Twenty-Eighth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works. Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all.

We will be judged by our works in this world. We will be weighed by our words, too. How we treat others will reflect on us and reveal to God how He should treat us. If our souls are in God and of Him, then we will do good and avoid evil and our souls will be at rest. However, if we are in and of the world, seeking earthly pleasures and acting out of vice, then our hearts will be greatly distressed when the time of Final Judgment comes. It is only in God that we will find salvation and eternal life. It is only by founding our lives upon Him that we can have any hope of withstanding the wickedness and snares of the Devil. God is our stronghold against the Evil One and when we think, speak, and act like Him, we are protected from spiritual attacks and our hearts remain calm because we know God is always there for us.

Do our souls rest in God or the world? How can we found our lives more perfectly upon the Rock of our Salvation? Do we give ourselves to others as we would want them to give themselves to us?

O Lord, in you our souls find rest.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest

In God is my safety and my glory. Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from him comes my hope. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.

No matter how strong or wealthy or famous we are, we will never be truly safe until we put our trust in God. If we depend upon ourselves, we will falter and fail, but if we turn to our Heavenly Father, He will protect and guide us. The goods of this world do not last and cannot give us true comfort or rest. All things will turn to dust in the end, but our relationships with God will last forever. He is the one constant in our lives and if we want any hope for happiness, then we must build our lives upon Him and make Him our stronghold.

Do we depend upon God or ourselves when in need? How can we more perfectly place our hope in God? What can we do to build up a spiritual stronghold to the Lord within our hearts?

O Lord, you are our safety and our glory.

Amen.

Monday in the Octave of Easter

Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.

God is our hope. In Him we are safe from all distress. In Him we find rest. In Him we find purpose. In Him we find love and mercy and grace. He is the Lord of our Longing and only in Him will we ever find fulfillment. All the things of the world will pass away and be forgotten, but His relationship with us will always remain. He is our allotted portion and our cup of salvation. He has given us everything we need to have eternal life. We just have to throw our lot in with Him.

How do we give hope to others? What do we do to keep God’s children safe? Are we willing to put all our hopes in God, trusting He will lead us to the best of endings?

O Lord, you are our hope and safety.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Lent

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

When we live the Christ-like life, we have nothing to fear. There is no challenge, no enemy, no obstacle, no worry, no trial, no evil, no suffering that can truly harm us. When we have the light of Christ within us, we cannot go astray. God will lead us back to Himself, no matter where we are. When we rest in God, we can be at complete peace because He will water our souls with grace and refresh us with His Divine Love. When we allow the Lord to be our Shepherd, we will always have a home with Him and He will protect and guide us and lead us to the greener pastures of Paradise.

Are we unafraid to walk the way of the Lord? Are we willing to let Him shepherd us to where we need to go and what we need to do? How can we learn to rest beside Him and let Him refresh our souls?

O Lord, be our shepherd through dark valleys to verdant pastures and restful waters.

Amen.

Third Friday of Lent

I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

God wants to be our eternal shade. He wants to be the place where all of us rest. He knows we are imperfect, but His Love can make us perfect. He knows we have sinned against Him, but He loves us still. He wants to take root in our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. He wants to grow within us, to bear good fruits through us, and to be a shelter for us for all time. He wants us to flourish and prosper and rest. He loves us freely, without restriction or hesitation and He wants us to love Him in the same way. He wants us to love others as He does. And if we do, then we shall rest with Him forever and ever.

How often do we take time to rest in God? Do we allow God to take root in our lives as we should? What can we do to grow in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, you love us freely, help us to love you freely, too.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Ordinary Time

So Eli said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

We are all being summoned by God in one way or another. Like Samuel, we might think someone or something else is calling us and go off in the wrong direction, but eventually God will give us the clarity we need to make a choice to either listen to Him or turn a deaf ear. One thing we need however is time away from the world. For Samuel this time was when he was asleep. For us it may be taking a few minutes out of each day to invite God into our lives and simply listen in our hearts. No matter the time or place we choose, it is important for us to set aside this time in a quiet and reflective place away from worldly distractions. After all, we cannot listen to God’s inspirations if we are focused on earthly things. So let us take Eli’s advice and when we are at rest in the Lord and feel Him calling us, we should say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then God will reveal Himself to us and show us what we are being called to think, say, or do through the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of our consciences.

