Being Led and Taught by the Lord

 Today's liturgy opens with the following antiphon:  "The Lord led her and taught her, and kept her as the apple of his eye.  Like an eagle spreading its wings he took her up and bore her on his shoulders. The Lord alone was her guide" (Cf.  Dt 32: 10-12).

May the Lord lead each of us--every member of our families, every one of our relatives, each person in public office, all of our healthcare professionals, all educational personnel, all students, all parents, all children and adolescents, all persons involved in human services of any kind, persons involved in any kind of outreach to the poor and oppressed, persons in law enforcement, in the judicial system, in governmental agencies, in agencies helping those in financial straits, all members of the banking system.  

May the Lord teach us His ways, His truth, transforming anything within us that is evil, any thoughts bent on doing harm to others in any way!  May persons who are out of control behaviorally and/or emotionally---persons controlled by anger, jealousy, lust, covetousness, greed, avarice, sloth or any other kind of negativity (persons who are Satan's puppets) be taken up and borne on God's shoulders, guided only by God, the Almighty One, the Just One, the Merciful One. 

With Job, in today's first reading, Job 19: 21-27, we beg You, Lord, to have pity on us, for your hand has struck us: struck us in the raging fires, the flood waters,  the hurricanes, the tornadoes, the violence and hatred and prejudicial forces strangling our hearts, the out-of-control deadly viruses throughout the world. Take pity on us, Lord, Take pity! 

Lord, in spite of evil seemingly blanketing the earth and Satan wildly prowling the world to seek the ruin of souls and, in some cases, seemingly succeeding, I trust You.  With Job let each one of  us say: "I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him, and from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing" (Job 19:27).