Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (June 22, 2017): Sincere and complete devotion.

Oh how easy it is to fall prey to what St. Paul talks about in our first reading! Our thoughts do get corrupted by “other gospels” and we do fall away from our sincere and complete devotion to Christ — at least in some areas of our lives.

I’ve been entrusted with the task of bringing the scriptures to life in your daily circumstances, and it’s only through the Holy Spirit that I’m able to do this. If I fail to rely on God as my source, I lose the sincerity of my ministry, and my devotion to Christ decreases. So, daily in prayer and in Mass, I ask the Lord to keep me faithful to the calling he has given to me for your sake.

Like Paul, I share the Gospel free of charge, trusting that those whom I inspire to experience a deeper and truer relationship with our Lord will also want to spread the Good News — and Good News Ministries. You can help the people you care about by recommending our website and our reflections to them. And you can help even more people by supporting Good News Ministries through donations and volunteer work.

Because the staff and I are devoted to Christ, and because we care about every person who comes to us seeking spiritual healing and growth, God has hopes for this ministry that are bigger than what I can dream of, plans that seem impossible, plans that require the support of benefactors who understand the difference we can make in this world. Watch for these exciting stories to unfold by reading the weekend newsletter, Insider’s View. (To be a benefactor at this crucial time in the growth and further development of our outreach, please visit our website here.)

How seriously do you devote yourself to God’s hopes and dreams, making use of the opportunities he provides for your spiritual growth and for your calling? Do you go to adult faith enrichment events that are held in your church or diocese? Do you pick up and read the pamphlets and devotional booklets that you see in the church racks?

Do you act upon the messages in these Good News Reflections and other resources, especially those that challenge you to make difficult changes in your life? Are you reading that book that God inspired you to buy?

Do you pray each line and each word of the Our Father prayer sincerely? Jesus gives us this prayer in today’s Gospel, as a summary of the best, the most comprehensive way to pray. But we “say” instead of “pray” this prayer, rushing mindlessly through the words, because we’re so familiar with it.

To make the individual words of the Lord’s Prayer come alive with meaning, watch my short video Deeper Meanings of The Lord’s Prayer on the Good News WordByte, “The ‘Our Father’ Prayer: Do I Really Mean What I Pray?” — gnm.org/prayers-our-father-meaning/.

Or read the Catechism, beginning with paragraph 2777 (see vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s2a2.htm#2777). Take a little time over the next several days to go through this, one pearl at a time, to really avail yourself of its riches.

Today’s Prayer:

Beloved Father: Help me to know You and to recognize how I need You. May Your Spirit move me to always forgive, as You have forgiven me and still forgive my sins everyday. Amen.