands before usAnd the road that lies aheadWe are bound, and we are bound
There's a feeling like the clenching of a fistThere's a hunger in the center of the chestThere's a passage through the darkness and the mistAnd though the body sleepsThe heart will never rest
Shed a little light, oh Lord So that we can see, oh yeahJust a little light, oh Lord. Want to stand it on upStand it on up, oh Lord Want to walk it on down
Shed a little light, oh Lord
Can't get no light from a dollar bill(Don't see me no light from a dollar bill)Don't give me no light from a TV screen, oh no, noWhen I open my eyes, I want to drink my fillFrom the well on the hillI know you know what I mean
Shed a little light, oh Lord So that we can see, oh yeahJust a little light, oh Lord Want to stand it on upStand it on up, oh Lord Want to walk it on down
Shed a little light, oh Lord
So we can see
And there's a feeling like the clenching of a fistThere is a hunger in the center of the chest, oh noThere is a passage through the darkness and the mistAnd though the body sleepsThe heart will never rest
Let us turn our thoughts todayTo Martin Luther KingAnd recognize that there are ties between usAll men and women living on the EarthTies of hope and loveSister and brotherhood
Three American cardinals speak out
 |
| Cardinals Cupich, McElroy and Tobin |
Three American cardinals (the archbishops of Chicago, Washington, and Newark) have issued a statement on charting a moral vision for American foreign policy. Those who have been disappointed in the virtual silence of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - and in the recent statement from Bishop Robert Barron who sits on President Trump's Religious Liberty Commission - will be more than grateful for the vision these three cardinals propose.
Charting A Moral Vision
of American Foreign Policy
In
2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate
about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of
the Cold War. The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic
questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace. The
sovereign rights of nations to self-determination appear all too fragile in a
world of ever greater conflagrations. The balancing of national interest with
the common good is being framed within starkly polarized terms. Our country’s
moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life
and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination.
And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s
well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that
encourage polarization and destructive policies.
For
all of these reasons, the contribution of Pope Leo in outlining a truly moral
foundation for international relations to the Vatican diplomatic corps this
month has provided us an enduring ethical compass for establishing the pathway
for American foreign policy in the coming years.
He
stated:
In our time, the weakness of multilateralism is a particular cause for concern at the international level. A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies. War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined. Peace is no longer sought as a gift and desirable good in itself, or in pursuit of “the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God with a more perfect form of justice among men and women.” Instead, peace is sought through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominion.
Pope
Leo also reiterates Catholic teaching that “the protection of the right to life
constitutes the indispensable foundation for every other human right” and that
abortion and euthanasia are destructive of that right. He points to the need
for international aid to safeguard the most central elements of human dignity,
which are under assault because of the movement by wealthy nations to reduce or
eliminate their contributions to humanitarian foreign assistance programs.
Finally, the Holy Father points to the increasing violations of conscience and
religious freedom in the name of an ideological or religious purity that
crushes freedom itself.
As
pastors and citizens, we embrace this vision for the establishment of a
genuinely moral foreign policy for our nation. We seek to build a truly just
and lasting peace, that peace which Jesus proclaimed in the Gospel. We renounce
war as an instrument for narrow national interests and proclaim that military
action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal
instrument of national policy. We seek a foreign policy that respects and
advances the right to human life, religious liberty, and the enhancement of
human dignity throughout the world, especially through economic assistance.
Our
nation’s debate on the moral foundation for American policy is beset by polarization,
partisanship, and narrow economic and social interests. Pope Leo has given us
the prism through which to raise it to a much higher level. We will preach,
teach, and advocate in the coming months to make that higher level possible.
Signed:
Cardinal
Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, Archbishop of Washington
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, Archbishop of Washington
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark
Monday Morning Offering: MLK Day
 |
| Morning Coffee: George Mendoza |
A song to accompany today's Monday Morning Offering...
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We Shall Overcome by the
By the power of your saving love, Lord,
help our nation overcome
the bias that divides us,
the bigotry bred by mistrust
and the pain that comes of prejudice...
Let us never for a moment
pretend to love you - and at the same time
ignore, mistreat or abandon
our neighbors, brothers and sisters all, near and far,
one family, children of one Father,
one in Christ our brother,
blessed by our diversity, yours in our humanity...
In the depths of our hearts, Lord,
help us overcome
our racism, our prejudice and partiality,
our bias and our bigotry,
our narrow-minded thinking
and all the ways we rush to judgment...
Help us overcome
our pride, our self-importance,
our undeserved privileges and rights,
our denial of what's fact, what's true,
our careless disregard of others' pain and plight...
And, Lord, help us overcome the thought
that we're above all this,
the temptation to believe
that no such faults are ours...
Help us overcome
and move beyond the status quo
and all that keeps us from real change;
free us from inertia's grip
paralyzing progress
and keeping things the way they've always been...
