Monday January 6, 2025

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Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica

God grants miracles that will become testimonies of his love.

Good News Reflection for:

Monday after Epiphany
January 6, 2025

Today’s Prayer:

I want to discover You, Jesus, my Savior, in the simple and wonderful things of every day. I want to announce Your greatness to the simple of heart. Amen.

IMPROVE YOUR DAY!
Powerful Catholic prayers are available on our YouTube channel.

Today’s Readings:

1 John 3:22–4:6
Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a
Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010625.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-january-6-2025

Prayers that work miracles

Today’s first reading begins with a promise that seems too good to be true: “We receive from God whatever we ask …” The rest of the sentence explains why this is true: “Because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”

Many people think that the reason why prayers don’t get answered is because we don’t ask rightly — we don’t pray enough novenas or we don’t use the right words. But God’s Word says it’s because we don’t live rightly: “We should believe in the name of Jesus, and …”

What does believing in Jesus mean? “Love one another as he commanded us.”

To receive whatever we ask for, we must remain in God, and he in us. If we have this union, then we have the same desires as God — whatever we ask for comes from a desire that God gave us.

We maintain this unity by loving one another the way he loves us. When we close our prayers with the sign of the cross and “in the name of Jesus, amen”, it should mean that we are praying in the completeness of who Jesus is. Therefore, remaining in God means that whatever we ask for is also in God — it’s already in his desires and in his plans.

Praying “in the name of Jesus, amen” is not an “abbra-cadabbra” magic phrase as if that could make our wishes come true. Rather, it’s a commitment of unity with him. We’re telling God and we’re telling ourselves and we’re telling angels and demons that we really want our prayers to be answered in the fullness of the Spirit of Christ: his nature, his mission, his love. We want only what God knows is right and best. We’re surrendering the attitude of “My will be done if it’s not truly and completely yours” so that we can sincerely pray “Your will be done, holy and loving Jesus.”

To avoid separating ourselves from God’s will, we must test everything to find out if it’s in and of God. The temptation to sin sometimes will seem very godly, but evil spirits lurk behind it. We must test our own spirits: every mood, every motive, every attitude behind our prayers. If it’s not completely loving — if our prayer requests do not reflect Christ’s mood, his motives, and his attitudes — then it’s a worthless prayer. Of course God won’t give it to us!

For example, if we’re asking for a new job, God wants to lead us into employment that will meet our needs and give him more opportunities to sanctify the workplace. When we pray for an increase of vocations, God wants us to discern and fulfill our own callings, too. If we ask for good health, God wants to purge us of whatever is unhealthy in our lifestyles that make us vulnerable to illness.

Miracles do happen. But God is not interested in quick-fix short-cuts that detour us from the path of spiritual growth. He grants miracles that increase our love and which will become testimonies of his love. Usually, such miracles take us on a long journey, but always, when we pray in God, he gives us whatever we ask in the best possible ways.

For more on the topic of this subject, use our Bible Study, “God’s Amazing Word on Miracles” @ gnm.org/paracletia/gods-amazing-word-on-miracles/.

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