Are we listening for the Lord? How can we place ourselves in the right place and state of mind to listen to God’s inspirations? How can we come to rest more perfectly in the presence of our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, speak, for your servants are listening.

Amen.

Thirteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

"Flee for your life! Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain. Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away." "Oh, no, my lord!" Lot replied, "You have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life. But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me, and so I shall die. Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to. It's only a small place. Let me flee there–it's a small place, is it not?–that my life may be saved." "Well, then," he replied, "I will also grant you the favor you now ask. I will not overthrow the town you speak of.  Hurry, escape there! I cannot do anything until you arrive there."

Lot’s request to flee to a small town instead of the hills might seem odd at first. After all, the angels are telling him to flee for the hills before Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire and brimstone. Lot thanks the Lord for his kindness, but flatly states that he can’t make it to the hills. We can only guess as to why Lot couldn’t flee all the way to the hills. Perhaps he had a bad knee or hip or some other malady that made the journey impossible for him. Or maybe the hills were dangerous and he feared them. Whatever the reason, the angels consent to this change in plans. Lot is allowed to flee to the small place and be safe from destruction. Although we might not be faced with such dire situations ourselves, sometimes we do face what might seem like overwhelming trials. It is comforting to know that God is willing to listen to our pleas, take into account our abilities, and grant us little favors and small places of respite in the midst of our trials.

What pleas do we need to make to the Lord? Are there trials we are facing which are in dire need of God’s help? Do we truly appreciate how much God listens to our prayers and petitions?

O Lord, listen to our pleas and give us small places to rest in times of trouble.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice. Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The Sabbath, our Sunday, is meant to be kept holy. It is meant to be a time for giving glory to God and resting ourselves by spending time with Him at Mass and in other spiritual pursuits. It is a day when we are asked to hold back from our own pursuits, from unnecessary work. It is supposed to be a delight for us to honor the Lord’s Day. We can’t do this if we let worldly things take over the day. If all we do is waste it on selfish pursuits, then we lose out on the spiritual profit that can be gained by being in the presence of God and allowing Him to speak to us through the sacraments, reading the Scriptures, doing charitable works, and personal prayer time. It is not enough to go through the motions of going to Mass, we are asked to go forth and spread the Good News with delight. If we do so, then our spirits will be nourished and we shall be worthy of the heritage that comes from being a child of God.

Do we keep the Sabbath holy? What can we do to make the day even more delightful for ourselves and others? How can we nourish our spirits on the Sabbath so we can be stronger throughout the week?

O Lord, you have given us your Sabbath as a gift. Help us to use it to become better children.

Amen.

Fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

In a world where we are surrounded by distractions and diversions, it can be difficult to keep holy the Sabbath let alone any other day of the week. We are constantly bombarded by computers, TVs, and radios with images and sounds that lure our thoughts away from heavenly things and to earthly ones. In a world full of sights and sounds, it can be hard to hear God calling us and to see the opportunities for good that we are presented with each day. This is why it is so important to make our Sabbath days holy, restful, and renewing in spirit. If Sunday is just another day to surf the web, watch TV, or listen to music, then we lose out on the richness of our faith. Sunday needs to be the pivotal point in our week, replenishing our spirits and giving us the word to live by and the body and blood to sustain us throughout the week. And if we have a chance, we should seek to bring a little bit of the Sabbath into the rest of our days. We could all do with a little less action in our lives and a little more conversation with God.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath day? How is our celebration of Sunday stand out in regards to all the other days of the week? How can we bring the peace and quiet of the Sabbath into the rest of our lives?

O Lord, bless our every Sabbath and help us to keep them holy.

Amen.

First Friday of Ordinary Time

For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; and again, in the previously mentioned place, They shall not enter into my rest. Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.

We are all called to rest in God. He is our seventh day, our Sabbath. It is in Him that we shall find eternal rest from the world. However, if we are disobedient and fail to live our lives according to His Good News, then we shall not enter into His Rest. In a world where we are constantly tempted to work toward earthly rewards, we can often lose sight of the need to rest our spirits and take time to simply be with God in prayer and solitude. But if we are always on the go and never reflect on our choices, successes, failures, joys, or sorrows, then how can we learn from them and grow in our faith?

Do we take time out of each day to rest with God? Do we keep holy the Sabbath Day? How can we make our lives more spiritually restful?

O Lord, we want only to rest in you forever.

Amen.

