Saturday in the Octave of Easter

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. The joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just.

When we are in need of strength and courage, all we have to do is ask for them and God will provide. If we need joy or justice, all we have to do is seek them out in the Lord and He will grant them to us. If we desire mercy and love, then all we have to do is knock at the door of Jesus’ Sacred Heart and he will let us in. God is good and He will never ignore us. If our prayers are seemingly unanswered, then perhaps God is answering us in an unexpected and better way. Because He loves us, He does not always give us what we want. He knows better than us what we would do with our requests and sometimes we aren’t ready for our prayers to be answered.

Do we give thanks to God for not only when He answers our prayers, but also when He answers them in ways we don’t expect or might not even like? Do we ask Him for the graces to be strong and courageous in the faith? How can we be as just and merciful as God?

O Lord, we shout for joy for you have answered us with love and mercy.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Easter

When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.

If we lead a good and faithful life, then we shall be raised from the dead when Jesus comes again. We shall have a share in his saving grace and share in his resurrection. Like Tabitha, our lives should be full of good deeds and almsgiving. Like Peter we should pray and trust in God’s Goodness. We don’t have to do great things to be good Christians. We only have to do the right things with love and put our faith and hope in the Lord. If we do this, then we shall be alive in the Holy Spirit and everything we do shall lead others closer to the Lord.

How can we make our lives full of good deeds and almsgiving? Do we take time out of our days to kneel and pray for God’ intercession in our lives and the lives of those around us? What can we do to make Jesus known to those whom we meet each day?

O Lord, raise us up from our sins and help us to be full of good deeds, almsgiving, and prayers.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below; you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants who are faithful to you with their whole heart.

Being faithful to God with our whole hearts isn’t easy. The world constantly tempts us to give a piece of our heart to earthly things. It might be a person, a place, a thing, an action, a hobby, or some other pursuit. Not that any of these things are bad in and of themselves, but if they aren’t loved in light of our relationship with God, then they can become a distraction from spiritual things. They can even lead to sin. Thankfully, God understands our difficulties and so he constantly pours out His Love and Mercy upon us, refreshing us and sustaining us so that we can continue on our journey to heaven. There is no father like our Father. No paradise like the Paradise of Heaven. There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the heavenly things that await us if we choose to know, love, and serve God to the best of our abilities... striving to do so with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Do our hearts dwell on worldly or heavenly things? How can we become more faithful to God and the New Covenant He has created with us? Do we seek God’s help in leading holy lives?

O Lord, there is no God like you, the King of Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Amen.

First Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Eli said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." She replied, "Think kindly of your maidservant," and left. She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast. Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD, and then returned to their home in Ramah.

In her time of trial, Hannah turned to God and poured out her troubles to the Lord. She didn’t let her sorrow or misery dishearten her to the point where she gave up. Instead, she sought God’s intercession in her life, trusting that He could answer her prayers. Often we are faced with difficult times that try our souls and we would do well to remember Hannah’s response and make it our own. When we are suffering trials, we should turn to God, ask for His intercession, and trust that everything will be made right in the end. We might have to suffer greatly in this life, but we should believe with our whole hearts, souls, and minds that God will never abandon us. He will always answer our prayers for our betterment... though not necessarily in the way we envisioned. If we are confident God will come to our assistance, then we will be able to go in peace, no longer downcast, but secure in the knowledge that God will grant us what is best for us.

Do we turn to God and pour out our troubled to the Lord on a daily basis? Are we confident God will come to our aid if we ask Him? How can we be more trusting of God’s role as our Intercessor and Advocate?

O Lord, grant us what we need to be at peace in you.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Praying the rosary is just one of the ways we can ask and receive, seek and find, and knock and open. God the Father listens to His Daughter. God the Son listens to His Mother. And God the Holy Spirit listens to His Blessed Spouse. Who better to intercede for us than Mary? She knows the Holy Trinity better than any of us and because of her insights into the Holy One, she also knows God's Will better than we do. She knows when we ask for the wrong favors and instead she asks God to give us the right ones. She knows when we are seeking the wrong things and asks God to lead us to the right ones. She knows when we are knocking at the wrong doors and asks God to open the right ones. Her motherly love helps us to receive what we truly need, to find what we are truly seeking, and to open the doors that will lead us to heaven. We would do well to visit her often in our prayers and one of the best ways is through the rosary.

Do we pray for Mary's intercession in our lives? Do we thank her for the aid she gives us? How can we live lives that will make Mary proud to be our spiritual mother?

