First Sunday of Advent

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has bestowed on us many graces throughout our lives. We might not notice them. We may take them for granted. Or we may even turn our backs on them, but they are always within our reach. All we have to do is accept them, use them wisely and well, and give God thanks for all His help. If we welcome God’s Grace into our hearts, then He will enrich us in every way with virtues, holiness, works of charity and mercy, and spiritual rewards. He will make us into saints fashioned in the likeness of Jesus, our Lord and King.

What graces has God given us? Do we give Him glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all He has done for us? How can we more perfectly put to use the physical, mental, and spiritual graces God has provided us?

O Lord, keep us firm in our faith to the end.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Friday in Ordinary Time

The Lord will judge the world with justice. You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever. The nations are sunk in the pit they have made; in the snare they set, their foot is caught.

God rebukes the wicked. He will not remember them if they do not amend their lives. He will forget them and blot them out forever when the time of final judgment comes. And He will do this not out of hatred, but out of disappointment with them. Those who have sunk into the pit of sin and apathy will be discarded like chaff and destroyed. Those who are evil and set snares for others will be punished for their crimes and caught in their own webs. They shall die irrevocable deaths, forgotten, just as they forgot about their duties to God and His children. So, let us pray we will always remember our calling to be Christ-like and to do all things in accordance with God’s Will. Let us hope we will not disappoint God so much that He no longer wishes to see us with Him in Heaven. Let us be humble, contrite, and merciful so He will see us as His beloved children and allow us to one day join Him in Paradise.

Do we reject sin and evil? Are we willing to rebuke wickedness when we see it, even when speaking up might cost us dearly? How can we be more courageous and just in all our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, help us to reject wickedness and live just lives.

Amen.

Twentieth Monday in Ordinary Time

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. They did not exterminate the peoples, as the LORD had commanded them, But mingled with the nations and learned their works.

God may have created us in this world, but He does not want us to be enthralled with it. He made us for Himself and does not want anything or anyone else taking us away from Him. He wants our undivided attention and gives us every grace we need to resist the temptations of the world around us. He set us apart from the world through our baptism and if we want any part in His Kingdom, then we must honor His wishes by living lives detached from earthly things. We must rid ourselves of all those things that compete with God for our attention. We must disentangle ourselves from worldly doubts, fears, worries, and possessions. And instead, we should pick up the life of Christ, put it on, and walk with God always at our side.

What do we need to exterminate from our lives? What worldly things must we disentangle ourselves from so we might attach ourselves more perfectly to Christ? How can we cultivate a spirit of holy detachment from the world?

O Lord, you created us to be wholly yours, let it be so always.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes.

God has taught us everything we need to know to be holy people. He gave us the Scriptures to teach us. He gave us His Beloved Son to show us. He gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us. He gave us His Church to shelter us. We know His Commandments from keeping holy the Sabbath day to not coveting your neighbors’ goods. We know the Golden Rule to love God and one another as God loves us. If we keep His Commandments and love with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, then we will be blessed and enter into eternal life with God, Our Heavenly Father.

Do we ask for and seek guidance in how best to live the Christ-like life? What can we do to better learn and practice the statutes of our God? How can we lead others to follow God’s commandments?

O Lord, guide us in the way of your commands.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In many ways we can be childish in our lives. We can be selfish, inconsiderate, and temperamental. However, if we have faith, hope, and love, then we will grow into holy children of God. We shall become Christ-like in all things, see the world around us more clearly, and know God’s Will more perfectly. The difference between childishness and child-likeness is the difference between self-centeredness and God-centeredness, between prideful self-dependence and trusting dependence upon God. Yes, God asks us to put away the childish things in our lives, the ones that lead us away from Him, but He doesn’t want us to rid ourselves of the most important thing we have to offer Him... our child-like love.

