Father Kubicki???s Prayer Reflection

As we honor all of the victims of what we have come to call 9/11, let us pray for our nation and our world. Let’s pray for the conversion that can lead to the recognition of the sanctity of all human life.

Tomorrow is the twentieth anniversary of one of the most terrible events in our nation’s history. It is the anniversary of the destruction of The World Trade Center. It is still so vivid in the hearts and minds of the people who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St.Peter Claver. He came to Columbia as a missionary and he found his mission field in a terrible place. The inner compartments of ships which brought kidnapped people from Africa to be sold as slaves.

Today, the Church celebrates the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A holy Carmelite priest named Fr. Gabriel once wrote; “After the birth of Jesus, no other birth was ever as important in God’s eyes or as precious for the good of the human race, as was Mary’s.”

Tomorrow in the Church, we celebrate the birthday of a woman for whom God had a very special love and plan. It is the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Today, as we celebrate Labor Day in the United States, we reflect on the fact that their is dignity in the work we perform. On a daily basis we can offer that all the works, joys and sufferings to Jesus in praying the morning offering.

The gospels are filled with the words of Jesus, but not many of them are in the original Aramaic which Jesus spoke. Today’s gospel has one of those Aramaic words; “Ephphatha,” which means “be open.”

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She was always so concrete and challenging both in word and in deed. She emphasized the importance of the respect for all human life, and the beauty of the family.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. Gregory the Great. Pope Gregory lived in very turbulent times around the year 600. He gave his name to music that is still popular today; Gregorian chant.

The gospel for today’s Mass is from the beginning of the gospel of St. Luke chapter 5, where Jesus the Carpenter, tells Peter the professional fisherman, how to fish.

As we honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one idea to meditate on His love for us, is to feel our own pulse, and to imagine with each heartbeat, Jesus knocking. He wants to have a heart to heart conversation with us.

It’s that time of year when parents are getting ready to send their children back to school, and teachers are getting ready for a new school year. Today’s gospel from Luke 4:31, says that one of the things that Jesus did, was to teach.

At this time of the year, when so many are harvesting their crops, we do well to meditate on God’s work as a gardener of our soul. As God gives us the sun and the rain which help our fruit and vegetables to grow, he also gives us the grace to make the garden of our soul grow eternal fruit.

In the second reading at Mass today, St. James makes clear that we need to practice what we believe. He writes; “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.” St. James then explains what it means to be doers of the word.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Augustine. After living a wild life, Augustine eventually came to God and wrote his famous confessions. He is recognized as one of the greatest saints in Church history.

One of the most common prayer intentions that parents and grandparents have is for their children and grandchildren who have fallen away from the faith. It is important for them to not give up hope.

Today is a great Marian feast day for the Polish people and the entire Catholic Church. It is the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa. St. John Paul II had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of an earthly king. St. Louis IX of France followed Christ so faithfully that we believe he now shares a heavenly crown. St. Louis, pray for us!