Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.  And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

It is through our baptism that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We share in his death through our own weaknesses and sins, which he took upon himself and cleanses from us through the cross. We also share in his new life through our faith in him, the sacraments of His Holy Church, and through our choices to live in imitation of him. His love and forgiveness offer us a model to follow and a yoke to embrace. So, let us carry our crosses without complaint or hesitation and seek to know, love, and serve God and His children in all things.

How often do we renew our baptismal promises? What can we do to keep our calling to be Christ-like at the forefront of our minds? How can we help others to rise from the death of sin and be resurrected into a new life?

O Lord, destroy the chains of sin and raise us to new lives in you.

Amen.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are all called to live in Christian unity with each other. This is what Jesus wanted for his people. He wanted us to be one in body and spirit, sharing in one hope... the second coming of himself and the salvation of our souls. He wanted to be our one and only Lord, leading us in one faith and one baptism. He wanted his Heavenly Father to be ours so we might be one holy family. The key to unity with God is to humbly accept God as our Father, our Brother, and our Spiritual Spouse.

Are we living in a manner worthy of the call we have received? How can we cultivate the humility, gentleness, and patience to bear with one another through love? What can we do to keep our unity with God and others?

O Lord, give us the grace to live out our baptismal calling.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Easter

"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'  If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?" When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, "God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too."

We are all baptized with the Holy Spirit and through that baptism, we are given my gifts. We are given the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. We are given the virtues of faith, hope, love, prudence, temperance, justice, and courage. We are given the love, mercy, and grace of God to see us through every moment of our lives. When we realize the treasures God has given us, we should have only one response... asking God what we are being called to do and then doing it to the best of our abilities. Even if we don’t understand why God is leading us in one direction or another, we have to trust in Him and let him lead us to where we need to be as Christians. We have to stop objecting, glorify God, and accept His Divine Will.

Do we give thanks for God for all the gifts He has given us through baptism? How can we lead Spirit-filled lives, embodying the Good News in all we think, say, and do? How can we be an aid to God’s Divine Plan and not a hindrance to it?

O Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.

Every Christian has entered into an agreement with God through our baptism. We have promised to worship Him and Him alone, to walk in His ways, obey his commandments, and listen to His inspirations. In return, God promises to hold a special place for us as His people. He will guide us through life, raise us from the dead, and grant us eternal life with Him in Heaven. All we have to do is live out our baptismal promises, doing His Will in all things by our own choice.

Are we living up to our agreement with God? Have we been harkening to His voice and following His commandments? Do we realize how blessed we are to be His people?

O Lord, help us to live up to our calling to be a sacred people dedicated to you.

Amen.

First Sunday of Lent

This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

The Noah’s ark prefigured the sacrament of baptism, which saves all Christians, who accept its cleansing and live out its spirit with a clean conscience. Jesus offered all of us this blessing and grace through his life and death. He died for us so that we might live. He took our sins upon his sinless self in order to give us hope in a new life. He accepted the abuses of his passion and death so we might be freed from the chains of sin. He has built for us a bridge to heaven through his cross. He has gone to heaven before us to prepare a place for us... if we are willing to allow him to do so and live our lives in accordance with God’s Will.

How often do we thank God for the saving grace of our baptism? How can we live out our baptismal promises more faithfully? In what ways can our lives embody the sacrament of baptism and its graces?

O Lord, grant us the grace of a clear conscience and a baptismal life.

Amen.

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Altogether there were about twelve men.

In the sacrament of baptism, we receive an indelible mark on our souls that consecrates us as belonging to Christ and grants us the Holy Spirit. Once baptized, we are forever Christians. There is no way to erase the mark, even if we cut ourselves off from the Church, the Body of Christ. We will always retain the seal of our baptism. Hopefully, we do not want to rid ourselves of this holy seal, but rather to live up to it. The best way for us to live with the mark of baptism is to live out our baptismal promises with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. To proclaim our love for our Heavenly Father, His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit that makes up the Trinity. It was by the three personal names of our One God that we were joined with Him and His Church. And just as the Holy Spirit is the Love of Father for Son and Son for Father, so too the Church is the love of the Holy Trinity for us and us for the Holy Trinity. Our love for God and each other lives in the Church and her teachings and traditions because God is alive in her.

Are we living up to the responsibilities of being Christians? How do we manifest and magnify the indelible mark that has be left upon our souls through the sacrament of baptism? How can we more perfectly imitate the love of the Holy Trinity in our love of God and others, especially through the institution of the Church?

O Lord, send your Holy Spirit upon us so we might live and love like God.

Amen.

The Baptism of the Lord

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Jesus’ baptism unites him with us. It is through it that Christ identifies himself with sinners and takes the next step in the story of salvation. And like him, when we are baptized, we are prepared for our ministry through the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the children of God. Of course, we might not feel worthy of what we are being asked to do in this life, but God often asks us to move out of our comfort zone in order to serve Him. He asks us to set aside our feelings of inadequacy and do His Will because it is part of His Plan for the salvation of souls. This leap of faith can be great or small, but no matter what it is, we will need to jump or miss out on a chance to show God that we love Him more than life itself.

How do we unite ourselves to Jesus? How can we overcome our sense of unworthiness and do God’s Will in spite of our anxieties? In what ways do our lives fulfill all righteousness and further God’s Plan for the salvation of souls?

O Lord, may our lives be spent fulfilling our baptismal promises and lead to the salvation of souls.

Amen.

Christmas Weekday

This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and Blood.  The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three who testify, the Spirit, the water, and the Blood, and the three are of one accord.

