God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Dear Lord, give me the strength through the power of Your Holy Spirit to hear Your voice and follow it. Help me fight the temptation to sin that bubbles up inside me whenever my mind strays from you. Let Your will be done always in my life, Lord.
Let me receive Your Word with an open mind and clear eye. Whenever I read Your Scripture, let Your Holy Spirit guide me to the truth, setting aside my preconception and self-justification. I pray to hear what You intend for me to hear.
And, help me always to an attitude of humility. Fill me with acceptance in place of judgment, sympathy in place of anger, faith in place of resentment. Help me to love others just like You loved them.
Amen
Dear Lord, hold me in the palm of Your hand. I pray that You will mold me into what you want me to be. May I joyfully fill the role You have given to me and feel Your peace deep in my soul, today and always.
Open my eyes and ears to Your word, Lord God, that I might hear what I do not want to hear and face my faults with courage. Educate me, O Holy Spirit. Let me hear Your voice instead of my own.
Help me remember that there are no small places or small people. All are precious in Your sight. May I see the value of my work and cherish it as You do.
Amen
FIRST READING
Mal 3:19-20a
The sun of justice will shine on you.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Malachi
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 98:5-6, 7-8, 9
℟. (cf. 9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
℟. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
℟. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
℟. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
SECOND READING
2 Thes 3:7-12
If anyone is unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians
Brothers and sisters:
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
ACCLAMATION BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Lk 21:28
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Lk 21:5-19
By your perseveranace you will secure your lives.
✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, “All that you see here—
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”
Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered,
“”See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.””
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
“Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All reply:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Lord, let me do my work this day. And, if the darkened hours of despair overcome me, may I not forget the strength that comforted me in the desolation of other times. Let me have courage amid the tempests of the changing years.
Spare me from bitterness and from the sharp passions of unguarded moments. May I not forget that poverty and riches are of the spirit. Though the world knows me not, may my thoughts and actions be such as shall keep me friendly with myself.
Lift up my eyes from the earth, and let me not forget the uses of the stars. Forbid that I should judge others lest I condemn myself. Let me not follow the clamor of the world, but walk calmly in my path.
Amen
Somo la Kwanza
Mal 4:1-2
Angalieni, siku ile inakuja, inawaka kama tanuru; na watu wote wenye kiburi, nao wote watendao uovu, watakuwa makapi; na siku ile inayokuja itawateketeza, asema Bwana wa majeshi; hata haitawaachia shina wala tawi.Lakini kwenu ninyi mnaolicha jina langu, jua la haki litawazukia, lenye kuponya katika mbawa zake;
Wimbo wa Katikati
Zab 98:5-9
Mwimbieni Bwana zaburi kwa kinubi,
Kwa kinubi na sauti ya zaburi.
Kwa panda na sauti ya baragumu.
Shangilieni mbele za Mfalme, Bwana.
(K) Bwana anakuja awahukumu mataifa kwa haki.
Bahari na ivume na vyote viijazavyo,
Ulimwengu nao wanaokaa ndani yake.
Mito na ipige makofi, Milima na iimbe pamoja kwa furaha mbele za Bwana;
(K) Bwana anakuja awahukumu mataifa kwa haki.
Kwa maana anakuja aihukumu nchi.
Atauhukumu ulimwengu kwa haki,
Na mataifa kwa adili.
(K) Bwana anakuja awahukumu mataifa kwa haki.
Somo la Pili
2The 3:7-12
Mwajua wenyewe jinsi iwapasavyo kutufuata; kwa sababu hatukuenda bila utaratibu kwenu; wala hatukula chakula kwa mtu ye yote bure; bali kwa taabu na masumbufu, usiku na mchana tulitenda kazi, ili tusimlemee mtu wa kwenu awaye yote. Si kwamba hatuna amri, lakini makusudi tufanye nafsi zetu kuwa kielelezo kwenu, mtufuate. Kwa kuwa hata wakati ule tulipokuwapo kwenu tuliwaagiza neno hili, kwamba ikiwa mtu hataki kufanya kazi, basi, asile chakula. Maana twasikia kwamba wako watu kwenu waendao bila utaratibu, hawana shughuli zao wenyewe, lakini wanajishughulisha na mambo ya wengine. Basi twawaagiza hao, na kuwaonya katika Bwana Yesu Kristo, watende kazi kwa utulivu na kula chakula chao wenyewe.
