SEE the Possibilities Daily Prayer Guide

Daily Prayer Guide

St. Therese Parish

INTRODUCTION

This is a collection of reflections written by St. Therese parishioners to help and inspire us as we discern our commitments to the See The Possibilities for our life journey and our capital campaign.

The reflections began on three questions: 1. What does your faith mean to you?

2. What is something about St. Therese that is a blessing to you?

3. Why is it important to support the Capital Campaign?

We want to thank those who were willing to share their thoughts with us.

Hopefully they will inspire those of you who read these reflections to meditate on the questions above for yourselves.

There are sixteen reflections. We encourage you to spend time in prayer for the next sixteen days, reading the scripture passages and reflections.

May these reflections and prayers lead you to a more loving relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ, and a deeper commitment to our parish.

Loving God and Father, we praise you and thank you for all the many blessings you have bestowed upon us, our families, and our parish.

Open our eyes to See the Possibilities for the future of our parish. May we grow as an ever more faithful parish family encouraged by one another, attentive to your word and nourshed by the Eucharist.

May we offer with gratitude our time, talent, and treasure to secure our past, enhance the present, and embrace our future.

With lives of intentional faith may we See the Possibilities every day, in every little way.

Through the intersession of St. Therese, may we receive the grace to sacrifice today for the promise of tomorrow.

We pray all this in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen St. Therese, pray for us.

Day 1 Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:1 Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Reflection: My favorite and first scripture passage that I memorized was this one from St. Paul. This scripture passage culminates the highest point not only of my faith but that of my belief and love for the real presence and sacrifice of Jesus in the Eucharist. This passage helped me to think about who God is and contemplate more seriously the things of God both, visibly and invisibly.

Having the Adoration Chapel at St. Therese is more than a place of intimate solitude with the one who laid down His life for us but a place of grace-filled possibilities that are truly transformative and life changing. To have the possibility to expand the Adoration Chapel into something that will be more inviting, beautiful, and life changing for more parishioners, how much more important would it be but to support the Capital Campaign for the greater glory of God in all things.

Prayer: Blessed are you because you have made me glad, and because it has not turned out as I was expecting. But you have treated us according to your great mercy.

Tobit 8:16.

Day 2 Scripture Passage: Matthew 14: 26-31 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith,* why did you doubt?”

Reflection: My faith means everything to me. I pray that when Jesus calls me to walk on the water, I will have all the faith necessary not to sink. St. Therese is my boat. It enables me to carry out God’s work by volunteer activities she supports. It helps me keep my faith in the forefront of my life. By supporting the Capital Campaign it will give all parishioners now and in the future to “See the Possibility” that they too can walk on water without sinking and be able to carry out God’s plan for the future of St. Therese. We need to Be Not Afraid and take that first step out of the boat onto the water.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please call each of us individually to have the necessary faith to get out of the boat and take the necessary steps on the water and have faith in you.

Amen.

Day 3 Scripture Passage: Exodus 17: 9-13 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men, and go out and engage the enemy in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged the enemy in battle while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, the enemy had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset. And Joshua defeated the Enemy and his people Reflection: In this amazing history, we find the people of God winning their battle through faith, obedience, and community.

When I put myself in this picture, I can see EVERYONE working their hearts out, I see all of us exhausted after a few minutes of battle or having the Faith of“holding our arms in the air”; Today I see our Church needs us to keep its arms in the air, to keep praying for us, for the sick, for the broken, for the hungry, for all to stay in the battle; we ALL can work our hearts out putting our little something, our time, gifts and treasures to help despite situations or difficulties; knowing that all those difficulties and storms will pass, because there is only One who is eternal, and that One is our God. Knowing that we are helping and that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, we are building the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Prayer: We pray that together we will be Christ’s body, and the Church that He commission us to be.

Day 4 Scripture Passage: Galatians 3:26-28 For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: These verses have a special meaning to me because I began my journey into the Catholic Church studying to be a Protestant minister, and during my time in seminary, these verses opened my eyes to a new way of seeing the church.

