Daily Prayer

 

Day 23, The Morning Prayer, God loves a cheerful giver. 

   One more important thing we have to do is; always do the penance for our sins, for our own constant conversion. We have to pray for our enemies as they are our benefactors and we should give them unconditional love. Sirach 35:16–18 (NJB): Whoever wholeheartedly serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds.  17 The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds: and until it does, he is not to be consoled, 18 nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him, acquits the upright and delivers judgement. Do not approach our lord with empty hands. ‘No one will appear before me empty-handed.’ Exod. 34: 20. We should strive for the holy virtues and these are the gifts God is expecting from us and he is not asking money or something materially. Sirach 35:8–10 (NJB): Add a smiling face to all your gifts, and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes. 9 Give to the Most High as he has given to you, as generously as your means can afford; 10 for the Lord is a good rewarder, he will reward you seven times over. Our love towards Him is to obey His commandments. Lord says:There are many gifts and many wonders God has shared with us. These blessings are innumerable and immeasurable and we cannot put the value for it. God loves the cheerful giver, 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NJB): Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. so we should give abundantly without any measure. We will be rewarded in many ways which we never knew. ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.’ Jon. 14: 15.

Daily Prayer

Day 22, The Moning Prayer, Lord, help us to stay away from sins.

  One thing is very important in our spiritual life is that to do fasting and prayer, this way we get the repentance and we will lament for our sins. This will help us to stay away from the sins. We may experience the presence of Jesus when we start keeping vigil in our prayers. It will give us the constant intimacy with our Lord and He will give us the concentration in our prayers.  If we starve our body we can control our temptations and our body; the flesh. That’s why Sirach says about the overeating. ‘Sirach 23:6 (NJB): do not let lechery and lust grip me, do not leave me a prey to shameless desire. St. Paul also says not to be the belly worshipers. ‘They are destined to be lost; their god is the stomach; they glory in what they should think shameful, since their minds are set on earthly things. Phi. 3:19. Even Jesus was tempted by Satan to have food, but what Jesus told is to be an eye opening for us: ‘Human beings live not on bread alone.’ Lk. 4: 4. But by Word of God: ‘………to show that not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Detr.8:3(V-DRBO). So let’s pray to our Lord, to strive for fasting and prayer; it is an important factor to grow spiritually.

Daily Prayer

Day 21, The Morning Prayer. Lord, at day break You hear my voice and I fix my eyes on You!

   The Psalmist says in great devotion: ‘To you I pray, Yahweh. At day break you hear my voice; at day break I lay my case before you and fix my eyes on you.’ Ps. 5: 3.This is exactly what we have to do in the morning. We should pray to God before the Sun rises to say thanks to His Holy Name. ‘To give you thanks, we must rise before the sun and meet you at the dawning of the day………’Wis. 16: 28.We submit everything unto Him. Fix the eyes on Him; that means read the Scriptures; this way we can fix our eyes on Him. Read the Bible in humbly and reverently to listen His voice silently. If we lament for or sins, we can concentrate in prayer and will come closer into His heart. Jesus also prayed early in the morning before he does anything for the Kingdom of God.’ When the day light came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place’ Lk. 4:22. St. Paul says about the daily prayer: ‘Pray constantly’1Thes. 5:17. Again he says: ‘Be persevering in your prayers and thankful as stay awake to pray’. We should stay awake to pray. ‘Do not be hesitant in prayer; do not neglect to give alms.’ Sir.7: 10. Never feel lazy for praying. Prayer and almsgiving goes together. Sirach 32:15 (D-R): And at the time of rising be not slack: but be first to run home to thy house, and there withdraw thyself, and there take thy pastime When we wake up first thing we have to do is the prayer and remember His Name always. Fear of Lord brings us listen the scolding of Him and never be discouraged or wavering in our faith. Our pleasure will be to obey His statitudes and there the grace comes and abide in us.

