Holy Name of Jesus National Catholic Church

• 8/30 – Colossians 4:2-14 – ls this a time of struggle or surrender for me? Prayer starter: Grant me this day, O Holy Spirit, the gifts of patience and humility.
• 8/31 – Colossians 4:15-18 – Whose “chains” can I help loosen today? Prayer starter: Carry me, O source of Love, beyond my limitation by your grace.
• 9/1 – Genesis 1 – How often do prestige, power, or the opinion of others dictate my behavior? Prayer starter: O God, let me see your beauty in creation today. Show me your beauty in the people around me.
• 9/2 – Wisdom 11:17-12:1 – What events in my life or places in nature will bring me to a meditation on God’s love? Prayer starter: O God, lover of my soul, I am filled with awe and gratitude because once again I see. . .
• 9/3 – Psalm 107 – What events in my life help me to ponder the mercy of the Lord? Prayer starter: Teach my heart, O Lord. Help me to reflect and to understand your merciful love for me.
• 9/4 – Exodus 33:1-34:9 – In addition to “merciful, gracious, loyal, slow to anger, forgiving, and full of loving
  kindness” who is God for me? Prayer starter: Gracious and merciful God, life is so complex right now – so demanding.
• 9/5 – Psalm 103 – List three things for which you truly praise God. Are any of them difficulties? Prayer starter: O God, I know you have touched the heavens and the earth. You have touched my soul too and today I praise you for. . .

The month of September will have us studying the message of the Scripture concerning God’s mercy and forgiveness. May they be ours!

• 8/23 – Colossians 1:15-23 – What are the things that are causing me undue anxiety today? Prayer starter: Be the master of my life this day, Lord Jesus.
• 8/24 – Colossians 1:24-2:5 – Have I made the treasure that is Jesus Christ my own? Prayer starter: Lead me, O Holy Spirit, into the depths where I will meet the risen Christ.
• 8/25 – Colossians 2:6-15 – Am I trying to find meaning apart from Christ or within Christ? Prayer starter: Come, O Holy Spirit, and show me the glory of God within myself, my brothers and sisters, and creation.
• 8/26 – Colossians 2:16-23 – What opportunities for self denial and self-sacrifice did God give me today? Prayer starter: Teach me, Lord Jesus, to love for Love’s own sake.
• 8/27 – Colossians 3:1-11- What weeds have taken root lately in the garden of my soul that need to be rooted out? Prayer starter: Cleanse my soul this day, O Holy Spirit, from all that deprives me of the peace and joy God wishes to pour into my life.
• 8/28 – Colossians 3:12-17 – Which of the virtues Paul writes about do I see manifested in my life? Prayer starter: Come, Lord Jesus, and abide with me today.
• 8/29 – Colossians 3:18-4:1 – In what ways am I called to serve Christ today? Prayer starter: Open my heart, Lord, to the entire human family.

Father Stan has been invited to participate in the annual pilgrimage and Holy Mass at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York on Sunday, August 30th. If anyone wishes to join with Father Stan please see him.

• 8/16 – Philippians 4:2-3 – Who are the women and men in my life who have most effectively modeled the ministry of service in the church? Prayer starter: Help us, Lord Jesus, to eliminate all stumbling blocks that prevent women and men from answering the Holy Spirit’s call to ministry and service within and outside the church.
• 8/17 – Philippians 4:4-9 – What actions can I take to bring about greater peace in my life and in the lives of those whom I love? Prayer starter: May the peace that surpasses all understanding flood into my life today.
• 8/18 – Philippians 4:10-20 – What material goods have I — should I — learn to do without? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, help me to recognize the true treasures of my life with greater clarity.
• 8/19 – Philippians 4:21-23 – What are the subtle signs of the presence of the Spirit in my life? Prayer starter: Catch me up, O Holy Spirit, in the whirlwind and the whisper of your divine presence.
• 8/20 – Philemon 1:1-7 – Am I living like saint? Do I want to live that way? Prayer starter: Live in me now, O Holy Spirit, as we will all live then.
• 8/21- Philemon 1:8-25 – What is the opportunity for true freedom offered to me this day? Prayer starter: Lord Jesus, you lived and died on earth dedicated to the belief that all human beings are true sisters and brothers. I rededicate my life this day to the same conviction.
• 8/22 – Colossians 1:1-14 – What is something beautiful for God I can do today? Prayer starter: Help me, Lord Jesus, to stay in the sacredness of his present moment.