In my tradition, becoming a Christian was entirely about exercising personal faith in Jesus Christ. This is part of our common faith. The US bishops define conversion as, “the acceptance of a personal relationship with Christ, a sincere adherence to him, and a willingness to conform one’s life to his.”

What struck me in this passage was the idea that through Baptism we are all clothed with Christ. In Baptism, we are joined to Christ. This is the foundation of our relationship with him. His grace comes to us before our choice to cooperate with those graces. In God’s plan, this grace comes through the sacrament of Baptism, which forgives our sins and opens the door for faith in our lives.

This grace is completely inclusive. God shares this gift of grace with all of us regardless of our many differences.

We are all one in Christ Jesus.

God calls each of us to be messengers of this grace to the world. We can only do this effectively if we learn to embrace the differences we see in others.

Prayer: Thank you God, for the gift of grace and forgiveness given to us in Baptism. Help me to be a good steward of these graces by seeking to remain deeply in relationship with you. Make me an instrument of peace and unity in this world, by allowing me to see all my brothers and sisters as your children.

Day 5 Scripture Passage: John 6:51-58

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Reflection: This scripture is part of the bread of life discourse.

Jesus had just fed the 5000 and they came looking for more. Jesus was willing to risk his entire ministry on this teaching, and many of his disciples walked away from him, but he would not soften his message. The Eucharist was worth more than his whole ministry and he was willing to risk it all so that we might understand. And the Eucharist is the most important thing that I can receive from my church, at Sunday Mass, daily Mass, or on feast days or holy days of obligation. It is the necessary strength and grace that Jesus gives me, his real presence that I can receive on a frequent basis. St. Therese is my parish, my spiritual home that provides the Eucharist for me. Through the capital campaign “See the Possibilities” we can help maintain but more importantly enhance our worship space. In addition we can provide a place for our seminarians to learn about the ministry they are preparing for and to have priests permanently on staff, living in community and growing spiritually in a rectory suitable for the size of parish we are and will be in the future.

Prayer: You have given us everything. May your love open my heart to understanding the gifts that I have received from you! I offer my prayers of thanksgiving to you! May you guide me to open my heart to generously supporting you and my St. Therese Parish family and to “See the Possibilities” by supporting this capital campaign.

May God Bless this campaign!

Scripture Passage: John 15:1-11

Day 6

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes[a] to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed[b] by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become[c] my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

Reflection: This Gospel passage is special to me because it

was the Gospel reading we chose for our wedding Mass 31 years ago. At our vows my husband opened his hand to me and promised that he would keep it open throughout our lives together to give his love and to receive mine. He has, and I trust he always will. This is only possible through the graces God gives and we receive through prayer and the sacraments of the Church. God chose that I would be here at this time in history, in this place, in this family, and in this parish of St. Therese (my branch on the vine.) We moved here three years ago, and I knew no one in Kansas City. I prayed and reached out to St. Therese for the graces I needed to build a new life and community. Through joining a Walking with Purpose Bible Study and going on a CRHP/Welcome Retreat, I received tremendous treasure! There are over 30 women I now know in deeper and more joyful friendships than most people I’ve known throughout my life. My heart is full of gratitude for this awesome gift from God and our parish.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your love and all You provide me and my family to grow in love for you and others. I desire to open my hand to give to my parish Capital Campaign so that many may share in this joy today and for generations to come. You know it is not easy for me to be generous sometimes. I fear I will not have enough and I close my hand around the gifts you have given to me. I am praying to know what You want me to give and trusting that You will always provide all I need. I love You.

Day 7 Scripture Passage: Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God Reflection: This bible verse is one of my favorites when I want to have quiet time with God in discerning what He wants of me. He’s saying to be quiet, don’t talk, listen, stop asking. If I can keep still long enough, His will usually comes out loud and clear what He’s asking of me.

