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INTRODUCTION Two weeks ago, we started praying about how we are called to be His house of prayer.

We tried to pray about letting God live with us through His word and about our own living with Him. Last week, we tried to pray about focusing our lives on Jesus, the love of God, even through the difficulties of life. This week, let us try to pray about how we may recognize that we are indeed becoming these houses of prayer. One sign is that we are willing to learn and adjust our ways, so as to become reception areas where others may feel welcome. We may also find ourselves willing to venture into new areas or groups or seek more participants for our schools of the Word. We may find ourselves willing to try new ways of new ways of introducing others to Jesus through the Word of God. Perhaps we may find ourselves moved to examine our current ways of living so as to be better expressions of the living presence of God in our lives. This is the invitation of these three weeks of meditation on being a House of Prayer for God, not only individually but also as a community. These I will lead to

my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. (Isaiah 56:7)

18 Jesus came up and spoke to The prophet Isaiah was them. He said, All authority is prophesying the role of the house MONDAY heaven and on earth has been of Israel not as a house of prayer Enlarge the space of our hearts given to me. Go, therefore, make only for its own people, but for all disciples of all nations; baptize peoples of the world. As a Be aware that others are meant to them in the name of the Father and Christian model, St. Paul shows us experience God even through us of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, how to live out this prophetic 20 and teach them to observe all 1 extension of our houses of prayer Shout for joy, barren one who the commands I gave you. And to others by his missionary zeal to has borne no children! Break into look, I am with you always; yes, to all the foreign nations, not waiting cries and shouts of joy, you who the end of time. for them to come to Jerusalem, but were never in labour! For (Matthew 28:18-20) really taking the initiative to reach the children of the forsaken one out to them. Jesus himself exhorts are more in number than WEDNESDAY his disciples to Go, therefore, the children of the wedded wife, Make them My disciples make disciples of all nations. says Yahweh. 2 Widen the space of (Matthew 28:19) your tent, extend the curtains of Just as Jesus humbled Himself to your home, do not hold back! enter our lives, let us try to do the This then makes this house of Lengthen your ropes, make your same, so that we may make them prayer very missionary, and not tent-pegs firm, 3 for you will burst His disciples stationary. Christ calls us to be the out to right and to left, your House of Prayer of the New race will dispossess the nations 3 Nothing is to be done out Testament. But for this, we and repopulate deserted towns. of jealousy or vanity; instead, out continue to allow Him to cleanse (Isaiah 54: 1-3) of humility of mind everyone us interiorly of our fears, should give preference to others, 4 prejudices, expectations and value TUESDAY everyone pursuing not selfish systems that are not helpful to Go out to the whole world interests but those of others. 5 welcome others into our lives. We Make your own 6 need to learn the value system that The whole of Jerusalem is waiting the mind of Christ Jesus: Who, is willing to become all things to to experience Jesus through us: all being in the form of God, did not all people so as to win as many as races, genders, ages, statuses and count equality possible to salvation. (1 backgrounds of life (cf. Verbum with God something to be grasped. 7 Corinthians 9:22) Dei Constitutions #1) But he emptied himself, taking

The Lord sees a greater potential and fulfillment of our lives. How happy we will be as living houses of prayer if others experience that they encountered God through their interaction with us!

I rejoiced that they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of Yahweh.' 2 At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem! (Psalm 122: 1-2)

the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, 8 he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. (Philippians 2: 3-8)

20 To the Jews I made myself a Jew, to win the Jews; to those under the Law as one under the Law (though I am not), in order to win those under the Law; 21 to those outside the Law as one outside the Law, though I am not THURSDAY outside the Law but under the Law Make room for Jesus of Christ, to win those outside the Law. Be rid of our fears, prejudices, 22 To the weak, I made myself expectations and cultural filters weak, to win the weak. I and evaluations; let Jesus values accommodate ,myself to people of be dominant in us all kinds of different situations, so that by all possible means I might 13 When the time of bring some to salvation. the Jewish Passover was 23 All this I do for the sake of the near Jesus went up to Jerusalem, gospel, that I may share its 14 and in the Temple he found benefits with others. people selling cattle and sheep and (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) doves, and the money changers sitting there. 15 Making a whip out FRIDAY of cord, he drove them all out of Remain in Me as I remain in you the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money Only by contemplating His words changers' coins, knocked their will we seek to remain His tables over 16 and said to presence for others whom we the dove sellers, 'Take all this out dont want to understand and of here and stop using my Father's prefer to reject. house as a market.' 17 Then his disciples remembered the words of 3 You are clean already, by means scripture: I am eaten up of the word that I have spoken to with zeal for your house. you. 4 Remain in me, as I in you. (John 2: 13-17) As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, unless it remains part of 19 So though I am not a slave to the vine, neither can you unless any human being, I put myself in you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, slavery to all people, to win as you are the branches. Whoever many as I could. remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off

from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a branch -and withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire and are burnt. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, (John 15: 3-7) 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me, 38 because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:37-38) SATURDAY Knock, and if it is opened to you, enter and greet it with peace. People are just waiting for us to come to them and speak to their hearts 5 Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, Peace to this house! 6 And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. (Luke 10:5-6) 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6 Ps 96: 1-10 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5 Matthew 22:15-21

GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER

Go make them my Houses of Prayer

VERBUM DEI COMMUNITY Series: House of Prayer III October 10 16, 2011

Objective of the week: To give more space in my House of Prayer to God and to others in my life

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