THE LORD HAS MADE KNOWN HIS SALVATION

PRAYER BEFORE HOLY MASS  Act of Love before Mass 

THURSDAY 22ND WEEK  IN ORD. TIME

O my God, I love Thee with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with no other desire than to be inseparably united to Thee. It is through Thy Divine Son that this union is about to be realized within me. In Holy Communion I long to identify myself with Him, that it will no longer be myself, but Him, who lives in me; and when I have received Jesus within myself, then I shall love and be loved by Thee in that same measure, in which I am united to Him. Hasten then, to give me Thy Divine Son, at the hands of Thy priest, that through Jesus, I may unite myself forever to Thee, O God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.  Readings Lectures Reflection

First Readings Colossians 1:9-14

God has taken us out of the power of darkness

Ever since the day we heard about you, we have never failed to pray for you, and what we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will. So you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions you do and increasing your knowledge of God. You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light. 

Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord has made known his salvation

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

and I will make you into fishers of men.

Alleluia!  Mt. 4:9

Gospel  Luke 5:1-11

They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. 

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

God my Father I thank you for you have made it possible for me  to join the saints and with them to inherit the light. It is what you have done. You have taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of yout Son that you love, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.

Father in our challenges, may we ever remain faithful to you.  Open our hearts to hear your voice,  to trust that you are ever near. That you Father will never abandon us. Remove our fears, and give us the faith to believe in your mighty power to save, and your loving hands to protect and lead us. Hear my prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ I trust in you. Virgin Mary pray for me. Saint Joseph pray for me. My guardian angel guide and protect me.