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Daily Dose of Hope May 6, 2026   Name of God: YHWH, THE SELF-EXISTENT ONE Scripture:  Exodus 3:14-15, 6:2-3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 42:8   Prayer:  Yahweh, my God, Thank You for revealing Your Holy name. Thank You for being the same yesterday, today, and forever. I stand in awe of who You are. You are eternal, unchanging, and near. Help me to trust You more deeply, to honor Your name in all I do, And to walk in the beauty of Your covenant love.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Today, we are starting the names of God.  This will be different because we will be flipping around in the Scripture, but I'm hoping we will all learn something new.  Fair warning – although there may be only a few verses listed, it will be a lot easier to read the whole narrative to get a feel for what it is trying to communicate.   Let's start by talking about the significance of names in the Old Testament.  Most ancient cultures, including Israel, believed that to know a person's name was to know their character and nature.  Likewise, the names of God were also intended to reveal different aspects of His character.    Today, we will talk about YHWH, a name for God considered so holy that Old Testament Jews did not say it out loud.  Even today, some devout Jews will not write or pronounce this name of God out loud.  It is the personal, sacred name of God that can be translated, I AM WHO I AM, the self-existent one, He brings into existence, or He will be.  This form of God's name is the most frequently used noun in the Old Testament, and it is written over 6,800 times.  Thus, it goes without saying that the four Scriptures we read are just a drop in the bucket of YHWH references in the Hebrew texts.   Our first Scripture text for today is the Moses and the burning bush narrative.  When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God for his name. He wanted to tell the enslaved Israelites who had sent him to deliver them. God told Moses to tell them "I AM has sent me to you" and also "the LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you."   Likewise, in chapter 6:2-6, God also said to Moses, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a] but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.  Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.  "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. But aren't Lord and I AM two different names?  Actually, most scholars believe that the names yhwh ("LORD") and ʾhyh ("I AM") both come from the same word, the Hebrew "to be" verb, though in different forms.  YHWH can generally be translated "He is." But for my English grammar nuts, in Hebrew that is a complete sentence.  We don't need to finish it with an explanation of what He is.  It simply means, "He exists."  Thus, it becomes apparent how this name of God describes the truth of His self-sufficiency and complete independence and autonomy. God isn't dependent on or influenced by anything external to himself.  YHWH simply is. He is always present, always faithful and always who He says He is. In every season, in every generation, in every circumstance—He remains the same. In the Exodus Scripture that we read, we can see that God is establishing the truth of his self-existence.  Moses doesn't need to be scared of Pharoah, because I AM is with him.  I AM, or the Lord, is above Pharoah, above and separate from everything really.  And yet, while YHWH is self-existent and never-changing, He is also demonstrating that He will be present with his people. He has not abandoned them.  I AM is the God of their fathers and their God as well.  YHWH is the name God uses when He makes covenant with His people. It is the name tied to relationship, to promise, to faithfulness. I also want to touch on the Scripture from the Psalms, Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.  In the King James translation, this verse called God, Jehovah.  Just for our information (because this will probably come up again), Jehovah and YHWH come from the same word for God.  However, Jehovah is the Latinized version and YHWH (the Lord) comes from the ancient Hebrew.  Most scholars believe that Jehovah is not a good translation at all.  So, what does the name YHWH mean for us? It means we are never alone.  YHWH walks with His people. It means every promise He made—He will keep. It means when we pray, we are calling on the same name that split the sea, shut the mouths of lions, and raised the dead to life.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Taste and See that the Lord is Good UOL Retreat in Philadelphia PA on 3/28/2026 In this episode, we look at how the Church's pre- and post-Communion prayers prepare us not just to receive the Eucharist, but to be changed by it. They help us see our need, turn us toward God, and then teach us how to carry His presence into daily life. Communion becomes not just something we receive, but something we learn to live. --- PRE-COMMUNION PRAYERS (UOC-USA PRAYER BOOK) Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Glory to You, our God, glory to You. Prayer to the Holy Spirit О Heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things. Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and dwell in us, cleanse us from every impurity and save our souls, O Good One. Thrice-Holy Hymn Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times) Small Doxology Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Prayer to the Holy Trinity All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for Your Name's sake. Lord, have mercy. (3 times) Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. The Lord's Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our Daily Bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy. (3 times) Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Invocation to Jesus Christ Come, let us worship God, our King. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ our King and our God. Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ Himself, our King and our God. Psalm 22 The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He settles me in a place of green grass; beside restful water He leads me. He restores my soul; He guides me on the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. For even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because You are with me. Your rod and Your staff comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. Behold, Your mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord for the length of my days. Psalm 23 The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and all who live in it. For He has founded it above the seas and prepared it above the waters. Who will ascend into the mountain of the Lord and who will stand in His holy place? One whose hands are harmless and whose heart is pure, who has not received his soul in vain and has not sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. He will receive blessing from the Lord and mercy from God his Savior. This is the kind who seek the Lord, who seek the Face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your gates, you rulers and be lifted up, you eternal doors and the King of Glory will come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. Psalm 115 I kept my Faith even when I said I am greatly afflicted. I said in my amazement: "Every person is a liar!" What shall I give to the Lord for all that He has given me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all His people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Lord, I am Your servant – and the child of Your handmaiden. You have burst my bonds apart. I will offer to You the sacrifice of praise and I will call upon the Name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, Jerusalem. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluiа, alleluia, glory to You, our God. (3 times) Tropar, Tone 8 Lord, born of a Virgin, overlook my faults, purify my heart and make it a temple for Your Spotless Body and Blood. Cast me not from Your presence for You have infinitely great mercy. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;How can I who am unworthy, dare to come to the Communion of Your Holy Things? For even if I should dare to approach You with those who are worthy, my garment betrays me, for it is not a festal robe and I shall bring about the condemnation of my sinful soul. Lord, Lover of mankind, cleanse the pollution from my soul and save me. Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.Great is the multitude of my sins, Birth-Giver of God. To you, Pure One, I flee and implore salvation. Visit my sick and feeble soul and intercede with Your Son and our God, that He may grant me remission of my sins, for You alone are blessed. First Prayer – Saint Basil the Great Lord and Master, Jesus Christ our God, Wellspring of Life and Immortality, Maker of every visible and invisible thing, Co-eternal and Co-everlasting Son of the Everlasting Father: in the abundance of Your Goodness, You were incarnate in these latter times, and crucified and buried for us ungrateful and graceless people. Through Your own Blood You have renewed our nature corrupted by sin. Immortal King, though I am a sinner, accept my repentance, incline Your Ear to me and hearken to my words. I have sinned before heaven and before Your Countenance and I am not worthy to gaze upon the immensity of Your Glory. For I have provoked Your Goodness, I have transgressed Your commandments and I have not obeyed Your ordinances. But, Lord, since You do not remember evil, but are long suffering and have great mercy, You have not given me over to destruction for my lawlessness, but have continually awaited my conversion. For You, Lover of Mankind have said through Your prophet, "I desire not the death of sinners, but that they may turn from their evil ways and live." Because You do not wish, Master, that the work of Your Hands should perish, neither, do You take pleasure in the destruction of humanity. Rather, You desire that all people should be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth. Therefore, even I, though I am unworthy of heaven, earth and of this transitory life, having given myself completely to sin becoming a slave to pleasure and defiling Your Image – yet being Your creation – I despair not of my salvation in my wretchedness. But, emboldened by Your infinite Compassion, I draw near. Therefore, Loving Christ, receive me also as You received the harlot, the thief, the publican and the prodigal. Take away the heavy burden of my sins, You Who take away the sins of the world, Who heal all human infirmity, Who call to Yourself those who are weary and heavy-laden, granting them rest. You came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Cleanse me from every stain of flesh and spirit and teach me to achieve perfect holiness in fear of You, that receiving my share of Your sacred things, I may be united to Your Holy Body and Blood and may have You dwell and abide in me with the Father and Your Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, may the partaking of Your Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries bring me not to condemnation, nor may I partake unworthily of them. Grant that I, even to my final breath, may receive my share of Your sacred things without condemnation and thereby receive communion with the Holy Spirit as a provision for the journey to eternal life and an acceptable defense before Your Dread Judgment Seat. Lord, grant that I, together with all Your elect, may also be a partaker of immaculate good things which You have prepared for those who love You, with whom You abide and are glorified to the ages. Amen. Second Prayer — Saint John Chrysostom Lord my God, I know that I am not sufficiently worthy that You should come under the roof of the house of my soul, for it is entirely desolate and fallen in ruin and You cannot find in me a worthy place for Your head. But, as You humbled Yourself from on high for our sake, humble Yourself not to the measure of my lowliness. As You took it upon Yourself in the cave to lie in the manger for dumb animals, so take it upon Yourself now to enter into the manger of my ignorant soul and into my defiled body. Since You did not disdain to enter and eat with sinners in the house of Simon the Leper, so take it upon Yourself to likewise enter also into the house of my humble, leprous and sinful soul. As You did not cast out the harlot, a sinner much like me, who came and touched You, so have compassion on me, a sinner, coming to touch You. Since You did not detest the kiss of her sin-stained and unclean mouth, detest not my mouth, which is stained even worse and more unclean than hers as well as my sordid, unclean and shameless lips, nor my even more unclean tongue. Let the fiery coal of Your Most Pure Body and of Your Precious Blood bring me the sanctification, enlightenment and strengthening of my humble soul and body, a relief from the burden of my many transgressions, protection against every operation of the Devil, an aversion and hindrance of my base and evil habits, a mortification of my passions, an accomplishment of your Commandments, an increase in Your divine Grace and an entrance into Your Kingdom. For I do not come to You, Christ my God, in presumption, but having been given full confidence by Your Ineffable Goodness, I approach, lest I stray far from Your communion and become the prey of the wolf of souls. Therefore, I pray, Master Who alone are Holy; sanctify both my soul and body, my mind and heart and my emotions and affections. Renew me entirely, implant Your Fear in my members and make Your sanctification indelible within me. Be my helper and foundation, govern my life in peace and make me worthy to stand at your right hand with Your saints. Through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother, the pure and immaterial Powers that always serve You and of all the saints who have been well pleasing to You from the ages. Amen. Third Prayer – Saint Simeon the Translator Only Pure and Spotless Lord, Jesus Christ, Wisdom of God, Peace and Power: moved by Your ineffable mercy and love for all mankind, You took up our whole nature from the chaste and virginal blood of the one who wondrously conceived You through the coming of the Holy Spirit and by the favor of Your Eternal Father. In that nature you took it upon Yourself to undergo Your life-giving and saving Passion – the cross, the nails, the spear and death itself. Mortify in me the soul-destroying passions of the body. As you despoiled the dominion of Hades in the tomb, bury in me the spirit of evil. You raised fallen Adam through Your life-bearing Resurrection - so raise me for I am immersed in sin and counsel me in the ways of repentance. You made divine the flesh You assumed and honored it on Your Throne at the Right Hand of the Father in Your Glorious Ascension. By the communion of Your Holy Mysteries make me worthy of a place at Your Right Hand with the saved. You made Your sacred disciples precious vessels by the coming of the Comforter, the Spirit – confirm me also to be a receptacle of His Coming. You promised to come again to judge the world in righteousness – grant that I shall go to meet You