"Praise the LORD, who is my rock.
He trains my hands for war
and gives my fingers skill for battle.
He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my rescuer.
He is my shield, and I take refuge in him.
He makes the nations submit to me." Psalm 144:1-2 (NLT)

Meditation: "Lord, God of armies...arm me for the struggle; I burn to fight for your glory, but I beg of you to fortify my courage.... Later at Carmel, when his tests against the faith were so strong, no one could suspect his martyr; she always had on her lips a smile of peace. No sacrifice frightened her: 'The Lord, she said, is my shield, I hope in him!"^† 

"Reach down from heaven and rescue me;
rescue me from deep waters,
from the power of my enemies." Psalm 144:7 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, you are my deliverer. Save me from the deep waters of sin and death that threaten to overwhelm me.

"Joyful indeed are those whose God is the LORD." 
Psalm 144:15 (NLT)

Meditation: Father, you shower me with gifts because you love me. Thank you! I love you, too, but I will love you more.

"I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles." Psalm 145:5 (NLT)

Meditation: The splendor of the Lord dwarfs any attraction that this world of shadows, illusions, and dreams can offer.

"The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing."
Psalm 145:15-16 (NLT)

Meditation: (Thérèse attributes this quote to Saint Joseph) "Is it true that I have received the sublime mission to be the nurturing father to the One who satisfies by his presence the burning seraphim and who feeds every creature?"^† 

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 92-93. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

____________________

Here is Psalm 9 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 9

A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God's Justice.
The Last Judgment

1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;
I will tell of all Your wonders.
2I will be glad and exult in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

3When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and perish before You.
4For You have maintained my just cause;
You have sat on the throne judging righteously.
5You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very memory of them has perished.

7But the LORD abides forever;
He has established His throne for judgment,
8And He will judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
9The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion;
Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12For He who requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13Be gracious to me, O LORD;
See my affliction from those who hate me,
You who lift me up from the gates of death,
14That I may tell of all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in Your salvation.
15The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16The LORD has made Himself known;
He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

17The wicked will return to Sheol,
Even all the nations who forget God.
18For the needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged before You.
20Put them in fear, O LORD;
Let the nations know that they are but men.

Psalm 9 and 10 concern the return of Jesus at the end of the world when He will come to judge the living and the dead.¹⁵ It is also our prayer of praise to the Lord for all His marvelous works (9:1): His incarnation, suffering and death, resurrection and ascension, descent of the Holy Spirit, and the establishment of the Church. Moreover, it gives reverence to our Lord's name, at whose utterance every knee must bend.¹⁶

I will praise You, O Lord, for Your marvelous works (9:1). I will rejoice in You and praise Your name because You have defeated my enemies (9:2-3) and judged in favor of my cause (9:4).

You have scolded the godless and destroyed those who do evil (9:5) and erased their memory (9:6). But You, O Lord, reign eternally in heaven on Your throne of judgment (9:7) from where You will judge the world with justice and fairness (9:8).

Your kingdom will be a place of peace and comfort for those who have suffered (9:9). You will not abandon those who trusted in You (9:10). May all those in heaven and in your Church on earth (Zion) praise Your mighty deeds (9:11). You demand justice and remember the cries of the suffering (9:12).

Have mercy on me, O Lord. Rescue me from the devil and raise me up on the last day (9:13). I will praise You in the heavenly Jerusalem (daughter of Zion) and rejoice in Your saving grace (9:14). The wicked are caught in their own traps (9:15) and bring about their own destruction. The Lord judges fairly and those who do evil are ensnared by their own wicked actions (9:16).

On Judgment Day the wicked and all those who reject God will be cast into hell (9:17). But the needy and those who suffer will see God (9:18). O Lord, from Your judgment seat judge the godless. Fill the wicked with fear and cast them away in their powerlessness (9:20).

Prayer for life: Dear Lord, at the hour of my death, when I appear before Your awesome judgment seat, forgive my sins, defend me against the accusations of the evil one, and welcome me into Your kingdom. Look favorably upon Your faithful servant who, against the counsel of a wicked and depraved society, will give birth to the child in my womb. Help me, Lord, through difficult times ahead, for You are my rock, the source of all my strength. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹⁵The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 686. Print.
¹⁶Reardon, Patrick. Christ in the Psalms. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2000. 18. 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.

"When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn." Psalm 142:1-3 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, in times of darkness, you are my light. Show me the way I should turn.

"I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me. Flight hath failed me: and there is no one that hath regard to my soul." Psalm 142:4 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Meditation: (Thérèse had hoped to die during the night.) "'I looked to my right and, behold, there is no one who knows me...' I mean no one who knows the hour of my death... There is only the Thief (Jesus who is waiting to steal her soul) and he is hidden!"^† 

"Don’t put your servant on trial,
for no one is innocent before you." Psalm 143:2 (NLT)

Meditation: I just do my best and let God do the rest.

"Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing." Psalm 143:10 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, give me the wisdom to discern your will and the courage to follow it.

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 92. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

____________________

Here is Psalm 8 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 8

The Incarnation
The LORD'S Glory and Man's Dignity.

1O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

3When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
8The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

9O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

How wonderful is the name of Our Incarnate Lord¹⁴, Jesus Christ, praised throughout the world (in all the earth) and glorified beyond the heavens (8:1). The praises sung to You by Your humble children silences the enemy (8:2). When I contemplate the universe that You created (8:3), I see in what esteem You hold us poor mortals (8:4). You saved us from death and crowned us with glory in heaven (8:5). You placed us in charge of the earth and all its creatures (8:6-8). For all these reasons, Lord, Your name is wonderful in all the earth (8:9).

