“For the Glory of Your Name - 1st Friday October 2025

 

readings 100325 

Sometimes we can be held captive—
not behind bars, not in chains—
but in the quiet prisons of illness,
of grief, of fear, of financial strain.
Places where the body aches,
but the soul aches more.

I remember one such time.
I lay in a hospital bed,
the respirator breathing for me.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move.
But I could pray.
And I could listen.

I remember the silence.
I remember the prayers whispered over me.
I remember the healing—
not just of the body,
but of the spirit.

And I remember this truth:
Mercy is not earned.
It is given.
And when it is given,
God’s glory is revealed.

The people in Baruch didn’t justify themselves.
They didn’t say, “We deserve better.”
They said, “We have sinned.”
They said, “We are ashamed.”
And they asked—not for justice,
but for mercy.

The Psalmist cries:
“For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.”
Not for our reputation.
Not for our comfort.
But for your name, Lord.
For your glory.

And Jesus, in the Gospel,
laments the towns that saw miracles
but did not repent.
“If the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented.”

So today, on this First Friday,
we come before the Sacred Heart.
Not with our list of accomplishments.
Not with excuses.
But with open hands and open hearts.

We ask for mercy—
not because we are worthy,
but because He is good.

We ask for healing—
not to prove our strength,
but to reveal His glory.

We ask for deliverance—
not to escape suffering,
but to be drawn deeper into love.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus beats
with mercy,
with tenderness,
with glory.

Let us rest in that Heart today.
Let us repent.
Let us receive.
And let His glory be known
in our healing,
in our surrender,
in our lives.

Amen.

Breathing Mercy into the Morning Light
A Prayer to the Sacred Heart

Lord Jesus,
as morning breaks and light spills across the earth,
I breathe in Your mercy.
Not because I am worthy,
but because You are good.
Not because I have earned it,
but because You freely give.

In the quiet places of my soul—
where grief lingers,
where fear whispers,
where burdens press—
You come gently.
You do not rush.
You do not condemn.
You breathe mercy.

I bring no resume,
no defense,
only open hands.
Only a heart that longs
to be healed,
to be held,
to be made whole.

Let Your Sacred Heart beat in me—
with compassion for the weary,
with tenderness for the broken,
with love that draws us deeper into grace.

Deliver me, Lord,
not for my comfort,
but for Your glory.
Not to escape the cross,
but to walk with You through it.

Let my breath become prayer.
Let my wounds become witness.
Let my life become light
that reflects Your mercy.

Amen.