Prayer: Jesus, my loving God, you know my comings and goings and what I am capable of accomplishing as I go about my days. Help me to know and do what You ask in the best way possible. Give me the strength and courage to see each day as an opportunity to be of service to You and others. I ask this in union with Mary, Your Mother.

Day 8 Scripture Passage: Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me Reflection: My faith is my stronghold, my center. Although I struggle and have fallen woefully short countless times, I continue to seek Christ, to keep him in my heart’s center. During all times, especially those most difficult, our Lord has sustained me especially when I was emotionally, mentally or physically unable. Often, the good people of our St. Therese community have provided that sustenance through smiles, kind words, cards, meals, hugs, prayers and more. They are the face of Christ. Many hours before our Lord in our Eucharistic Adoration Chapel have given me wisdom and strength in many things, especially in the art of forgiveness for both myself for many shortcomings and others who caused great pain. Yes, the St. Therese campus is composed of buildings, but the good works that go on and the good souls that worship, visit, learn, pray, work and are served inside those buildings are the heart of our parish. Since 1950, the heart of St. Therese has served each other and our broader community.

Support of our capital campaign will enable the heart of our parish community to keep sustaining its good works and in turn, sustain its parishioners and beyond.

Prayer: Almighty God, grant us all we need to have our hearts filled with your love, mercy and compassion to provide with love the caring acts we need to sustain one another. May we be good stewards of your bountiful gifts and may we in turn gift our time, talent and treasure back to you. Please enable all the good works of our St. Therese Parish community to continue to be sustainable now and well into the future.

Amen.

Day 9 Scripture Passage: Luke 8: 8, 15 “And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.”

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance” Reflection: Barbara and I have always felt our faith meant hearing and responding. We hoped we could be the good soil and hear the word of God and act upon it; To produce a hundredfold. Not always an easy task; this meant many times our parenting ran contrary to many norms, our use of time, our family commitment was not normal. Frankly, in our life, we made many mistakes, sinned, suffered. Without our faith community at St. Therese, without the sacraments of forgiveness, Eucharist, prayers, the mass, our small Christian community, the life we were called to live would be out of sight.

With the help of our faith, Fr. Joe, St. Therese Parish, our faith community of friends, who we trust, the blessings of joy, peace, and a deep sense of belonging to God are present. The job is not done, for us, our family, our community.

It is with a generous and good heart, all of us are called to respond and believe our investment in the future of St. Therese is but a small fraction of the fruit that is to come.

Prayer: We pray to the Lord that we as a parish family respond to what Pope Francis asks of us: “We need lay people who take risks, who get their hands dirty, who are not afraid of making mistakes, who go forward. We need lay people with a vision of the future, not confined to the little things of life.” Lord hear our prayer.

Day 10

Scripture Passage: Matthew 6:25-33

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.

If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘what are we to eat?’ or ‘what are we to drink?’ or ‘what are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.

Reflection: Reflection: I regularly must remind myself that faith is a gift from God, a wonderful gift that I cannot imagine not having.

Faith, like every other blessing and gift, comes from God, through Christ Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. My faith enables me to go to bed each night, at peace, confident in tomorrow, hopeful that my needs will be met in every way by His love, compassion, and mercy. And God has placed me and my family exactly where he wills for us to be, as part of the St. Therese parish community, where we are nourished by Christ himself in the Eucharist and encouraged by our brothers and sisters in Christ. My family did not find St. Therese; rather, we were led to St. Therese by the Holy Spirit.

And we know it will be the conduit through which we are continually blessed and guided on our faith journey. We are so excited for our future as parishioners of St. Therese, and love that many of our grandchildren will experience the richness of a Catholic education here. We are excited for the See the Possibilities capital campaign, and we look forward to supporting the campaign in every way we can to give back to God and to the parish to help secure a vibrant future for a special parish that has meant so much to so many for decades.

