St Ezekiel Moreno; Types of Prayer; The Our Father; The Twelve Apostles
St Ezekiel Moreno
Born on Apr $9$, $1848$ in Alfaro, Spain.
Joined the Augustinian Recollects in Monteagudo in $1864$ and professed vows in $1865$.
Ordained a priest in $1871$ in Manila.
Served as a missionary in Palawan and Mindoro, Cavite, and other places in the Philippines.
Courageously ministered to victims during a cholera outbreak in Cavite.
Later became Bishop of Pasto in Colombia.
Patron saint of cancer patients.
Died in Spain in $1906$ after suffering cancer.
He helped the poor and the sick, addressing both spiritual and social needs.
Canonized in $1992$ by Pope John Paul II.
Types of Prayer
Adoration
Prayer that acknowledges God for what He is.
Expresses love for God.
Praising and worshiping God for who He is.
To express love and reverence for God.
Confession
Praying for the forgiveness of our sins.
To show humility and seek mercy.
Thanksgiving
Being grateful and showing appreciation for God’s blessing and grace.
The greatest prayer of thanks is the Eucharist ( thanksgiving in Greek ) of Jesus.
From the depth of our hearts we can be grateful and tell God this in a variety of ways.
Show gratitude.
Supplication
We ask God for things we need, especially our spiritual needs, and for what others need.
The Our Father as Model of Prayer
The Our Father (the Lord’s Prayer) is the model of all prayer.
Why and how we pray: we pray because we are filled with an infinite longing and God created us for Himself; our hearts are restless until they rest in Him (St. Augustine).
Mother Teresa’s perspective: Because I cannot rely on myself, I rely on Him, twenty-four hours a day.
A Christian prays with an attitude of trusting faith in the one God and Lord; placing all our hope that He will hear, understand, accept, and perfect us.
The Master taught us to pray; He is the source for this prayer.
Saint Augustine on the Our Father: the Our Father is the model of all prayer; you are not to ask for things beyond what is expressed in this prayer; it is necessary to pray sincerely and to pray as the Master taught us to.
"It is necessary to pray, it is necessary to pray sincerely, it is necessary to pray as the Master taught us to" (Saint Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 103, I, 19).
The seven petitions of the Our Father and their focus:
Hollowed be thy name — God: Reverence and glorification of God’s holy name.
Thy kingdom come — God: Desire for God’s reign to be fully established in our hearts and in the world.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven — God: Surrender to God’s will, aligning ourselves with His divine plan.
Give us this day our daily bread — Human need: Request for daily physical and spiritual sustenance (food, Eucharist).
Forgive us our trespasses — Human need: Asking for God’s mercy and the grace to forgive others.
Lead us not into temptation — Human need: Plea for strength to resist sin and avoid occasions of temptation.
But deliver us from evil — Human need: Cry for protection from evil, the devil, and harm in this life and beyond.
The Twelve Apostles
1) Peter (Simon Peter, Cephas)
A fisherman from Bethsaida, brother of Andrew.
Outspoken and impulsive — he confessed Jesus as the Messiah but denied Him three times.
Part of Jesus’ inner circle (with James and John).
After the resurrection, became the main leader of the Jerusalem church, preaching boldly at Pentecost.
Later traveled and evangelized among both Jews and Gentiles.
Church tradition: crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero, upside down at his request (felt unworthy to die like Jesus).
2) Andrew
Brother of Peter, the first disciple called by Jesus.
Introduced others to Jesus (including Peter and the boy with five loaves and two fish).
Worked as a missionary in Greece and Asia Minor.
Tradition: crucified in Patras on an X-shaped cross (St. Andrew’s Cross).
3) James (son of Zebedee, James the Greater)
Brother of John, fisherman, and member of the inner three.
Present at Jesus’ miracles, including the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the Transfiguration.
Nicknamed “Son of Thunder” for fiery zeal.
Became the first apostle martyred — executed by the sword under Herod Agrippa I around $AD$ $44$.
4) John (son of Zebedee)
James’ younger brother, also in the inner circle.
Called the “disciple Jesus loved.”
Took care of Mary, Jesus’ mother, after the crucifixion.
Traditionally credited with writing the Gospel of John, 1–3 John, and Revelation.
Exiled to the island of Patmos.
Believed to be the only apostle who died of natural causes (in Ephesus, in old age).
5) Philip
From Bethsaida, like Peter and Andrew.
Brought Nathanael (Bartholomew) to Jesus.
Known for asking practical questions (e.g., “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”).
Often confused with Philip the Evangelist (a deacon).
According to tradition, preached in Asia Minor and was martyred in Hierapolis — possibly crucified or stoned.
6) Bartholomew (Nathanael)
Mentioned in the apostolic lists but little recorded about him.
Tradition identifies him with Nathanael, whom Jesus called “an Israelite with no deceit.”
Missionary journeys possibly to India, Armenia, and Mesopotamia.
Death traditions: flayed alive, beheaded, or crucified upside down.
7) Thomas (Didymus—the Twin)
Famously remembered as “Doubting Thomas” for refusing to believe the resurrection until he touched Jesus’ wounds.
Also showed great loyalty: “Let us go, that we may die with Him.”
Tradition: traveled as far as India, where he established early Christian communities (the St. Thomas Christians).
Martyred around $AD$ $72$ — likely killed by spears.
8) Matthew (Levi)
Former tax collector — an occupation despised by Jews.
Left everything behind when called by Jesus.
Traditionally regarded as the author of the Gospel of Matthew (though scholarly debate exists).
His writings emphasize Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Traditions about his death vary—some say he was burned, stoned, or beheaded; details uncertain.
9) James (son of Alphaeus, James the Less)
Very little is known; his name appears in lists.
Sometimes identified with James the Just (leader of the Jerusalem church), but this is debated.
If the same person, tradition says he was martyred in Jerusalem, possibly thrown from the temple and then beaten to death.
Otherwise, details of his life and mission remain a mystery.
10) Jude (Thaddeus, Judas son of James)
Also called Thaddeus, Lebbaeus, or Judas (not Iscariot).
Not much recorded in Scripture beyond a question he asked Jesus at the Last Supper.
Tradition claims he spread the gospel in Mesopotamia and Persia.
Later Christian devotion venerates him as patron saint of desperate cases.
Death traditions: either clubbed to death or killed with an ax.
11) Simon the Zealot
Called “the Zealot,” possibly linked to the Jewish revolutionary group, though may simply mean “zealous.”
Almost nothing is recorded in Scripture about him.
Traditions about his missionary work vary — some say he went to Egypt, Persia, or even Britain.
Death accounts are conflicting: crucifixion, being sawn in half, or peaceful death.
12) Judas Iscariot
The only apostle who betrayed Jesus.
Kept money and sold Jesus to the chief priests for pieces of silver.
Overcome with guilt, he hanged himself (Matthew’s account) or fell and died (Acts’ account).
His betrayal led to his replacement in the Twelve.