Week 5, Day 3
Daily Prayer
Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Sea)
Hail, bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Break the captives’ fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus,
Joy forevermore.
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son and Spirit,
One same glory be. Amen.
Abba, Father!
Scripture Reading from Romans 11:33 & 12:2
What does Abba mean? IIt is the Hebrew word meaning Daddy. It is a very personal way of addressing your Father.
Worshiping the Father in Spirit and Truth
Jesus offers adoration to the Father by his obedience to the Father’s plans for him. Since we as Christians are seeking to be like Jesus, we too offer adoration to the Father by following His plan for our lives.
In our daily lives, we are offered many paths, many options, and many choices. Some of these choices are very attractive, but ultimately lead us away from Christ instead of closer to Him.
What are some examples of choices that appear to be good, but when we look closer, we see that they lead us away from God? Eating ice cream in moderation is okay, but eating too much ice cream is committing the sin of gluttony.
What is Gluttony? When we eat way too much just for the sake of bodily pleasure, rather than respecting that food is intended to nourish our bodies and help us to celebrate important things. Gluttony is sinful because it shows a lack of self control with regard to food.
We are made for eternity, and each choice we make in our daily lives leads us closer to God or further away. We should always seek to grow closer to God in everything we do. We must ask the Holy Spirit every day how we can grow closer to God in the simple and ordinary daily things we do. St. Therese of Lisieux believed that everyone can reach holiness by doing little things each day. The Church agreed with her so much that she was declared a Doctor of the Church.
Daily Pious Practice Reminder
- Visit Christ in the Blessed Sacrament once per day.
Closing Prayer
Father, source of all goodness, you have given us the Virgin Mary as our mother and our exemplar. Grant that by her help and intercession, we may come to adore you in spirit and in truth by adoring you with and in your beloved Son. Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Saint Therese in the Garden
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