Blessed Virgin Mary
Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 20 Reverence in Prayer
Mass: Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19; Resp Ps 74; Mt 8:5-17
Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones.
HEART OF JESUS, PIERCED BY A LANCE,
HAVE MERCY ON US.
After several chapters from the Holy Rule on what psalms, antiphons, and hymns should be sung at various times and days of the liturgical year, we consider chapters 19 and 20 that concern, among other things, our demeanor and intention as we pray. Today, we hear about reverence in prayer and have as an example, the centurion in today's Gospel who approached Jesus and appealed to Him to heal his paralyzed servant. With humility and respect, and not so many words, the centurion reverently went to the Divine Physician: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed" (Mt 8:8).St Benedict has this to say:
Whenever we want to ask some favor of a powerful man, we do it humbly and respectfully, for fear of presumption. How much more important, then, to lay our petitions before the Lord God of all things with the utmost humility and sincere devotion. We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words. Prayer should therefore be short and pure, unless perhaps it is prolonged under the inspiration of divine grace. In community, however, prayer should always be brief; and when the superior gives the signal, all should rise together.
(RB 20)
You may go; as you believed, let it be done for you.
(Mt 8:13)
SAINT CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA,
MARY, MOTHER OF HOPE,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: A kind sister suggested I take note of this scene, what I found to be a mysterious look into the woods from our cloister foot bridge.© Gertrude Feick 2020
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