In what ways are we childish? How can we overcome these selfish and prideful sins and imperfections? What can we do to become a more faithful, hopeful, and loving child of our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, help us to put away those childish things that keep us from being holy heirs to your Heavenly Kingdom.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

In the day to day of the world, we can get distracted by lots of things. We can lose sight of what really matters. We can forget what we really should want above all... to see God’s face in Heaven. However, with prayer, practice, and persistence we can bring this desire to the forefront of our lives. We can find ways to overcome our distractions, worries, and fears and instead focus on what is truly important... our relationship with God and with His children.

How can we rid ourselves of all those distractions that keep us from living the Christ-like life? What can we do to found our lives more perfectly upon God’s Presence within us? How can we improve our relationship with the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

O Lord, help us to establish our lives upon you so that one day we might see your face.

Amen.

Thursday After Epiphany

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. From fraud and violence he shall redeem them, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. May they be prayed for continually; day by day shall they bless him.

God sent His Beloved Son into the world to redeem us from sin, hatred, violence, selfishness, and all other evils. He purchased our lives with the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. He made His Son into a living sacrifice through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We should all be humbled to think that God came down from Heaven, became man, and sacrificed Himself for a people who constantly sin against Him. How many of us would be willing to sacrifice ourselves for those who ignore, abandon, persecute, and abuse us on a daily basis? And yet, this is what God calls us all to do... to love others as He loves them, which means being willing to suffer and even die for those who would do neither for us.

Do we thank God for all He has redeemed us from in this life? How can we act more Christ-like in our treatment of others, especially those whom we find most difficult to love? What can we do to prepare ourselves to become living sacrifices to God for others?

O Lord, bless us and make us into holy sacrifices to you for others.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Monday in Ordinary Time

I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.

Though we might not write Jesus' name or our Heavenly Father's name or the name of the Holy Spirit upon our foreheads, it should be clear to all whom we meet that we are Christians. Our every thought should be guided by the commandments of our Father, the teachings of His Son, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. The words we speak to others should find their source in God. The works we do should proclaim we are followers of Christ and bear good fruits. Just as God is always with us, so we must always be with Him in spirit and truth. We should be beacons on a hill, leading all of God's children to the Promised Land and singing God's praises all the days of our lives.

Is it clear to others that we are Christians? How can we act more Christ-like in thought, word, and work? In what ways can we lead others to holier lives founded upon our relationships with the Holy Trinity?

O Lord, write your name upon our hearts and foreheads.

Amen.

Thirtieth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two.

Paul rejoices at the prospect of life or death. He sees both paths as ways to fulfill his calling. In the same way, we are called to be detached enough from life to be not afraid of death. Death is just a doorway to Christ and a new life. We have nothing to fear from it. If God sees fit to take our lives today, then our response should be, "Amen. So be it!" If He lets us live for many years to come, then we should response, "Amen. So be it!" Both options should spark a fire of hope within us. Life should spark within us an eagerness to do fruitful labor and magnify Christ in thought, word, and work. Death should spark within us the joyful expectation of spending the rest of eternity with our Beloved God. There is no loss for us in death as long as we live the Christ-like life and strive to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Do we rejoice in God no matter what He is asking of us? Are we bold in our faith, always seeking ways to magnify the Lord? How can we cultivate the attitude of detachment we need to be willing to live or die for our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, we shall rejoice in life or death as long as both lead us ever closer to you.

Amen.

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.

Through baptism, we have been united to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We have been given the vocation to walk the Way, speak the Truth, and live the Life of Christ. We have been asked to be willing to mortify ourselves and suffer for the glory of God and the good of others. We have been given the love, mercy, and grace we need to free ourselves from sin and death. All these things lead us into a deeper union with God and if we are willing to crucify our old selves for God, then we shall be made worth of a life with Him in Heaven.

How can we grow in union with God? Are we truly willing to crucify ourselves in meaningful and life transforming ways? How can we become more Christ-like in our lives so that we might overcome death and share in the resurrection?

O Lord, we choose to die for you so we might live with you forever.

Amen.