O Lord, we asked for your aid and you gave us Mary as our Mediatrix. We sought your Will and you gave us Mary as an example. We knocked at your door and you gave us Mary as the Gate of Heaven.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

We all have labors and burdens in our lives. We toil to keep ourselves clothed, sheltered, and fed. We toil to overcome our temptations, anxieties, and doubts. We toil to increase our knowledge and wisdom. We toil to know, love, and serve our God and our neighbors. All of these things could wear us down with worries and work, but if we take upon ourselves the yoke of Christ and learn how to be meek and humble, then we can carry any burden. God never gives us more than we can handle. He always gives us the graces we need. All we have to do is to give up the yoke of pride and accept the yoke of humble faith. Once we do that, all our burdens will be light compared to the strength of our faith, hope, and love.

Do we seek God when we have labors and burdens that are weighing us down? Are we willing to put on the yoke of meekness and humility? Are we willing to let go of our pride and seek God’s help in our daily lives?

O Lord, we accept your yoke with meek and humble hearts.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Ordinary Time

As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

As word of Jesus’ healing powers spread, more and more people come to him seeking to be cured. They might not know Jesus’ message, but they recognize his authority from all his good works. We too should recognize Jesus’ authority and power and turn to him for help with our problems whether they are physical, emotional, or spiritual. And just like those who sought him out so long ago, we will be healed, too. We have only to come to him in faith, stretch out our hands in hope, and lovingly accept the graces he gives us.

Do we recognize Jesus’ authority in our lives? Do we come to him when we are sick or in trouble? Are there other people in our lives who we can lead to God’s healing powers?

O Lord, heal us of our afflictions.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.

After Jesus manifests his divine power and authority, he finds himself followed by large crowds of people seeking to not only hear him speak the Good News, but also to be healed of their afflictions. The people are expecting him to work miracles. However, we should not presume upon God’s Grace in such a way. We should be content with what goods God is willing to give us. This does not mean we shouldn’t ask for His help, we should always do that, but rather when we ask for His intercession in our lives we should leave it up to Him as to how He aids us. It’s okay to reach out to Jesus in our times of need, but we cannot force him to fix everything that is wrong in our lives. Sometimes we need to pass through trials and overcome obstacles before we can reach our full potential as Christians.

Do we seek God’s help in a spirit of hopefulness, rather than expectation? Do we humbly seek God’s help in the midst of our trials and tribulations? What things can we do to prepare ourselves to receive God’s help?

O Lord, we humbly seek your healing graces.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

Mary is full of grace and is always willing to intercede with God when we are in need of graces in our own lives. She has the unique experience of being born without original sin, but what we often forget is that just like Adam and Eve who were created in a state of original justice, she too would have had temptations. The difference between Mary and Adam and Eve is she chose to obey God and make her fiat to Him without reservation. She might not have understood what it meant to become Jesus’ mother, especially the trials and tribulations of his life, passion, and death. However, we can be confident she would have accepted them and the sorrows his suffering caused her, knowing the glory and salvation that would flow from Christ’s sacrifice would be worth the cost. Mary is also our spiritual mother and when she sees us suffering and struggling in our lives she will not abandon us. She will come to our aid if we call out for her intercession. So let us accept Jesus’ gift of his mother to all his disciples and allow her to comfort and protect us in our times of need and fill us with the graces we need to overcome all our trials.

Are we willing to make our lives a living “Yes!” to God just as Mary did? Do we seek her out in pray to help intercede for us in our times of need? Do we accept her as our graceful mother, who is always at our side?

O Lord, thank you for the gift of your graceful mother.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Just as Joseph took Mary into his home after the Incarnation of Christ, so too John takes Mary into his home as Jesus prepares to die upon the cross. However, Mary’s spiritual motherhood did not end with John. Mary is also our spiritual mother from the moment of our conception to the moment of our death and beyond. We should make every effort to respect Mary and seek out her help in all that we do because who knows Jesus better than his mother? Her life offers us a great model of what it means to know, love, and serve God and others in a holy and humble manner. So let us take Mary into our homes, praying the Hail Mary, the rosary, and filling our lives with other devotionals that help us to focus on God just as much as she did in her own most faithful life.

Have we accepted Mary’s spiritual motherhood? How do we honor her in our lives? Do we seek her intercession with God?

O Lord, we take Mary into our homes so that we might learn from her holy example and become good and faithful servants to you.

Amen.