in the clouds with all Your saints. For You have made and formed me that I may unceasingly praise and chant hymns to You with Your Eternal Father and Your All-Holy, Good and Life-Creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Fourth Prayer – Saint Simeon the Translator Christ my God, as though standing before Your Dread Judgment Seat which does not regard personalities awaiting judgment and rendering an account of the evils I have committed: so today before the day of my condemnation appears, I stand before Your Holy Altar in Your Sight and in the Sight of Your awesome and holy angels. Bowed low by my own conscience, I offer my wicked and lawless actions, triumphing over them by declaring them. Lord, I know my iniquities have increased beyond the number of hairs on my head. The multitude of Your loving kindness is immeasurable and the mercy of Your Goodness and Forbearance beyond description and there is no sin which overcomes Your love for all mankind. Therefore, all marvelous King and merciful Lord, cause Your wondrous mercy to touch even me, a sinner. Receive me, a sinner, as I return to You, as You received the prodigal, the thief and the harlot. As You received those who came at the eleventh hour unworthily, so receive me also, a sinner. I know that You will set these sins I have committed before me and require an accounting of the sins which I have knowingly and unpardonably committed, but neither convict me with fitting judgment, nor chastise me in Your Anger. Lord have mercy on me for though I am weak, I am also the work of Your Hands. You have granted me to revere You, Lord, but I have done evil in Your Sight. Against You only have I sinned, but I beg You, Lord, judge not Your servant for if You will severely mark iniquity, who will survive it? For I am in a sea of sin and am neither worthy nor sufficient to behold and gaze upon the height of heaven for the multitude of my innumerable sins. Who will raise me up? Who has fallen into such evils and transgressions? Lord God, in You have I hoped. Have mercy on me, God, according to Your great mercy and do not reward me, as my deeds deserve. Rather convert, uphold and deliver my soul from the evils implanted in it and from fearsome designs. I will praise and glorify You all the days of my life. For You are the God of those who repent and we glorify You with Your Father without beginning and Your All Holy, Good and Life-Creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Fifth Prayer – Saint John of Damascus Lord and Master Jesus Christ our God, You alone have the power to absolve sin. Because You are Good and love all mankind, forgive all my iniquities committed in knowledge or in ignorance. Make me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your divine, glorious, pure and life creating Mysteries, that I may incur neither punishment nor an increase in my sins, but receive cleansing, sanctification, a pledge of the Life and the Kingdom to come, protection, an aid, a turning aside of my adversaries and the blotting out of my many transgressions. For You are a God of Mercy, Loving Kindness and Love for all mankind and we glorify You Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Sixth Prayer – Saint Basil the Great Lord, I know that I partake unworthily of Your Pure Body and Your Precious Blood, my Christ and my God. Yet emboldened by Your Loving Kindness I come to You for You have said, "Those who eat My Flesh and drink My Blood abide in Me and I in them." Therefore, be merciful, Lord and do not rebuke me, a sinner, but deal with me according to Your mercy. And let these Holy Things afford me healing, cleansing, enlightenment, protection, sanctification of soul and body, the averting of every fantasy, evil practice and operation of the devil which works within me. Let them give me confidence and love for You, amendment of life and perseverance, an increase in perfection and virtue, the fulfillment of Your Commandments, communion of the Holy Spirit and a provision for the journey to eternal life and an acceptable answer at Your Dread Judgment Seat, but neither for judgment nor condemnation. Amen. Seventh Prayer - Saint Symeon the New Theologian From lips besmirched and heart impure, from unclean tongue and sin stained soul, receive my pleas, my Christ. Neither overlook my words, my way of speech, nor my annoyingly persistent cry. Grant me the boldness to express all the things for which I long, my Christ, and teach me all that it is fitting for me to do and say. More than the harlot have I sinned. When she learned where You were visiting she brought myrrh, boldly came there and anointed Your Feet. As You, Divine Word, did not cast her out when she came in eagerness of heart, detest me not. Rather give me Your Feet, I pray, for my embrace and my kiss. With the torrent of my tears, as with an ointment of great price, let me dare to anoint them. Purify me, O Word, in my own tears and cleanse me with them. Forgive my errors; grant pardon, for You know the multitude of my sins. You also know the wounds I bear. You see the bruises of my soul. Yet You know my faith, You see my eager heart and hear my sighs. From You, my God, Creator and Redeemer, not one tear is hidden, nor even part of one. Your Eyes know my imperfection, for in Your Book are found those things which are yet unfashioned. Behold my lowliness; behold how great is my weariness. Then God of the entire world, grant me release from all my sins, that with a clean heart and conscience filled with holy fear and a contrite soul, I may partake of Your most pure and spotless Mysteries. The one who eats and drinks with a pure heart has life and divinity. For You have said, my Master, that "those who eat of My Flesh and drink of My Blood do indeed abide in Me and I am likewise found in them." My Master and my God, this saying of Christ is completely true. For one who shares in these Divine and Deifying Graces is not alone, but is with You, Christ, the Triple Radiant Light Who enlightens the whole world. You see that for this I have drawn near to You with tears and contrite soul. Thus, I dare to hope in Your good deeds for us, I partake – both rejoicing and trembling – for I am but grass in fire and behold, a strange wonder! I am refreshed with dew, beyond all words, just as in ancient times the bush burning with fire was not consumed. Therefore, thankful in mind and heart, thankful with all my body and all my soul I worship You, magnify and glorify You, my God for You are blessed both now and to all the ages. Amen. Eighth Prayer - Saint John Chrysostom Lord Jesus Christ, my God, absolve, remit, forgive and pardon me, of all the errors, transgressions and trespasses which I have committed before You – whether in knowledge or in ignorance, in words, deeds, thoughts or intentions. Through the intercession of Your All-Pure Mother, Your heavenly hosts and all the saints, who through the ages have been faithful to You, count me worthy to partake without condemnation of Your Holy and Precious Body and Blood for the healing of both soul and body and for the elimination and the cleansing of my evil thoughts. For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power, the Glory, the Honor and the Worship of the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Ninth Prayer – Saint John of Damascus I stand before the doors of Your temple and I refrain not from evil thoughts. But You, Christ my God, justified the tax collector: You showed mercy to the woman of Canaan and opened the Gates of Paradise to the Thief. Open to me the depths of Your love for all mankind and receive me as I draw near and touch You, even as You did the harlot and the woman with the issue of blood. The latter merely touched the hem of Your garment and immediately received healing and the former, clinging to Your Pure Feet, obtained the release from her sins. But, I in my pitiful state, dare to receive Your Whole Body. May I not be consumed, but receive me even as You received those others and enlighten the feelings of my soul, cleansing my sins; through the prayers of the one who gave You birth without seed and of the heavenly powers, for You are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. POST-COMMUNION PRAYERS (UOC-USA PRAYER BOOK) Glory to You, O God! (3 times) Lord my God, I thank You that You have not rejected me, a sinner, but have allowed me to be a partaker of Your Holy Things.  I thank You that You have permitted me, though unworthy, to have a share in Your Most Pure and Heavenly Gifts. Master and Lover of Mankind, Who for our sake died and rose again and gave us these Awe-inspiring and Life-giving Mysteries for the benefit and sanctification of our souls and bodies: let these Gifts be for the healing of my own soul and body, for the averting of every adversary, the illumination of the eyes of my heart, the peace of my spiritual powers, an unashamed faith, an unfeigned love, the realizing of wisdom, the observance of Your Commandments, the receiving of Your Divine Grace and the inheritance of Your Kingdom. Preserved by them in Your holiness, may I always be mindful of Your Grace, no longer living for myself, but for You, our Master and Benefactor.  May I then pass from this life in the hope of Eternal Life and attain to the Everlasting Rest where the voice of those who feast is unceasing and the unending delight of those who behold the beauty of Your Face is inexpressible. For You, Christ our God, are truly the ineffable joy and desire of all those who love You and all creation sings Your praise to the ages of ages. Amen. Second Prayer following Communion By Saint Basil the Great I thank You, Christ, Master and God, King of the Ages and Maker of All Things, for all the Good Gifts You have given me and especially for the participation in Your Most Pure and Life-creating Mysteries. Therefore, I pray, Gracious Lord, Who loves all mankind, that You preserve me under Your protection and beneath the shadow of Your Wings. Grant that even to my final breath, I may partake worthily and with a pure conscience of Your Holy Things for the remission of my sins and for Eternal Life. For You are the Bread of Life, the Wellspring of Holiness, the Giver of all Good and we glorify You, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Third Prayer following Communion By Saint Simeon the Translator You Who willingly give Your Flesh to me as Food, Who are a Fire burning the unworthy; let me not be consumed, my Creator. Rather, enter into all my members – my joints, my inner being and my heart. Burn the thorns of my iniquities. Purify my soul and sanctify my reasoning.  Strengthen my joints and bones. Enlighten my five senses. Bind me completely with reverence for You. Always shelter, guard and keep me from every soul-corrupting word and deed. Cleanse, purify and harmonize my being. Beautify me, grant me understanding and enlighten me. Show me to be the Habitation of Your One Holy Spirit and no longer the abode of sin, that having become Your Dwelling Place because of the Communion of Your Holy Mysteries, every evil deed and passion may flee from me as from fire. As intercessors, I bring all the Saints: the leaders of the Bodiless Hosts, Your Forerunner, the Most Wise Apostles and with them, Your undefiled, Most-pure Mother. Accept their prayers Christ, my Merciful One and make me a Child of Light. For You, Good One, are the only Sanctification and Enlightenment of our souls and to You, as God and Master, we worthily render glory day by day. Amen. Fourth Prayer following Communion May Your Holy Body, Lord Jesus Christ our God, be for me Life Eternal and Your Precious Blood for the remission of my sins. May this Eucharist grant me joy, health and gladness. At Your Dread Second Coming make me, a sinner, worthy to stand at the Right Hand of Your Glory, through the intercessions of Your All-pure Mother and of all Your saints. Fifth Prayer following Communion To the Birth-Giver of God All Holy Lady, Birth-Giver of God, light of my darkened soul – my hope, my shelter and refuge, my consolation and joy; I thank you for accepting me, the unworthy one, as a communicant of the Most-pure Body and Precious Blood of your Son. In that you gave birth to the True Light, enlighten the intellectual eyes of my heart. As the one who carried the Fountain of Immortality in your womb, enliven me, slain by sin. Merciful Mother of the Most-merciful God, full of loving kindness, have mercy on me, grant me contrition and compunction of heart, humility in my thoughts, and the ability to recall my reasoning from its captivity. Make me worthy, until my final breath, to receive the sanctification of the Most Pure Mysteries without condemnation, for healing of soul and body. Grant me tears of repentance and confession, that I may chant hymns and glorify You all the days of my life, for blessed and glorified are You to the ages. Amen. Master, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times) Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. All-Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for Your Name's sake. Lord, have mercy. (3 times) Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our Daily Bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Depending upon which Liturgy was celebrated, one of the following Tropars and Kondaks are said.Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom Tropar, Tone 8 Grace shining forth from your mouth like a beacon has enlightened the universe, disclosing to the world treasures of generosity and showing us the heights of humility.  Since you instruct us by your words, Father John Chrysostom, intercede with Christ God, the Word Himself, to save our souls. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Kondak, Tone 6 From heaven you received divine grace and by your lips you teach all to worship the one God in Trinity, All-blessed and Venerable John Chrysostom. Worthily do we extol you, for you are an instructor who reveals things divine. Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Liturgy of Saint Basil the GreatTropar, Tone 1 Your voice has gone out to all the earth and it has received your word. By it you taught divine doctrine making the nature of things, which exist, clear and giving good order to human behavior. Venerable Father and Royal Priest Basil, intercede with Christ our God, that He may save our souls. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Kondak, Tone 4 You appeared as an unshakable foundation of the Church passing down an inviolate dominion to all mortals, sealing it with your teachings, Venerable Basil, revealer of Heaven. Now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.Bohorodychnyi, Tone 6 Protection of Christians not put to shame, unwavering Mediation before the Creator; despise not the prayer of sinners, but because you are good, quickly come to help us who call on you in faith. Be swift to intercede and make haste to supplicate, Birth-Giver of God, who always protects those who honor you. Lord, have mercy. (12 times) More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim. You, Who without defilement did bare God the Word, true Birth-Giver of God, we magnify You. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen Lord, have mercy. (3 times) Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.    

