But now we must celebrate and rejoice …

Luke 15:32

Embarrassing as it is to acknowledge this,

I often feel like the Prodigal Son's older brother.

I completely understand his sentiments.

He was not able to rejoice over another's good fortune

because he was focusing on whether the

recipient of his father's love was truly deserving.

He was also wallowing in his own imagined neglect:

I've been faithful all these years, and no one even noticed. Poor me!

This Gospel offers marvelous material for prayer and reflection for each of us.

Are we able to rejoice with another because of some good gift they've received

whether it be some material gift, a promotion or new opportunity, an affirmation or reward?

Or has our fountain of joy dried up because we are foundering in our own misery?

Look deep within your heart to see if there may be a bit of rejoicing you are withholding.

Practice being glad because of another's good fortune.

Oh most merciful One, teach me to throw a party for the unworthy.

knowing that I may be the guest of honor. Amen.

Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B

O Lord My God, In You I Take Refuge

Psalm 7:2

God as refuge and shield for us is a frequent image in the psalms.

But how do words become flesh in our lives?

How do we get the words off the page and into our hearts?

It requires more than just saying the words to experience

God being our refuge. It takes more than reciting beautiful phrases

to have a felt sense of God being a protective shield for us.

It requires unrelenting practice in remembering the presence of God.

Practice walking in the presence of God today. Let the Holy One be

a refuge for you in your confusions and fears.

O Holy One, you have pitched a tent in my heart.

You are my shelter, my tree of life.

You are my cave, my haven, my abode.

You are the sanctuary where I dwell.

I do not ask you to free me from the storms of life

that help me grow.

I ask only that you protect me

and help me make wise choices. Amen.

– Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B.

Sacred Heart Prayer

O Divine Beloved,

so often I am casual and half-hearted

in my love for you, my God.

Come and set my heart ablaze

with the fire of your love.

Inflame my heart and prayers

as you did for your chosen Son Jesus.

His holy heart was constantly on fire

with a consuming love for you, his God.

Envelop me in your flaming Spirit,

that my lukewarm prayers and acts

may spring alive with the fire of faith.

Make my heart, like the heart of Christ,

burn with compassion for the outcast,

with comfort for the lonely

and all who are in need.

May my heart thus formed

in the pattern of his Sacred Heart

become a fiery furnace

where the Kingdom will be forged,

the age of peace and justice.

Grant this prayer in the name of your Son,

who dwells with you and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever. Amen.

– Edward Hays