Prayer for Life: Lord, You became man to save my soul and bring me to heaven. I am not worthy of the such a sacrifice, but I will praise You for it all the days of my life. I humbly beg You to help the government, lawyers, judges, politicians, doctors, nurses, educators, media and all those who promote abortion to abandon their wicked practices. Let my prayers strike fear in the evil one and all who do his bidding. As for me, Lord, give me the courage and strength to bring my baby into the world to raise it myself or to entrust it into the hands of a loving adoptive family. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹⁴The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 685. 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.

"O LORD, rescue me from evil people.
Protect me from those who are violent,
those who plot evil in their hearts
and stir up trouble all day long.
Their tongues sting like a snake;
the venom of a viper drips from their lips." Psalm 140:1-3 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, guard my lips from speaking evil; may only words of praise be ever on my tongue.

"Surely righteous people are praising your name;
the godly will live in your presence." Psalm 140:13 (NLT)

Meditation: Even when I am less than godly, I still "walk through fields of mercy, under skies of grace." (Sandi Patty, Christian singer)

"Let the godly strike me!
It will be a kindness!
If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. 
Don't let me refuse it" Psalm 141:5 (NLT)

Meditation: "It is less bitter to be corrected by a sinner than by the just, but out of compassion for sinners, to obtain their conversion, I beg you, O my God, to be corrected for them by the just souls who surround me. I also ask that the soothing and healing oil of correction not anoint my head, that is, my soul, for it would make me believe that I possess virtues that I have scarcely cultivated,"^† 

"Keep me from the traps they have set for me,
from the snares of those who do wrong." Psalm 141:9 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, I seek the sure and safe path, the path that leads to you.

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 92. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

____________________

Here is Psalm 7 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 7
Holy Week: Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane¹²

1O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
2Or he will tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

3O LORD my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,
4If I have rewarded evil to my friend,
Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,
5Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust.

6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
7Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.
8The LORD judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
10My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.

12If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
13He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
14Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.
16His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

17I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Jesus, the Man of Psalm 1, teaches us how to pray to God for protection against the devil (lion)¹³ (7:1). For without God, there is no one to save us (7:2). If we have done evil, then we deserve to be punished (7:4-5).

So we ask God to come to our aid and judge with justice our offence (7:6), to gather His people and rule over them from above (7:7), to judge us according to our faithfulness to His will (righteousness) and our morals (integrity) (7:8), to destroy the wicked and raise up the just, for He knows our hearts and desires (7:9).

God will save the innocent (7:10), but He abhors the wicked (7:11) and He will destroy them (7:12-13). God sees how they work evil and lie (7:14), how they set traps to catch the innocent, but fall into them themselves (7:15-16). We will praise God for making us victorious over the enemy (7:17).

Prayer for life: Lord, the ungodly have no regard for the sanctity of life. They ask: "Why deal with the physical stress of child birth? Who wants to go through the hassle of having a child and then giving it up for adoption? You know you can't afford to raise a baby." But I know that all life is sacred to You from conception to natural death. I also know that You will condemn the wicked and bless the innocent. I must be either for You or against You. The choice is mine. And I choose life. May the birth of my child be a testament to the love I bear for You, Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹²Reardon, Patrick. Christ in the Psalms. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2000. 14. Print.
¹³The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 685. 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.

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

____________________

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.

"Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
as we thought of Jerusalem.
We put away our harps,
hanging them on the branches of poplar trees.
For our captors demanded a song from us.
Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn:
“Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!”
But how can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a pagan land?" Psalm 137:1-4 (NLT)

Meditation: "No, we cannot sing the songs of Heaven to creatures... Let us sing in our heart a melodious song to our beloved!... The song of suffering united to his suffering is what delights his heart the most!"^† 

"How can we sing sing songs of the Lord in a foreign land?...Our God, the guest of our soul knows it quite well, so he comes into us with the intention of finding a a place to stay, an empty tent in the middle of the battlefield on earth... And He himself is the Divine Musician who is in charge of the concert."^†

"I am going to hang my harp on the branches by the rivers of Babylon... But after the Resurrection I will take up my harp again, forgetting my exile; with you I will sing."^†

^{Meditation: Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I keep my eyes on the shining Castle on the hill, my Father's house.}

"O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us." Psalm 137:8 (NLT)

Meditation: Justice is meted out by the Lord, but always softened with his mercy.

"The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me." Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

Meditation: Grace will complete what grace begins.

^†de Lisieux, St. Thérèse. La Bible avec Thérèse de Lisieux. Paris, France: Les Éditions du Cerf et Desclée De Brouwer, 1979. 90-91. Print. Trans. John P. Gross.

____________________

Here is Psalm 5 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 5

A morning prayer
Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

1Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.
2Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.
3In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.
5The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.
6You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

8O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.
9There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.
10Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

11But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
12For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Jesus prays for protection to the Father who is Lord (5:1,3,6,8,12), King (5:2) and God (5:2,4,10)¹⁰. God destroys those who lie (5:6), but shows His fullness of mercy to those who revere Him (5:7). He is a saving God (righteous) who will protect them against their enemies and lead them to safety (5:8). Those who lie and flatter so as to deceive have no life in them (grave) (5:9) and must be cast out (5:10), but those who trust in God will rejoice (5:11) for He will shield them from all harm (5:12).

Prayer for life: Sweet Jesus, I will not allow myself to be deceived by those who promise easy fixes that are really deadly solutions to unwanted pregnancy. In Your infinite mercy, make my way straight and wrap me and my baby in Your loving and protective arms. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

10The 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.