"God of mercy,
you know the secrets of all human hearts,
for you know who is just and you forgive the repentant
sinner.
Hear my prayer in the midst of destruction;
give me patience and hope,
so that under your protection and with you as my guide,
I may one day be reunited with my family and friends
in peace, tranquility, and love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord." Amen
Daily Reading & Meditation
Saturday (5/23): "Ask in Jesus' name, and you will receive, that your joy may be full"
Scripture: John 16:23-28
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25 "I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
Meditation: Do you pray with confidence to your heavenly Father? Jesus often taught his disciples by way of illustration or parable. Here he speaks not in "figures" (the same word used for parables), but in plain speech. Jesus revealed to them the hidden treasure of the heavenly kingdom and he taught them how to pray to the Father in his name. Now Jesus opens his heart and speaks in the plainest of language: "The Father himself loves you!" How can the disciples be certain of this? Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus makes it possible for his disciples to have a new relationship with God as their Father. No one would have dared to call God his Father before this! Because of what Jesus has done for us in offering his life for our redemption we now have a new relationship as the adopted children of God. Paul the Apostles says that "when we cry, ‘Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:15-16). We can boldly approach God as our Father and ask him for the things we need. In love he bids us to draw near to his throne of grace and mercy. Do you approach the Father with confidence in his love and with expectant faith in his promise to hear your prayers?
"Heavenly Father, your love knows no bounds and your mercies are new every day. Fill me with gratitude for your countless blessings and draw me near to your throne of grace and mercy. Give me confidence and boldness to pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Psalm 47:2-9
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah]
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
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(c) 2009 Don Schwager
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Ad Quem Ibimus?
No, it’s not a typo. It’s the Latin Phrase, “To Whom Shall We Go?” That’s the famous line uttered by St. Peter after Jesus asks, “Will you also leave me?”
This exchange is from John’s Gospel. Jesus talks about being the “Bread come down from Heaven” (i.e., the “Bread of Life Discourse”), and He calls this bread, “real flesh and real blood.” Many of the people who heard Jesus thought he was full of bologna and so they left him.
Peter and the other disciples, however, believed Jesus was – IS – the Bread of Life. The Bread of Angels. Jesus is the only One who can satisfy our hungry souls. That’s why Peter responds to Jesus’ question with a powerful response definitely worth our meditation. “To whom shall we go? Only You have the words of everlasting life!”
I meditated on this phrase because it’s the Episcopal Motto of the New Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan. I attended the celebrations for his Installation as the 10th Archbishop of New York. He was the Rector at the North American College when I was a student. For many years thereafter, he has also been a mentor who possesses great administration skills, sincerity that leads people to prayer, and powerful techniques to preach the Word of God! He’s good…real good!
These days of celebration were incredible! I had the chance to talk about Archbishop Dolan at Sirius radio for the popular show, “The Catholics Next Door.” I also invited a few friends to join me. It was on that show Msgr. Nalty and Fr. Hamilton unofficially called the three days of celebration, “Dolan-palooza!” And so it was!
And despite the incredible fanfare, humungous lines of priests, cheering crowds, and all the pomp and circumstance only New York can provide, one thing remained constant. Archbishop Dolan was so perfectly clear that no matter where God asks him to go, he would do it. Why? To whom else shall we go? Who else has the words of Eternal Life?
It’s a question worth considering ourselves. We are now in the midst of the Easter Season. And since our fasting and penance have ended, we may find ourselves wandering in our prayer, or without the intense spiritual focus Lent provides. This a difficult time of year for the seminarians as well. Steeped in the world of finals exams, some question, “Why do I go through the stress of exams and seminary formation?” Or more simply, “What am I doing here?” Fourth Year Deacons are also asking similar questions. They are currently preparing to leave seminary and begin a new assignment somewhere – known only by the Bishop. Where will they go? I personally feel the sense of being pulled in so many different directions that I’ve asked that same question: Where, or to whom, shall I go?
Fourth year deacons preparing for procession.
Ultimately, we are reminded to live our life headed in Heaven’s direction. That’s where Jesus is, and He is the only one who has the words of eternal life. Perhaps we can ask a similar question to the young people in our families, especially if they are preparing to graduate. “What do you want to do with your life?” “What direction do you want to live your life?” The fact is, there are many voices that vie for our attention. Who do we listen to? Who do we think has the words of eternal life? And are we listening to the right voice? When we take time to pray, and have the spiritual focus to try and listen to God, He will lead us to the place that satisfies our hungering souls.
Some Members of the North American College Class of 1999 at a Reunion on Msgr. Natly’s Family Tree Farm.
This past week was a real reminder of the tremendous graces we received from Archbishop Dolan’s leadership as the Rector of the Pontifical North American College. At one point during the celebration, Archbishop Dolan spotted me in the crowd and screamed out, “Leo, do you want to cook for me?” Well Archbishop, if the Lord calls me to that service, “Here I am – ready to serve!” How much fun would that be?
His affability, while standing firm in Catholic Teaching has even seemingly convinced the media to say only “nice things” about the man and the church! It was one of the first major church events that didn’t have negative media stories or protestors. Perhaps the new Archbishop’s motto will even help others, especially the media, see that only God has the real news – The Good News – worth reporting!
At one of the events, the new Archbishop – always ready with a joke and seemingly always hungry – commented on the Gospel passage that day. It was the post resurrection account where Jesus asks the disciples if they caught anything to eat? To which Archbishop Dolan said, “That’s my favorite line in the whole Bible!”
That’s my kind of Archbishop! He knows that if we go to Jesus and listen for His voice, He will always lead us to the Heavenly Banquet, where every desire will be fulfilled!
Food for the Body: A New York Feast!
At one of the celebrations, our class was invited by the parents of Msgr. Christopher Nalty. He’s a priest of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. His parents are generous people who welcome seminarians to retreat at their Tree Farm in Alabama. This time, they “moved us on up!” They hosted our class for a dinner at the private Metropolitan Club.
It was truly a “Dolan-Palooza” event! A bagpiper greeted us at the door, the wait staff brought out incredible hors d’vours, the setting was so dignified, and company was well . . . us, brothers and sister in Christ, i.e., family!
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One of the dishes featured a beautiful chilled crab salad over marinated avocado. I’d love to make that dish sometime!
But for now, it reminded me of a dish I made for a classmate that combined a chilled salad – perfect for the summer. It’s a combination of Salmon and avocado, dressed with a light lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.
It won’t be anything like we had at this Big Apple-styled dinner, but it’s definitely something worth trying for your family.
Click Here for Recipe.
Going to God!
For this week’s prayer, I thought it would be good to suggest a book published by the Archbishop, based on his Episcopal Motto. As a way to grow in prayer, let’s make sure as families, we talk about the direction we choose for our lives. Are we following the right voices? Are we going to the One who feeds us with the Bread of Eternal Life – His Body and Blood?
Lord, help us to hear Your Word. Help us to take the steps that lead us to You. When we are overwhelmed with the many voices that try and get our attention, keep us ever safe in your care so that we will never leave You, and instead, follow wherever You call us. Amen.Sphere: Related Content
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