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Thursday, October 6, 2005

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St. Bruno
Bl. Marie Rose Durocher


Malachi 3:13-20
Psalm 1
Luke 11:5-13

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the five commandments

"If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." —Luke 11:13

Thou shalt believe:

  1. The Lord answers every prayer.
  2. He answers every prayer with a loving response.
  3. He answers every prayer immediately.
  4. If He answers prayer differently than we expect, He never gives us less than we asked for, always more. (Sometimes He gives us so much more that we don't understand it.)
  5. If He answers our prayer only in part, He is waiting on us and other human beings. We are not waiting on Him.

These are the five commandments of prayer. They should be memorized and obeyed. They are based on the fact that God is our loving Father. He loves us more than we love ourselves. He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. What more could He do? Do loving fathers answer their children with love and without delay? Of course. Loving fathers want to do everything good for their children as soon as possible. The only things in their way are their own personal limitations and their children's lack of openness.

God our heavenly Father has no personal limitations. He is all-powerful. Thus, we are the only thing that can stop Him from loving us, from pouring out the fullness of His love. We belong to Him; we are His "own special possession" (Mal 3:17).

Prayer:  Father, may I come to know and believe in the personal love You have for me, and pray like it (1 Jn 4:16).

Promise:  "For you who fear My name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays." —Mal 3:20

Praise:  St. Bruno backed up his prayers with action, coming to the defense of Truth when called to do so.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 21, 2005

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