Send us a textThe devotion for today, Friday, January 16, 2026 was written by Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley and is narrated by Gordon Markley. Today's Words of Inspiration come From the song, Breathe, by Michael W. Smith. Lyrics by Marie Barnett:“This is the air I breathe, This is the air I breathe, Your Holy presence living in me.”  And EB White: “The whole problem is to establish communication with one's self.”   Support the show

Today we are going to spend all our time in gratefulness. I will mention some prompts and I want you to give your full focus to offering thanksgiving to Your Father for what He has given us. We praise You for Your Holy presence - For Your power that proceeded our existence - Thank you For Your sacrificial Son who paid the price for my sins - thank you We thank you for your complete forgiveness We thank you for your great love for us We thank you for our family - parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters We thank you for our friends who bring comfort and strength We thank you for your provision. Food. Shelter. Safety. We thank you for the struggles that we would rather avoid - thank you for using them for our good. We thank you for being with us, close steady and trustworthy We thank you for being faithful to us and our family Let's pray: “On this day, and every day, thank you for the many gifts that you give that sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you that you meet us in stillness and that through Jesus you have made it possible for us to know you intimately, personally and completely. Thank you that you call us your beloved, your children. Protect us, provide for us and bless us and our families. As above, so below.”

Your Daily Prayer

Oooooohhhhh my god there are so many video games. 45 of them are in this episode.Today we're talking about the June 2025 Steam NextFest with special guest NBZ!Follow NBZ on Bluesky!Listen to This Nintendo Life!Check the full list of games we played on our Backloggd---ALL OF THE GAMES WE TALKED ABOUT:Games for Dice and Card PervertsDice GambitMy Card Is Better Than Your CardThe Royal WritHeroes of the Seven IslandsFreak GamesHouse of NecrosisGun in a WellOne-Eyed LikhoKulo Niku Bowl Up!Am I NimaMoonlighter 2AnuraInkshadeThe Wide Open Sky is Running Out of CatfishDiscountyEasy Delivery Co.Your Holy & Virtuous HereticHolstinGames About the Future (Good)All Will Fall Generation Exile Jump Ship MotionRec Star Birds Crescent County Gecko Gods Games About the Future (Bad)Morsels Ambrosia SkyAeromachina OVIS LOOP (STAND-ALONE: Ep 0) Goodbye Seoul Possessor(s) Games About the Past (Bad)Compensation Not Guaranteed MORSE Girl Mode Will Not Like These GamesDispatchGames to Make Me CryConsume MeThe award that changes the lives of its winners from Post GamesFishbowl Away From Home Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo Undusted: Letters from the Past Cast & Chill Games About Being a FloristFlowers and Favours Puni the Florist Games That Are ToysRollick N' Roll Outside the Blocks This is The OneAbsolum Danchi Days VOID/BREAKER Occlude ---Support us on Kofi!Visit our website!Follow us on Twitch!Follow the show on Bluesky!Check out The Worst Garbage Online!---Art by Tara CrawfordTheme music by _amaranthineAdditional sounds by BoqehProduced and edited by AJ Fillari---Timecodes:(00:00) - WE GOTTA GO (00:29) - No time for shenanigans (01:32) - We're doin categories today (02:44) - Games for Dice and Card Perverts (02:53) - Dice Gambit (06:13) - My Card is Better Than Your Card (08:59) - The Royal Writ (12:48) - Heroes of the Seven Islands (14:53) - Freak Games (15:44) - House of Necrosis (19:01) - Gun in a Well (22:36) - One-Eyed Likho (26:43) - Kulo Niku Bowl Up! (29:16) - Am I Nima (32:28) - Moonlighter 2 (36:58) - Anura (38:20) - Inkshade (41:59) - The Wide Open Sky is Running Out of Catfish (44:24) - Discounty (46:20) - Easy Delivery Co. (49:2...

Today we are going to spend all our time in gratefulness. I will mention some prompts and I want you to give your full focus to offering thanksgiving to Your Father for what He has given us.  We praise You for Your Holy presence - For Your power that proceeded our existence - Thank you  For Your sacrificial Son who paid the price for my sins - thank you  We thank you for your complete forgiveness  We thank you for your great love for us  We thank you for our family - parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters  We thank you for our friends who bring comfort and strength  We thank you for your provision. Food. Shelter. Safety.  We thank you for the struggles that we would rather avoid - thank you for using them for our good.  We thank you for being with us, close steady and trustworthy  We thank you for being faithful to us and our family  Let's pray: “On this day, and every day, thank you for the many gifts that you give that sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you that you meet us in stillness and that through Jesus you have made it possible for us to know you intimately, personally and completely. Thank you that you call us your beloved, your children. Protect us, provide for us and bless us and our families. As above, so below.” 

Today we are going to spend all our time in gratefulness. I will mention some prompts and I want you to give your full focus to offering thanksgiving to Your Father for what He has given us.  We praise You for Your Holy presence - For Your power that proceeded our existence - Thank you  For Your sacrificial Son who paid the price for my sins - thank you  We thank you for your complete forgiveness  We thank you for your great love for us  We thank you for our family - parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters  We thank you for our friends who bring comfort and strength  We thank you for your provision. Food. Shelter. Safety.  We thank you for the struggles that we would rather avoid - thank you for using them for our good.  We thank you for being with us, close steady and trustworthy  We thank you for being faithful to us and our family  Let's pray: “On this day, and every day, thank you for the many gifts that you give that sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you that you meet us in stillness and that through Jesus you have made it possible for us to know you intimately, personally and completely. Thank you that you call us your beloved, your children. Protect us, provide for us and bless us and our families. As above, so below.”

