St. Dominic Catholic Church

Pastor's Corner

December 31, 2017

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.    Psalm 105:1

It is the time of year when people make self-improvement promises to themselves.  New gym memberships soar as people decide they’d prefer a body shaped by exercise, instead of shaped by lumpia.  The LA Times will undoubtedly have some stories about resolutions the movie stars are making this year.  As your pastor, I have some recommendations of my own.

Many of us struggle with prayer, and as I’ve mentioned before, there are two very basic kinds of prayer: personal, and ecclesial.  Personal prayer is the prayer that we choose, whether our own words or more devotional prayer like the rosary or chaplet of Divine Mercy.  Why not try praying with Jesus?  This is ecclesial prayer, as members of His Body join Him, the Head in prayer.  That’s called the Liturgy of the Hours. It consists of 7 times of prayer. Early morning, morning, mid-morning, midday, midafternoon, evening and night.  Every hour includes psalms, reading(s) from scripture, intercessions and a closing prayer. You can find it in the app called iBreviary.  I am not suggesting you pray all of them, but you might try at least one.  Night prayer, for example takes less than 10 minutes and includes an invitation for an examination of conscience.  You can also use the app to join the friars at morning prayer or evening prayer in the church.  iBreviary TS Plus has all of these prayers and many more and is available for FREE at the iTunes store.  It’s also available at Google Play if you have an Android smart phone.   The app has both English and Spanish

Want more than that?  Try the Laudate app, also available for free in iTunes and Google Play.  It has Liturgy of Hours, New American Bible, interactive Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, multiple stations of the Cross, multiple podcasts for daily meditations and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  It even has a guide for the sacrament of reconciliation.  This app is available in English, Spanish and Tagalog!

It’s a great idea to want to be more physically fit.  Perhaps these apps might help you become more spiritually fit – and, thus, experiencing the peace this world cannot give.  Have a blessed New Year!