Help us overcome, Lord,
what discriminates and segregates,
separates and divides us,
what keeps us from being one nation,
indivisible, under your reign,
with liberty and equal justice - for all...
That's what we pray this morning, Lord,
and that's all we have to offer you:
our plea that you help us do
what we have not accomplished ourselves,
what we cannot do on our own,
what we cannot do apart from you
and your blessing, your strength
and your grace...
Amen.
1/18/26
Do you need to find peace in the midst of all that's going on?
Here's a video (above) of my homily for Sunday, January 18 and here's the gospel text I preached on - and the text of my homily follows. I know that some folks skip the video and read the text - but if you want to hear the musical element in my homily, please take a look at the video! (If a video doesn't appear above, click here!)
/////////////////////////////
Well, if you're paying attention and
have a halfway decent memory, you'll recall that last week's gospel also
featured John the Baptist – and - what transpired when Jesus approached
him at the Jordan River - and - how the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form
of a dove.
Two weeks in a row -
the same story. Seems early in the season to me for a rerun!
I was struggling on
how to preach on this (since I already preached on John last week) until I was
in my book group on Friday - and we were discussing all the discord and
the turmoil in the news these days. And a friend at the table said,
"I need a way to find peace in the midst of all of this." I need a way to find peace in the midst of
all this…
And as soon as he
said that - I felt as if the Holy Spirit came down on ME - not in the
form of a dove!
And I knew for
certain what I was called to preach this weekend.
When I read or
listen to the news these days, I find myself increasingly more troubled,
confused, angry, exasperated, disappointed, hurt and helpless. And it’s precisely then - in the midst
of all that - that I need to look up and see John the Baptist, and Jesus
approaching him, and I need to hear John announcing:
"Hey, everybody - look! Here comes Jesus - the Lamb of God. He's coming to take away the sin of the world. He's coming to relieve you of your troubles, anger, confusion, exasperation, your disappointment and hurt. He's coming to be the strength you look for when you feel so powerless.”
If I call myself a
Christian- and I do.
If I name myself as
one who follows Jesus - and I do.
If I believe that
Jesus forgives MY sin - and - has the strength and power to take away
the trouble, anger, confusion, exasperation, disappointment, and hurt
that MY sin dumps in the laps, in the lives, in the hearts of
those who feel powerless over MY words and deeds --- then I might also look to Jesus, I might behold
him (as John tells us). I might look to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world in which I live.
Now, is all that
little more than pious fluff? Or does it have some
real meaning, some nitty gritty IM-plications and APPlications - for my life
and for yours?
Well, the answer to
that question is this: John's announcement
about Jesus is either everything or it's nothing. It's either true
or it's false. It's either everything in my daily life and yours,
or it's nothing – it’s pious fluff.
I'm not suggesting
here - or more importantly, the gospel is not suggesting here - that if we
believe in Jesus, then all our problems will go away. We don't believe that.
But we do believe is
that the deepest peace we will ever know in the midst of this broken
world - will be the peace we find in Jesus - while we are living in this
broken world.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in the present
administration, nor in its alternative - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in the Constitution of the
United States of America - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in any decisions of the
Supreme Court - but in Jesus.
We believe that the deepest
peace we will ever know will be found not in our trouble, anger,
confusion, exasperation, disappointment and hurt. No, not there - but in Jesus.
Of course, finding
our deepest peace in Jesus in no way relieves us of our responsibility,
of our call as Christians to work for, to protect and defend,
to ensure those civil laws and structures that guarantee and safeguard
the dignity and rights of every human being on the face of the earth - without
exception.
But while engaged
in the struggle to achieve all of that - we Christians find our deepest
peace, our ultimate peace, the peace we seek - only in Jesus -who
is our peace and who is the way to the peace for which you and I
hunger and thirst.
So, when we read or
listen to the news these days and find ourselves feeling increasingly troubled,
confused, angry, exasperated, disappointed, and hurt, and helpless - it's
precisely then - in the midst of all of that - that we need to
look up and see John the Baptist, and Jesus approaching him, and hear John
announcing:
Hey, everybody, look! Here comes Jesus, the Lamb of God! He's coming to take away the sin of the world. He's coming to relieve us of our troubles, anger, and confusion, our exasperation, disappointment, and hurt. He's coming to be the strength we seek when, in our helplessness, we feel powerless. He’s coming with grace and peace from God, for all who call upon his name.
And that's why we
pray, every time we come to Mass, just before communion:
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress - as we await the blessed hope, the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ - who is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Or we could sing the
same prayer…
In the morning when
I rise
In the morning when
I rise
In the morning, when
I rise
Give me Jesus!
Give
me Jesus, Give me Jesus!
You
may have all this world
Give
me Jesus…
Oh, and when the
road is rough
Oh, and when my
spirit's down
O and when I'm losing
hope
Give me Jesus!
Yes, and when I come
to die.
Oh, and when I come
to die
Yes, and when I come
to die
Give me Jesus!
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