Good Morning RCF, If it is your first time joining us either here in person or online- welcome, we are glad that you have chosen to join us. My name is Caleb- I am the lead pastor and this morning we are going to be looking at the first half of Acts 18. So if you brought your Bibles, either paper or electronic that is where we are going to be but before we jump in and get to work would you please pray with me: Lord we have so much to be thankful for. Most importantly, above all else- thank you for who You are and for the way that You work in our lives. Thank You for your unconditional love, your endless mercy, your protection, your grace, your constant provision. When we are mature we can even be thankful for your correction, your discipline. We acknowledge that we do not always trust You and we certainly do not always obey You and in response to our disobedience- to our sin, You sent Christ to the cross in order to put on display Your Holy, perfect love. Jesus we thank You for voluntarily going to the cross to offer redemption to any and all who would humble themselves. As we prepare to dig into the Scriptures- Holy Spirit we ask for You to open our hearts and minds to receive the truth so that we will be encouraged to develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord who is the Creator of all. Holy Spirit we ask for You to speak, for we your servants are listening. In the powerful name of Jesus Christ we pray- amen. Our question as we get started: What Trauma do you have? We all have trauma in our lives- trauma stays with us- even if we process our trauma well- in healthy ways- trauma is a life long thing. What does your trauma look like and how have we processed it? Processing trauma is dreadful, hard, painful and perhaps the worst of all- unavoidable. Whether we want to process trauma or not- isn't really the question- the question is how are we processing our trauma. Most of us, perhaps all of us at one time or another have tried to avoid the processing of our trauma and so we try to stuff our trauma down and the world is happy to offer plenty of options for stuffing trauma (alcohol, drugs, sexual pleasure, pursuit of wealth, becoming a workaholic, a hobby of some kind) whatever method of stuffing trauma we prefer at first seems to be a pretty great little short cut but in reality- until we actually process our trauma the short cuts actually prolong and magnify the impact of the trauma which means that the short cut isn't really a short cut at all. When we haven't processed our trauma when we are triggered by something and the trauma comes roaring back within us- we can become monsters who lash out and cause all kinds of pain both in ourselves and those around us. Several years ago I was sitting with a group of people and something was said that was not directed at me but I was there in the meeting and I took offense (which can certainly point to some of my own areas of growth that I had at the time) and I responded while in the midst of the group- now wait a minute- that is not fair- you can't say that. Now I was looking at the topic at hand, not realizing that the person I was challenging had been triggered by some of their trauma and their response so strong and they specifically referenced events that had taken place years before that had nothing to do with the issue at hand and I was completely caught off guard. I don't even know what we are talking about anymore- I thought we were talking about this issue over here. Obviously this person had some past trauma to process and because they had not yet done that work they had become a monster who was lashing out at those around them. 2 Trauma can be caused by any number of things; Death of a loved one, past mistakes, divorce, abuse, being involved with family dysfunction, some kind of traumatic accident, a medical emergency of some kind, natural disasters- any number of things can cause trauma and if we don't process it well than we can become a ticking time bomb. All trauma is hard to deal with but an extra level of complexity exists with trauma that we are responsible for it. Part of the processing of trauma is assigning responsibility and blame to specific people. Is it my fault or someone else's fault or a combination? We can't help but run the different scenarios through our minds- if I had done this differently- if I had sold the house and moved to a different state, if I had chosen a different …. than maybe things would be better. Should of, could of, would of- is part of the processing of trauma and I am not convinced that it can be helped but this part of processing isn't actually beneficial because it is either trying to fix the trauma which is impossible- trauma cannot be fixed- it happened and because it happened there is pain. So when we run the should of, could of, would of through our minds we are trying to undo what has already happened and that is impossible. Now assigning blame for what happened can be appropriate depending on the trauma, especially in situations where consequences need to be enforced to ensure the trauma isn't repeated again…but even assigning blame for what happened (if you can- sometimes you can't depending on the trauma- someone dies of an aneurism for example) even if we are able to assign responsibility to someone else- it still doesn't give us peace because having someone to blame for what happened again, doesn't fix what is broken. So identifying who is responsible for our trauma is certainly a part of the processing but if fixing trauma is impossible- what is a realistic response to our trauma when we have processed it well? It sounds crazy- but through a relationship with Christ, we can have our joy and peace restored even with all of our traumas. Acts 18 provides a great example of how to deal with trauma, the chapter opens with a nonchalant reference to some significant trauma and as we work through this passage I think there is great relevance and lessons for each of us to learn: Acts 18:1–3 After this (after Paul spent time Philosophizing with the people of Athens) Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. (which was some 46 miles to the west) 2  And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3  and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. Archeologists have the decree issued by Claudius from AD 49 that expels all Jews from Rome because of a certain Chrestus who kept causing civil riots in the city. Chrestus is thought to be an alternate spelling for Christ based on the Latin pronunciation for Christ. It is most likely that the Jews were expelled from Rome because of the riots that were caused over the discussion of whether or not Jesus is in fact the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One of God who provides forgiveness for sins. So Christianity is causing quite the stir all over the Roman empire- 3 especially in Rome where the course of action chosen to reestablish peace was to kick out all the Jews. Over the last few years I have talked with several families that have lost their homes in fires some were afraid for their lives as they fled from fires but were stuck in traffic. The trauma is significant- some of them have shared their story with me more than once. To be in life threatening danger for so long not knowing if they were going to be burned alive, to loose so much, so suddenly- the trauma stays with you. Aquila and Priscilla lost their home and the business clients that they had built up because they were connected to the civil unrest and their connection is ethnicity- perhaps they participated and contributed to the chaos in Rome, but perhaps not- either way they were forced out and had to begin rebuilding their lives. We are not told whether Aquila or Priscilla were Christians prior to meeting Paul- scholars speculate and we can fight over it if we want to but at the end of the day it really doesn't matter- at some point either before or after meeting Paul, Aquila and Priscilla become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ and they become valuable long term partners in ministry who went on to travel extensively with Paul as they worked to spread the Gospel and establish churches. To sustain himself on a daily basis while in Corinth, Paul partnered with Aquila and Priscilla. No doubt as they sat next to each other working the leather they would talk about their experiences and I can just imagine the conversations that they would have as they share their stories and experiences. How Paul would weave in the Gospel and the goodness of God while also talking about his own trauma, being beaten, imprisoned multiple times, being stoned and left for dead, fleeing for his life over and over again and yet- God's faithfulness. Can you imagine the conversation as they are processing their own traumas? I don't understand, if God is so good than why were my wife and I thrown out of Rome- we lost so much- we suffered greatly at the injustice of an edict that was so far reaching. I don't understand why God allowed this to happen to us- these are the kinds of questions we ask as we process the trauma…and yet in the midst of the hardship and sorrow that is very real, look at what God did, for Aquila and Priscilla they were seemingly placed by God to be at the tip of the spear, to be on the front lines of spreading the Gospel… in a way they were having their Jonah experience: God's intense involvement in their lives often does not free us or protect us from significant hardship. In Paul's case, in the midst of the beatings, jail cells, riots, death threats; Paul sees demons cast out, people healed, the lame walk, earthquakes that set him free and the most unlikely people surrender their hearts to Christ- for example, the jailer- the one directed to be his captor, is the one who accepts Christ as his personal Savior along with his entire household. In a moment we will read of another most unlikely of individuals who accepts Christ. When we process our trauma the first step is triage- the initial grief that comes as we consider what was lost, to acknowledge that the pain and suffering are real and tremendous- this is a necessary and important part of the processing trauma is the grief- but if we stay here, or we try to stuff it because it is easier than processing our trauma further than triage than our trauma can 4 become a cancer in our soul that grows to produce bitterness that eats away at our joy. If we are willing to process our trauma- than we learn to focus on what the Lord is doing and that is where joy is restored, peace is attained and a person can truly declare the goodness of God even in the midst of their hardships. When we continue to read through Acts it becomes obvious that Aquila and Priscilla were not bitter at God for being thrown out of Rome but became thankful for the way God guided and directed their lives. I have the privilege of listening to people as they share their story, and they describe their trauma because it is part of their story and then they start to talk about their personal relationship with God and they declare how God is good- they have joy- they have peace- and the sorrow is still real but they are not bitter or angry- there is peace. When I speak with people who have lost their spouse to cancer, of their spouse is now in prison or a child who died by suicide- horrific traumas and they express the heartbreak and they don't tell me how the hardship was used by God for good- they don't understand or comprehend any redeeming feature- but they are able to declare the goodness of God as they see the Lord working in their lives. There are tears, lonliness, sorrow- but also joy and peace as they focus on who God is and how He continues to work in their lives- that is when I listen and I try to learn. Other people I meet with discuss their trauma which can be 30 year old, and they discuss it as if it happen a month ago- they are stuck and their trauma is all consuming- there is no forgiveness for themselves or anyone else- bitterness doesn't even begin to describe their heart. They are consumed by anger and no closer to healing than when the trauma first happened. Joy and peace are nowhere to be found and if God is real- if- He is distance and uninvolved. How have we processed our trauma? We all have it and at times- even when we can see the goodness of God being worked out in our lives- we can still be triggered. Triggers can be very unexpected both in timing and in what they are. Sometimes we know when we are going to be triggered- a specific anniversary that hits every year or special song or phrase or place where memories were made, but at other times we can just be living life and all of a sudden, something triggers us: Acts 18:4–8 (ESV) 4  And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5  When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6  And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” So things are going as they have gone in every other town- some people are accepting the Gospel, while others refuse to consider the truth of who Christ is and are not only resistant but hostile. Acts 18:6 And when they opposed and reviled him… 5 The word revile indicates personal attacks- no longer are the Jews discussing a Biblical understanding of who God is- they are no longer talking about how the Old Testament points to Christ they are now intentionally attacking Paul and trying to tear apart his reputation so that he will be disqualified from teaching in the synagogue. Seeking truth is no longer the goal- now the goal is to attack Paul. I would expect this to be a bit of a trigger for Paul and his traveling companions who have seen this pattern unfold over and over again. I would expect that once they start hearing the arguments turn from debating Scripture to personal attacks they begin thinking- ok, here we go again, how long until these verbal attacks become physical attacks like they have in so many other towns. By this time Paul's traveling companions have started to be fairly aggressive even insistent that Paul leaves town before things get physically abusive. In Acts 17:10 and 17:14 we are told that Paul's fellow Christians immediately sent Paul, they are making Paul leave before things get any more dangerous. I would imagine that Paul's traveling companions, Silas and Timothy are speaking regularly with Paul about moving on- when to leave town, what things should be prepared in case they need to leave at a moment's notice, food, clothing, a bit of money. Trauma does that to us- we expect the worst, we prepare to minimize the suffering as best we can When Paul sees that he is now being personally attacked- that the Jews are no longer able to hear the message but are only wanting to attack the messenger, he has a strong and calculated response. When I spend time with my older brother, one of his favorite things to do is inform me with a specific hand gesture that I am number one. He is usually informing me in some discreet fashion so that other family members don't notice but he is usually laughing- I used to ask “what was that for?” His most common answer- cause I can. No reason. Now he hasn't stopped informing me that I am number one but I have stopped asking why. When my boys or Abby catch on- cause our kids are watching all the time- that will be a fun conversation to explain what being number one means... So why on earth am I talking about this in a sermon- in our culture- informing someone that they are number one with a specific finger has tremendous meaning. In Paul's day- to shake out your garments was a powerful symbol of warning and impending judgement. To shake out your garments also flirt with, suggested, point towards proclaiming a curse. This is an extremely strong and offensive gesture. Why would Paul make such an offensive gesture: because the judgement of God is real and the consequences for rejecting Christ are severe and last for all of eternity. This is offensive and people don't like to talk about judgement and consequences but Paul is communicating one last time to a people who are not willing to listen, unwilling to consider the truth of Christ- and he is trying to show the severity of their decision to reject Christ. 