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The Word Among Us Press 7115 Guilford Drive, Suite 100 Frederick, Maryland 21704 www.wau.org ISBN: 978-1-59325-294-6 © 2016 by The Word Among Us All Rights Reserved
Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965 and 1966, and the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, both by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. Scripture readings from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar are adapted for use in the United States. Celebrations of solemnities, feasts, memorials, or other observances particular to your country, diocese, or parish may result in some variation. Compiled by Jeanne Kun Cover design by David Crosson No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed in China
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Dear Friend in Christ, How good it is to give God the worship, thanks, and honor that are due him! We have been created for this very purpose—and it’s not only right to praise the Lord, but it’s also our delight. There’s no better way to use our voices than by declaring God’s praises, magnifying his name, and proclaiming his goodness. There’s nothing better that we can give him than a heart filled with love, gratitude, and adoration. And so, with this year’s Prayer Journal, entitled I Will Praise Your Name Forever, you are invited to join with the countless believers here on earth as well as all the saints and angels in heaven in a great chorus of praise to God. As in previous years, on each page of this year’s journal you’ll find quotations from saints, Christian writers, Church documents, or verses from Scripture. Most of these texts reflect the journal’s theme, stirring you to lift up your heart in worship. Others correspond to the feast days of the saints, special holy days and seasons in the liturgical year, or the Scripture readings from the Mass of the day. You will also find, at the beginning of each month, a longer inspirational quote, hymn, or prayer. Reflecting on these month by month will inspire you to praise the Lord’s name throughout the entire year. As is customary, the journal also provides the Mass readings for each day of the year. In 2017 the Church is following Year A, with the Gospel readings for the Sundays in Ordinary Time taken from the Gospel of Matthew. For weekdays, the Mass readings follow Cycle I.
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Many Christians find journaling to be a useful spiritual and practical tool, and they are enthusiastic about its many benefits. Journaling has a longstanding and time-honored history in the Church; some of the greatest saints have kept spiritual journals. Two examples of well-known saints’ journals are St. Therese of Lisieux’s The Story of a Soul and Pope St. John XXIII’s Journal of a Soul. Indeed, Giovanni Roncalli began keeping a journal when he was barely fourteen years old, and continued this practice through his years as a seminarian, priest, bishop, cardinal, and election as Pope John XXIII. He kept up journaling until a few months before his death at the age of eighty-one! A journal is not a diary recounting daily events and activities. Rather, keeping a journal is an accompaniment to prayer, helping us listen more closely to the Lord. With pen in hand, we can “talk” to the Lord through our journal. If we sense that God is saying something to us or if a particular Scripture passage strikes us, we can write it down. A journal also provides us with a record of our daily times with God—something we can return to whenever we want to see how he has been working in our lives. In fact, many journal users make it an annual practice to recall their “spiritual journey” by reviewing their journal as the year draws to a close. As one reader noted, “At the end of the year, I like to go back and read what I made note of in the journal, because that way I can remember and be truly grateful for what God has done for me.” As you use this journal throughout 2017, may you—day by day—“call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised” (Psalm 18:3). The Word Among Us Press
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A b b r e v i at i o n s o f Books of the Bible Acts Acts of the Apostles
Jb Job
Ob Obadiah
Am Amos
Jdt Judith
Phil Philippians
Bar Baruch
Jer Jeremiah
Phlm Philemon
1 Chr 1 Chronicles
Jgs Judges
Prv Proverbs
Jl Joel
Ps Psalms
Jn John
1 Pt 1 Peter
1 Jn 1 John
2 Pt 2 Peter
2 Jn 2 John
Rom Romans
3 Jn 3 John
Ru Ruth
Jon Jonah
Rv Revelation
Jos Joshua
Sg Song of Songs
Jude Jude
Sir Sirach
1 Kgs 1 Kings
1 Sm 1 Samuel
2 Kgs 2 Kings
2 Sm 2 Samuel
Lam Lamentations
Tb Tobit
Lk Luke
1 Thes 1 Thessalonians
2 Chr 2 Chronicles Col Colossians 1 Cor 1 Corinthians 2 Cor 2 Corinthians Dn Daniel Dt Deuteronomy Eccl Ecclesiastes Eph Ephesians Est Esther Ex Exodus Ez Ezekiel Ezr Ezra Gal Galatians Gn Genesis Hb Habakkuk Heb Hebrews Hg Haggai Hos Hosea Is Isaiah Jas James
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Lv Leviticus Mal Malachi
2 Thes 2 Thessalonians
1 Mc 1 Maccabees
Ti Titus
2 Mc 2 Maccabees
1 Tm 1 Timothy
Mi Micah