Shangilio
Lk 21:36
Aleluya, aleluya
Kesheni kila wakati, mkiomba, ili mpate kusimama mbele za Mwana wa Adamu.
Aleluya
Somo la Injili
Lk 21:5-19
Watu kadha wa kadha walipokuwa wakiongea habari za hekalu, jinsi lilivyopambwa kwa mawe mazuri na sadaka za watu, alisema, Haya mnayoyatazama, siku zitakuja ambapo halitasalia jiwe juu ya jiwe ambalo halitabomoshwa. Wakamwuliza wakisema, Mwalimu, mambo hayo yatakuwa lini? Nayo ni nini ishara ya kuwa mambo hayo ya karibu kutukia? Akasema, Angalieni, msije mkadanganyika, kwa sababu wengi watakuja kwa jina langu, wakisema, Mimi ndiye; tena, Majira yamekaribia. Basi msiwafuate hao. Nanyi mtakaposikia habari za vita na fitina, msitishwe; maana, hayo hayana budi kutukia kwanza, lakini ule mwisho hauji upesi. Kisha aliwaambia, Taifa litaondoka kupigana na taifa, na ufalme kupigana na ufalme; kutakuwa na matetemeko makubwa ya nchi; na njaa na tauni mahali mahali; na mambo ya kutisha na ishara kuu kutoka mbinguni. Lakini, kabla hayo yote hayajatokea, watawakamata na kuwaudhi; watawapeleka mbele ya masinagogi, na kuwaua magerezani, mkipelekwa mbele ya wafalme na maliwali kwa ajili ya jina langu. Na hayo yatakuwa ushuhuda kwenu. Basi, kusudieni mioyoni mwenu, kutofikiri-fikiri kwanza mtakavyojibu; kwa sababu mimi nitawapa kinywa na hekima ambayo watesi wenu wote hawataweza kushindana nayo wala kuipinga. Nanyi mtasalitiwa na wazazi wenu, na ndugu zenu, na jamaa zenu, na rafiki zenu, nao watawafisha baadhi yenu. Nanyi mtachukiwa na watu wote kwa ajili ya jina langu. Walakini hautapotea hata unywele mmoja wa vichwa vyenu. Nanyi kwa subira yenu mtaziponya nafsi zenu.
Dear Lord, today, I celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the moment of His glorious victory over death. I add my voice to countless millions of others in thanks, in praise, and in awe of Your sacrifice for us. Help me, dear Lord, to dedicate these few moments to You completely.
You have taught us that we may dwell with You, even while we are caught in this difficult world. And I pray to dwell with You fully now. Guard me against wandering of mind and the intrusion of mundane thought, so that I may be fully present with You, through the power of Your Holy Spirit.
And in the coming week, I pray that my mind may constantly turn to You. So that, I may always remember you when I am tempted to anger, to selfishness, to lust for power and the vanities of this world, or any of the myriad temptations that might assail me in the course of life. In the name of Christ and through faith in Him, I pray.
Amen
Dear Lord, help me to go about the tasks and duties of this day with the remembrance that I am Your servant therein. Make me honest, painstaking, and cheerful. And, grant that all I do and say may bring good to others and glory to Your Holy Name.
May I have the courage never to be afraid of anyone. May I have the generosity to bear ill-feeling toward no-one. Lead me to live in such a way as to treat others in the same way as I would like to be treated.
Inspire me never to be violent in thought, word or action, and lead me to conquer evil with goodness. Let me go forth in Your peace, keeping Your Spirit always in my mind. And bless me, I pray, that I might always follow Your will and live in the radiance of Your blessing.
Amen
Dear God, as I face another day, I know I am going to face many challenges to my faith, patience, to my love for others. I am going to have constant temptations to lapse into sin. Come to me now, Lord, and stay with me all day.