Solemnity of All Saints

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

Jesus came into the world to make us all into the adopted children of God. He came to show us how to cast off our sinful selves and put on the spirit of the Lamb. He became our scapegoat so we might be washed clean of our sins by His Precious Blood. He become our food so we might be united to God through His Blessed Body. If we do these things, then the world will not recognize us and we will not become lost in its lures, temptations, and vices. By accepting our call to be children of God, we become more and more like Jesus and our eyes are opened so we can see God as He is and our fellow brothers and sisters as they are, too. So, let us make ourselves pure as Jesus is pure so one day we might join him in Heaven forever and ever.

Do we think, speak, and act like children of God? How can we purify ourselves so we are more like Christ in all things? What can we do to follow our calling to become good and faithful children of our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, we are your children now.

Amen.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

The vocation of our lives as Christians is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is why we take his name to describe us as a community of believers. It is from God that all good things come and it is through imitation of His Beloved Son that we do good and avoid evil. When we think, speak, and act like Jesus, we proclaim ourselves the brothers and sisters of Christ and accept all the responsibilities this relationship entails. We promise God to be holy, good, charitable, merciful, and virtuous to the best of our abilities. If we do this, then we will fulfill our purpose on this earth, be justified by Christ, and glorified at the Resurrection on the Last Day.

Are we conformed to the image of Christ? If not, then in what ways can we become more Christ-like in thought, word, and deed? How can we help others to become better Christians, too?

O Lord, conform us to yourself.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Friday in Ordinary Time

The one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

We are all called to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God and it is by these two vocations that we will be judged. God will judge whether we have been good and faithful servants in these regards. He will shine the light of truth on all our thoughts, words, and works and we will see what is hidden within us. We shall know every motive, good or bad, and see every virtue and vice. We will truly know ourselves and whether we have lived Christ-like lives or if we have lived foolishly and falsely. We shall know if we have been charitable or selfish, hopefully or despairing, faithful or indifferent Hopefully, God will find something praise-worthy within all of us. But if we doubt He will find good works in our hearts, then we should amend our lives so we might do something worthy of being called Christians.

Are we being good and faithful servants of Christ? Have we been loyal and trust-worthy stewards of the mysteries of God? How can we align our motives and actions more perfectly with God's Will?

O Lord, you are my Judge, be merciful.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

If we want to lead a Christ-like life, then our hearts and minds must be focused on knowing Jesus Christ and contemplating his crucifixion. It is important to follow the example of Jesus from the moment of his birth through the moment of his death and ascension into Heaven. His life teaches us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. His death shows us how to be merciful to others, even our enemies, and to make our lives into living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others. His Ascension into Heaven reminds us the goal of our lives isn’t to be successful in the world, but rather to strive for holiness so we might one day share in the Resurrection and the heavenly feast.

In what ways are we living in imitation of Jesus’ most holy life? Do we take time out of each day to contemplate the crucifixion and the sacrifices Christ made for us all? How can we prepare ourselves so we might be found worthy to spend eternity with God?

O Lord, our faith depends not on earthly wisdom, but on your power.

Amen.

Good Friday

In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Jesus understands what it means to be tempted and to suffer and through these experiences he learned to resist evil and be obedient. His model is one we are all called to follow. Just like Jesus, we are asked to offer prayers and supplications to the one who can save us from death. We are asked to be reverent in our relationship with God and be willing to make our lives into sacrifices to God and for others. We might not be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to be the best versions of ourselves. This means being willing to better ourselves in body, mind, and spirit so we can carry out God’s Will more perfectly. It means knowing, love, and serving God and others as Jesus did in his life. It means embodying God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace by willingly carrying our crosses and entrusting our spirits to God, who know how best to transform us into his beloved sons and daughters.

Do we offer prayers and supplications to God with reverence and trust? How can we learn to be even more obedient to God in our lives? What can we do to become more and more like Jesus Christ?

O Lord, give us the grace of obedience and save us from death.

Amen.

Third Tuesday of Lent

But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.

