Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.  Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life. 

We are all Paul is some way or another. Some are blasphemers. Others persecutors. Many are arrogant in their own unique ways. All of us have acted wrongly whether out of full-knowledge and consent to sin or out of ignorance. Thankfully, God is infinitely more forgiving than we could ever be sinful. No matter what we have done or failed to do, He has the grace to wash our stains and imperfections away and give us a clean start. After all, Jesus Christ did come into this world to save sinners and we all are sinners. Some of us foremost among them. However, God is compassionate and if we come to Him and confess our sins with humble and contrite hearts, then He will treat us mercifully. God is patient and kind. He will never use our admission of guilt against us. Instead, He will respect us for having the courage to admit we are wrong and in need of help and He will give us the graces we need to overcome our weaknesses and defend ourselves from the wickedness and snares of the Devil and all the evil powers of the world. Then, one day, when the race has been run, He will welcome us into the Heavenly Kingdom and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.” And all the sins of our past will be left behind and forgotten.

In what ways are we like Paul before his conversion? Do we make regular use of confession to help us uproot our weaknesses and sinful tendencies? How do we mirror God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to others, especially those who tempt us to sin or who we have difficulty forgiving?

O Lord, we thank you for treating us with such infinite mercy.

Amen.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

Just as Jesus poured out his Blood for us, so too, each of us are called to pour out our own lives for him. As his brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility to do everything within our power to bear God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace into the lives of others. Peter and Paul did this in their lives and paid the ultimate price to keep the faith. They finished the race with the crown of martyrdom and we must be willing to do the same. We might not be called to die physically, but we must all die to our own selfishness so we might live in the Holy Spirit. The crown of righteousness awaits us if we are true to God and willing to accept the thorns that come with it. And the most amazing thing is God doesn’t care how successful we are in the world, He only cares whether we competed faithfully and well.

Are we willing to pour out our blood for God and His children? Are we willing to accept the crown of righteousness and all the sacrifices it requires from us? How can we compete more faithfully in the race to our salvation?

O Lord, we pour ourselves out to you like a libation, holding nothing back.

Amen.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

"Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name." So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Although we might not be blinded by God or experience locutions or visions, we are all called to a deeper conversion. Sometimes that conversion involves our attitude toward God. Other times it involved our attitude toward others. Both involve the need for us to know, love, and serve more perfectly. For Paul, his conversion required him to turn his life upside-down from where he was. His calling asked him to give up his previous life completely and become a follower of Christ instead of a persecutor of Christ’s followers. He had to be reconciled with God, but also with the community of believers as well. This is why his conversion required not only God’s intervention, but also the intercession of Ananias. Ananias represented the entire Church in this moment and although he hesitated in going to Paul, he ultimately listened to the Lord, went forth, and welcomed Paul into the Body of Christ. Sometimes we are like Paul before the conversion, doing what we believe is right, but then discover that we were wrong and have to repent and realign our lives. Other times we are like Ananias and we know God’s Will, but hesitate at what is being asked of us. In both cases, we need to be more deeply converted and trust that God’s Divine Plan will lead to a greater good for us and all His children.

Are there thoughts, words, or works in our lives that are not in alignment with God’s Will? Are we willing to allow God to more deeply convert our hearts even if it means turning our lives upside-down? What do we need to do in order to reconcile ourselves with God and all His children?

O Lord, convert our hearts so that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.

Paul didn’t have to go to Rome. He chose to go because he knew it was God’s Will. He understood that by choosing to go to Rome he would be sacrificing his liberty and his life. However, he did so willingly because he wanted to bear witness to the Good News in Rome before the Emperor even though it would mean his death. Through this action, Paul shows us what it means to be a Christian and put God before all else. Paul could have complained that he was being forced to go to Rome when he had done so much already for God. He could have resisted the idea of going to Rome, thinking he was too important to spreading the word. He could have made any number of arguments against going to his death, but he didn’t. Instead, he accepted God’s Will and let God lead him where he needed to be. We should all be so willing and humble to let God lead us, sometimes where we do not want to go.

What is God asking us to do? Are we willing to leave behind all we know and go to where God is leading us? Are we willing to suffer and sacrifice in order to do God’s Will?

O Lord, lead us to where we need to be.

Amen.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’ My companions saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me. I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’ The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do.’

All of us persecute God in one way or another. Some of us persecute Him through indifference and laziness. Others persecute Him through sinful actions. Still others persecute Him by denying Him or His teachings and choosing our own way above His Will. No matter how we persecute God, we all are constantly being called to see the light, hear the voice of God, and do whatever He tells us to do. And like Paul, we must get off the ground, dust ourselves off, and allow Him to lead us where we need to be and inspire us to do everything He has appointed us to do. We cannot do this if we remain blind and deaf to God. But if we open our eyes and ears to Him, then we shall be converted from persecutors of God to witnesses to His Love and Mercy.

In what ways are we persecuting God? How can we stop these persecutions? How can we become better witnesses to God’s Good News?

O Lord, what shall we do?

Amen.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.  They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Each of us is called to a deeper conversion of spirit by God. This process of purification and sanctification will last throughout our lives. We are asked by God to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to everyone. The conviction to do this work, in spite of the opposition from the world, comes from our faith in God, Our Heavenly Father. The example of Jesus Christ gives us the model of how to undertake this task in a spirit of self-sacrifice. The inspiration and strength to accomplish this vocation flows from the Holy Spirit. Together, the Holy Trinity gives us every grace we need to transform ourselves into lights of love, instruments of peace, and fonts of mercy. We manifest God’s Compassion for all His children as faithful followers of His Church and active members of the One Mystical Body of Christ.

Do our lives proclaim the Gospel to those around us? Do we manifest the conviction, charity, and motivation to do God’s Will without reservation or complaint? What can we do to become more deeply converted?

O Lord, give us the graces to go into the world and proclaim your Gospel to every creature.

Amen.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The words that Peter proclaimed in today’s gospel need to be constantly on our lips, too. It is important that we recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the Christ, our savior and redeemer, the one who offers to wash away our sins and cleanse us of our iniquities. He is also the Son of the living God, who offers us life everlasting with himself in the Heavenly Kingdom. He is the cornerstone of the Church, which we are called to be part of as living stones. We can only be shaped to fit into the structure of the Church if we are humble enough to allow God to work us into the shape He needs. So let us be willingly hammered and chiseled until we are truly formed in the image of God.

Do we constantly recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God? Do we appreciate the sacrifice he made for us as Christ and the life he offers us as the Son of God? Are we willing to allow God to shape us into His Divine Image?

O Lord, make us into living rocks of your Church.

Amen.