2 Tm 2 Timothy
Mk Mark
Wis Wisdom
Mt Matthew
Zec Zechariah
Na Nahum
Zep Zephaniah
Neh Nehemiah Nm Numbers
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January 2017
May 2017
September 2017
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4 5 6
S M T W T F S 1 2
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
29 30 31
28 29 30 31
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
February 2017
June 2017
October 2017
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
1 2 3
S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
26 27 28
25 26 27 28 29 30
29 30 31
March 2017
July 2017
November 2017
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
1
S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
26 27 28 29 30
30 31
April 2017 S M T W T F S
August 2017 S M T W T F S
December 2017 S M T W T F S
1
1 2 3 4 5
1 2
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
27 28 29 30 31
30
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24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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January 2018
May 2018
September 2018
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5
1
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
28 29 30 31
27 28 29 30 31
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
30
February 2018 S M T W T F S
June 2018 S M T W T F S
October 2018 S M T W T F S
1 2 3
1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
25 26 27 28
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
28 29 30 31
March 2018 S M T W T F S
July 2018 S M T W T F S
November 2018 S M T W T F S
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
29 30 31
25 26 27 28 29 30
April 2018 S M T W T F S
August 2018
December 2018
S M T W T F S
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4
1
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
29 30
26 27 28 29 30 31
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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J a n ua ry
P
raise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, Now to his altar draw near, Joining in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend thee; Ponder anew What the Almighty can do, Who with his love doth befriend thee! Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him! All that has life and breath come now in praises before him. Let the Amen Sound from his people again; Now as we worship before him. — Hymn based on chorale by Joachim Neander
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May she, the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Church, obtain through her intercession a renewed outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the Church and upon the world. —Pope Francis
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Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God
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Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
• Nm 6:22-27 • Ps 67:2-3, 5-6, 8 • Gal 4:4-7 • Lk 2:16-21
Sunday
• 1 Jn 2:22-28 • Ps 98:1-4 • Jn 1:19-28
Monday
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How great is your name, O Lord! It is the strength of my soul. When my strength fails, and darkness invades my soul, your name is the sun whose rays give lights and also warmth. —St. Faustina Kowalska
The Most Holy Name of Jesus • 1 Jn 2:29–3:6 • Ps 98:1, 3c-6 • Jn 1:29-34
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Tuesday
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton • 1 Jn 3:7-10 • Ps 98:1, 7-9 • Jn 1:35-42
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Wednesday
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My God, how great you are, how wonderful in all your works! Teach me your will that I may begin and end all my actions for your greater glory. —St. John Neumann
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Saint John Neumann
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Saint André Bessette
• 1 Jn 3:11-21 • Ps 100:1b-5 • Jn 1:43-51
Thursday
• 1 Jn 5:5-13 • Ps 147:12-15, 19-20 • Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-38
Friday
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The angels and shepherds praise you and the magi advance with the star, for you are born for us, little Child, God eternal! —Romanus the Melodist
Saint Raymond of Penyafort
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• 1 Jn 5:14-21 • Ps 149:1-6a, 9b • Jn 2:1-11
Saturday
The Epiphany of the Lord • Is 60:1-6 • Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13 • Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 • Mt 2:1-12
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Sunday
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Through his baptism in the Jordan, Christ came to sanctify the whole of creation. . . . When Jesus plunges in the depths of the Jordan, all things are made new. —Br. Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latorrette
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The Baptism of the Lord • Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Acts 10:34-38 • Ps 29:1-4, 9-10 • Mt 3:13-17