If we are leading the Christ-like life, then we are living sacrifices. We might not be dying on a physical cross, but we are dying to ourselves day after day. We give our faith to God without reservation, we offer prayers with contrite hearts and humble spirits, asking our Heavenly Father for forgiveness. We trust in God’s Mercy and so we are merciful. We follow God with our whole heart and so we lead others closer to Him. We fear letting the Lord down and so we raise ourselves up and do His Will without reservation or hesitation. We strive to do our best as Christians and hope God’s Kindness and Mercy will deliver us from all evil and our own weaknesses.

How can we cultivate contrite hearts and humble spirits? How can we make ourselves into living sacrifices? What do we need to do in order to follow God with our whole being?

O Lord, we sacrifice ourselves to you, deliver us by your wonders.

Amen.

Christmas Weekday

Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.

Jesus Christ needs to be in our thoughts, words, and works. We need to see the world through his eyes. We need to hear with his ears. We need to reach out with his hands. We need to contemplate with his mind. We need to love with his heart. The only way to possess him is to allow him to think, speak, and work through us. We are all called to be channels of his love, mercy, and grace. We are all asked to be fonts of his peace. Our lives should be founded upon Jesus and give testimony to him from the moment we arise in the morning to the moment we drift off to sleep at night. Just as the Word was made flesh through Christ, so we are asked to incarnate the Word through our own actions.

Do our lives give testimony to the Way, Truth, and Life of Jesus? How can our lives become more deeply rooted in the life of Christ? Are we willing to let God possess our lives so we might possess eternal life?

O Lord, give us eternal life in you.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.

Everything man-made has a beginning and an end. Only God is eternal. Wealth, power, possessions and other worldly things will eventually fail us, crumbling to dust. Our bodies will fail, our minds weaken, and death will overtake us. However, if we found ourselves upon the rock of Christ and live in accordance with God’s commandments, Jesus’ teachings, and the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, then we shall have a solid foundation which will resist all trials and sufferings. If we choose to model ourselves on Christ, then we might die, but we shall be given eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

Are our lives founded on worldly or heavenly things? Have we modeled our lives on the Life of Christ? How can we build our thoughts, words, and works upon the solid rock of faith in God?

O Lord, make our hearts into mountains dedicated to you.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Monday of Ordinary Time

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are all called to be slaves of Christ. It is only by turning our lives over completely to God the Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we can experience true freedom. Giving our total obedience to the Holy Trinity and trusting in God’s Divine Providence is something we all must do if we want to live out the Gospel message and give witness to the Christ-like life. Just as Jesus was obedient to the point of death on a cross, so too must we be obedient even to the point of being persecuted for our faith. We might not die as the Son of God did, but we might experience many smaller deaths... to selfishness, to opportunities for worldly advancement, to our relationships with those who might lead us away from God, to earthly riches and success. However, these deaths when united with Christ’s Passion and Death can bring about great good in our lives and lead us to eternal life with our loving God.

Are we willing to become slaves of Christ? How can we live our lives in total obedience and trust in God? Are we willing to die in great and small ways in order to live forever with the Holy Trinity in Heaven?

O Lord, we place our obedience and trust in you, our Divine Master.

Amen.

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,” and she prevailed on us.

The beautiful thing about evangelization is that it often comes from unexpected moments. Here Paul and others have gone outside the city to find a place of prayer. Once there, they engage others in conversation and this leads Lydia to seek baptism for herself and her household. Paul set out to pray, to find some solitude, and comes back with a convert. Similarly, as we go through life, we will be faced with opportunities to evangelize others we meet. We might only have a brief moment to show we are Christians or we might have a longer time. But no matter the duration, if we reveal ourselves to be Christians not only in word, but also deed, then we shall leave a lasting impression on those we have evangelized. Our example will lead them to seek a deeper understanding of our faith and perhaps one day they will either renew their baptismal vows or make them for the first time. We should be ever watchful for these moments of evangelization because we have the responsibility to recognize them and lead others to God.

Are we open to becoming instruments of evangelization? Do we place ourselves in the hands of the Holy Spirit when we are given the chance to proclaim the Good News through word and deed? What do we do to support the evangelization efforts of the Church?

O Lord, if you consider us believers come stay with us and show us how to be better evangelizers of the Good News.

Amen.