Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.

All of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good. We might find them difficult to follow, but that doesn’t mean we should disobey them. We might not understand them, but that doesn’t mean we should turn a deaf ear to them. Instead, we should strive to do good and avoid evil because even though it might be hard, it is the right thing to do. Similarly, we should place our faith in God’s teachings in the hopes we shall one day come to an understanding of those teachings we have trouble understanding. By doing these things, we place our trust in God above ourselves. We say, “As you wish, Lord.” And He, in turn, will give us all the graces we need to prosper in our spiritual journey and have our names written in the book of life.

Do we trust all of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good, even when they are most difficult to follow? Are we willing to follow God’s Will wherever it will take us? Are we willing to make the leaps of faith we need to in order to go where God is leading us?

O Lord, teach us what is good and lead us to the Promised Land.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.

God will always give us the blessings, graces, and gifts that will strengthen us so we can do good and avoid evil. He encourages us through the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the guidance of holy people, and the teachings of the Church to know, love, and serve Him and all His children. He gives us hope in His Goodness and Mercy and shows us how to be compassionate people. It is through Him and in Him and with Him that we can become manifestations of His Divine Will. In a similar way, we are called to encourage others in the faith and help them to grow into the saints they are called to be.

How are we using the strength God gives us? What are we doing with the inspiration and guidance He provides? How are we helping others to grow in goodness, grace, and hope?

O Lord, strengthen us in every good deed and word.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Our help is in the name of the Lord. We were rescued like a bird from the fowlers’ snare; Broken was the snare, and we were freed. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

We are often beset by the wickedness and snares of the Devil and the world. We are bombarded with temptations and assailed by evil. We are undermined by imperfections and apathy. We are weakened and chained by worries, doubts, and fears. However, God is always here to help us. He will rescue us from the fowler’s snare. He will protect us from temptations and evil. He will make firm our foundations by building up our faith, hope, and love. He will strengthen us and free us from all anxieties. He is our great Lord and Helper and we would do well to call on His Holy Name whenever we are in need or suffering.

Do we call on the Lord? Are we willing to allow God to break our chains and lead lives free from sin? How can we help to break the snares that others are trapped in?

O Lord, rescue us from the wickedness and snares of the Evil One.

Amen.

Twenty-First Friday in Ordinary Time

Rejoice in the Lord, you just! The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful ones; from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.

Evil can be alluring. It can be easy. It can tempt us in many ways. But no matter how alluring or easy or tempting it is, it ultimately leads to destruction. Destruction of our relationship with God. Destruction of our connections to family, friends, and neighbors. Destruction of ourselves from the inside out. Evil is corruptive by nature. It decomposes us in body, mind, and soul. It breaks us down and turns us into bleached corpses, dried out and lifeless. This is why we must strive so hard to guard against evil and all its empty promises. If we don’t then we will have no one to blame but ourselves because God give us everything we need to overcome our temptations and be freed from the chains of sin.

Do we hate evil? Are we guarding our lives against it? How can we grow in goodness and help others to do the same?

O Lord, we hate evil, guard our lives against its empty promises.

Amen.

Tenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Holy is the Lord our God. Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he!

Holy is our God, the font of all holiness. If we want to be worthy of heaven, then we have to take the time to drink in His holiness through reading the Scriptures, prayer, mortification, almsgiving, and works of charity and mercy. We worship God best when we are doing good and avoiding evil. God loves it when we listen to Him, but He loves it even more when we take His Divine Word and live it out with faithfulness.

Are we living holy lives? What can we do to grow in holiness? How can we pour that holiness into the world so those around us can grow in holiness, too?

O Lord, you are holy and we worship at your footstool.

Amen.

Seventh Thursday of Easter

Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Keeping God in mind can be difficult in a world that begs us for our undivided attention, but it is necessary if we want to have inner peace. Anchoring our lives to God will give us the stability we need to resist temptations, worries, doubts, and all those things that try to weaken our devotion to God and our love of others. We need God to be at the center of our lives so we can more easily hear Him above the constant noise of the world around us. We need to take time out of each day and simply listen to Him as He exhorts us to do good and avoid evil. If we do this, then we will be kept safe from evil and given hope in a better life with God in heaven.

