Let’s continue to share daily readings during this month, as we remember that God is always with us and that we are brothers and sisters on the journey of faith during these difficult days.
These readings and reflection questions come from Sacred Space.
August 2: Matthew 14: 13-21
Jesus takes the little that the apostles have and multiplies it a thousandfold. I am reminded that Jesus can provide spiritual nourishment beyond my imagining.
August 3: Matthew 14: 22—36
Peter begins to sink when he takes his eyes off Jesus. In our own troubled times, we must keep our focus on Jesus.
August 4: Matthew 15: 1-2, 10-14
We speak and act out of our interior life. Lord, teach me to tend my soul with care and with faith in your help.
August 5: Matthew 15: 21-28
What can I let this woman teach me as she seeks healing for her daughter?
August 6: Matthew 17: 1-9
Prayer is more about listening than speaking. A listening heart is one warmed by the love of God and taught by his words.
August 7: Matthew 16: 24-28
We have to die so that we can live. We have to root out what is bad in order that the good within us can flourish. To share the glory of Christ, we have to share his suffering.
August 8: Matthew 17: 14-20
Jesus has no doubt that if we had enough faith we could move mountains. “I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
August 9: Matthew 14: 22-33
So many storms batter our lives: sin and temptation, anxiety, fear, and despair. And yet Jesus is no farther away from us than he was from the disciples in that small boat. When we are in the storm, we bring our troubles to Jesus and allow his calm to come over us. Our prayer gives us the courage and strength to deal with the weather as it comes.
August 10: John 12: 24-26
Is my faith life dormant or am I nourishing it so that it will yield an abundant harvest? What needs to die in me that I may live more fully?
August 11; Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14
Jesus is telling us clearly that every life is precious in his eyes. Every person I meet is invaluable and irreplaceable. Will my attitudes today reflect this?
August 12: Matthew 18: 15-20
When people trust one another and believe in God, the reign of God is brought into being. If I am upset with someone, I need to approach that person with respect and kindness. Whatever I do when I am upset, Lord, help me do it in charity.
August 13: Matthew 18: 21—19:1
Jesus points out that forgiveness knows no limit. The inability to forgive can be corrosive and the harboring of hurts destructive. “Our Father, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6: 12)
August 14: Matthew 19: 3-12
We are called to live wholeheartedly. I pray with compassion for all who have been disappointed by the changing circumstances of their lives.
August 15: Luke 1: 39-56
Mary accepts the greatness of her mission fully, joyfully, and expectantly. Help me do your will joyfully and fearlessly, Lord. May I move into the unknown knowing you are with me.
August 16; Matthew 15: 21-28
We should express our real feelings to Christ, knowing that they will be heard.
August 17: Matthew 19: 16-22
We do not live in isolation. Love for our neighbor is the door to eternal life. What attachments in my life are holding me back from a deeper relationship with my neighbor and with God?
August 18: Matthew 19: 23-30
The trouble with possessions is that they can too easily possess us. God calls for radical change in our lives, which God can make possible.
August 19: Matthew 20: 1-16
What is my reaction to this story? The landowner was motivated by compassion, doing more than would have been expected.
August 20: Matthew 22: 1-14
O Lord, how we need your constant invitation to come to you and learn from you. Rid us of our garments of selfishness, our judgmental attitudes, our stubborn hearts, and clothe us instead with your garments of salvation.
August 21: Matthew 22: 34-40
We cannot love God and then refuse to love our neighbor. Jesus extends the meaning of neighbor to include every single person and not just the people of one’s own race, religion, or family.
August 22: Matthew 23: 1-12
We are not to make life burdensome for others, weighing them down with unnecessary regulations and petty rules. Lord, teach us how to treat others.
August 23: Matthew 16: 13-20
Lord, I linger with this question: “What are you to me?”
August 24: John 1: 45-51
I pray for the grace to see the glory of the Lord in all that is around me. “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” (Gerard Manley Hopkins)
August 25: Matthew 23: 23-26
Are we neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faith?
August 26: Matthew 23: 27-32
How do I regard those with whom I disagree strongly? Do I personalize social and political differences? Jesus challenges us to look at what is going on in our inner selves. Are we concerned about how we treat those whose paths we cross?
August 27: Matthew 23: 42-51
Throughout the gospels Jesus speaks about being “awake” and paying attention. Am I so preoccupied with the busyness of life and my own particular cares and concerns that I sometimes forget to watch and pray?
August 28: Matthew 25: 1-13
Help us, Lord, to keep our lamps lit with the oil of prayer. With that light to help us, we can do good works and share your love with others.
August 29: Mark 6: 17-29
John the Baptist was killed because he spoke truth to power. Those who work for justice in the world or witness to their faith today often face difficult and even life-threatening situations. I pause to remember them in prayer.
August 30: Matthew 16: 21-27
Do I feel called to let go of something precious to me so that I can live more fully? Jesus calls us to follow him on his way to the cross by carrying our own cross every day.
August 31; Luke 4: 16-30
I pray for an open, listening heart, that I might hear God’s word to me today. Let me consciously look for the extraordinary amidst the ordinary.