The Collect for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter is:
“O God, author of our freedom and of our salvation, listen to the voice of our pleading and grant that those you have redeemed by the shedding of your Son’s Blood may have life through you and, under your protection, rejoice for ever unharmed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
Reflection
We have free will and that is the image of God in us. Sin enslaves us and takes away our freedom, so by saving us from sin, God restores the freedom that he gave to us in the first place. We need to acknowledge this with gratitude and plead for the grace to preserve our freedom. Blood is the sign of life for a scriptural worldview and so to gain life by the shedding of blood is a powerful paradox. Remembering this act of love, we are confident that God is eager to preserve and protect the life he won for us.
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
Imagine how many times you make a decision each day. How many of those are sinful? Holy? Neutral? Recall that Christ shed his blood to make every one of you decisions as free and as life-giving as possible. Pray for the protection of that divinely-given freedom and the grace to use it well. Then spiritually unite that prayer to all the Masses throughout the world today. That way, when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to attend Mass.