6 Often the cultural expectation is that if a Christian is doing what they are supposed to than they are never going to cause offense- that is not Biblically accurate. This is extremely difficult- because we need to be wise and Holy Spirit filled to know how best to navigate each situation, each relationship, each conversation. At times the best thing- the wise action is to keep our mouths shut, other times we need to be bold and declare the truth of God. How do we know when to speak and when to be silent? It is my experience that wisdom points towards the harder of the two. When I want to talk and tell someone what I know, how right I am and how wrong they are- that is often when I need to shut up. When I don't want to engage- I don't want to enter into the conflict- that is often when it is necessary for me to take a step of faith and present God's truth. Another indicator for me is to evaluate my fear- how is my fear influencing me- often our fear is self- focused- so fear often points us in the wrong direction. So Paul declares the severity of rejecting Christ by shaking off his garments before them and then we are told of the many who receive Christ: 7  And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8  Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. (Crispus is perhaps the most unlikely person to accept Christ, being the leader of the synagogue…) Pastor Levi is quickly teaching Josh our new high school director to tease me about pretty much anything they can. Once of the things they tease me about is the phrases that I use all the time. When we are discussing a Bible lesson for any age group- my number one question is: why do they care? When we are discussing logistics for some event or ministry need- I am often approached with hey should we do this or that- my response is almost always- there are pluses and minuses for everything we do- which option is the best one? Then we talk it though. When I read that Paul left the synagogue but kept meeting in the house next door to the synagogue, I go- man that is really confrontational. That is like rubbing salt in the wound as people are walking down the street towards the the synagogue- as they have done for years are now entering the house next door- week after week there is this reminder- it is in your face very confrontational. Now the positives is that every Jew and God-fearing gentile is used to walking to the synagogue on the Sabbath- so the house next door is very convenient with routines staying the same and you get to see if there are any more opportunities to interact with others who have not yet surrendered to Christ but wow this was confrontational. The hatred that would have been felt by the Jews as they stood on the steps of the synagogue and glared at everyone who walked into Titius' house… and then to see the ex-ruler of the synagogue who had placed his faith in Christ…it certainly reveals Paul's ability and willingness to engage with anyone which would 7 have been viewed as a threat by those who wanted nothing to do with Paul or Christ… It would have been so much easier- so much less confrontational to meet on the other side of town or at least a couple blocks away but that is not what happened- Paul was willing to engage in the tension and stay in it but the hostility of the Jews, the personal attacks had to be causing Paul and his companions to question how long they were going to be able to stay in Corinth. … but then God speaks- Acts 18:9–11 (ESV) 9  And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11  And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Paul hears that and we think- Oh good, we can relax. How exciting- God has promised to protect us. We can put the emergency bag away and have confidence that the threats are just words and nothing is going to come of it. We are not told- but I assume that Paul was excited to hear of God's protection for him, that he can plan to stay in Corinth for an extended period of time- and so I assume- now this isn't scripture- this is Caleb but I assume that the first time Paul sees Aquila and Priscilla after receiving the dream from God that Paul was excited to tell them. I wonder what thoughts Aquila and Priscilla had: I assume that they would have been excited and happy to hear of God's protection- that they would get to continue to minister with Paul and sit under his teaching but I wonder did they also had thoughts of ... that sure would have been nice if God would have done that for us- so that we didn't loose everything in Rome… I'm happy for Paul but what about us… Trauma will make us go there. Even when we are processing our trauma in healthy ways- part of that processing is dealing with thoughts and feelings of- good for you- but what about me? And these thoughts can open the door for bitterness to set root in our hearts or these thoughts can cause us to question God's love for us, these thoughts can be used to distance ourselves from the Lord so we harden our hearts or on the other extreme these thoughts can be used to beat ourselves up for even having the struggle- if we were a more faith filled Christian we wouldn't have thoughts like this. Trauma happens to us, and we develop triggers and we can't help that- sometimes even good things can be triggers. That is why we must be intentional about how we process our trauma- are we focusing on God, who He is and how He is working in our lives or are we focusing on our circumstances, on ourselves- anything other than focusing on God will produce brokenness in our hearts and minds. Through a personal relationship with Christ we can process our trauma and experience joy and peace. To the world this sounds crazy- impossible and it is if we don't know Christ. I had lunch with a guy who went to my youth group as a middle school student- he is now in his 20's, graduated from college a few years ago, working…makes me feel old… anyway during our conversation he said that he would prefer to reject the existence of God but he is intellectually honest enough to admit that no one can prove that God does not exist so he is unwilling to say that God does not exist but pretty much lives like God isn't real. During our conversation which 8 we didn't get to finish due to time he talked about religion being good in that it helps people to be a good person -but the belief in God is unnecessary… I am freaking out- I could barely stay seated in the booth- I wanted to jump all over that kind of thinking because it is exactly backwards- Transformation comes through a personal relationship with God- not by wanting to be a good person… Sure- when we wake up in the morning most of us want to be a good person but as soon as we are confronted with a situation to cut a corner, to say something not true, take something that is not ours, do something for selfish gain- how long does our desire to be a good person hold us back? Let me ask the same question another way: When was the last time you fought with your spouse because you were being selfish? When was the last time you got on a device and looked for something inappropriate? When was the last time you didn't give your employer your best because it was Friday or Monday or because someone wasn't watching and no one would notice that it is gone? When was the last time you declared someone to be inferior to you- by calling them some derogatory name or by informing them that they are number one? Now that is just the average daily stuff that we deal with- When we are forced to deal with our trauma- whatever it looks like for you- the only healthy way to process our trauma is to focus on God and how He is working in our lives. All the different ways to suppress our trauma; drugs, alcohol, work, hobbies, sexual pleasure- none of these are effective long-term and the desire to be a good person isn't going to be very effective when we are dealing with something as painful and powerful as trauma. So God gives this awesome, wonder promise of protection and Paul stays in Corinth 18 months preaching the word: Acts 18:12–17 (ESV) 12  But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, (that is equivalent to our governor- a proconsul was appointed by the senate in Rome) the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, The tribunal is a formal court setting. Here in California we have 58 counties and so there are 58 superior courts- one in each county. Above these 58 superior courts are 6 court of appeals and above these 6 court of appeals is the California Supreme Court. The decisions of the judges in the 58 superior courts and certainly decisions of the court of appeals influence, set a precedent on how other cases are handled in the state- but the California Supreme Court influences, sets a precedent for cases that are handled in the rest of the nation. When the Jews made their united attack they are not just trying to get Paul kicked out of Corinth- they are trying to set a precedent for the entire Roman empire- They want Christianity to be outlawed- they want to put an end to this movement as forcefully as possible. 9 When Paul gets served the summons- whatever that looked like- what do you think was the first thing that went through his mind: God, I don't understand- You said: Acts 18:9–10 (ESV) “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” God, what are You doing- where are You? How can you not call this an attack? Should we run and not even show up for the court date? Can I trust You? Are your promises really true? My trauma says no- but when I look at how You have worked- yes- but I am afraid and for good reason- the decision of this case is by far the most far reaching decision that an official has made towards Paul specially but Christianity as a whole. You said no one will attack me to harm me- so am I to breakdown and analyze what exactly did you mean by this phrase- because this isn't what I expected or had in mind? Is the win in the courtroom already secured- because if it is- this would be the first win in front of a Roman official? Usually I always end up getting beaten and imprisoned by officials. Lord my past trauma is beyond triggered; what are you doing? In my study this week, scholars also point out that there is a significant amount of information about this Gallio- he was a gifted lawyer so he excelled in dealing with issues of legality. He was also known to be anti-Semitic which wasn't reassuring even though Paul's accusers were also Jewish. This angst would have been beyond measure. Acts 18:12–17 (ESV) 12  But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13  saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14  But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15  But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16  And he drove them from the tribunal. 17  And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this. The Jews wanted to punish someone so they beat Sosthenes- the ruler of the synagogue. We don't know if this Sosthenes is the one mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1- it could be but Sosthenes was a common name so it very well could be someone entirely different. There is plenty of speculation and theories- we can fight over it if we want but who it is really isn't the point- the point is that they went for Paul but the court didn't hand him over, so they attacked someone completely different. God provided the victory and protection for Paul and this decision played a significant role in allowing Christianity to continue to spread throughout the rest of the Roman empire for more than a decade. This was a massive win- and Paul wasn't even allowed to say a word. God took care of all of it. 10 God really can be trusted. God really is good. His word really is true, His promises are absolute- it doesn't always look the way we expect and our trauma demands that we rely on ourselves but the Lord is active in our lives and He is working if we are willing to look and listen. I needed to get a couple cars smogged this week and my regular guy wasn't available so I went to a completely different shop that I have never used before. During the 15 or so minutes that you have to small talk about whatever, the mechanic asked what I did for a living. I took a deep breathe and said that I am a pastor- and waited to see his response. He lit up and started telling me his experience of serving in the church and that took up the rest of our time. I paid the bill, and as I jumped in the car to leave I told him I would be back the same time the next morning with the other vehicle that needed smog. Next morning I pull in and somehow we get on the subject of his family and growing up years and this guy who I have just met- informs me of some horrific abuse that he and his siblings endured and proceeded to explain how that abuse impacted him as a teenager and continued to impact him as an adult with sinful behaviors that he engaged in. He shared details, personal stuff about how the abuse caused sinful behavior that has impacted the rest of his life. He shared some hard painful life altering details that made my eyes get big and when I got in the car and started to drive away and I went- holy smokes- what just happened- I was just listening and I felt emotionally drained and bewildered and encouraged. As I have processed the conversation I was blown away at how this man was able to process his trauma and identify how the abuse got expressed in very destructive sinful behaviors that he took responsibility for and I noticed how he referenced the cross of Christ which provides forgiveness and redemption. He talked about being thankful multiple times and how he worked diligently to break the chain of abuse in his own family. He kept saying how he is thankful and blessed. The trauma is real, there is certainly pain and sorrow, but through a personal relationship with Christ there is also peace and joy. How are we processing our trauma? As we close, would you pray with me: If you would like prayer for a specific situation or perhaps you would like to speak with someone about your relationship with the Lord- please make your way over to the round tables- someone will be there to speak with you. Benediction: Phil 4:7 7  May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

