there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”
REFLECTION
"Prayer is powerful. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it begins the Section Chapter Three - The Life of Prayer with this statement, 'Prayer is the life of the new heart.'" (CCC 2697)
"The Catechism goes on to say, This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart: 'We must remember God more often than we draw breath.'" ... (cont.CCC 2697 )
The Catechism gives us the traditions that support the basis of our Catholic understanding of prayer. In fact, you hear this mentioned in Solomon's prayer to God at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8: 22-23, 27-30.
It is beautiful what Solomon does. He doesn't dedicate the temple for sacrifice which has been the purpose of the temple. He dedicates it as a place of prayer. Solomon even outlines the seven reasons the people need to pray to the Almighty God. His prayer emphasizes that God is forgiving, for this reason He gave the Israelites His Covenant with them.
We are an Apostolate of Prayer. We believe that God will and we petition Him to take care of His priests. In our prayer for priests, we pray that God will strengthen them even in their weaknesses. We express that we need them to give us the sacraments to keep us on the right path to salvation. This power to administer His sacraments was given to them by Jesus, who empowered them at the Last Supper.
At the end of our prayer,"We pray to Jesus to keep them in His Sacred Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and eternity."
“LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart. (Solomon's prayer)
This is what we want for all Priests to be faithful to God with their whole hearts. We want them to be on fire with love for him, especially in the Holy Eucharist.
St. Paul Miki was a Japanese convert educated by the Jesuits. He wanted to become a priest, but the Emperor began a persecution campaign against Catholics. Paul continued his studies underground and became an eloquent speaker. He and his companions were captured and forced to walk 600 miles through Japan while people abused them. They cut their ears and eventually crucified them. Miki said while he was dying, "I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain."
Let us pray that all priests will be brave and dedicated as St. Paul Miki and his companions. That they will remain faithful to the Catholic Church.
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