Remember… We are using the month of August to remember those in need of daily food. Please bring non-perishable food items through this month so that we can minister to those in need. It is not just during the Penitential times of the year that we collect food items or that those who are hungry are in need. It is throughout the year that this is true. Please make sure you bring in some items that can fill a table with necessary nourishment.

Remember, any amount will be helpful.

May God bless your sacrifice!

• 8/9 – Philippians 1:1-14 – Can I see the movement of the Holy Spirit in the most difficult circumstances of my life? Prayer starter: Come, Holy Spirit, and burst the bars of the prison I have made for myself.
• 8/10 – Philippians 1:15-30 – Where do I see the proclamation of the gospel today? Prayer starter: Help me, Lord Jesus Christ, to hear the gospel message amid the conflicts of my life.
• 8/11- Philippians 2:1-11 – In what way did I make myself vulnerable to love today? Prayer starter: Teach me, Lord Jesus Christ, what it means not to give of my surplus, but of my very self.
• 8/12 – Philippians 2:12-18 – How aware am I of how deeply I have been caught up in the life of Christ? Prayer starter: Help me, Lord Jesus, to more fully appreciate the awesome sacredness of the ordinary moments of my life.
• 8/13 – Philippians 2:19-3:1 – Who are the good shepherds in the church today? How can I support them? Prayer starter: Help me this day, Lord Jesus, to understand your will for my life more clearly and to submit more completely.
• 8/14 – Philippians 3:2-11 – Can I recall a time recently when I really “lost” myself in an activity I enjoy, in prayer, or in spending time with someone else? Prayer starter: Lead me, O Holy Spirit, into greater communion with the risen Christ today.
• 8/15 – Philippians 3:12-4:1 – Where is my true homeland? Prayer starter: Help me, Lord Jesus, to see the cross not as a sign of defeat but as an invitation to Love.

The month of August will have us studying in the shorter letters of Paul to the churches in Thessalonika, Philippi, Colosea, and to his friend, Philemon.

This Sunday, August 9th from 1pm to dusk at Central Park in Schenectady. We llok forward to seeing you there. May God grant us a day of fellowship and fun.

• 8/2 – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 – Has the desire to please God or to please others been stronger in my heart lately? Why? Prayer starter: Grant me the grace, O Lord, to subordinate my own ego to the gospel message.
• 8/3 -1 Thessalonians 2:9-20 – How aware am I of the treasure each member of God’s family possesses? Prayer starter: Come, O Holy Spirit, send your wind and fire to cleanser the church of all that tamishes the gleam of holiness.
• 8/4 – 1 Thessalonians 3 – Do I really appreciate the power of the gospel message? Prayer starter: I give thanks today, Lord Jesus, for the glorious success in proclaiming and living out the gospel in my life so far.
• 8/5 – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 – Is there a person in my life whom I value more for what they can do for me than for whom he or she is? Prayer starter: I recommit myself today, Lord Jesus, to honor the sacredness of each and every life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
• 8/6 -1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:3 – Which of my deeply held ideas about God and the church have been challenged lately? Why? Prayer starter: Guide us, Holy Spirit, into deeper communion with the God Who is.
• 8/7 -1 Thessalonians 5:4-22 – How willing am I to share my own experience of light with others? Prayer starter: By the light of your grace, O heavenly Father, may I really see the sacred beauty In each and every person I meet today.
• 8/8 – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 – In what ways have I passed along the sacred heritage of my faith to the next generation? Prayer starter: During this quiet moment, I sit in the stillness rooted in that peace and holiness that God has blessed me with today and every day through God’s presence in my life.

The month of August will have us studying in the shorter letters of Paul; to the churches in Thessalonika, Philippi, Colosea, and his friend, Philemon.