Daily Prayer

 

Day 20, Lord, purify my heart and body to serve you whole heartedly

   There are so many ways to pray to God. But God looks into our heart, He test us how much love we put in our heart for Him while praying. While praying if we kneel and pray, we will be blessed with humility. “We are brought low in all the earth, this day for our sins” St Boneventure wrote in his Book: Holiness of Life. We should surrender ourselves, bend low, down to earth. The earth is the foot stool of God, and we are not ashamed to bend the knee in front of our Lord. Psalmist says: Psalm 95:6–7 (NJB): Come, let us bow low and do reverence; kneel before Yahweh who made us! 7 For he is our God, and we the people of his sheepfold, the flock of his hand. Daniel also prayed  three times by kneeling towards east(Jerusalem)Daniel 6:11 (NJB): When Daniel heard that the document had been signed, he retired to his house. The windows of his upstairs room faced towards Jerusalem. Three times each day, he went down on his knees, praying and giving praise to God as he had always done. Daniel never afraid of anyone, but he trust in God. He has the faith that, God will always hear his prayer. 

Daily Prayer

 

Day 19, Lord, let us stay awake to pray, let Your spirit guide us

   The night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus again encountered with his Father. Jesus has to obey his Father’s will and to establish the everlasting covenant by giving his life as a sacrifice. The disciples have heavy eyes while Jesus was praying in the late night; they could not stay awake to pray with him. Jesus was so distressed in the Spirit; he began to feel terror and anguish. Jesus asked the disciples. so you had not the strength to stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake, and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough but the human nature is weak.’ Matt. 26: 41.  While we are praying we become one body and soul with God. It will be an inseparable communion with Father, Son and Spirit. Many saints will accompany us and we can experience this communion of saints and God will reveal them to us. ‘That’s why the one hour prayer in the midnight is very important. He prayed earnestly with full of grievances to submit all the souls to the Father from the beginning to the end because he is Alpha and Omega. ‘In his anguish he prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.’ Lk. 22: 44. His sweat drops became drops of blood. He accepted all the darkness, which is encountering our mind and body.

Daily Prayer

Day 18, Lord, teach us the secrets of Your Kingdom. 

   When we are in union with Christ, God will open His Divine door of Mysteries in front or us to get the inheritance in His eternity. We will be His children and He will be our Father. According to measure of His grace we will be able to do all the goodness to build up His Kingdom in our midst. Then what we need from this world, nothing! He is having the tremendous wealth in His most rich Kingdom. God will reveal the mysteries of the wealth in His Kingdom and the world of Satan; ‘I shall give you the secret treasures and hidden hoards of wealth, so that will know that I am Yahweh, who call you by your name, the God of Israel’. Is. 45: 3. No body can count or measure His wealth. God gave us His most precious possession that is His only Son Jesus our Lord. That’s why God is asking us to call Him or pray to Him till He answers our petitions. ‘Call to me I will answer you; I will tell you great secrets of which you know nothing.’ Jer. 33: 3. We know nothing about His eternal secrets because we are in flesh and his kingdom is not of this world. This Jesus told Pilate: John 18:36 (NJB): ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not belong here.’ 

   ‘Prayer is the desire for God, an indescribable devotion, not given by man but brought about by God’s grace. As St Paul says: For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself intercedes on our behalf in a way that could never be put into words. If God gives to someone the gift of such prayer, it is a gift of imperishable riches, a heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. Whoever tastes that food catches fire and his soul burns for ever with desire for the Lord’. The excerpts from an homily of St John Chrysostum

Daily Prayer

 

Day 17, Lord, wash away my hidden faults, from pride persevere Your servant

  Two things are very important to lead a prayer life that is, zeal and constancy. Always be joyful whatever comes in our life and persevere in hardship. ‘In the service of the Lord, work not half-heartedly but with consciousness and an eager spirit. Be joyful in hope, persevere in hardship; keep praying regularly.’ Rom. 12: 11-12. If we can cry bitterly with tears for our sins through humility and we are blessed by God with that gift of prayer which He will entrust to us as He gave to all His saints. We should pray like this: Lord, ‘Wash away my hidden faults. And from pride persevere your servant, never let it be my master. So shall I be above reproach, free from grave sin. May the words of my mouth always find favour, And the whispering of my heart, In your presence, Yahweh, My rock, my redeemer’ Ps. 19: 12-14. The pride should not be our master when we lead a spiritual life. A clear conscience should be there to understand our weakness and failures. ‘I have conversed this present day with all good conscience before God until this present day.’ Acts. 23:1 This will make us to be humble in front of God and men.  A pure soul never use so many words in front our Lord instead she will cry or lament for her sins.