Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day the gift of the Eucharist, our communion with You, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Oh Lord, lead us into the splendor, majesty, and glory of your Word and deliver us from the temptations and strife of this world. Amen
Before I bring my confessions and petitions, I present my gratitude and praise to you Eternal Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit. Thank you for this glorious life, thank you for leading me, guiding me through this world of strife and temptations. Thank you for helping me in all things and in all ways.
You know all the things I have done and the things I have failed to do. I am praying now, you will forgive me of all my sins, known and unknown, actions and thoughts which were not pleasing to you. Forgive me for the things I hold in my heart which are unholy, forgive me for my fantasies, moments of anger and the dread of fear, anxieties and depression. I pray that everything I do from this moment increases the faith, love, and trust I have in you.
Forgive me Lord for the pain and confusion I have caused in other peoples’ lives. Console them with the same consolation I receive from you. Heal their hearts and cleanse their souls.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce all unholy spirits, all unrighteous thoughts, all thoughtless reactions and deeds. I want only to live in your presence Lord, following your will. Make my life a blessing for everyone. AMEN
This world of ours, this temporal place where we live, is in a bucket which God is carrying in His hand. We are contained in the bucket, where there is time and space, or perhaps for your personal world view, call it time and place. We realize the handle which God is carrying is outside the bucket, yet the handle is clearly attached to the bucket. Outside the bucket, in His heavenly realm, there is no time or place, for paradoxically, God is in all places at all times, in and outside the bucket. Outside the bucket, He is in what we commonly call the eternal now. Since there’s no time in the eternal now, everything is happening for Him all at once. We are made in His image and likeness, and Christ Jesus is both man and God. The point being, we also have a human and temporal condition as well as a connection to the divine nature. We are certainly not God, yet our bucket’s handle is surely in His hand and in His realm.
I found the entrance antiphon of Sunday, 3 July 2022 to be particularly inspiring. So much to be unpacked in each phrase. Consider the opening line; “Your merciful love, O God, we have received in the midst of your temple”. Of all the names we have for our Triune God, merciful love is one of the most beautiful. This opening line could have read, Your merciful love is, O God. For God Himself is love and love shone through the prism of light reflects all the names and all the virtues we know and love about our God.
This opening line is a clear, practical and grateful appeal to our God to shower His goodness on us, as we receive in the midst of His holy place. It is our disposition which governs this compensation, for His grace is given in full measure and in this sustaining grace we receive as much as we are capable. It is our open hearts and empty hands which allow us to be filled with His gifts. Again, we are told, “Your praise, O God, like your name, reaches the ends of the earth.” It is your righteousness and our right worship which has no bounds and no limits, for the ends of the earths encompasses all that is in our world and reflects all which is in Your heavenly realm.
Finally, we are told; “Your right hand is filled with saving justice.” The metaphor of the “right hand” shows the mighty power and prestige of what is working in our lives through His saving justice. We can see plainly that there must be justice and His judgment is justice. This is a spiritual physics anchored in the intelligibility, reason and logic of His genius. Unlike karma which we consider to be the cause and effect in our life in a world of contingences; His justice is His creation endowed with love and mercy on the path to salvation. Lord, thank you for Your purpose and the power to bring us into Your loving arms.