Monday, October 3, 2016


"You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head." 
Psalm 139:5 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, you knew me before I was born, and you know where I am going when I die: to be with you, because your holy hand is upon me. 


"If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me." Psalm 139:9-10 (NLT)

Meditation: I surrender, Lord! I cannot hide from your love.

"but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you." Psalm 139:12 (NLT)

Meditation: "On this luminous night (Christmas night) which casts its light upon the delights of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the sweet little baby barely an hour old, changed the night of my soul into torrents of light." 

"How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!" Psalm 139:17 (NLT)

Meditation: I thought my life was hard, but in retrospect I see so many gifts and blessings. I was always on your mind.

"Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:24 (NLT)

Meditation: Come, Holy Spirit, and take what is imperfect in me and make it perfect for the Father.


de Lisieux, St. ThérèseLa Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 91. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.


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Books

Here is Psalm 6 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 


Psalm 6 

A humble prayer for forgiveness
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.
1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.
3And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O LORD--how long?

4Return, O LORD, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?

6I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.
7My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.

8Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
9The LORD has heard my supplication,
The LORD receives my prayer.
10All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.
Jesus teaches us to be humble when we pray11. We are weak (6:2) and in danger of losing our soul (6:3,4). Let us ask God to deliver us from spiritual death (6:5) for we are filled with sorrow for our sins (6:6) and saddened with grief (6:7) because of the evil that surrounds us (6:8). The Lord will answer our prayer (6:9). He will drive away the fallen angels and shame our enemies (6:10).

Prayer for life: Jesus, I am in trouble and feel vulnerable. Evil preys on the weak and I am afraid of losing my soul. Forgive me, Lord, for in my weakness I have even considered abortion as a solution to my predicament. Defend me against the ungodly who would destroy life. Let those who reject the Word of God be put to shame. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John



11The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 684. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.

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