IntroductionWelcome back to session 4 of “Praying the Mass.” I am thrilled to share with you today the Liturgy of the Eucharist. With the Prayers of the Faithful completed, the Offertory begins. Presentation of the GiftsGiftsBread and wine are brought to the altar and prayers of offering and blessing are made. This presentation of the gifts, the bread and wine, and the preparation of the altar is getting us ready to enter into the most sacred part of the Holy Mass. The bread and wine, now present on the altar, are gifts because all created things come from God. Without the act of creation and the sustaining of being itself, we would not have bread and wine to offer in the first place. Even from the earliest days, humanity has offered the first fruits of their harvest or flock back to God in thanksgiving. Recognizing an abundant harvest or a healthy flock or even a child being born as a gift from the divine is not isolated to Christianity and Judaism. In the oldest pagan religions, armed only with God-given human reason, there is an understanding that there is a higher power which created and sustains all things. And, so, the bread and wine are gifts. But that is not all. Our own lives are gifts. The churches in which we worship are gifts. The vestments, sacred vessels, and artwork are gifts. Without God, there is nothing. Everything we have is a gift in a very real sense. As St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Everything is grace.” OfferingsThe bread and wine are offerings because they are being set aside for sacred use. Ordinary bread and wine are placed upon the altar with the full expectation of the miracle that is to come. These gifts are being offered for a specific purpose. Namely, to make Christ present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, under the veil of a sacrament. The bread and wine are not the only things being offered. We offer God, each day, our works, joys, sufferings, in union with the action of Jesus at the altar at Holy Mass. As St. Paul says in Romans 12: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1).”Everything we do throughout our day, which is intentionally united to Christ, is our spiritual offering. In offering ourselves, we are transformed to be more like Christ, just as the bread and wine become Christ. We can also offer all of the many requests and intentions that we have. We offer all we are next to the bread on the paten and in the chalice with the wine.Finally, the bread and wine are holy and unblemished sacrifices. When the bread and wine are set aside for sacred use, they can no longer be used as ordinary food. In a simple sense, this is a sacrifice. When we understand that we are uniting ourselves to this offering at Mass, we come to realize that the content of our day to day lives is the sacrifice that we are offering. These sacrifices are acts of love: cleaning the dishes so your spouse does not have to do it, practicing virtue rather than vice, setting aside time for prayer, or striving to live the commands of Jesus Christ each moment of the day. Then, at Holy Mass, we offer these actions, as well as our failings, alongside the bread and wine. We become a sacrifice offered to God in humility. Holy because we are set apart by God in our Baptism. Unblemished because we are set right with God by our Baptism, frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance, and by being transformed by our receiving of Holy Communion in a state of grace. Prayer Over the OfferingsDuring Sunday Mass, the collection is taken during the Prayers Over the Offerings. This is a chance for the assembly to make their tithing a liturgical action. Just as the gifts of bread and wine are offered, so too are our “first fruits.” During this preparation, you might see the Deacon or Priest pour wine into the chalice at the altar and then a bit of water as well. They are also quietly saying, “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”Water, in most places of the world, is a fairly common thing. This is symbolic of humanity. Yet, wine is expensive and takes a long time to make; this is symbolic of divinity. And when the wine and water are mixed, can they be separated again? No! So, it is with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Byzantine tradition takes the symbolism a step further. During Divine Liturgy, warm water is added to the wine during the preparatory prayers because the blood of a living Man is warm!Turning to the people after the Offertory Prayers, the priest says, “Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” This is not a prayer. This is an invitation. This is a command. The people then respond, speaking to the priest saying, “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.” This beautiful exchange is a call to action. The priest is about to enter into the Holy of Holies to offer the one Sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the Person of Christ, Head of His Body. The people offer sacrifice as well, but in a different way as members of the Body of Christ.Also, the people are acknowledging that the Sacrifice being offered is 1) primarily at the hands of the priest, 2) is for the praise and glory of God, and 3) is for the “making holy” (sanctification) of the people.It should be noted that after the priest says the Orate, Fratres and he is offering the Mass in the ad orientem posture, the Roman Missal does not direct him to turn back towards the people until the Ecce Agnus Dei (“Behold the Lamb of God…”). He is in the fight. His attention, and ours, should then be entirely fixed upon entering into the Sacred Action of the one Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, presented once more, outside of space and time. Attention entirely fixed upon the task at hand, the priest begins the Eucharistic Prayer by saying, “The Lord be with you.” (Latin: Dominus vobiscum) The people respond, “And with your spirit.” (Latin: Et cum spiritu tuo) This small exchange is not a greeting. The priest is acknowledging that, in our Baptism, we are members of the Body of Christ. And as members of the Body of Christ, we offer ourselves in union with the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  We say, “And with your spirit” because we are acknowledging that by the power of the Holy Spirit, in his ordination, the priest is acting in the Person of Christ the Head of His Body. We are not speaking of “your spirit” as the priest's human spirit. We are acknowledging his priestly spirit, in Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Next the priest says, “Lift up your hearts.” (Latin: Sursum corda) The people respond, “We lift them up to the Lord.” (Latin: Habemus ad Dominum) Literally in Latin, this response means something like, “We hold towards the Lord.” This means we are lifting our hearts now or we have already been lifting them up and will continue to do so. God, ever-patient, is giving us another chance to clue in to the miracle in front of us before we charge into the breach in the battle of prayer. Then the priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” (Latin: Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro) And the people acclaim, “It is right and just.” (Latin: Dignum et iustum est) It is “right” for us to give thanks to God because that is why human beings were ultimately created. We are made to worship God. It is “just” because God alone deserves glory and praise.  This ancient dialogue of the Preface Dialogue begins the Eucharistic Prayer. It reminds us of who we are as priest and people, Head and Members of the Body of Christ. It reminds us of our active internal role in entering into the Sacrifice of the Mass. It reminds us of the glory due to God and our role in offering Him praise.  The PrefaceThe first essential part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Preface for the day which is then offered by the priest. These prefaces change depending on the season of the Church liturgical year and the feast, solemnity, or memorial that is being celebrated. Directly following the Preface and just before the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer comes the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). This ancient prayer was added to the Sacred Liturgy in the first half of the fifth century and is drawn from Isaiah 6:3 and Matthew 21:9. The Preface and the Sanctus specifically call to mind the angels and remind us that we are praising God, with all of the angels and saints in Heaven present with us. Heaven is touching Earth and we are present for this spectacular event.In the 1962 Roman Missal, there is a beautiful insight in the rubrics. At the word Sanctus, the priest joins his hands and bows in humble adoration of God. Then, at the words Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord), he stands fully and makes the Sign of the Cross. In the midst of the angels and the saints, the grace of God is pouring out upon us and blessing us as we enter into the great Action of Jesus Christ in the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer.This is no longer called for in the rubrics of the 1970 Missal, but the spirit of the theological significance is no less for us!The Sanctus is one of the oldest congregational hymns in existence. In Greek it is the ton epinikion hymnon or “Hymn of Victory.” This the final part of the Eucharistic Preface and is said or sung at every single Mass in the Latin Rite. The hymn also exists in some form in all but one of the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church. Historically, in the Latin Church, the bells were rung at the start of the Sanctus to signal that the Roman Canon was coming imminently. Let us now walk through the Sanctus piece by piece. “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts.” (Latin: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.) There are two main points of interest I would like to draw out here: the repetition of Holy and the word “hosts.”  In English, and many other languages, there are words called comparatives and superlatives. For example, we have the word “good,” the comparative “better,” and the superlative “best.” In Hebrew, this construction does not exist. To say “better,” you would say “good, good.” And to say “best,” you would say, “good, good, good.” Therefore, to say Holy, Holy, Holy is saying that God is the Most Holy. It is also a call to worship, often done in threes. Think, for example, of the popular Christmas chant where “O come, let us adore Him (Venite adoremus)” is repeated three times. And, of course, the repetition of three refers also to the Trinity. Like most things in the Church, there are multiple levels of meaning.The word “hosts” refers to the heavenly hosts of angels, which St. Luke refers to in his account of the birth of Jesus. These legions of angels do the will of God and bring Him glory. They are with us in the fight and they join us in worship of Him.  As Dr. Scott Hahn wrote so eloquently, “When we go to Mass, the congregation is never small, even if it is nonexistent in terms of human attendance. The angels are there, as is evident even in the words of the Mass: ‘And so with all the choirs of angels we sing: Holy, holy, holy…' The Mass itself cries out for us to be aware of our angels (Hahn, Signs of Life).” “Heaven and earth are full of your glory.” (Latin: Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua) Of course, here we are giving God praise, acclaiming the truth that for those with the eyes of Faith, He is recognizable all around. All things are directed ultimately to Him. “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” (Latin: Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.) This refers to the cry of the people as Christ entered Jerusalem to the sight of palm branches being waved, reminiscent of Solomon's entrance into Jerusalem. The people exclaimed of Christ, “And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!' (Mt. 21:9)”  Hosanna means “Praise to the Lord!” And so, we are offering praise to the Father for the gift of the Son. In this hymn, the coming of Christ in the Nativity is called to mind. We know that Christ will come again. The Sanctus reminds us that Christ comes to us now. At the Mass, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus become present under the veil of a sacrament on the altar. The Sanctus, with its mention of the angels and the triumph of Christ, is like a bridge between Heaven and earth. The Lord of Heaven and earth is drawing us deep into His heart. The eternal self-offering of the Son to the Father in the Spirit is veiled before us by signs and symbols. But there is no doubt that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, especially in the Eucharistic Prayer is a foretaste of Heaven.  Epiclesis and Institution NarrativeThere are currently a few different options for the Eucharistic Prayer, proper. However, they all contain two more essential parts: the Epiclesis (Greek: Epiklesis, Latin: Invocatio) and the Institution Narrative. The Epiclesis is the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine that they may become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Every Western and Eastern liturgy contains this essential prayer. The Institution Narrative is the full narrative of the Last Supper in which Christ instituted the Eucharist as the New Covenant, including the words of consecration (This is My Body… This is My Blood…).In the Catholic Church, there has always been an understanding that this invocation of the Holy Spirit was essential, along with the words of consecration.We may be tempted to ask exactly when does the bread and wine actually become Jesus' Body and Blood? Is it at the Epiclesis or is it at the Institution Narrative? This has been a source of tension through the history of discussions between the East and the West in the Church. The important thing is to recognize the essential nature of both. Without the words of consecration, there is no Eucharist. But without the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no Eucharist. This is absolutely not to say that the Holy Spirit waits for the priest to call on Him. The entire Holy Mass is the prayer and working of Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But God has designed that His creatures should cooperate with His sacred Action. Therefore, the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the words of consecration of the Son are both to the glory of the Father and the making holy of the people, which hopefully we will remember are the two main ends of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.We take our cue of the importance of both elements, the Institution Narrative and the Epiclesis, from the posture of the people at the Holy Mass. Following the Preface and the Sanctus, the people kneel. In the Roman Rite, the posture of kneeling is twofold: humility and adoration. We kneel in humble adoration because God is sending His Holy Spirit in power to consecrate the bread and wine to become the Most Holy Eucharist, at the hands of the priest. We are humble because we understand who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. We adore Him because it is right and just, especially given the miracle that is taking place in front of us.During the Epiclesis, the priest's posture changes as well. He extends his hands, palms facing down, over the gifts to show the calling down of the Holy Spirit. The bells are also rung at this time to draw our sense's attention to what is happening. During the Institution Narrative, the priest is engaged in the Sacred Action of Jesus Christ. When speaking the words of consecration, he bows and speaks in a straight tone. This is to show that the words are not his own, rather Jesus Christ is speaking through him at that moment. Back in ancient times, a messenger would visit a foreign king and speak the words of his own master. The foreign king would know that the words did not belong to the messenger because the messenger would speak them while bent at the waist. Then, the priest genuflects before the King of kings now present on the altar. Here, in the climax of the Mass, the bells are rung three times as if to say Holy, Holy, Holy. As I mentioned earlier, in Hebrew, there are no grammatical comparatives and superlatives. To say holier, you would say “holy, holy,” and to say holiest, you say “holy, holy, holy.”AnamnesisThe fourth essential part of the Eucharistic Prayer is Anamnesis.During the Institution Narrative, the bread and wine are consecrated separately, first the bread then the wine, and they become the Body and Blood of Jesus. The result of separating blood from a body is death. In this way, the Institution Narrative makes present the Passion and Death of Jesus. Is this just a metaphor? Is it symbolic? Far from being merely a symbol, this means the Holy Cross is made present to us in the here and now, outside of time, by the power of God. Rather, we could say that we are transported to the foot of the Holy Cross where the Son of God shed His blood and life for our sake. When we begin to see with the eyes of faith that this is a reality and not simply symbolic, we begin to understand anamnesis.Anamnesis in Greek literally means bring to mind. We could also translate it as a deliberate recollection. Anamnesis in the context of liturgy is more than just a memory or a calling to the mind in some abstract way. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the mediation of Jesus Christ, our High Priest, the One Sacrifice becomes present once again in an unbloody manner. The word anamnesis is what Jesus says in the words of consecration when He says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The Anamnesis makes present the Sacred Action of Jesus Christ to our senses through external signs and symbols. It is a reminder on the surface level. But if we push past the veil, God allows us to see and to receive the full power of His saving Mysteries which were so powerful that they cannot be contained in a single moment of history. The Cross was two thousand years ago, but it comes present once again at every single Mass. What we see as signs and symbols are made truly present to us, in reality.Of course, after the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest puts a piece of the Sacred Host into the Sacred Chalice in the Fraction Rite. In this action, anamnesis makes the reunion of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Resurrection, present to us once more. He who died will not die again. The whole Christ is risen. This is why the faithful receive the full risen Christ in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in every particle of the Host or every drop from the Chalice.IntercessionsThe fifth main part of the Eucharistic Prayer is the Intercessions. Intercession means to intervene on behalf of another. From the outset, it should be clear that the Eucharistic Prayer must essentially be intercessory because it makes present the Saving Mysteries of Jesus Christ who suffered, died, and rose to redeem all mankind. St. Paul says to St. Timothy: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus… (1 Timothy 2:5).” Jesus Christ is our mediator. He is the Pontifex Maximus (the “Greatest Bridge-Maker“). He stands in the gap between mankind and the Father, a gap which was caused by Adam's first sin and perpetuated by each personal sin of every sinner. He is the only Way to the Father. He is the Bridge. And so, in the Eucharistic Prayer, we see this reality take form especially with the Intercessions. The Sacred Liturgy is a priestly action. It is the prayer of our High Priest, Jesus Christ, active in a special way through the instruments of the ordained minister and the baptized faithful as Head and Members. The Sacred Liturgy is the work of God for His glory and for the sanctification (making holy) of His people and the whole world. As the Eucharistic Prayer begins, the priest asks in the confidence of Jesus Christ for what we need, in and through Jesus Christ. The priest asks for the gifts of bread and wine, and the personal intentions and sacrifices of those gathered, to be accepted and blessed by God.  In this way, our own personal sacrifices and intentions are being offered to the Father, in the Son, and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is interceding for us to the Father. He intercedes for the whole world, beginning with the Church. We ask that God may give the Church peace, guidance, union, and governance throughout the world. Then we offer intercessory prayer for the Pope and for our local bishop. In the first Eucharisitic Prayer, there are prayers of intercession for “all those who, holding to the truth, hand on the catholic and apostolic faith.” This means, firstly, the whole college of bishops who are the successors of the Apostles. But, it also means all those throughout the entire Church. The Church exists in order to evangelize. She exists in order to bring glory to God and full, abundant life to all men and women. This happens by fidelity to the catholic and apostolic faith which must be handed on without change or lessening.We should not forget the saints, as well!Since it has been established by the Church that we have recourse to the saints, to the glory of God, then we ought to exercise it. We have previously discussed the one perfect Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. On the Cross, Jesus Christ earned superabundant merit. His perfect, eternal Sacrifice was sufficient to redeem all of mankind. But God has given us the ability to unite our own actions with His perfect Action. The merits of those who have come before us, the saints, are united to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Their cooperation with God's grace is what allowed them to accept the invitation to eternal life. No human action is done in isolation. Our actions have consequences, and they affect other people. Therefore, our good actions, our good works, create a ripple effect that positively affects the souls of others. When applied to the Cross of Jesus Christ, these good works share in the superabundant merit of Jesus Christ. This is the essence of what Catholics mean when they say, “offer it up.”It is not only the past merits and prayers of saints that have efficacious power in God's grace. The saints, alive in Heaven, pray for the good of those still below on Earth. The Church investigates alleged miracles, wrought by God's grace through the intercession of a specific person. If the miracle is found to be legitimate, then it confirms that the person is in Heaven. This is part of the official canonization process of the Church. By the merits and prayers of the saints, we are defended from temptation and evil. The genius of the saints is found in their fidelity to and love of God. The example of their lives and the fervor of their preaching is a testament to God's goodness and an acclamation of His glory. Even in the midst of suffering, we can claim the joy of Jesus Christ. Even if we feel utterly alone, we know that we are never alone. As the author of Hebrews writes: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:1).”The Words of ConsecrationLet us finish today by looking at the gems of the Holy Mass: the words of consecration. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is one prayer of our High Priest Jesus Christ from beginning to end. But even in that one prayer, the Words of Consecration are precious jewels. These holy words, spoken after Jesus has taken ordinary bread in His holy and venerable hands, make His own Body present in a mystical way. Mystical, however, does not mean “less real.” The physical is brought up into the spiritual and transcendent in a way that is hidden to our senses but very much real. We have to remember the power of the speech of God. When God speaks, things come into being. Think back to Genesis: God said “Let there be light” and there was light. So, when the God-man Jesus Christ says, “This is my Body,” He means it. The bread is no more. The characteristics remain, but the substance underneath the appearances has transformed or shifted. This is the miracle of transubstantiation. Ordinary bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ.The miracle of the Eucharist is a mystery. Though, we should be careful to take Jesus at His Word and to understand that God who made all things visible and invisible can make this reality present to us. When the priest elevates the Host, after the Words of Consecration, we are adoring our Eucharistic Lord, fully present under the veil of the Sacrament. The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Sacraments. Baptism orients us towards Holy Communion, as does Confirmation. Penance restores us to union with God, to partake worthily of the Blessed Sacrament. Holy Orders and Matrimony are at the service of Communion. Finally, the Anointing of the Sick is healing for soul and body and can be followed by reception of Holy Communion. Each of these outward showings of God's inner-life, His grace, draw from the source of the Eucharist and are oriented to the summit which is the Eucharist. The Holy Body of Jesus Christ was “pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Is 53:5).” His Body was given up for you and for me. He went to the Cross for you and for me. But that was not enough for the gratuitous and superabundant love of God. He also established for us the everlasting memorial of His suffering and death by which the Holy Eucharist is made present for us to receive. The Byzantine traditions contain a remarkably beautiful prayer before Holy Communion which is said every single day at Divine Liturgy. This is a prayer of the heart, packed with meaning, gratitude, and seeking healing for soul and body. We will end today with this prayer and then pick up with the words of consecration over the chalice next week!“O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God, for I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You: Remember me, O Lord, when You shall come into Your kingdom. Remember me, O Master, when You shall come into Your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when You shall come into Your kingdom. May the partaking of Your Holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of my soul and body.O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious body and Your life-giving blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen. O God, be merciful to me a sinner. O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me. O Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number.” Get full access to Will Wright Catholic Podcast at www.willwrightcatholic.com/subscribe

