Prayfor2

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, or Come, Holy Spirit, is a prayerful hymn attributed to 13th century writer Stephen Langston, Archbishop of Canterbury. Also called the Golden Sequence, the hymn was added to the Roman Missal in the 16th century, and is sung at masses around the feast of Pentecost.

Let’s pray it today, inviting the gift of the Holy Spirit to flow through us, rekindling the fire of God’s love in our hearts.

Come, Holy Spirit, come!

And from your celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine!

Come, Father of the poor!

Come, source of all our store!

Come, within our bosoms shine.

You, of comforters the best;

You, the soul’s most welcome guest;

Sweet refreshment here below;

In our labor, rest most sweet;

Grateful coolness in the heat;

Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,

Shine within these hearts of yours,

And our inmost being fill!

Where you are not, we have naught,

Nothing good in deed or thought,

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;

On our dryness pour your dew;

Wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

Melt the frozen, warm the chill;

Guide the steps that go astray.

On the faithful, who adore

And confess you, evermore

In your sevenfold gift descend;

Give them virtue’s sure reward;

Give them your salvation, Lord;

Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia.

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2, encouraging you to make these two minute reflections part of your daily prayer habit. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, on Soundcloud, YouTube, the Redeemer Radio app.

The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is a linchpin in salvation history, and the very first anecdote after the Gospels in the book of Acts.

“I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar′ia and to the end of the earth.”

And when he had said this…he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven…behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Let’s pray.

Jesus our Redeemer. You came into the world as love in the flesh. And you rose into heaven, redeeming us as love divine. May we see your ascension as trailblazing our path to our eternal home.

Amen.

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com or the Redeemer Radio app.

One of the many reasons I became Catholic out of all the Christian churches was that it aligned with how the earliest church believed and prayed.

The mass was documented in 155 AD by Saint Justin Martyr in, “The First Apology.”

“On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read.... When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.

On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.”

Let’s Pray. Father of Grace and Mercy. You gave us the Church to guide us in truth, and the mass as a communal celebration of our faith. May the mass enliven us in hope as we are sent forth to share your truth in love.

Amen

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, or the Redeemer Radio app.

How do you ask forgiveness when you’ve really done something wrong?

Consider the prayer of Psalm 51, where King David asks for forgiveness after his affair with Bathsheba.

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is ever before me.

Against you have I sinned,

and done that which is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your sentence

and blameless in your judgment.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward being;

therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Fill me with joy and gladness;

let the bones which you have broken rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God,

God of my salvation,

and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth shall show forth your praise.”

Amen

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2, two minute prayer reflections on the daily readings of the Church. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, on Soundcloud, YouTube, or the Redeemer Radio app.

I often think about what the Apostles felt like in the weeks after Jesus’s resurrection. Waking up each morning with nervous excitement, having such incredible news to share, wondering where to begin.

The Acts of the Apostles is the first book after the Gospels, documenting the good works of twelve ordinary men in those first months. Let’s listen to one encounter:

Peter said to the Jewish people, “Let all the house of Israel know that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said …, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to /you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.”

How did the Apostles begin? And how would they tell us to begin?

Do the next good thing. Do the next true thing. Do the next beautiful thing. Do the next sacrificial thing. Do the next faithful thing. Do the next hopeful thing. Do the next loving thing.

Let’s Pray.

Father of Grace and Mercy. You sent twelve ordinary men with nothing more than their encounters with you, and they changed the world. Help us to do the next good thing you place on our hearts as we share your sustaining love, joy and peace. Amen.

This is Mike Kelly with Pray For 2. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, or on the Redeemer Radio app.

When Jesus Christ came into the world as messiah and savior, He very easily could have divinely snapped His fingers and appeared. But he chose instead to be born of a woman, the virgin Mary. And Mary plays a significant role in the Church, both as His biological mother, and our spiritual mother.

The Hail Mary is an ancient prayer that honors her role in salvation history, and is rooted in the Gospel of Saint Luke.

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you”

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechari′ah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Let’s Pray. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2, encouraging you to make these two minute reflections part of your daily prayer habit. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, on Soundcloud, YouTube, or the Redeemer Radio app.

Father of Grace and Mercy.