The Spirit, the water, and the Blood testify to the truth of God’s love for us. The water of our baptism proclaims us to be beloved members of the Body of Christ. The Eucharistic Blood of Christ unites us with Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross so we can share in his resurrection. The Spirit strengthened through our confirmation reminds us God is our advocate and our guide. All three of these point to how much we are loved by God. He wants us to be with Him forever in paradise and so He gave us Himself. He became man as an expression of His desire to be with us forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How do we express our love for God through our baptismal promises? What can we do to better prepare ourselves for the reception of God’s love through the Eucharist? How can we open our hearts to the truth being given to us through the Spirit?

O Lord, we want to be in accord with you, especially through the celebration of the sacraments.

Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

We have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and the fire of love so we might not burn in the unquenchable fire of selfishness. Jesus has given us an example of what it means to be on fire for God and a light for the nations. If we do not repent or accept God’s offer of forgiveness, then our hearts will become like chaff. Dried out husks with no good fruits within them. However, if we allow God to nourish us on the waters of love and mercy, then grace shall grow within us and we shall bear abundant fruits. And at the end of our lives, Jesus will gather our good works into the heavenly storehouse and we shall be counted among His good and faithful servants.

Are we repentant? Are we willing to let the Holy Spirit enkindle our hearts, minds, and bodies? What fruits are we producing?

O Lord, baptize us with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Baptism of the Lord

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus shares in the baptism of John because he wants to unite himself to us. He might not have needed to be cleansed, but he wants to let us know that he understands our need for forgiveness and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. His baptism is also a sign of his transition from his private life as a carpenter and the son of Mary and Joseph to his public life as the Messiah and Savior. Just like Jesus, we also are called to transition from our private lives to public lives of faith. We might not be called to leave behind our private lives completely as Jesus was, but to some degree all Christians are called to lead a public life in imitation of Jesus. We can do this through our thoughts, words, and works. We can do this through small and great acts of love, mercy, and grace towards others or through lives of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting for God’s greater glory. The degree to which we transition from our private, worldlier lives to public, faithful lives is the degree to which we manifest Jesus Christ to those around us. So let us be beacons of God’s Will in the world so that one day our Heavenly Father will be able to say to us, “You are my beloved Son (or daughter); with you I am well please.”

Do we pray for the grace to live our faith in a way that brings ourselves and others closer to God? How do we imitate Jesus’ public ministry in our own lives? Are our lives pleasing to God?

O Lord, send your Holy Spirit down upon us so that we might be transformed into your beloved children and please you in all that we think, say, and do.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Thursday of Ordinary Time

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!”

Just like Christ, we should all be ablaze with the desire to see God’s Will accomplished. We are all called to be lights burning with the love, mercy, and grace of God, setting the world around us on fire with our faith, hope, and charity. We also must be willing to be baptized in whatever manner that God chooses for us. We might be asked to suffer physical trials or spiritual tribulations for the greater glory of God. However, we should be willing to undergo all things and undertake all tasks to fulfill God’s Divine Plan for us. We might not understand why we are called to do certain things and we may fall out of favor with our family and friends because of our devotion to Christ, but in the end the sufferings will be well worth the eternal reward. The pleasures and pains of this world are fleeting and pass away, but God’s love is forever.

Are we ablaze with Christ? Are we willing to be baptized by trials and suffering? What do we need to do to see God’s Will accomplished?

O Lord, set us on fire with your love.

Amen.

Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

The blood and water that pours out of the side of Jesus reminds us of the love and mercy God constantly offers us. It is out of love for us that Christ sacrifices himself on the cross and it is out of mercy that he accepts the waters of baptism from John. When the lance pierces his side, these symbols of his love and mercy flow out into the world. They are also made manifest when the Church celebrates them in the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. The symbolic act of the piercing of the side reminds us that if we truly live Christ-like lives, then love and mercy will flow from our legacy just as it did after Jesus's death.

Do we appreciate the sacrifice God made for us on the cross? Do the love and mercy of God flow from our lives not only when things are going well, but also when we are being persecuted or suffering trials? What will our spiritual legacy be?

O Lord, let your blood of love and water of mercy flow from our hearts.

Amen.

The Baptism of the Lord

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

We are all children of God. However, we are not always pleasing to our Heavenly Father. We can be selfish and let a variety of sins and imperfections keep us from being the best of children. Thankfully, we are all beloved by God, even when we are least loving toward Him. It is through our baptism that we recognize God as our Father and through it we inherit a great mission to know, love, and serve God and all his children to the best of our ability. We might not always be successful in our attempts, but it is the trying which God wants from us. He, unlike the world, is not interested in a tally of wins or losses, successes and failures, he is much more interested in the doing of good no matter the cost. It is in being good and faithful servants that we too will be found pleasing to Him just as Jesus was, is, and ever will be pleasing to Him.

Do we feel beloved by God? If not, why do we think our sins can keep God's love at bay when the only thing that can do that is our denial of His love through our own despair or lack of contrition? How do we live out our baptismal calling to know, love, and serve God and His children?

O Lord, prepare us for the great and little missions of love in our lives and help us to live them out according to our baptismal calling.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen

I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

We are all unworthy. This is a reality that we sometimes forget in the successes of our lives. We say good things and do good works, and a part of us believes these things make us worthy of God’s forgiveness. However, these things although often signs of grace and expressions of our love are not guarantees of our salvation. We can do all the right things for the wrong reasons. We can say yes to God with a part of our minds, but fail to will it with all our heart. In the end, God gives us forgiveness as a gratuitous gift and it is in our seeking this gift in contrition and accepting it in humility that we find our salvation.

Have we ever felt holier-than-thou towards anyone? If so, how can we make up for this transgression? If not, than how do we remind ourselves of our unworthiness without falling into despair?

O Lord, we are not worthy to receive you into our hearts, but you have said the Word through your Son Jesus Christ and we are made worthy through the healing power of your Love.

Amen.