Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant.

God guides us in many ways. He gives the His Holy Spirit to inspire us to holiness. He gives us our consciences to remind us of right and wrong. He gives us models in the faith through, Jesus, Mary, and the saints. He shows us the way to live as good and faithful servants. He gives us guidance through the Scriptures and the traditions and teachings of the Church. He gives us the sacraments to sustain us. He pours out His Love, Mercy, and Grace so our souls might flourish in the faith and we might produce good fruits through our thoughts, words, and works.

Are we accepting of God’s guidance and help? What way does God want us to walk? How can we be more open to the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, show us the way we are called to walk in this life.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.  So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

Our strength to endure all hardships comes from God. He is the source of our courage and resilience. He is the Father of all the gifts, graces, and blessings that help us to overcome our difficulties in our lives. He is the foundation of our power, love, and self-control. The Church stands before the world as a sign of God’s Holy Spirit, alive and at work in the world and we have a responsibility to magnify that Spirit through our own thoughts, words, and works. For it is through our acts that we give testimony to our Lord and it is through the example of how we bear our burdens that we show what it means to be Christians. So, let us to be strong in the Spirit and do whatever God is calling us to do without worrying about what we might suffer, but rather focused on how through our sacrifices we might give glory to God and do good for His children.

Do we ask for God’s strength when faced with the challenges of our lives? How can we open ourselves more to the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit? How can we use the gifts, graces, and blessings God has given us to grow in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, grant us a spirit of power, love, and self-control.

Amen.

Twenty-Sixth Thursday in Ordinary Time

The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; Sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.

The commandments of our Heavenly Father should give joy to our hearts. The teachings of Jesus should be treasured more than gold. They inspirations of the Holy Spirit should be sweeter than syrup to our souls. There is not a moment of our lives when we are in a state of grace that we shouldn’t be joyful. No matter what our foes might do, no matter how difficult our lives might get, if we trust in God, keep His commandments, and live our lives according to them, then we will have nothing to fear. We shall win the race and enter triumphantly into Heaven.

Do the commandments give us joy? How can we lead lives founded on the golden rule of loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths and loving others as He loves us? Are we willing to give up the empty promises of the world for the satisfying inspirations of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, your precepts give joy to our hearts.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

I will walk with blameless heart. Of mercy and judgment I will sing; to you, O LORD, I will sing praise. I will persevere in the way of integrity; when will you come to me?

In order for us to have integrity, our every word and work must be aligned with the commandments of God the Father, the teachings of Jesus, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Before we speak or act, we must ask ourselves, “Is what we are about to do good or holy?” If we can’t answer yes to this question, then we should try to figure out what we could say or do instead that would give glory to God or help others. We should seize every opportunity to know, love, and serve to the best of our abilities. We should strive to preserve our states of grace whenever we are in them and if we are in need of cleansing, then we should seek out confession and make ourselves right with God. We cannot be blameless of heart if we do not seek to be holy in all things great and small. Even our leisure should be a living prayer to our Creator who gave us the chance to not only work in this world, but also rest in it. But our rest should not be meaningless or without thanksgiving. So, let us take time before everything we do and sing praise to the God who has made us and given us the chance to be good and faithful servants.

Is our faith integrated into our daily lives? How can we live in a more perfect union with God? What can we do to make our every word and work into a prayer to the glory or God?

O Lord, help us to live lives of integrity, united with you.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Friday in Ordinary Time

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; Give thanks to him; bless his name.

We should all seek to be in the presence of the Lord. We should strive to find ways to make Him present in our daily lives. We can do this in many ways. We can see God in the world around us and appreciate everything He has created. We can pray to Him in thanksgiving for all the graces and blessings He has given us. We can meditate upon His Divine Mysteries and contemplate Him in all His glory. We can read the Scriptures as a living book and imagine ourselves in the time of Jesus. We can be holy people, good as our Heavenly Father is good. We can imitate Christ and follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We can go to Church for adoration and mass. We can participate in the sacraments and grow in faith, hope, and charity. The important thing is to seek God out in whatever we are doing, great and small, in chores and leisure and everything in between.

What are we willing to offer in thanksgiving to God? How can we show our thanks to God? How can we make God present in our daily living?

O Lord, we thank you for being with us and bless your holy name.

Amen.

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands!

God is constantly at work within us. He is always trying to use our bodies, minds, and spirits to bring forth good and do away with evil. His inspirations are whispered into our thoughts. His strength pours out into our veins. His teachings echo in our hearts. His influence is ever present in us. We have only to be open to it and allow Him to work through us. When we do this, our words will bring joy and peace… our works happiness and good. So, let us be open to the Lord our God and shout for joy at His Presence in our lives. If we do this, then our works will bear fruit and prosper.

Do we allow God to fill us with His Love? Are we allowing God to work through us? How can we be more open to allowing God to work through us?

O Lord, prosper the works of our hands.

Amen.

Nineteenth Friday in Ordinary Time

His mercy endures forever. Who led his people through the wilderness, for his mercy endures forever; Who smote great kings, for his mercy endures forever; And slew powerful kings, for his mercy endures forever.

If we live holy lives by following God’s commandments, Jesus’ teachings, and the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, then we will triumph over all that stand in our way to Heaven. There will be no wilderness of temptation and sin that will be able to confuse us and lead us astray as long as we allow God’s Light to show us the Way. There will be no enemies, human or otherwise, who will be able to keep us from the Promised Land. Every evil will part from us and every doubt will be washed away if we trust God will be with us through it all. His Mercy will always endure forever and for that reason we should be good and grateful servants.

What wildernesses do we need help passing through? How can we let go and let God lead us through these barren lands to the Promised Land? How can we aid others in their own journeys toward God?

O Lord, be merciful and lead us to eternal life with you.

Amen.

Seventeenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

Thank goodness God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins or requite us according to our crimes. If He did, we would all be destined to destruction. We are infinitely blessed to have such a kind and merciful God as our Heavenly Father, who not only gave us His Beloved Son, but also His Holy Spirit. He has provided us commandments to protect us, teachings to guide us, and inspirations to sanctify us. He is always ready to help those who fear disappointing Him. He will never abandon us as long as we seek Him out in our daily lives and strive to be good and faithful servants. Yes, we might stumble along the Way, we might forget the Truth, and we might lose sight of the Life we are called to live, but He will be there every step of the way to lead us back to where we are supposed to be as Christians.

Are we as kind and merciful as God is to us? How can we become more compassionate? What can we do to promote the compassion of others?

O Lord, help us to imitate your kindness and mercy.

Amen.