It is said that the Three Kings who traveled to Bethlehem to adore the newborn King were radically changed by the experience and abandoned their pagan ways. According to one account, the Magi traveled to India and were eventually baptized by St. Thomas the Apostle before their deaths. 
 
Tradition has since held Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar as “saints,” and throughout the centuries various prayers have been composed to them. Below is one such prayer. 
 
O Holy Magi, you were living in continual expectation of the rising of the Star of Jacob, which would announce the birth of the true Son of justice; obtain for me an increase of faith and charity, and the grace to live in continual hope of beholding, one day, the light of heavenly glory and eternal joy. 
 
(Share your request …) 
 
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 
 
Prayer to the Infant Jesus: Infant Jesus, meek and mild, look on me a little child. Pity mine and pity me, suffer me to come to Thee. 
 
Heart of Jesus, I adore Thee. Heart of Mary, I implore Thee. Heart of Joseph, pure and just. In these three hearts, I put my trust. 
 
Help us Joseph in our early strife, ever to lead a pure and blameless life. 
 
O Holy Magi, Pray for Us. 

TAGS: Prayer

"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 3:11 

Take sand, gravel or crushed stone, mix it with water and cement, and you have concrete. Concrete is strong in compression (it won't bend) but weak in tension (it can crack); therefore, you usually have to reinforce it with steel, carbon, glass or plastic bars or fibers. Now throw in some agents or additives to handle freeze-thaw cycles, temperature swings, and corrosion resistance. Because concrete production is time-sensitive, once the ingredients are mixed, you must put the concrete in place before it hardens. 

You can look at your spiritual life as being similar to concrete production. 

What are your ingredients? What makes you strong (you won't bend) or weak (you can crack)? What are your reinforcements? What is needed to keep you stable, balanced and grounded? 

Unlike concrete, it takes a lifetime before the ingredients are mixed, placed, and hardened to form the basis of your spirituality. 

Master Builder, show me the right recipe for creating a strong foundation. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." - 2 Corinthians 3:17 

The Swallow-tailed Kite bird, unique in its shape, is a beauty to behold as it swoops left and right, high and low.  Gliding so effortlessly through the air.  Its wings barely move as it virtually hangs motionless in the sky. 

Already unique in our form, we would do good to emulate the Swallow-tailed Kite's gracefulness.  To be so spiritually free.  Loving God, self, and neighbor with an unconditional love. 

A kite without strings.  A spirit mercifully free. 

Holy Spirit, I yearn for Thee.  Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection

“'Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.'" - Matthew 7:12 

How many times do you go out of your way to help someone, talk to someone, or contact someone? Have you done so today? Did you interrupt your daily routine and busy schedule to meet an unexpected and unplanned need of another person? 

Unlike these flowers, which are groomed for this, bending over backwards is not an easy thing to do. We don't like to shift or stretch or strain from our normal state. 

But God asks this of us. Do we hear Him? 

O God of our plans and schedules, reshape and contort us to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. Amen. 

TAGS: Inspiration, Prayer

"Open wide your mouth that I may fill it." - Psalm 81:11 

Since the tree nuts aren't ripe yet, the squirrels are eating pine cones like they are corn-on-the-cob. It seems like picnic time with all the naked pine cones, and the little remnants that are left behind, scattered throughout the yard. 

Squirrels, like all outdoor animals and birds, are hungry and searching for food to satisfy their nutritional needs. 

Humans, on the other hand, are mostly blessed with enough food to satisfy their physical hunger. However, they continue to seek out food to satisfy an "other" hunger. This hunger, a spiritual hunger, is often undefinable. 

With summer upon us, picnics abound in backyards, parks and festivals. Satisfying a physical hunger is relatively easy, but a spiritual hunger may take some work and be hard to sate. 

This summer, make time to fulfill your spiritual hunger. Create a picnic, of sorts, of spiritual material to meet your yearnings. So hungrily devour this feast that your longings resemble corn-on-the-cob with only little remnants left behind. 

Divine Master, enable me to come to You to satisfy my mind, heart and soul with overflowing abundance and grace. Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Reflection, Story

"Samuel did not yet recognize the LORD, since the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him." - 1 Samuel 3:7 

The door had just closed in the elevator and started its descent to the first floor.  A voice came over the elevator speaker: "Hi, my name is Paul." and then drifted off. 

