Archive for July 9, 2025

There is always an opportunity to pray for someone if we are attentive to the promptings of our Lord.

Posted: July 9, 2025 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys, Testimonies
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I remember distinctly four people I prayed over in the last month.

One was a brother in Christ at a Pathways talk. He asked me for prayers, but I suppose he didn’t expect me to pray over him on the spot. After the prayer, I prophesied a little on what the Lord wanted him to know. He was surprised and touched. It resonated fully with him.

Then another opportunity came when the Lord highlighted the patient beside my dad. He was a steward who had his leg fractured while experiencing a terrible air turbulence on a flight. His name was Muhammad, a Muslim. When I was casually speaking to him, the Lord highlighted that I should pray for him. I asked him if he was open to prayers and he told me that he was. So I started praying for healing for his leg, for the pains to go, and also for the Lord to be present with him throughout the two operations that he would be going for. After the prayer, he was thankful and grateful.

The third time was during my dad’s wake. It was the second day where a Sister in Christ from St. Joseph’s Dying Aid Prayer Team came to pray for Dad. I noticed she had a bandage on her wrist. So after they prayed for dad, I went up to her and asked her how she was. She unwrapped the bandage to show me that the area from her palm to the wrist was swollen. So I offered to pray for her. The next day, when she her team came to pray again, I asked her how she was doing. She was so excited to show me that the swelling had gone down a lot. But it was still a little painful for her. So I asked a fellow Encounters School of Ministry classmate Elizabeth who came to the wake to team up with me to pray over Teresa. And again, she was thankful for the prayers. It was nice to see the big smile on her face when we had finished praying.

The other unique opportunity I had was when the guy, Wilson, from the company that was going to handle my dad’s sea burial, came to speak to me about the process. He started off by asking about my faith background. I told him I was Catholic. And so I asked him about his faith background. He said he was a believer. So curious, I asked him what he meant by that. He shared that he believed in Jesus but was not baptized. I asked if I could pray for him, he seemed a little surprised and was agreeable. I prayed for the presence of Christ to be with him in his journey, and that it our Lord would fill him with His presence, peace, mercy, and love. Wilson was thankful and grateful.

If we are attentive, the Lord will definitely highlight people for us to pray for. Glory to You O Lord Amen. 🙏❤️

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: July 9, 2025 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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If ever we are wronged or mistreated, the Lord will surely vindicate us in His time. We need only remain patient and faithful. There will be times when our persecutors may fall into our hands. We must never forget the mercy of our Lord in our lives and extend the same mercy to them. For justice belongs to the Lord.

Our mission is to bring His peace, mercy, L
love and healing into the world. We have been empowered to minister to His flock. To proclaim the joy of the Gospel to all who will listen. Amen

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his Companions, Martyrs Pray for us…

 

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First reading
Genesis 41:55-57,42:5-7,17-24


Joseph’s brothers in his power

When the whole country of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. But Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’ There was famine all over the world. Then Joseph opened all the granaries and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine grew worse in the land of Egypt. People came to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain from Joseph, for the famine had grown severe throughout the world.
    Israel’s sons with others making the same journey went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan. It was Joseph, as the man in authority over the country, who sold the grain to all comers. So Joseph’s brothers went and bowed down before him, their faces touching the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognised them. But he did not make himself known to them, and he spoke harshly to them. Then he kept them all in custody for three days.
    On the third day Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you shall keep your lives, for I am a man who fears God. If you are honest men let one of your brothers be kept in the place of your detention; as for you, go and take grain to relieve the famine of your families. You shall bring me your youngest brother; this way your words will be proved true, and you will not have to die!’ This they did. They said to one another, ‘Truly we are being called to account for our brother. We saw his misery of soul when he begged our mercy, but we did not listen to him and now this misery has come home to us.’ Reuben answered them, ‘Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you did not listen, and now we are brought to account for his blood.’ They did not know that Joseph understood, because there was an interpreter between them. He left them and wept.



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Gospel
Matthew 10:1-7


‘Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’

Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.
    These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:
    ‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’