PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (TUESDAY, JANUARY 5)

Saint John Neumann

Prayer for the Morning

Jesus Christ is our one true treasure:

come, let us adore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!

What more can he say than to you he has said,

You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;

In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;

At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,

As your days demand shall your strength ever be

PSALM 112:1-9

You know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich. (2 Cor 8:9)

Saint John Neumann lived in poverty in order to preach the Gospel without hindrance. His concern was not for his own comfort but for the religious and educational needs of those he had left his homeland to serve, especially those who, like himself, were immigrants to the United States.

Happy the man who fears the Lord,

who takes delight in all his commands.

His sons will be powerful on earth;

the children of the upright are blessed.

Riches and wealth are in his house;

his justice stands firm for ever.

He is a light in the darkness for the upright:

he is generous, merciful and just.

The good man takes pity and lends,

he conducts his affairs with honor.

The just man will never waver:

he will be remembered for ever.

He has no fear of evil news;

with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.

With a steadfast heart he will not fear;

he will see the downfall of his foes.

Open-handed, he gives to the poor;

his justice stands firm for ever.

His head will be raised in glory.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Mark 10:29-31)

Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”

It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

We are treated as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things. (cf. 2 Cor 6:8, 10)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father…

INTERCESSIONS

Through the intercession of Saint John Neumann, let us pray:

R/Lord, you hear the cry of the poor!

You have taught your disciples to hold the poor in special regard:

– inspire in all pastoral leaders Saint John’s love for poverty and the poor. R/

You have sent your disciples out to all the world to preach the Good News:

– protect in your love all those pastors who serve far from their native place. R/

You call your servants to leave home and family for the service of the Gospel:

– grant parents the generosity to allow and encourage their children to respond to your call, as Mary

allowed her Son to leave his home. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O Lord our God, you sent your Son among us as a stranger, stripped of all majesty and privilege, that from his poverty the entire world might be enriched with the incomparable gift of redemption. Sustain all pastors who desire to set their people’s needs above their own, and inspire all who hear the pastoral call to serve, through Christ our Lord. Amen.