@ColemanGlobal is proud to present Season 2 of The Prayer Warrior Podcast. This season we are starting each morning by thanking the Holy Spirit for guiding us as we move through our day. With humble hearts and open minds, we leave our homes with focus, covered in prayer and full of faith. Good morning Holy Spirit. Father, I greet you in the name of your son, Jesus, the everlasting light. Every day I come closer to finding the right mix of “more you, and less I”. Some days I feel closer to you than on other days. Acceptance of who we really are upon this earth is one of the hardest challenges we can face because with that truth comes the honest comparison of who we are within ourselves versus who we are in Christ Jesus. All I know is that the Bible says, in John 3:16; "For God so loved the World, that He gave His only son so that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have everlasting life." Your Holy word proves that you love me for who I am. Your word proves that I have received a gift, just like everybody else, and just like everybody else, we didn't deserve that gift. When people say that they hate me, I know the truth. You love me and there's nothing that can come between the bond between me and you because you chose me, you saved me, and I am happy to love you back. Thank you for your continued blessings, for your continued protection, and for your continued guidance. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wdon1204/support

Today we are going to spend all our time in gratefulness. I will mention some prompts and I want you to give your full focus to offering thanksgiving to Your Father for what He has given us. We praise You for Your Holy presence - For Your power that proceeded our existence - Thank you For Your sacrificial Son who paid the price for my sins - thank you We thank you for your complete forgiveness We thank you for your great love for us We thank you for our family - parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters We thank you for our friends who bring comfort and strength We thank you for your provision. Food. Shelter. Safety. We thank you for the struggles that we would rather avoid - thank you for using them for our good. We thank you for being with us, close steady and trustworthy We thank you for being faithful to us and our family Let's pray: “On this day, and every day, thank you for the many gifts that you give that sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you that you meet us in stillness and that through Jesus you have made it possible for us to know you intimately, personally and completely. Thank you that you call us your beloved, your children. Protect us, provide for us and bless us and our families. As above, so below.”

This morning Jo spoke from 2 Peter 1:10-11 Jo then led the time of prayer as below: Our prayer for 2022 • Lord, we accept this mission, this calling, • Lord, we want to be your workers. • Lord, help us to be strong and courageous, to develop in those areas where we are weak • Lord, help us to get up and try again when we fail. • Lord, help us to stay focussed and keep marching Lord , thank you that You go before us, Your Holy spirit gives us all that we need for the journey. Lets pray and encourage one another. We are in this together. We are not alone, we are a community of believers, we share the same hope. Its exciting to be here with you knowing you share my heart and you long to see God move in the UK in 2022!

Today we are going to spend all our time in gratefulness. I will mention some prompts and I want you to give your full focus to offering thanksgiving to Your Father for what He has given us. We praise You for Your Holy presence - For Your power that proceeded our existence - Thank you For Your sacrificial Son who paid the price for my sins - thank you We thank you for your complete forgiveness We thank you for your great love for us We thank you for our family - parents, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters We thank you for our friends who bring comfort and strength We thank you for your provision. Food. Shelter. Safety. We thank you for the struggles that we would rather avoid - thank you for using them for our good. We thank you for being with us, close steady and trustworthy We thank you for being faithful to us and our family Let's pray: “On this day, and every day, thank you for the many gifts that you give that sometimes go unnoticed. Thank you that you meet us in stillness and that through Jesus you have made it possible for us to know you intimately, personally and completely. Thank you that you call us your beloved, your children. Protect us, provide for us and bless us and our families. As above, so below.”

Fear is a formidable foe for a child on the spectrum. It can engulf their being, ultimately affecting their every thought and behaviour.  Apart from that, God is far greater than any of our foes, His word is reassurance that nothing can stand against us when He is for us. Isaiah understood that without prayer to the Almighty God there was no deliverance. His heart prayer was, ‘Oh Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble' (Is 33:2). We ourselves know, that our arm has many functions, and holds elements of strength, and protection, which form a kind of covering.  Listen in, to find out how the mighty arm of God operates in your family's life. When you join Dr Reg's private facebook group called ‘Autism Overturned,' he will stand with you in prayer and fasting to see the breakthrough and healing, you so desire for your child.  Scripture to Remember Isaiah 33:2 2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you.  Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble Psalms 106:47 47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy name, and glory in Your praise. Jeremiah 31:25 25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Connect with RegMorais @regmorais.com FREE Prayer Cloth https://regmorais.com/prayer-cloths/ FREE Chapter Fast and Pray Autism Overturned Private Facebook Group Facebook www.facebook.com/reggmorais  

When you are in the throes of waiting to see your child healed, there are three vital components that will sustain you; ‘your belief, your faith, and your confidence in God.' Given that the healing might take place over time or be of a progressive nature, this may cause your soul to become discouraged and sour. Therefore, give thanks to the LORD, for He will strengthen and replenish your soul, so that you may hold on.  Listen in, for more insights... When you join Dr Reg's private facebook group called ‘Autism Overturned,' he will stand with you in prayer and fasting to see the breakthrough and healing, you so desire for your child.  Scripture to Remember Jeremiah 17:14 - 14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. Psalms 106:47 -47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy name, and glory in Your praise.   Jeremiah 31:25 25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Connect with RegMorais @regmorais.com FREE Prayer Cloth https://regmorais.com/prayer-cloths/ FREE Chapter Fast and Pray Autism Overturned Private Facebook Group Facebook www.facebook.com/reggmorais  

