Collect taken from Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time.
Collect: God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name,”
– As always we recall some aspect of God’s gift to stir up our faith before asking for something. In this case we recall His generosity and might and ask to love his name.
“so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good”
– Notice that the prayer specifies how God will nurture what is good in us. That nurturing happens through a greater sense of reverence. Love of God and the respect we show Him through reverence leads to all that is good.
“and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured.“
– Again returning to our dependence on God, we ask for Him to keep safe this gift since, left to ourselves, we are prone to wander away and fall into sin and selfishness.
Questions & Advice: How reverent are you with holy things? How careful are you with the name of God? If you are careless with the eternal goodness that is God, how can you expect to grow in your concern for other things that are good?
Read about reverence and honoring God’s name in the Catechism (2142-67). Spend some of your daily prayer time reflecting on your attitude toward sacred things. Think about how many Churches you pass each day and whether or not you sign yourself as you do. Pray the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus and ask for greater reverence with His name and all that is sacred.
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| “Adoration of the Name of God” by Goya |