HOW TO PRAY

PRAYER BEFORE HOLY MASS  Act of Love before Mass 

WEDNESDAY 27TH 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 Reading Jonah 4:1-11

Jonah is angry at God's mercy

Jonah was very indignant; he fell into a rage. He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Ah, Lord, is not this just as I said would happen when I was still at home? That was why I went and fled to Tarshish: I knew that you were a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, relenting from evil. So now, Lord, please take away my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living.’ The Lord replied, ‘Are you right to be angry?’ 

Jonah then went out of the city and sat down to the east of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God arranged that a castor-oil plant should grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head and soothe his ill-humour; Jonah was delighted with the castor-oil plant. But at dawn the next day, God arranged that a worm should attack the castor-oil plant – and it withered. 

Next, when the sun rose, God arranged that there should be a scorching east wind; the sun beat down so

hard on Jonah’s head that he was overcome and begged for death, saying, ‘I might as well be dead as go on living.’ God said to Jonah, ‘Are you right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?’ He replied, ‘I have every right to be angry, to the point of death.’ The Lord replied, ‘You are only upset about a castor-oil plant which cost you no labour, which you did not make grow, which sprouted in a night and has perished in a night. And am I not to feel sorry for Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, to say nothing of all the animals?’

Responsorial Psalm

You O Lord have mercy and compassion

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!

The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,

and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’

Alleluia!  Rm. 8:15

Gospel Luke 11:1-4

How to pray

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’

  He said to them, ‘Say this when you pray:

‘“Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.”’

My Father, my God you are full of tenderness and compassion, you are slow to anger, and rich in mercy. Father you do not punish us according to our sins, you deliver us from evil. 

My Father, sometimes I am like Jonah condemning my fellow creatures, and those I consider evil, those who cause pains in our society, those who kill innocent people, those I may consider as sinners, and wish that you would punish them.  Sometimes I curse them instead of praying for their conversion, I could be like James and John 'Sons of Thunder' according to our Lord; who would want to call out fire to destroy those I consider to be wicked or my enemies.

Father, the Jonah in me, gets angry whenever I feel my prayers are not answered according to my own expectation, not according to your holy will, for you are the all knowing God. I often forget that you have my interest at heart. Like a spoilt child I could get angry at every little discomfort I experience in life forgetting that you Father, are there to teach me, to guide me and make me a better person. For whenever I lost focus, I miss my way, my direction, loving Father it is your loving way of bringing me back to you.

Alas! my Father, you do not want me to think in this manner. Our Lord understanding our human nature and hardness of heart, our being judgmental, and condemning our fellow creatures, thought us His prayer 'Our Lord's Prayer' for you are the Father of all. Father full of mercy and compassion. Knowing that it is through mercy and compassion our world will be saved. Father be merciful to us.

Lord Jesus Christ I trust in you. Virgin Mary pray for me. Saint Joseph pray for me. Saint Bruno pray for me. God's guardian angels protect and guide me. My guardian angel pray for me, guide and direct me. 

Please remember to pray the Holy Rosary, ask for our Mother, Blessed Virgin Mary intercession.