2 minute prayer reflections on the daily readings of the Church
Viewing entries tagged
Pray
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
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
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
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
Love is all you need.
John Lennon’s song may not have been theologically complete, but it was on the right path. Love is PRIMARILY what you need.
Why?
Because God IS love…
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/love-is-all-you-need
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/love-is-all-you-need
Is there a more common stereotype than, “Catholic guilt?”
We are actually called to a life of joy, lived in the truth of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, we live in an era of relativism, where truth is said to be a personal choice, or outright denied. C.S. Lewis even said, “When you hate the truth, the truth sounds hateful.”
Guilt, and a conscience properly formed in truth, are the core of our spiritual nervous system.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-catholic-guilt
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/catholic-guilt
The Church is later described as the body of Christ, with Christ as the head, meaning one cannot exist separate from the other. Trying to be a follower of Jesus apart from the Church is essentially spiritual decapitation, as he promised to be with His bride for all time.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-on-this-rock
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/3/1/on-this-rock
Shepherds, wisemen, or magi?
Whichever you call them, their story in the Gospel of Matthew is an intriguing part of the Christmas narrative.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-shepherds-wisemen-or-magi
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/1/14/shepherds-wisemen-or-magi
Today, let’s imagine standing as a shepherd in the countryside of rural Judea 2000 years ago.
It’s pitch black, with only the occasional bleat of a sheep breaching the calm. Close your eyes and breathe in the smell of your flock, and the peace of the night.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-shepherds-and-angels
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/1/14/shepherds-of-angels
“Give me a sign!”
Is there a person out there that hasn’t questioned God by asking for a sign to prove he exists and loves us?
Jesus even called us out in the Gospel of Saint John, saying,
“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-seeking-signs
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/1/14/seeking-signs
That’s the description many scholars use for the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It is rich in foreshadowing the coming of Jesus, and a staple of the daily readings in the Advent season.
Today, listen to the excitement and urgency of this prophet. He can barely contain himself, comparing the coming of Jesus and the Kingdom of God to the vindication of the city of Jerusalem.
Click here for audio reflection - https://soundcloud.com/prayfortwo/pray-for-two-the-fifth-gospel
Click here for full text - http://www.godislove.blog/prayfor2/2020/1/14/the-fifth-gospel
