For a more enriching experience,
go down on your knees to pray or take it one step further
and prostrate yourself (lay face down) on the floor while praying.
Father, today's reading about suffering could easily aggravate me when I think about the suffering of innocent children and why You allow this to happen, but if I emotionally detach long enough to look at the bigger picture I can see that it is not You who allows the suffering of innocent children, it is us, we allow it. We not only allow children to suffer, we cause them to suffer by not rising up against those who hurt them, by not protecting them in the first place through better living and better choices. You would NEVER injure, hurt, ignore or shun Your children, we do.
I remember a recent story of a 9-year-old boy killed in Chicago who was "lured" into an alley and shot in a gang-related attack. I heard others wonder how You could allow this happen and my immediate thought was You didn't allow it to happen, others did. What You did do was remove this little boy permanently from all His circumstances so He would not have to suffer another day. While his friends, family and society are left to mourn his innocent self, we are also left to suffer as we contemplate his circumstances and are forced to come up with a better way of living. We do this to us, we do this to the children and we have the power to stop it. You gave us all free will and we have the power within us to protect Your children, who are our children, and our responsibility. They are our gift from You. Thank You Father for this awareness today as I use this information about children to become a better adult.
Through Jesus Christ's Precious Blood, Most Sacred Name and Most Holy Face. ~Amen
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Matthew 2:13-18
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt have I called my son."
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ
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