2 minute prayer reflections on the daily readings of the Church
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/the-mass-in-the-early-church
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/A2nDKMFnPro
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/5/the-mass-in-the-early-church
How do you ask forgiveness when you’ve really done something wrong?
Consider the prayer of Psalm 51, where King David asks for forgiveness after his affair with Bathsheba…
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/have-mercy-on-me-o-god
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/A2nDKMFnPro
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/5/have-mercy-on-me-o-god
I often think about what the Apostles felt like in the weeks after Jesus’s resurrection. Waking up each morning with nervous excitement, having such incredible news to share, wondering where to begin.
The Acts of the Apostles is the first book after the Gospels, documenting the good works of twelve ordinary men in those first months. Let’s listen to one encounter…
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/do-the-next-good-thing
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/J021kI6TvB4
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/4/do-the-next-good-thing
When Jesus Christ came into the world as messiah and savior, He very easily could have divinely snapped His fingers and appeared. But he chose instead to be born of a woman, the virgin Mary. And Mary plays a significant role in the Church, both as His biological mother, and our spiritual mother.
The Hail Mary is an ancient prayer that honors her role in salvation history, and is rooted in the Gospel of Saint Luke….
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/hail-mary-in-scripture
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/BilwjSsMzQQ
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/4/hail-mary-in-scripture
Father of Grace and Mercy.
For a long time, I had no idea where I had come up with this introduction to prayer. It was something that just felt comfortable, and helped me start the process of praying, much like the leg kick of a baseball player helps trigger their swing….
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/father-of-grace-and-mercy
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/Rx7Hib5fWnw
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/4/father-of-grace-and-mercy
It was Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
My daughter and her boyfriend are huge Butler basketball fans, and we planned a Spring Break adventure to New York City for the Big East Tournament.
Butler was to play Providence Thursday afternoon. We left around 5, hoping to drive halfway to DuBois, Pennsylvania, and the rest of the way Thursday morning.
News of the Coronavirus was building, and the idea of “social distancing” had just entered our conversation…
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/providence-and-butler
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/5cPuNmIN_zY
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/5/4/providence-and-butler
Much is made of the betrayal of Judas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.
Today, let’s listen to John’s gospel account of the Last Supper, where Jesus calls out someone else who will deny Him….
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/betrayal-and-redemption
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/mHSf4EL2UFQ
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/4/7/betrayal-and-redemption
Faith or works?
There often seem to be conflicting statements in Scripture regarding faith and works. Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.”
Yet listen to the very next line…
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/lenten-reflection-faith-works
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/1erRo_UiqmY
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/4/4/faith-and-works
I love Holy week and all of the masses leading up to Easter. Unfortunately, Spring Break sometimes falls over this time, and our family has to endeavor to find a new Church home.
One Palm Sunday, when our four children were very young, we found ourselves at mass in a Florida strip mall. The church area tiny, so we were forced to sit out in the hall on folding chairs, facing a blank wall….
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/lenten-reflection-palm-sunday
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/dko19Oi5U2o
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/4/02/worlds-shortest-homily
Where does the Catholic Church get its authority?
From Jesus Christ. He gave his apostle Peter, or Rock, that authority to bind and loose while instituting the Church in the gospel of Matthew:
“And so I say to you, you are Rock, and upon this rock I will build my church…
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-on-this-rock
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/D7Nz3EFYCB4
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/28/on-this-rock
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.
I’ll bet I have that song in your head now.
If you try to find this specific passage in Scripture, you’ll go on a wild goose chase. It’s actually a combination of several verses, with most of it is captured in an Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy.
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/be-not-afraid
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/19w5Dz3R6oI
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/26/be-not-afraid
Why should we pray?
Because it’s healthy for us to communicate with the author of our life. In return, we open the tap of grace that God wants to pour into our lives, far beyond the small measure we give Him.
It’s like the widow that the prophet Elijah visited in the Old Testament book of 1st Kings.
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/why-should-we-pray
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/wFe-nLuD59I
Click here for full text -
http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/25/why-should-we-pray
As we walk together through the Coronavirus outbreak, it’s essential to approach it with prudence and courage, based on the promise that God takes care of his people. For every challenge we encounter, our loving father delivers us through it.
Said another way, for every trial, there is consolation.
Today, let’s pray from Psalm 34, titled, “Praise from Deliverance from Trouble,” trusting that God will provide deliverance through these troubling times.
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/deliverance-from-trouble
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/HBAFS5dlwOo
Click here for full text -
http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/24/deliverance-through-trouble-coronavirus-prayer
Many of us will try to eliminate a bad habit or sin during Lent. Maybe it’s being lazy. Maybe it’s eating too much. While that’s all well and good, if we don’t actively work build a good habit in its place, studies show we will likely fall back into the bad habit.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/virtue-vs-vice
Click here for full text - https://mike-kelly-2enl.squarespace.com/prayfor2/2020/3/1/virtue-and-vice
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
These central tenants of Lent redirect our focus to our relationship with God, the discipline of sacrifice, and being a gift of self.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/prayer-fasting-and-almsgiving
Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest…why can’t I just confess directly to God?
This is a common objection to the sacrament of confession. The answer is that Jesus, being the Divine Psychologist, knew this would not satisfy our human nature….
Click here for SoundCloud audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/why-do-i-have-to-confess-to-a-priest
Click here for YouTube video reflection - https://youtu.be/xOKQuev_kjg
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/why-do-i-have-to-confess-my-sins-to-a-priest
Many try to reduce Jesus Christ to a, “great moral teacher” to escape the magnitude of His divinity, and the demands of his teachings. But Jesus claimed to be much more than a great moral teacher – he claimed to be God….
Click here for audio - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/liar-lunatic-or-lord
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/liar-lunatic-or-lord
Is there anything more frustrating than falling into recurring sin? Why do we ebb and flow in the spiritual life?
There is a clue in the Gospel of Matthew, where we see Peter ebb and flow in dramatic fashion…
Click for audio - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-eyes-up
Click for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/eyes-up
I was recently given Psalm 103 as a penance after confession as a way to dwell in the God’s rich mercy.
Today, let’s pray this psalm of gratitude:
Bless the Lord, O my soul…
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-bless-the-lord-o-my-soul
Click for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/bless-the-lord-o-my-soul
How do we join a new group? Typically, we receive and accept invitation to belong. Second, there is recognition of shared values, or belief. Finally, we modify our actions to align with the group, or behave.
Belong, believe, behave.
Click for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/belong-believe-behave
Click for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/belong-believe-behave
