The Collect for the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time:
[During Ordinary Time, the masses during the week use the same collect as the previous Sunday]“O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. 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
After the fall, the kingdom of darkness reigned on the earth and over all mankind. We recall that there is a real and substantial gift given to us through baptism: we become children of [the kingdom of] light. Before Christ and before baptism, we weren’t. A central part of belonging to this kingdom is to know and hold to the truth. Satan as the father of lies and as a spirit primarily uses error or falsehood to lead us back out of the kingdom of light and truth. We cannot rely on our own power to remain in the light, so we make this prayer to the God who can win the battle in us.
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
Consider what is it that motivates your faith and religious practice. In particular, reflect on how important truth is to you. Pray for a fierce loyalty to the light of the truth and the kingdom of God from which it flows. 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.