For a long time, I had no idea where I had come up with this introduction to prayer. It was something that just felt comfortable, and helped me start the process of praying, much like the leg kick of a baseball player helps trigger their swing.

I even had a friend come up and thank me – his Dad has asked him to pray with him, and he had no idea of how to start. All he could think of was, “Father of Grace and Mercy,” and the rest came rolling out.

Like all good things across the 2000 year history of the Church, there are very few original ideas left, and this was no exception. A quick Google search found the phrase in Psalm 145,

“The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The LORD is good to all,

and his compassion is over all that he has made.”

It’s also found in the Psalm 86, the book of Jonah, and the book of Joel:

“Yet even now,” says the LORD,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Return to the LORD, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,

and repents of evil.”

Let’s Pray – Father of Grace and Mercy. Help us to honor every good gift of grace and the relentless love in your boundless mercy. Amen

This is Mike Kelly with Pray For 2, two minute prayer reflections on the daily scripture readings of the Church. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, or on the Redeemer Radio app.

It was Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

My daughter and her boyfriend are huge Butler basketball fans, and we planned a Spring Break adventure to New York City for the Big East Tournament.

Butler was to play Providence Thursday afternoon. We left around 5, hoping to drive halfway to DuBois, Pennsylvania, and the rest of the way Thursday morning.

News of the Coronavirus was building, and the idea of “social distancing” had just entered our conversation.

While the outbreak was declared a global pandemic that morning, there were only 1000 confirmed cases in the US - 216 in New York - so we ventured off trusting that God’s Providence, and the news from Twitter, would guide us.

At 6 o’clock, the Big 10 Tournament announced they wouldn’t allow spectators in Indianapolis, then the ACC did the same for Greensboro, North Carolina, but no word from the Big East.

Next, the NBA announced it was suspending its season. Then the president announced a travel ban from Europe. Finally, Tom Hanks and his wife were announced as testing positive. The floodgates had opened.

We arrived at the hotel around 11, and over Domino’s pizza, I asked them to discuss what they wanted to do in the morning. It didn’t take long – we all felt like God was guiding us to head back home. Little did we know how radically life was about to change.

Let’s Pray – God our loving Father. Your word is a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path. Thank you for your loving Providence as we continue to weather the storm of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Amen.

This is Mike (and Maggie) Kelly with Pray For 2. Listen anytime at Prayfor2.com, or on the Redeemer Radio app.

Much is made of the betrayal of Judas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Today, let’s listen to John’s gospel account of the Last Supper, where Jesus calls out someone else who will deny Him.

“When Jesus had spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke…

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified…Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’

Simon Peter said, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward.” Peter said, “Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.”

If we’re honest with ourselves, we recognize we all betray and deny Jesus, just like Judas and Peter. And yet he’s always willing to welcome us back with open arms, if we simply admit our mistakes and resolve not to repeat them.

Let’s Pray – Jesus our Redeemer. We often feel hamstrung by our sin, betraying you and the way you created us to thrive in this life. Help us to be conscious of our faults, that they would spur us to reconcile with you and your love. Amen.

This is Mike Kelly with Pray For 2. Listen anytime at prayfor2.com, or on the Redeemer Radio app.

Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me, and I will give you rest.

I’ll bet I have that song in your head now.

If you try to find this specific passage in Scripture, you’ll go on a wild goose chase. It’s actually a combination of several verses, with most of it is captured in an Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy.

“Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers…It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed.””

In the wake of the Coronovirus pandemic, and frankly anytime we’re prone to worry, it’s essential to remind ourselves of the reason for our faith. God holds us in His love regardless of what happens, and won’t fail or forsake us.

And the Divine Physician tells us no less than 365 times in the Bible to, “Be not afraid,” and “Fear not.” It’s almost like we need to be reminded of it each and every day of the year.

Let’s Pray. Father of Grace and Mercy. Help us be strong and of good courage. Grant us the grace each day to not be afraid. Let us rest in the hope that you go before us always, and that by following you, you will give us rest. Amen.

This is Mike Kelly with Prayfor2, two minute prayer reflections on the daily scripture readings of the Church. You can find them anytime at Prayfor2.com, Soundcloud, YouTube or the Redeemer Radio app.