Prayer: May God, in all his strength and compassion, bless St. Therese parish and our capital campaign and see it through to a great and successful completion so that our parish legacy may be fortified, our current needs met, and the future be one full of hope. And may our collective faith “seek first the kingdom of God”, so that “all these things will be given” to us by our heavenly Father.

Day 11 Scripture Passage: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

Reflection: God gave us the most generous and loving

gift of his Son. God’s grace gifts us with eternal salvation through our faith. Our trust and faith in God give us abundant daily blessings and everlasting life no matter how difficult our life and world might be.

Daily prayers bring us closer to God our Father and help us to share the warmth and love of our Lord Jesus Christ with our Sisters and Brothers in Christ. At St. Therese, our Christ Renews His Parish/Welcome retreat and formation are a magnificent opportunity that strengthen our faith, hope, and love. Our Lord commands us to “love one another as I love you”. Sharing our love, time, talent, and treasure is a wonderful gift of giving back to God. As a disciple of Christ, practicing generosity to give to our Parish Capital Campaign strengthens our faith. When we sacrifice for our Lord and our Parish, we give back the blessings that come from our Lord and receive many more.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for the gift of your Son, for all the blessings you give to us and the opportunity for everlasting life. Come Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to strengthen our faith and love for one another.

May the guidance of your Holy Spirt help us to know that as we give back to You through our Parish Capital Campaign, we will continue to receive your abundant blessings as we share them with all our Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

Day 12 Scripture Passage: Psalms 51:12 A clean heart create in me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.

Reflection: This psalm speaks clearly to me as I pray daily for an accepting heart and the strength to live out my faith!

It was God’s grace and his abiding spirit that brought us to St. Therese in 2004. At first glance, we weren’t prepared to like this huge parish, one we assumed would be impersonal. We were a newly retired military family and were accustomed to small, intimate parishes, shared with Catholics who also shared our lifestyle.

But, instead, we’ve found a true community! What we didn’t initially recognize was that our parish’s size provides for diversity, complexity, opportunity and acceptance. We’ve discovered amazing opportunities to develop our faith…most especially through our involvement in Christ Renews His Parish/Welcome. And, we – who have no local family – have found “family” who have surrounded us with love in good times and hard! St Therese is a primary reason that we’ve chosen to stay in KC! Prayer: Dear Lord, through your Grace, we have found a home that allows us to continually grow in your love. You guide us as our hearts expand in joy and understanding through your spirit. Thank you, God, for loving us!

Day 13 Scripture Passage: Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest.”

Reflection: There are many people that do not truly know

Jesus and it is our obligation as Catholics to spread the good word of God. St. Therese is just the place for us to do this through all the different ministries that are offered in our Parish. The “harvest” in this case are the parishioners who are not involved in any of the ministries. The workers are those that are involved, but there are so few, less than seven percent of all Parishioners. If each person were to give just a little more of their time, talent and treasure, it could have a huge difference in making St. Therese a much more vibrant community than it already is.

Time, it could be as much as another ten minutes of prayer per day. Talent, using the talent God gave you for the betterment of the community through volunteer work. Treasure, just a few more dollars per day, per week or month to donate to the Capital Campaign Fund to make St. Therese a much warmer, friendlier place to worship and gather as a community.

Prayer: I pray that we all have God to come into our hearts and ask Him how we can better serve Him by using the time, talent and treasure He has blessed us with. Amen.

Day 14 Scripture Passage: John 19: 25-28 Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother . . .When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled,* Jesus said, “I thirst.”

