Mt 20: 20-28
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Choose to help
In The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, writes: “…Jesus condemns the ‘strong’ who could help if they wanted, but don’t bother to do so.”
Jesus makes it very clear in today’s Gospel that he came to serve, not to be served. In the same light, God wants us to use our gifts and talents to serve those we encounter each and every day. God isn’t asking us to hold back our potential and limit our success. Rather, God encourages us to serve others no matter what we do.
In your daily life, how can you choose to help, rather than disregard? When someone asks your help, can you challenge yourself to look them in the eyes and answer as if you were speaking to Jesus?
—Mikayla Lofton is the Grants Program Manager for the Cristo Rey Network and was a Jesuit Volunteer in Atlanta (‘15-’16).
Prayer
Prayer for Generosity
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;
teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will.
—St. Ignatius of Loyola
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
You know it has been an exhausting day, Lord
Yet your presence and that of my beloved makes all the difference
As I seek to walk the path of service in your name
As I seek to be a witness to your love
You encourage and nurture me
When I stumble and fall, you pick me up
You dust me off and put me back on the path
For the blessing of your Presence
For the guidance of your Spirit
For the example of your Son
For the blessings of the Three in One
For these blessings and so much more
I thank you, Lord
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A fruitful day of appointments
Time spent in contemplation
Time spent in reflection
Thank you for your presence, Lord
Thank you for the fresh wind of your Spirit
Cleansing and renewing my soul
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Verse of the day
Those who hear but don’t do the word are like those who look at their faces in a mirror. They look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were like. But there are those who study the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it. They don’t listen and then forget, but they put it into practice in their lives. They will be blessed in whatever they do.
– James 1:23-25 (CEB)
Voice of the day
We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.
– Fred Rogers
Prayer of the day
Awaken and sustain an understanding of ourselves as beings designed to take loving action, and not simply to sit and listen, growing numb to the sounds of a world in need. Call us out and call us in today, oh Christ whose Kin-dom is being built every day. Amen.
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long day of ministry and meetings
In the midst of it all, a brief time for reflection
When you call us to serve, Lord
You call us to place our trust in you alone
As discussions occur
As voices are heard
May we, in the midst of it all, listen
May we listen for your Spirit’s guidance
May we look beyond ourselves
May we look always to you
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Beautiful offering for Mary Magdalene, Malcolm ❤️❤️
The 22nd of July is Mary Magdalene’s day, and continuing my sequence of sonnets written in response to the church year I post this for her. As usual you can hear the poem by clicking on its title or on the ‘play’ button.
This sonnet is drawn from my collection Sounding the Seasons, published by Canterbury Press here in England. The book is now back in stock on both Amazon UK and USA . The book is now also out on Kindle. Please feel free to make use of these sonnets in church services and to copy and share them. If you can mention the book from which they are taken that would be great.
Men called you light so as to load you down,
And burden you with their own weight of sin,
A woman forced to cover and contain
Those seven devils sent by Everyman.
View original post 81 more words
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A day of contemplation
A time of discussion and sharing
A time to gather together
A time to simply Be Still
A time to prepare for the coming week
Lord, what a privilege to serve you
For my sweetheart and partner in life and ministry
We thank you for your sacred calling
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
And they came to Jerusalem. And going into the Temple he began to throw out those who sold and bought in the Temple. And the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves, he simply overturned. And he did not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the Temple. And he was teaching and telling them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the Gentiles”? And you have made it a cave of brigands. And the chief priests and the scribes heard. And they sought how they might destroy him. For they were afraid of him; for the whole crowd was overwhelmed at his teaching.
— Read on www.pathwaystogod.org/day-21-challenge
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
For dear friends I thank you
For my sweet partner in life and ministry I thank you
For the opportunity to serve I thank you
For the blessings of home and hearth and family I thank you
For opportunities to slow down I thank you
For your presence in the midst of it all I thank you
Help me, Lord to simply Be Still
Help me to take the time to refresh
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A wonderful day today, Lord
A time of work
A time of fellowship
A time to celebrate friendship
A time to enjoy wonderful music
A time to enjoy your blessings
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
