Fifteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

His mercy endures forever. Who smote the Egyptians in their first-born, for his mercy endures forever; And brought out Israel from their midst, for his mercy endures forever; With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, for his mercy endures forever.

God wants us to be free. He offers to break the chains of slavery to sin so we might have new lives in and with Him. He wants us to accept this gift of liberty and use it to make the right choices. He provides us everything we need for the journey through this life. He gives us grace to sustain us, hope to nourish us, and faith to guide us. He gives us His Love and Mercy so we might follow in the footsteps of His Beloved Son and be lights to the world. He wants us to choose the freedom of serving Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. It is up to each of us to accept this offering and use it to bring ourselves and others closer to the Promised Land.

What people, places, and things are enslaving us in this life? What is God offering us to help us get escape these evils? When we are freed from our sins, how can we avoid falling back into slavery and instead go forth into the Promised Land?

O Lord, bring us out of our slavery to new life in and with you.

Amen.

Third Friday of Lent

I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. An unfamiliar speech I hear: “I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you.”

When we are in distress, God will rescue us. He will listen to our cries and come to our aid. He might not answer our petitions in the time and manner that we want, but He will give us the grace to overcome all our fears, doubts, pains, and obstacles. He will lead us to a better place, if not physically, at least spiritually. He will relieve us of our burdens and free us from our slavery to sin and worldly things. And ultimately, He will bring us out of bondage to a land flowing with the milk of His Divine Mercy and the honey of His Love.

What burdens are weighing us down? How can we free ourselves of all that is enslaving us to sin and the world? How can we help God rescue others from their difficulties?

O Lord, relieve us of our burdens and free us from our sins.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are children not of the slave woman but of the freeborn woman. For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Sin enslaves us to possessions, to people, to selfishness, and to evil. It yokes us to our bad habits and our evil inclinations. It weighs us down with wickedness. It eats away at our spirit, rotting it from the core. In the end, it leads us to destruction and wailing and gnashing of our teeth. Thankfully, God has given us His Beloved Son to free us from the bonds of sin. The Good News of Jesus Christ calls us to rebel against our bad habits and evil inclinations. It lifts the burden of wickedness from our shoulders. His Truth nourishes our souls and helps them grow in faith, hope, and love. The Word Made Flesh leads us upon the Way to Heaven by helping us live our lives for God and His children. So, the next time we feel burdened by our responsibilities to God, His Church, and His children, we should remember than they are much lighter than those chains that enslave us when we choose selfishness and sin over holiness and right.

Have we let our sins enslave us? How can we rid ourselves of the vices, bad habits, and imperfections that keep us from being free from evil? How can we thank God for the saving graces He has given to us through His Beloved Son?

O Lord, free us from sin and lead us to freedom in you.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Friday in Ordinary Time

Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus freed us from sin and death and the Mosaic Law. However, this freedom comes with its own responsibilities. His Way, Truth, and Life requires great sacrifices from us. Yes, we have been liberated from the wickedness and snares of the Devil, but our liberty also requires us to make a choice. We can live our lives by faith, hope, and love. Or we can live our lives in pride, envy, and selfishness. We can either become slaves to Christ or slaves of Satan. There is no middle ground... if we are indifferent or lukewarm, then we shall fall into Hell just as easily as those who chose evil outright. We had best keep these things in mind whenever we are tempted to sin or indifference so we might remind ourselves that if we want to receive the promise of Christ, then we must life out our faith without reservation.

Do we thank God for freeing us from slavery to sin and death? How can we know, love, and serve Him and His children more faithfully? What can we do to fight off the temptation to sin or be indifferent?

O Lord, ransom us from evil and make us into good and faithful servants.

Amen.