How can we be better listeners to the Lord? What can we do to keep our hearts and minds open to His holy counsels and inspirations? Are we willing to make space for God in our lives so He can be at our right hand?

O Lord, counsel and exhort us to goodness and holiness.

Amen.

Fourth Friday of Lent

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.

Ultimately, we will be sorted into one of two categories: the just or the evildoers. There is no middle ground with God. We cannot walk the line between good and evil. We cannot pretend indifference. We cannot refuse to make a choice. We will either be good and faithful servants or we shall be evil and rebellious tenants. When the Day of Judgment comes, and it will for us all, we shall stand before God and have to answer for all we have done and not done. If we have chosen wrong over right, then we shall be destroyed. If we have avoided evil and done good, then we shall have eternal life. Those are the only two paths open to us. Hopefully, we shall choose wisely and well.

Do we act justly toward God and His children? Are we willing to uproot the evils that seek to corrupt us? How can we make ourselves more open to being rescued from our distress?

O Lord, we cry out for your help in our times of need.

Amen.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

We are both earthly and heavenly creatures. We have the potential for good and evil that Adam, our first ancestor had. We also have the opportunity to cultivate Christ’s heavenly virtues in our every thought, word, and work. We are our best selves when we choose the goods of earth and heaven over the evils of worldliness. But God won’t force us to be good as He is Good. He won’t take away our free will. He wants us to know, love, and serve Him of our own accord. He wants us to choose eternity in Heaven with Him over the here and now desires we have on the earth. This isn’t to say God doesn’t want us to enjoy the earth, after all He created it and it was good. But that should be something that flows naturally from the course of events as we follow Him and His commandments and not the goal of life itself.

Are we using our earthly selves to do good instead of evil? How are we allowing the heavenly to influence our thoughts, words, and works? What can we do to bear the image of God to the whole world?

O Lord, you made us earthly and heavenly. Help us to understand how to be faithful in both.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

See how the Lord blesses those who fear him. Blessed are you who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; blessed shall you be, and favored.

In life, we must choose whom we are going to disappoint. We cannot find favor with everyone. We cannot please one and all. We either love God and do everything in our power to glory, honor, and praise Him or we love the world and go our own way. The roads to salvation and destruction may occasionally cross from time to time, but they ultimately diverge. And we must make a decision as to which path to follow. The wide and easy way to sin and death or the narrow and difficult trail to holiness and resurrection. We cannot walk the line between good and evil. We either seek to be good or we are evil. Yes, we might falter and fail, we are sinners after all. But if we have chosen God over the world, then we will ask for forgiveness with contrite hearts, do penance, and continue to strive toward holiness.

Do we fear disappointing God? Are we willing to walk His ways even if it means suffering and sacrifice? How can we grow in God’s blessings, good fruits, and favor?

O Lord, guide us along your ways.

Amen.

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare. Had not the LORD been with us—when men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive, When their fury was inflamed against us.

Our souls can be ensnared by many things in this world. They can be ensnared by sin, fears, doubts, anxieties, imperfections, financial worries, health scares, the loss of loved ones, persecutions, and many other trials. However, God will always rescue us from these difficulties if we are willing to accept His help. Even when things seem the worst, He can bring about our triumph. There is no challenge He can’t help us overcome. This doesn’t mean we won’t suffer, like Jesus suffered, but it does mean we will always have the graces we need to overcome every obstacle in our lives.

What things in the world are trying to ensnare us? How can we avoid or overcome these things? What can we do to learn to suffer patiently and trust in God’s ultimate triumph?

O Lord, rescue us from the snares of our enemies.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. When they stood on their feet, great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here." So they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies looked on.

Sometimes it may seem like our enemies have triumphed over us or that the wicked are rewarded for their misdeeds, but in the end, there is always a reckoning with God. Those who mock and persecute us will have to answer for their sins, just as we will have to answer for ours if we trespass against others. Those who do wrong and spurn good will be judged by God and go to their punishment, while those who do good and avoid evil will go to their reward. Those who lie about God, His Church, and His children will be silenced, while the good and faithful people will speak the Truth, follow the Way, and live the Life of Christ for all eternity. We can only hope to be such good witnesses to the Good News that one day God will say to us, “Come up here” and lift us up to heaven and eternal life.

