Daily Prayers for June 20
Osanna of Mantua (1449 – 1505)
Born to wealthy parents in Mantua, Italy, Osanna Andreasi, at age five, heard the voice of God saying, “Life and death consist in loving God.” She was then given a vision of heaven and the Trinity. Tradition has it that Osanna learned to read and write by divine revelation and began studying theology after this vision. Against her parents’ wishes, she longed to join the Third Order of Dominicans, but she would have to wait thirty-seven years to complete her vows. Upon the untimely death of her parents, Osanna committed her life to serving Christ and caring for her family of siblings. She was privy to ongoing holy visions and was reputed to have received the stigmata — the wounds of Christ. She spent her life aiding the poor and sick and speaking out boldly against aristocrats who lived lavish lives while others suffered.
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you
as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us sing to the Lord : let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Song “Holy, Holy, Holy”
Life and death consist : in loving you, O God.
Psalm 104:32 – 37
May the glory of the Lord endure for ever : may the Lord rejoice in all his works.
He looks at the earth and it trembles : he touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live : I will praise my God while I have my being.
May these words of mine please him : I will rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed out of the earth : and the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul : Hallelujah!
Life and death consist : in loving you, O God.
Ruth 2:14 – 23 Acts 9:32 – 43
Life and death consist : in loving you, O God.
John Chrysostom, a fourth-century preacher and bishop of Constantinople, said, “Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, or giving generously in the ser-vice of others. Our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
Lord, we know that you will come again in glory to raise the living and the dead. Resurrect us now from the death of comfort, complacency, sloth, and shallowness that we might witness to your love in life and death. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