First Monday of Advent

Then will the LORD create, over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her place of assembly, a smoking cloud by day and a light of flaming fire by night. For over all, the LORD’s glory will be shelter and protection: shade from the parching heat of day, refuge and cover from storm and rain.

If we lead holy lives, then God will protect and shelter us. He will give us rest and keep us from harm. He will overshadow us with His Love and guide us with the light of His Truth. With God, all things will be possible for us. Our words and works will honor and glorify God. And at the end of time, our world will be remade into a paradise. And if we have been good and faithful servants, then we shall be given the greatest gift of all: eternal life with our Beloved God.

Are we leading holy lives? Do we trust that God will protect us? Are we willing to make Him our refuge not only in this world, but in the next, too?

O Lord, you are our shelter and the light of our lives.

Amen.

The Third Thursday of Easter

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. 
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.

Jesus gave his life for us. He sacrificed His Body and Blood for us. He has provided us with the Blessed Sacrament that lives at the heart of our faith, hope, and love. By participating in the Eucharist, we nourish our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. This is why it is so important for us to cultivate a devotion to the Bread of Life and Wine of Compassion. It is through the reception of these grace-filled gifts that we will nourish our spirits and be able to live forever. In turn, we are all called to incarnate Christ through our own thoughts, words, and works. When we receive His Body and Blood, we are asked to carry them with us into the world. Our hearts become living tabernacles wherein the spirit of Christ dwells for all to see. We would do well to remember this and keep ourselves clean so Jesus might find us worthy to be his resting place. Then, when we die, we shall find a resting place in Him.

Do we believe? Do we seek out the Bread of Life whenever we can? What can we do to prepare our hearts to receive and honor Christ’s Body and Blood?

O Lord, give us every opportunity to humbly and graciously partake in your Bread of Life and live forever.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

We all need rest. We cannot work all the time. This is why God gave us the Sabbath as a feast day. We need it in order to reflect on our thoughts, words, and works each week. We also need time each day to do the same. Without rest and reflection, we can become overworked and lose sight of why we are here on earth. We forget that everything we think, say, and do should have its source, center, and summit in God. We cannot reflect on these things if we don’t set aside time to pray to God for guidance, meditate upon our actions, and evaluate the direction of our lives. We can become lost in our work, even good works, and become burned out if we do not take a break from time to time to recharge our spiritual batteries so that we can go back into the world as lights for all God’s children.

Do we rest and relax in the Lord when we are wary? Does our leisure time bring us closer to God or further away from Him? What can we do to keep holy the Sabbath day?

O Lord, let us rest in you.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

In today’s gospel, we are reminded that the Sabbath was created for man, not the other way around. God wants us to take at least one day out of every week and make it holy. He also wants us to rest in His Love and Mercy on this day. This is why it is so important to celebrate the Sabbath. His Divine Presence at Mass renews us and gives us the graces we need to make it through the week. The spiritual food we receive through the liturgies of the Word and Eucharist, nourish our souls, make them stronger, help us lead healthier lives, and unite us in the spiritual body of Christ. If we do not take time for the Sabbath, we will go spiritually hungry, become too weak to do God’s Will, and wither away in sin and idleness. The Sabbath is a cornerstone of our faith and we should be perpetually thankful for the graces that flow from our participation in it every week.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath? Do we take time to rest in the Lord? Do we spend time not only receiving the God's Word and the Eucharist, but also make them part of our being?

O Lord, help us to keep holy your Sabbath.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

We can all learn a lot about how to pray from Jesus. In a world where silence, rest, and praying are seen as wastes of time, we can forget that all these are necessary to be a true follower of Christ. When we pray we need silence, not just in the world around us, but also in our own minds. We need to push aside as many distractions as possible so that we can focus on God. This isn’t to say that we won’t have unbidden thoughts, but that when they do come we make every effort to ignore them and give ourselves completely to God in our prayer. Hand-in-hand with silence is the need for resting in the Lord. We need to slow things downs and take time to seek solace in God’s presence. We can’t do that if we are constantly busying ourselves with projects. Doing good works can be exhausting and at times we can forget to focus on why we are charitable and merciful toward others. When we lose sight of why we do the right thing, we fail to appreciate our participation in God’s Grace. This is why God gives us the concept of a Sabbath—a day of rest. We might not be able to take our rest on Sunday, but should make a point to rest with God at some point and time during the week. Once we have silence and rest, then our prayers will be more focused and fruitful. We will be able to pray to our Father in a more meaningful way, to partake in His Eucharist with more passion, and forgive others more readily.