Reflection: From as far back as I can remember, the

Blessed Mother was very special to me. I knew her as the Mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Over the years I came to pray to her as my other. However, it wasn’t until I was a mother myself that I could identify with her on a different level - not as a spiritual person, but as a living, breathing experiential Mother of Jesus. But even then, it wasn’t until my own children (I had 3 sons) grew into men, that I could truly experience what she went through as she watched Jesus carry out His mission. Mary watched with the pain as she had watched her son carrying the cross and saw the wounds to his body. She feels what he feels,and she is crushed; she knows His purpose and is there to support Him. Through her presence, He must have felt a renewed strength of purpose. He is not alone! She stands resolutely in the experience. And as only a mother can, she is steadfast on the journey, and she lovingly holds her precious child at last in the peace in death. She has borne the journey as a gift to mankind with the singular experience of a mother’s love. I can only imagine!

Prayer: Loving Father, we are all on our own journey yet we know we are never alone-we have you always. But you have also given us a community and we know we have help on the journey, and we see what is possible as a community!

Day 15 Scripture Passage: Philippians 4:6-7 “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Reflection: 40 years ago my mom was diagnosed with

terminal brain cancer. She was 58 years old at the time and was given 12-18 months to live.

Before she was diagnosed she knew something was terribly wrong. At Mass one day Philippians 4:6-7 was read. Later she shared with me that at the time she felt like God was speaking directly to her. The fear that had been overwhelming her was replaced with a sense of peace. After that experience my mom faced her diagnosis and the disease with courage and faith.

Philippians 4:6-7 has been a source of support for me over the years since my mom’s death. So many times I have found myself going into our Adoration Chapel and attempting to do what Philippian’s 4:6-7 says to do. Thanking God for his blessings and then pouring out my problems and concerns and asking for His help.

Philippians 4:6-7 has taught me how to pray. I believe prayer is simply acknowledging God’s gifts and sharing our life’s joys, heartaches and worries with our Lord. He is so gentle and wants me to trust that He will work everything for my good if I but love Him (Romans 8::28)

Prayer: Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the gift of my Catholic faith, Thank you for Your Word, like Philippians 4:6-7, which instructs me.

Thank you for the gift of Eucharistic Adoration where I can come and pour out my heart to you. Thank you for our St. Therese parish community for being a support to our family over the years and for the many dear friends we have made there.

Day 16 Scripture Passage: John 6:47-58

Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Reflection: Christ told us in no uncertain terms that he is truly present to us, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist. While it is true that God is “everywhere,” Jesus wants us to know that he, as the second person of the Trinity, is especially there in the tabernacle, in the monstrance, and at communion. In the tabernacle and in the adoration chapel, he waits for us to speak to him; to listen to him; to share our joys, our anxieties, and our sorrows; or to just bask in his glory. At communion, we are privileged to receive him into ourselves in a special way and to be transformed every Sunday, or even every day.

Prayer: Holy spirit, guide my heart to honor Jesus in the Eucharist with reverence at mass, and my time in adoration.

Day 17 Scripture Passage: John 2: 3-7 When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,d each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim.

Reflection: I suppose this Bible verse doesn’t really seem to be about faith at first glance, but I feel like this is a good rule of thumb for our faith lives. God knows what will fill us with the most joy, and that is truly what He wants for us. “Doing what He tells you” is really a shortcut to finding long-lasting peace and happiness in our lives. That is not to say that trying to follow His will won’t be difficult—it probably will be. But as Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.”

So yes, our walk of faith will be difficult and necessitate many sacrifices on our part, but the payoff for seeking to do God’s will instead of our own is better than anything we could imagine. All we have to do is to give what we can, like the servants at Cana did as they filled up the stone jars.

God takes care of the rest, and converts our small efforts into something amazing, like He did with the water and the wine.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we pray that you open our eyes to see

who you are working through to communicate your will, as you did through our Mother Mary at Cana. Help us listen to your call through prayer and discernment, and seek your will in every aspect of our lives. May we be like the servants at Cana, offering what we have and working with your grace, in order to have “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Please take our little offerings of love, offered to you after the example of our patroness St. Therese, and make them into something wonderful. Take our contributions and use them to provide some benefit for the Church, in the same way that the water was turned into wine, and used to provide blessing and joy to the wedding guests.

Lord, give us the strength to do your will. Amen.