Monday
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• Heb 2:5-12 • Ps 8:2ab, 5-9 • Mk 1:21-28
Tuesday
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O come, let us worship and bow down, / let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, / and we are the people of his pasture, / and the sheep of his hand. —Psalm 95:6-7 • Heb 2:14-18 • Ps 105:1-4, 6-9 • Mk 1:29-39
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Wednesday
• Heb 3:7-14 • Ps 95:6-11 • Mk 1:40-45
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Thursday
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The chief service I owe you, O God, is that every thought and word of mine should speak of you. —St. Hilary
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Saint Hilary
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• Heb 4:12-16 • Ps 19:8-10, 15 • Mk 2:13-17
• Heb 4:1-5, 11 • Ps 78:3-4, 6c-8 • Mk 2:1-12
Friday
Saturday
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You have multiplied, O Lord my God, / your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; / none can compare with you. —Psalm 40:5
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time • Is 49:3, 5-6 • Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10 • 1 Cor 1:1-3 • Jn 1:29-34
15 Sunday
• Heb 5:1-10 • Ps 110:1-4 • Mk 2:18-22
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Monday
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Remember with thanksgiving the blessings and providence of God . . . [and] glorify God, giving him from the heart praises that rise on high. —St. Anthony
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Saint Anthony
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• Heb 7:1-3, 15-17 • Ps 110:1-4 • Mk 3:1-6
• Heb 6:10-20 • Ps 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c • Mk 2:23-28
Tuesday
Wednesday
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Ultimately, it is the very life of man, man himself as living righteously, that is the true worship of God. —Pope Benedict XVI
• Heb 7:25–8:6 • Ps 40:7-10, 17 • Mk 3:7-12
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Thursday
Saint Fabian; Saint Sebastian • Heb 8:6-13 • Ps 85:8, 10-14 • Mk 3:13-19
20 Friday
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Clap your hands, all you peoples; / shout to God with loud songs of joy. / For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, / a great king over all the earth. —Psalm 47:1-2
21
Saint Agnes
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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
• Heb 9:2-3, 11-14 • Ps 47:2-3, 6-9 • Mk 3:20-21
Saturday
• Is 8:23–9:3 • Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14 • 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 • Mt 4:12-23
Sunday
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Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn, and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, . . . deserving of the utmost reverence and respect. —Pope Francis
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children; Saint Vincent; Saint Marianne Cope
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Monday
• Heb 9:15, 24-28 • Ps 98:1-6 • Mk 3:22-30
Saint Francis de Sales • Heb 10:1-10 • Ps 40:2, 4, 7-8a, 10-11 • Mk 3:31-35
24 Tuesday
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The one thing Paul feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God. . . . Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God. —St. John Chrysostom
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The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle
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Saints Timothy and Titus
• Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 • Ps 117:1b-2 • Mk 16:15-18
Wednesday
• 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5 • Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a, 10 • Mk 4:21-25
Thursday
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Jesus rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” . . . And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” —Mark 4:39, 41
Saint Angela Merici • Heb 10:32-39 • Ps 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40 • Mk 4:26-34
27 Friday
Saint Thomas Aquinas • Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 • (Ps) Lk 1:69-75 • Mk 4:35-41
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Saturday
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To love God is something greater than to know him. -- St. Thomas Aquinas
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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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• Heb 11:32-40 • Ps 31:20-24 • Mk 5:1-20
• Zep 2:3; 3:12-13 • Ps 146:6-10 • 1 Cor 1:26-31 • Mt 5:1-12a
Sunday
Monday
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All for God and for his glory. In whatever you do, think of the glory of God as your main goal. —St. John Bosco
Saint John Bosco • Heb 12:1-4 • Ps 22:26b-28, 30-32 • Mk 5:21-43
31 Tuesday
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