Do we seek silence every day so that we can better focus on God? Do we make time to rest in God every day? How can we minimize the distractions that keep us from praying with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths?

O Lord, teach us how to pray.

Amen.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish as they wanted.

Sometimes it’s difficult for us to put aside our worries and rest. Think of how anxious the disciples felt as the crowd gathered round and Jesus asked them, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” Phillip and Andrew express their worries by pointing out they don’t have enough money to purchase what they need to feed so many and what little they have is no good for so many. How many times in our lives do we make excuses when it comes to helping others? Perhaps we do not have enough money, time, or resources. Or maybe we don’t think we have enough to offer to make a real difference. However, when faced with the disciples’ lack of money or resources Jesus does not send the crowd home. Instead, he has them recline, blesses the bread and fish, and distributed what little he had. Jesus does not ask us to give out of our excess, nor does he ask us to give out of our lack. He wants us to give everything we can to him and to his children confident that it is in the giving that we do his will and not necessarily in the outcome. In this gospel, the people are all feed and there is much left over, but without the sacrifice of the little boy with the bread and fish, the miracle could not have occurred. Jesus asks us to follow the boy’s example and give whatever we can to him so that he can bless and multiply it a thousand fold.

What worries keep us from giving ourselves to God and his children? When faced with our own lacks, do we worry or do we recline with God and trust in His Providence? What sacrifices can we make—great or small—for the glory of God and help of his children?

O Lord, inspire us to give you all that we have so that you can multiply it according to your own Divine Will.

Amen.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."

After sending his disciples out to preach the good news, Jesus gathers them together again, debriefs them, and then asks them to come with him to rest for a while. Jesus wants to impress upon his disciples the need to rest. We can’t keep going full speed ahead twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Just as God rested on the seventh day, so we too need to rest, relax, and reflect upon what we have done. In this way we can reenergize ourselves for the next set of tasks in our lives. Without rest, we get run-down and lose focus. We let our activities take over our lives without reflection upon their greater meaning. If we don’t rest, then we don’t gain the perspective we need to make the right choices in our lives. If we are always busy, than we shall miss out on opportunities for spiritual growth.

Are we too busy to rest and relax with Jesus as the disciples did? Are there things we do now that we could cut from our busy schedules so that we could have some more rest in our lives? Do we reflect upon our activities in order to better appreciate what they mean to us, others, and more importantly if they are in line with what God wants from us?

O Lord, gather us with you and lead us to rest.

Amen.

Fifteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

We all need rest from time to time. Our bodies can’t keep going at top speed every hour of the day. We need to take breaks, naps, and get a good night’s sleep to help us rejuvenate. However, many of us do not do this for our spirits, which are in just as much need of rest. Our thoughts and emotions can take a lot out of us and we need to remember to rest our minds and hearts in God. Only He can renew our spirits when they labor with unanswered questions or are heavy with sorrows. Our passions, including our sensible devotion to God, wax and wane over the course of our lives. This is natural and we should not worry about the dry spells in our spiritual life. Sometimes God wants us simply to rest in Him and trust that He will provide for our spirits the energy we need at the time it is needed. There are many ways for us to rest our spirits. We can pray simply, listen in silence to God, or even spend time sitting quietly in the presence of the Lord during Adoration or after Mass.

What do we do to rest in the Lord? Do we come to Jesus when we are laboring or being burdened? How do we handle spiritual dryness?

O Lord, give us rest from our labors and burdens.

Amen.

Fourth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.

It is important to know not just when to work but also when to rest. This is why Jesus tells his disciples to come with him and rest a while. Of course the people follow them and the opportunity for rest is replaced with an opportunity for preaching. However, throughout the Gospel we see Jesus seeking solitude in prayer and we need to do that as well. Sometimes our problems will follow us and we should deal with them, but we should not stop trying to find Sabbath time to converse with God and rest in His Peace.

Do we set aside time to rest and relax every day? If not, then how can we improve the balance between our work and rest? If yes, then do we spend at least part of that time alone with God and allowing him to speak to us through the silence?

O Lord, bring us to a deserted place where we can rest a while within the refreshing shade of your Love.

Amen.