Tribulation Times
June 21, 2013
(Luk 11:11-13) And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? Or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?
ESSAYS OF INTEREST
Pray, Pray, Pray for Priests!
How Catholics Can Still Achieve Great Things
Always in a Hurry
USCCB: Fortnight For Freedom June 21 to July 4
The U.S. bishops have called for a Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week period of prayer and action, to address many current challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, Supreme Court rulings that could attempt to redefine marriage in June, and religious liberty concerns in areas such as immigration and humanitarian services.
ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: ‘If laypeople don’t love their Catholic faith enough to struggle for it in the public square, nothing the bishops do will finally matter.’
MEDITATION: Thoughts by St Theophan (1815-1894)
[Acts 25:13–19; John 16:23–33]
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (John 16:23) the Lord said, even confirming the point: Verily, verily, I say unto you. What a shame for us that we do not know how to make use of such a true promise! It would be alright if were only the shame this causes; but a shadow is cast also over the promise itself, as though it were too great and impossible.
No, the guilt lies entirely on us, mainly because we recognize that we are not faithful servants of Christ, and our conscience does not allow us to expect mercy from the Lord. In addition it happens that if someone starts asking God about something, he does it with divided soul: he mentions that thing in his prayer once or twice as if in passing — and drops it, and then says later: “God does not hear.”
No, when asking for something in particular, one must be persistent and indefatigable in prayer, like the widow who forced even the heartless judge to satisfy her petition by simply not giving him any peace. When true men of prayer ask for something in prayer, they unite with it fasting, vigil, all sorts of deprivation, and charity; furthermore they ask not for a day or two, but for months and years. For this they receive it. Imitate them, if you desire to have success in prayer.
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Love of the Cross, Contempt and Suffering
15.
Trust to the goodness of our Lord in the crosses which He sends you; He
will never abandon you, for He knows how to draw good from our ills and
His glory from our trials.Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerRequest3@aol.com
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