Praying the Bible for 2,000 Years!

Every morning before Christi and the kids leave for school, we all gather in the family room between 7:30-7:45 to say our family morning prayers. It's a great way to start our day as a family and also a good way to make sure everybody is dressed and ready on time... in a large family, there's always a straggler or two.

Now that they've headed out the door and I waived goodbye from the front door, I sat down in a nice quiet home to do my own private meditation and daily Gospel reflection. Christi is more disciplined than I am about this... she does hers before everybody wakes up.

Not many people know that if you go to daily Mass for 3 years straight, you will have heard the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. Mass is prayed daily in every country of the world. There is a 3 year scriptural cycle. The entire Mass is a communal prayer with God and His people. Mass is the moment when heaven and earth become one. What an amazing gift that our Lord has given us. It is truly astonishing to think how the Catholic Church has been praying the Bible non-stop since Jesus Christ taught us approx. 2,000 years ago. Imagine this... somewhere in the world right now priests, nuns, monks, and laity are praying and have been since Christ walked on this planet. Every Christian follows the Liturgical calendar year that the Catholic Church has set in place and continues to celebrate every single day (Easter, Christmas, etc).

As a cradle Catholic, I never knew this growing up. I went to CCD and Mass on Sundays (but not every Sunday), and like most of the kids I knew, we goofed off and didn't really pay attention to what was really going on. Heck, most adult Catholics don't know what I am talking about... but I digress.

Our kids are blessed to be able to participate in this never-ending, global communal prayer. At their school, they begin each day with Mass and end it with a rosary.

Years ago, before I would go to work everyday, I would take my family to Mass... but those days are gone (for now ;-). Now, since Christi and I can't make it to Mass every day, we do daily Gospel reflections (basically reading and praying on the daily Gospel reading that is said at Mass). And so, I bring to you, today's daily Gospel. Enjoy!

Luke 6: 36 - 38

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back."