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Sunday, April 16, 2023
April 16, 2023
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041623.cfm
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-april-16-2023
Acts 2:42-27
The early Christians devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and a life of communion. They worked together to meet the needs of all. In the early Church the dignity of every human life and the call to care for the vulnerable was a part of who they were and how they lived. They were acutely aware of the needs of others. They were of “one heart and one mind.”
Today’s culture presents challenges to recognizing life and dignity of the human person and sharing a common vision for healing and protection. Many of the challenges we face in today’s culture set the stage for treating others as objects. Our sinful nature allows us to fall prey to temptation when anonymity makes us believe no one is watching. It is more difficult to determine when we have crossed a line when we have become desensitized to sexual violence. As attitudes and beliefs change at a record pace, we also have immediate and ever-expanding access to a world of new experiences, often without the support that we used to find in family and committed relationships. It is easy to see how pleasure seeking, aggression, and power and control become the driving force in relationships and how harmful behaviors begin to develop – behaviors that ultimately result in exploitation, harm and death. Pray that we may be of one heart and one mind in rejecting a culture of death and promoting a culture of healing and protection in which the life and dignity of every human person is protected.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father,
Giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to Your loving care.
You are the rock on which this nation was founded.
You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Reclaim this land for Your glory and dwell among Your people.
Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation´s leaders.
Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.
Remind Your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing Your will.
Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the "culture of death."
Lead us into a new millennium of life.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
-Catholic Online
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
I was hard pressed and was falling, but the Lord helped me.
My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior…
Psalm 118:13-14
The Lord helps, not by taking away suffering, exploitation and abuse, but by offering strength and courage. He is our savior, not because he prevents all harm and adversity, but because he builds us up and fortifies us to emerge on the other side. With God as our cornerstone, we can weather the most devastating storm.
Dear Lord,
During this trial, I offer up to you my confusion,
Give me clarity
I offer up to you my despair,
Give me hope
I offer up to you my weakness,
Give me strength
I offer up to you my pettiness,
Give me generosity of spirit.
I offer up to you all my negative thoughts from Satan, so that when he asks, ‘Where is Your God now?”
I may respond, “Right here with me, giving me His grace as a Heavenly beam of light penetrating your darkness!"
Amen
-ourcatholicprayers.com
1 Peter 1:3-9
Waiting is difficult. Even when life is easy and things are going well, it is hard to wait. How much more difficult it is to wait when we are suffering? In the second reading today we are told, “Although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials…” we await “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” What a beautiful future awaits us if only we remain steadfast, resisting the temptation to lose hope and fall astray as we wait. We are not called to wait passively for the promise of salvation, but to develop new routines, new activities and a new lifestyle that protects us from exposure to evil and orients us toward life in Christ.Prayer for Renewal
Glory to you, O Lord our God,
Your love calls us to be your people.
By sharing our many and diverse gifts we share in your mission.
We ask you, Lord, to shape us into a community of faith.
Nourish us by your word and sacraments that we may grow into the image of Jesus.
Through the power of your Holy Spirit, heal us that we, in turn, may heal the wounded.
Form us to be instruments of love, justice, and peace in our land,
and send us to proclaim your saving work.
RENEW us, Lord, that we may renew the face of the earth.
Amen.
John 20:19-31
Like Thomas, we are also tempted to doubt Christ’s resurrection. We find ourselves doubting that God can make anything good come from the crisis of abuse in our world and in our Church. Rather than proclaiming the good news of the resurrection, our humiliation and fear keeps us locked inside, waiting for a sign.
Lord, help us hear your words, “Peace be with you.” Help our unbelief. Remind us that You created the universe, humbled Yourself to walk among us, and conquered death for love of us. Remind us that we will outlive this crisis, that you are more powerful than any who have caused harm, and that the strength of your love is greater than any destructive force we ever have or ever will encounter. Holy Spirit accompany us as we venture out into the world proclaiming the joy of the resurrection! Amen.
Elizabeth A. Heidt Kozisek – Diocese of Grand Island
Sue Stubbs – Archdiocese of Atlanta
Not to be reprinted without written permission.