WHAT WAS THAT!?  Have you ever heard someone speak to you, in a non-emergency situation, through an elevator speaker?  Not sure if it was a real person or a computerized voice.  But it was definitely spooky, albeit a little humorous! 

Then I remembered Samuel: 
"Here I am. You called me." (1 Samuel 3:5) 
"Here I am. You called me." (1 Samuel 3:6) 
"Here I am. You called me." (1 Samuel 3:8) 

Three times Samuel heard a voice calling him and mistook it to be the voice of Eli.  Maybe this was the voice of God calling me disguised as the voice of "Paul". 

Then I remembered the story of Saul and his eventual conversion to Paul: 
"On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'" - Acts 9:3-4 

Maybe this was meant to be a wake-up call to me.  Am I persecuting Christ?  After all, this occurred in the elevator as I headed to church services on Friday, the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday).  Coincidence or God-occurrence? 

Forgive me, Lord, for not recognizing you and for persecuting you through my thoughts, my words, and my actions.  Help me to be a better Catholic disciple.  Amen. 

TAGS: Prayer, Story

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you." - 2 Corinthians 13:13 

The flowers had three clusters of three petals with three flower heads, all layered together to create a single blossom.  Separate, but three, in one.  Much like the Blessed Trinity, 

Set off against a green background with the sun making their whiteness bright, and their flower heads glistening in contrast, one could not notice the uniqueness and repetitiveness of their threefold composition. 

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: with us, in us, and all around us, if we only look for it. 

Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

"Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and all the signs he had commanded him to do". - Exodus 4:28 

I was looking for a sign from God regarding which direction to take on a decision I had to make.  Then WHAM!!  I got hit with a ton of bricks.  "OK, God, you can back off a little bit; I get it!" 

We often look for signs.  Should I do this or should I do that?  Should I go here or should I go there?  Should I take this job or should I take that job?  Should I donate to this charity or should I donate to that charity?  We seek God to help us in our time of need to make the right decision for our self, our family, and those around us. 

But do we recognize the answer?  Do we hear the voice of God giving us direction?  Do we see the face of God showing us the way? 

Are we mindful of the answer given to us?  What if it is not the answer we want?  Do we wait until we find the answer we want? 

O God, show me Your will and I will see it; tell me Your will and I will hear it; teach me Your will and I will learn it; lead me according to Your will and I will follow.  Amen.

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—declares the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 

How did they do that?  The side of the building was a mosaic of stone and bricks.  But it wasn't a random mosaic; there was a pattern to it.  How did they create the perfect pattern of curved and crisscrossed lines on this vertical plane?  Much artistic ingenuity and foresight was necessary to ensure that the lines crossed at precisely the right location when the masonry work occurred. 

Having everything in place and executing as planned can result in an amazing feat.  God works like that in you.  With His plan, and your obedience, you can achieve anything.  If you wander from the path sketched out for you, and don't pull yourself back in line, you will not reach the end result that God has in mind for you. 

Chart the course.  Stay in line.  And follow the path laid out for you. 

Dear God, thank you for knowing the plans for me and for guiding me along the way of those plans.  Amen.

"Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves ... " - Philippians 2:3 

Our pastor tried hard to ensure the faithful received the sacraments on a daily basis by offering them outdoors last spring during the pandemic.  We were told to walk single-file, pace ourselves along six foot markers placed in the school parking lot, and took turns to ensure social distancing as we crisscrossed through the crosswalks.  It was a beautifully orchestrated procession that worked with the finest military precision. 

But it didn't come without its share of scolding, snapping, and correcting when we stepped out of the well-calculated route.  The gentleman who monitored the crowd was there every day in his school crossing guard attire, keeping an eagle's eye on everyone's movement, offering correction when needed. 

You couldn't help but notice this man's presence.  He was very intent and purposeful in keeping the lines moving and flowing without interruption.  Every day, day in and day out, seven days a week, he was there.  "He must be a good school crossing guard," I often thought to myself, thinking that this was probably his real profession under normal circumstances because of the great care and concern he showed for the people and the process.  One day I stopped to thank him for his continual daily service.  He gratefully acknowledged me and stated that "some days are better than others." 

I was humbled to learn a few months later that the good gentleman in the school crossing guard attire was actually the school principal; but the greater humility was shown by the gentleman who humbled himself to do the work that needed to be done at that time. 

O God, thank you for showing me the humbleness of others, and guide me to be more like them.  Amen.