Let Your Spirit encompass my mind. Let me know Your presence. Steer my hand, direct my words, guide my thoughts in everything I think and say and do.
I resolve to live this day as a beacon of Your glory, the best I can, with your help. I commit myself to give this day to You. In the name of Christ, be with me and help me.
Amen
Dear Lord, give me the strength to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely on Your holy will. Reveal Your will to me every hour of the day.
Bless my dealings with all people. Teach me to treat all people who come to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words guide my thoughts and feelings and in unexpected events, let me not forget that all are sent by You.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me the physical strength to bear the labors of this day. Direct my will, teach me to pray, pray in me.
Amen
Dear Lord, I come before you as I am. Lead me today as You see best. We seek Your guidance today and ask to know You in ways we haven’t seen before.
It is impossible for us to comprehend Your nature, and yet You welcome us to approach You in prayer. I ask that good may come from whatever negative things happen to me, knowing that nothing can ever separate me from Your love. Give me strength to bear my load.
Use the gifts You’ve given me to encourage others on their journey. Help me not to compare myself with others but to be content. Make me perfect in every good work to do Your will, working in me that which is well pleasing in Your sight.
Amen
Dear Lord, I come before You today as I am. Thank You for paying the penalty for my sins by Your death and resurrection and giving me new life. Help me to live a life that honors Your holy name and to love others as You have loved me.
At this moment, I turn to You for strength in my weakness, energy for my weariness, and faith in my doubt. I lay down my pain, sorrow and sufferings before You because they are all part of who I am. I ask that good may come from whatever negative things happen to me, knowing that nothing can ever separate me from Your love.
Make me perfect in every good work to do Your will. Work in my life, Lord, so that I am well pleasing in your sight. This is all for You, Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever.
Amen
Dear God, the heavens are telling of Your glory and the wonders of Your love, the sun by day, and the moon and stars by night. I look with hope to the day when my knowledge of Your glory will never be hidden by the concerns of the world. And, I may know You every moment of time, forever.
Forgive me for all the time I spend with my face bent to the things of earth. Thank You, because You are always there. You are always willing to show Yourself to me and guide me and comfort me.
I ask You to inspire me with a thirst for knowledge. I pray, too, for wisdom and understanding that I may use my knowledge well. Bless me and all those who pray in faith of You this day; save us and grant unto us everlasting life.
Amen
Dear Lord, I may worship You in spirit and in truth today. Deliver me, when I draw near to You, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind. I am no longer my own, but Yours.
You work through such common things – those of us with flaws and weaknesses. We are in awe of Your power and humbled by Your choice of us. Our hearts long to be faithful to You.
May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May Your law and Your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of Your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions in the coming week, and always.
Amen
Dear God, I dedicate this day to You. I pray that Your Spirit will lift me up this day, and that Your face may shine upon me all the day long. Let me do Your will and lead a new life in Christ, reborn in the Spirit.
The culture around us can seem so harsh and hard on people when they fail. Help me to show grace and patience, because You have been gracious to me and have forgiven my sin. Have mercy upon us, and deliver us from the troubles that torment us.
You always welcomed little children when You walked on this earth. Teach me to have a childlike trust in You. Let me live in the knowledge that You will never abandon me.
Amen
This book consists of a collection of speeches, proclamations of punishment and of salvation, attributed to the prophet Micah. Following its superscription (1:1), the book has two major sections, each with two parts. The organization of the material is thematic, moving from judgment to salvation in both major sections. In the first section (Mi 1–5), chaps. 1–3 consist almost entirely of prophecies of punishment, and chaps. 4–5 of prophecies of salvation. The second section (chaps. 6–7) also moves from prophecies of punishment (6:1–7:6) to confidence in God’s salvation (7:7–20).
Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. The book’s superscription (1:1) places his prophetic activity during the reigns of three kings of Judah: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. It identifies him as a resident of Moresheth, a village in the Judean foothills. The solitary reference to Micah outside the book (Jer 26:17–18) places him in the reign of Hezekiah and reports that he went from his small town to proclaim the word of the Lord in the capital, and asserts that his announcements of judgment against Jerusalem moved the king and the people to repentance. Unlike Isaiah, who was a native of the holy city, Micah was an outsider from the countryside and must have been a controversial figure. He would have been unpopular with the leaders whom he condemned (3:1–4) and the wealthy whom he criticized (2:1–5). He was quick to separate himself from priests and other prophets, whom he considered to be corrupt (3:5–8).
Just how much of the Book of Micah can be traced to the eighth-century prophet is uncertain. Tradition considers all of the words to be the recorded speeches of Micah, and some contemporary commentators agree. On the other hand, some modern scholars have thought of Micah as exclusively a prophet of doom, and therefore attributed as few as three of the seven chapters to him. The style, content, theological viewpoint, and historical perspective of some of the material reflect not the period of the Assyrian threat to Judah in the eighth century but the Babylonian exile in the sixth century B.C. and later. This is particularly evident in chap. 7, but also at other points in the book. The composition of this book, like most other prophetic texts, involved a complex editorial process. This is apparent from the fact that the stirring prophecy of peace and justice in 4:1–5 is virtually identical to Is 2:2–5.
Like Is 1–39, the Book of Micah is focused on Jerusalem, Zion, and the Judean leadership. The Micah who speaks in this prophetic book knows the tradition that Zion is the Lord’s chosen place, but he is critical of the popular view that this election ensures the city’s security (2:6–13; 3:9–12). Through the prophetic voice, the Lord announces the impending punishment of God’s people by means of military defeat and exile because of their failure to establish justice. After that punishment God will bring the people back to their land and establish perpetual peace. The will of God for human beings is that they do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with God (6:6–8).
The Book of Micah is divided as follows:
I. Oracles of Punishment (1:2–3:12)
II. Oracles of Salvation (4:1–5:14)
III. Announcement of Judgment (6:1–7:6)
IV. Confidence in God’s Future (7:7–20)
I pause for a moment
and think of the love and the grace
that God showers on me,
creating me in his image and likeness,
making me his temple….
God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.
To be conscious about something is to be aware of it. Dear Lord help me to remember that You gave me life. Thank you for the gift of life. Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me. To be aware of the beauty that surrounds me. The marvel of mountains, the calmness of lakes, the fragility of a flower petal. I need to remember that all these things come from you.
Amen
Dear Lord, thank You for filling me with the joy of your grace and salvation. Assist me this day that I may do all things I am called to do without grumbling or disputing. I call on Your Spirit to assist me, that I may be blameless and innocent, a child of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.
Remind us that Your names reveal Your character. Help us to remember them in our times of need and distress. Thank You for the assurance that You are faithful to Your Name.
O Jesus, strengthen my soul, You who are good above all good. And since You have inclined my soul in this way, show me how I may act for You, whatever it may cost, O Lord. Here is my life, my honor and my will, I have given them all to You and they are Yours, use me to do whatever You want.
To all our departed brothers and sisters we call upon merits on them, grant them eternal rest and one day we all join with our Lord Jesus Christ and wait upon the day of resurrection. Govern and strengthen the afflicted ones and console those mourning.
Amen
O Lord, Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Master, my Love, I give myself entirely to You this day in an act of offering to consecrate myself–all that I am, all that You have given me–in union with Your Sacrifice of the Cross.
Lord Jesus, I offer myself for the salvation of souls and the consecration of all the world in Your holiness. Accept me as a living victim of Your Love, so that Your Church may be transformed in Your holiness to be a sign of salvation for all the world.
Master, I offer myself for your Vicar on earth, for all bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and for all your faithful people, so that we all may have hearts made only for love. Help us to be victims of love, one for the other, as You have given Yourself in love for us. As a member of Your Mystical Body, grant that I may participate in Your Eucharistic Sacrifice with even greater love and reverence.
Take me, Lord Jesus, and with me Your Church and all of the world in Your Love to Your Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. Prayers for the Church
From A Catholic Prayer Book-Pope Saint Leo the Great (Pont. 440-461)
May all our intersessions to all the Saints, and all people of good will be pleased to be heard by our redeemer.
THRIVING IN HOLINESS 