How can we keep faith with God when it seems everything is going wrong? What can we do to ensure we are counted among the good and faithful servants of God? In what ways can we witness to the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ?

O Lord, lift us up and make us into a holy people.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Monday in Ordinary Time

Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once. Plot no evil against your neighbor, against one who lives at peace with you. Quarrel not with a man without cause, with one who has done you no harm. Envy not the lawless man and choose none of his ways: To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination, but with the upright is his friendship.

We must be free with our time, talents, and treasures. Willing to give them to others at a moment’s notice and without hesitation. This isn’t always easy to do, especially if the one asking for help is a stranger, someone we dislike, or even an enemy. We also must be willing to be charitable and merciful when it’s not convenient for us. We must be willing to give our gifts to others no matter what else we’d rather be doing. At the same time, we should not plot evil against others or quarrel with them. No matter what wrongs we have suffered, we are never entitled to vengeance. God is the only Judge and it is for Him and only Him to punish wrongdoers. Last but not least, we are told to envy not the lawless man or his ways. There is a temptation to see the success and pleasures of evil people and wonder why we suffer while they enjoy themselves, but theirs is an empty victory. If we remain true, then we shall enjoy the afterlife and be God’s friends forever and ever.

Are we willing to give to others without counting the cost? Are we willing to be at peace with those whom have harmed us? Are we willing to deny ourselves the ways of the lawless man?

O Lord, we shall stand with you in uprightness.

Amen.

Nineteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

The goal of our lives as Christians is not to be successful in the world, but rather to do good and avoid evil so that when we die, we might be worthy of eternal life with God. We must remember it is the throne of God we must pay homage to first and foremost in our lives. Our hope is to come before God on the Day of Judgment and be called His good and faithful servants. This is what we strive and suffer for... to be found worthy to stand in God's Divine Presence and be filled with love for Him forever and ever.

Are we striving toward the true ends of our lives? Or are we letting the world and its temptations and worries keep us apart from God? What can we do to prepare our bodies, minds, and hearts to worthily stand before the splendor of God for all eternity?

O Lord, may our every thought, word, and work glorify you and lead us closer and closer to life everlasting with you.

Amen.

Fourteenth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

When Ephraim made many altars to expiate sin, his altars became occasions of sin. Though I write for him my many ordinances, they are considered as a stranger's. Though they offer sacrifice, immolate flesh and eat it, the LORD is not pleased with them. He shall still remember their guilt and punish their sins; they shall return to Egypt.

Just because we feel sorry for our sins doesn't mean they will be forgiven. Just because we confess our sins doesn't mean we are absolved. Just because we try to make things right with those we've sinned against doesn't mean we've paid the full price. We need contrition, confession, and penance, all together, to truly be forgiven. We can't leave out one or two of these elements of reconciliation and think we are freed from our sins. We need to be humble and contrite, firmly intending to avoid temptations and sin no more. We need to make a good confession, which means examining our consciences in a serious manner. We need to do our penance with a spirit of thanksgiving and joyfully. When all of these are present, then and only then are we forgiven.

Do we firmly intend to avoid temptations and evil? Do we make contrite and meaningful confessions? Do we seek to make amends with God and all whom we have harmed through sin?

O Lord, make our hearts into true altars of forgiveness.

Amen.

Fifth Friday of Ordinary Time

Take ten pieces for yourself; the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon's grasp and will give you ten of the tribes. One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

God always keeps his promises. Even when those whom he has made the promises turn away from Him. He knows we are not perfect, but He gives us every chance to live the lives He wants for us. He gives us the gifts, talents, and graces to do His Will in all things and at all times. If we fail to do as He asks, then He eventually will give our task to someone else, but He always leaves a part of His promise there for us to take and do good things with. Hopefully, we will not have to lose most everything like Solomon before we return to God, but if we do, then we should remember God remains with us even in the midst of our greatest failures. For our sake, He leaves us a chance to do better, to make amends for our sins, and keep at least a part of what He had planned for us.

What is God calling us to do? What is holding us back or distracting us from that vocation? How can we avoid the temptations that lead us astray and instead choose to follow God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths?

O Lord, remain with us and lead us out of our sins to a better life.