Archives Listen to the Prayer Audio: Heavenly Father, We come to You with love in our hearts and placing our will in Your Hands so that You can use us as Your Army to defend  and to spread Your Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven! Father we repent of anything that is in the way of our being one with You from the smallest irritation to any failing in loving our neighbor as our self.  We are here Father to be the Image of Your Son in a world filled with darkness ad intrigue from the evil that lurks to destroy Your Kingdom.  But we are confident in our waging war against the enemy for Your Son has spoke and said the gates of hell cannot prevail against that which He has established and so therefore we see it growing daily here in America and around the world and even in Your sacred land of Israel!  Praise You Father for as Your Son has said it is all for Your Glory and to be done according to Your Will! Father, during these days we call the Christmas Season even though it is not one o Your assigned feasts it is still a sign of making the world give honor to Your Son, Yeahua.  Lord You are an awesome God for You can take something that man uses to bring false worship and turn it around to make straight crooked ways.  Lord use these days of saying Jesus the Christ to bring an awareness of Your Holy plan into our very midst from the White House to pour house!  Lord, we are in a time when the nations of the gentile will be brought into the Great Harvest and the tribe of Judah will also learn and find that the True Shepherd is Jesus the Christ!  Lord Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! During this time our brothers and sisters of the tribe of Judah celebrate the Dedication of the Temple and the miracle of the Menorrah staying lit for 8 days!  What really matters is the faithfulness to keep alive the belief in You to bring forth the Messiah.  Without holding on to You as the only God we would not have the plan that You wanted.  We thank You Father for this faithfulness to hold on to You and let no false worship over power their Faith.  Lord that is what we need today to hold on to our Faith and proclaim that Jesus is Lord  King.  That we do not be afraid to say the Truth or to be scared because it is not politically correct to give Him the honor and praise He deserves.  Lord that we might be even be more bold to show our worship of of You no matter where we are at some form of entertainment or some family gathering or fellowship that we are not here to placate others because they might be offended or hurt their feelings.  Lord that we will always be bold no matter who we are or what age we have to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and there is no other way to You, Father, but through Him and Him Alone.  As the song goes: In Christ alone! Father, we pray for the Davidic anointing to be on our President Trump as he leads us a shepherd through this vale of tears and brings us to restful waters to be Your People who worship You in spirit and truth and we are protected to be the America You have destined us to be in this time in which You have given us.  Give President Trump and those who serve with him the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit to out wit the enemy and those who are always trying to rid him of his office which he has rightfully won under the Power of Your Right Hand. Strengthen them who are righteous to be defenders of the Truth that Justice will prevail and those who are corrupt will face the consequences of their treachery!  Lord during these days of celebrating Your Son may we see the miracles of healing and miracles of injustice stopped! To see miracles of unlikely promises being fulfilled.  Miracles of restoration and miracles of strategic intervention for all of us across the earth! Father during these days that we celebrate the Light during these days until the new year of 2020 comes may more and more come into the Light to see Your Son as our only Hope to make th...

Archives Listen to the Prayer Audio: Father,             This is the day that You have made so we rejoice in it and thank You for the Gift of Life and all that You have planned for us.  We are here Lord, to do battle as You have assigned us to do this day. We seek Your Protection against all the attacks of the enemy and that all that is brought against us will fall and the camp of the enemy will be overwhelmed by Your Mighty Angels driving them back to the pit of hell from which they came.  Lord during this time when the enemy wants to gain power through false worship of him may they hear only the crackling of the flames of destruction to all their plans and see that with Name of Jesus they tremble before us and nothing can overcome us for You are in us and we are Yours through the Blood of Jesus and so we have nothing to fear for we are anointed to shine in Your Glory in this day!             Father, we repent of having foolishly given the enemy an image that is not true.  Foolishly seeing him in our imagination as godlike and having all of these magic powers that will overcome us. You are the only True God and there is none like You.  Lord we are so foolish we watch and make all these movies and create images of how strong the devil is and yet Your Word tells us that Your Son, Yeshuah has over come the enemy and even as Paul tells us the works of the evil ones are as nothing in comparison to Your Glory and the Great Love You have shown through Your Son who makes us a new creation and gives us an anointing that the demons run from and shake in their boots when they see and hear us say the Name of Jesus.  Lord awaken us even stronger today that this making Halloween some evil day is not tha this is Your Holy time for us to live and be doers of the Word!             Father forgive us for letting witchcraft influence in any way or make us frightened for if we truly believe then perfect love does cast out fear.  That we walk under an anointing that frees the captive and brings Your Glory into our midst and fills us with all the blessings we need and strengthens us to march in victory in every battle we are involved in that we are the head and not the tail and that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.             Father we repent of allowing us to listen to gossip, slander and words of hate, mockery and disrespect of others in our family, our community our friends and all those we know and respect as leaders who even though weak are made strong because of Your anointing on them and that You have prepared them to bring Your Will into life today!  Lord  silence the media and all who spread this cancerous talk even about our President and what You have assigned him to do in this hour.  May the rot that they are involved in choke off any attempt at stopping what You have ordained our President and those who are aligned with him to do.   Lord we proclaim Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.             Father, we especially want a special protective covering over our children and that You would continue to expose all those who are involved in child trafficking and all forms of ritualistic torture of children and all the evil practices that are a part of the lifestyle of those we call rich and famous and are a part of the entertainment industry.  Lord let Justice reign and that they be punished for these crimes and the choices they make to promote evil and call good bad and bad good.  Lord Your Army here is proclaiming victory over them and that Truth will prevail and we will again be the land of Liberty and Justice for all under Your Reign as our King of kings and Lord of Lords.  Lord children are Your sacred gift and trust You place in our hands so Father we are here to raise them up to know You and to walk in the steps of Your Son, Jesus bringing Love, Peace and Joy into this world so that we are ready to dwell with You as You have originally planned it and is ...

In Part 11 of "The Best So Far" series with Darryn Zewalk, we discover what it's like to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Based on the inspiring words of divinely given wisdom in Darryn's rendition of the hit song, Breathe, you will find peace in knowing that God will never leave you, nor forsake you. SCRIPTURES: Psalm 16:11 and 1 Corinthians 3:16 SONG OF ENCOURAGEMENT: Breathe RHYME FOR THE END TIMES: This is the air I breathe, Your Holy presence living in me.

Archives Listen to the Prayer Audio: Heavenly Father, Today, let us walk through the Halls of Justice and Your Court Room so that we have confidence in all we bring before you for America and the nations You place on hearts to uplift and pray and intercede for.  Lord we are confident that You keep us off the enemy’s radar and that his influence and distractions are limited to his own camp as we are protected by Your Warrior angels as they watch over us and we know that there are more of us than them.  We stand firm on the battle line and we follow Your Orders to march forth to take back that which has been stolen and all the more besides.  For the enemy will return everything sevenfold and we will see the transfer of the wealth of the wicked to us You have chosen.  We promise to steward it well and to give as You Command. Father we are grafted into your vine and are here because of Your Son’s sacrifice to make us one in the spirit and one in Faith!  Lord, we are confident because we are in the vine and so we have nothing to fear for we fight a defeated foe.  We hear the screams of the enemy in our day because they are on the run and they see the chaos and division and depression happening in their own camp because they do not serve the God we serve; God is Lord and Creator of all! Lord we are grateful for the leadership You have given us in President Trump, we cover him with our shield of Faith in prayer and seek Your Wisdom and Guidance for him and all of his family and all who are aligned with him.  Lord, you have made him the vine dresser for our nation.  Let him continue to wield Justice and Righteousness in what he is doing for America, especially letting the pruning and trimming of all that is false and binding of us be brought to the fire.  May we not be fearful but courageous in our support and actions to ensure Your Will is done here and in every nation of the earth. Lord, we are especially praying for Your movement in England today as these people vote and show the strength to take back that which has been stolen from them to be free and a nation of Your Kingdom.  Lord that a fresh move of the Spirit blow across their nation and restore true Faith in You through Jesus Christ our Lord! Lord, we know that the pruning we see going on here and other parts of the world are a sign of Your judgment against systems that are under condemnation and will no longer keep Your people captive!  Bless those who are carrying the load to prune and trim away all of the debris of unfair and unconstitutional laws and decrees that are not in line with Your Holy plan for us. Lord, give wisdom to all the judges that President Trump has appointed to truly decide in favor of righteousness and fairness for all Americans.  Lord, we want our courts and legal system to be a reflection of Your Heavenly Court.  We know that if we are aware of Your Word in our lives this will bring about what we seek here in America. We are grateful for the new wine that You are giving us in this day.  A wine that is of the Holy Spirit and we are now preparing to share with others as we pray, voice the truth and act by giving to others that which You have given us in the ways You want us to do.  Lord, continue to bless all the members of the Strike Force of Prayer and all who join us in spirit and truth to give You all the Glory and praise. Amen & Amen! Search Strike Force of Prayer Search for: Categories Action (7) Election (48) Elections (4) Event (2) How to Pray (14) links (15) Mark Taylor (71) National Alert (4) Opportunities with the Divine (5) Prayer Request (54) Prayers (325) Prophetic Alert (3) Testimony (19) Uncategorized (1) Website Updates (13) Archives May 2020 (11) April 2020 (10) March 2020 (10) February 2020 (8) January 2020 (14) December 2019 (8) November 2019 (12)

JMJ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen Oh God, please assist me in writing this letter so that it may be beneficial to others and prevent me, my Lord I pray, from appearing to say that one method of prayer is superior and acceptable alone by You, our Lord, who accepts any petition offered with devotion, faithfulness, and humility. Keep what I write in conformity with the teachings of the church, and when I speak about the beauty of the Latin language, the language of Your Holy and Catholic Church, the language which I have been inspired by Your Mercy, my God, to approach you each day in my daily prayers allow me, please I beg You, to do so with an attitude of profound humility. Allow those who read this letter to understand that I do not write this for any sort of self aggrandizement or in order to esteem myself to them for praying in the language of Your Church but that I do so only that my devotion to You, my Lord, may grow more and more each time that I pray in the Latin language. It is an act of humility, my Lord, and an acknowledgement of my unlearned nature that I am unable to think of you so naturally and fluently in my daily language with any level of devotion. If only I knew You more perhaps I would be able express my love for ... The post Little Souls and Learning the Language of the Church appeared first on Walking the Little Way.

Hi friends!  So many special announcements today! First up, we have a FREE masterclass happening this Wednesday where we'll be talking about how to have more faith and less doubt in 8 weeks or less so you can do YOUR HOLY work in the world.  I'd love for you to be there!  It's all happening at 12:00 CST.  Sign up here to get a notification for when I go live! Second, enrollment is officially open for Wild & Holy Truth 8 Week Program!  If you've been feeling the call to be BRAVER and are ready to do the spiritual work to help you get there, I'd love to be braver together for the rest of the year!  Wild & Holy Truth begins October 23rd and will run through December 12th, the PERFECT and most POWERFUL way to end 2017 and blow 2018 out of the water