Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where we read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Tuesday, February 3rd, and the gospel reading is Mark 5, 21-43, and the scripture to reflect on is Psalm 86, 1-2.
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly.
Save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
Today, this psalm is a song that David is praying to God, and he was asking God to listen to his cries.
Sometimes prayer can be intimidating, and sometimes it’s easy to be forgetful to spend time doing it.
Sometimes it’s easier to just say the memorized prayer, like the Our Father or Hail Mary.
These prayers are all great and important, but sometimes different kinds of prayer in our life makes things with God more personal.
Just like having a daily conversation like saying hello, asking how someone’s day is, or telling someone a story.
Prayer can be the same way with God.
For a time, the Roman Empire made Christianity illegal.
In the year 311, those laws were repealed or taken away.
People could worship Christ without the threat of being killed.
At least, they were supposed to be able to.
But changes in the law took time.
Many enemies of Christ and of Christians still hunted down Christians and tried to kill them.
Blaise, who was a bishop, had to flee for his life.
Eventually, some of those enemies found Blaise and gave him a choice.
They told Blaise that he could offer sacrifices through their idols or lose his life.
Blaise chose to lose his life instead of his faith in Jesus.
As the story goes, St.
Blaise once prayed for a child who had a bone stuck in his throat, and the bone came out.
This is why St.
Blaise is the patron saint of throat sickness.
My mom taught us something for our religion class for homeschool.
Try using the acronym ACTS.
A stands for adoration, C stands for contrition, T stands for thanksgiving, and S stands for supplication.
Adoration.
Spend time telling God you love him.
This can be very short or can involve extended time by just sitting down in God’s presence as you begin prayer.
Contrition.
Take time to think about things you have done to hurt your relationship with God and others since your last time of prayer and then ask for forgiveness.
Thanksgiving.
Focus on God’s goodness before our own needs.
You can be thankful for Jesus' love, even something as silly as for rainbow unicorns.
Supplication.
Finally, after everything else, ask for help for ourselves and others.
By saving this for last, we are not just focused on getting what we want.
Blaise brought healing and peace to others through his strong relationship with the Lord.
An ardent follower of Jesus, Blaise truly became like Christ, even as he was led to a gristly death.
He focused on the needs of those around him.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help us to remember to spend time in prayer using the acronym of Acts.
And help us to become more like you and to always choose you over others.
St.
Blaise, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow, scattering more flowers.
See ya!