Amen.

Fifth Thursday of Ordinary Time

The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice (for though the LORD had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him).

The Scriptures are full of examples of good people being lured into sin by others. Eve was lured into sin by the serpent, Adam by Eve, David by his lust for another’s wife, Solomon by his wives, and Judas by the Devil. All of them may have started with good intentions and doing good deeds, but eventually all of them fell into sin. In the same way, we all fall, too. We let the world lure us into wickedness or allow our selfishness to lead us into sin. No one is immune to temptation, but we all must do our best to resist it. A good life can be ruined by our inability to convert our hearts away from earthly things and to heavenly ones. The strange gods in our lives can be pride, envy, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, and wrath.

What sins are we constantly lured toward and into? How can we keep God in our hearts? What can we do to avoid all the worldly things that try to usurp God in our lives?

O Lord, give us the strength to never turn away from you again.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Ordinary Time

David grew very angry with that man and said to him: "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this merits death! He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this and has had no pity." Then Nathan said to David: "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.'

Often, when we sin, we are blinded to what we are doing. We don’t necessarily realize how bad our sins are. It takes an outside influence, a person, an event, or something along those lines to rip away our blinders and show us how bad our lives have become. More times than not, we notice the sins and imperfections in others more readily than we do our own. We point out how unfair another person is or shake our heads at their wickedness, but fail to see our own failings, which can be just as unfair and wrong-headed. This is why it is so important for us to remember we are sinners and as such it is not our place to judge others. In addition, our failures should remind us that we ought to be looking out for the good of others, not to take advantage of them or criticize them unjustly.

What can we do to see more clearly our own sins? In what ways can we treat others more mercifully? How can we train ourselves to avoid sin and do what is right even when we are tempted to use a situation for our own selfish gain?

O Lord, free us from our blindness to our own sins.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

None of us really imagines our time running out, at least not when we are healthy and young. We see all these people in the world who die, but rarely do we think about how that might happen to us at any time. There are no guarantees we will live to see the end of this day or the beginning of the next. We may assume so and make plans, but we never truly know when our time on earth will come to an end. This is what we are reminded of in today’s reading and we would do well to heed its advice. Our time is running out and we should use it to the best of our abilities and for the greatest good. We often find reasons to waste time and that is what we are warned against. We should be spending our energies on heavenly and spiritual pursuits and not on worldly ones. Sure, there are times when we need to rest and relax, but we should keep a close eye on those times to make sure they are rejuvenating us and not draining us of time better spent doing good works.

Is our time spent on worldly or spiritual pursuits? How can we make heavenly things the focus of our lives? What can we do to avoid wasting time?

O Lord, help us to focus our time, talents, and treasures on fulfilling your will and not our own.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

As children of God, we are called to be saints, not sinners. We are asked to be righteous and not evil. We are asked to give up the easy and wide path of sin and choose the difficult and narrow one to holiness. We may fall and falter, but if we are children of God we recognize our faults and do something to rectify them. We confess our sins with humble and contrite hearts, do penance, and strive to avoid temptation and sin. If we find ourselves falling into the same sins again and again, then we need to change something about ourselves and the way we live so we can steer clear of our weaknesses and protect ourselves from our flaws. We should always put our best foot forward in resisting temptation and growing in righteousness so we might be worthy heirs to the Kingdom.

Are we righteous? How can we cultivate our sense of good and evil so we can act in accord with our Heavenly Father’s Will in all things? What can we do to avoid sin, especially those sins we are most tempted by?

O Lord, we want to belong to you... body, mind, and heart.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

Through Baptism and Confirmation, we have been anointed as followers of the Holy Trinity... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of these sacraments, we have been given the graces we need to do good and avoid evil. Our consciences have been formed by the teachings of the Gospel and the Church and trained by our good works and prudent choices. God has given us the tools we need to remain with Him by choosing right over wrong and growing in faith, hope, and love. And so, we should have confidence in God, knowing that He will remain with us if we let Him and that if we are faithful to Him we will not be put to shame.

Are we living out our baptismal and confirmation promises? What can we do to remain in God at all times? How can we more perfectly place our confidence in God?

O Lord, help us to remain with you forever.

Amen.