First Thursday of Advent

Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock.

God is our Rock and if our lives are founded on Him, we shall not lose them. No storm of suffering will topple us. No quake of fear will bring us down. No flood of woes shall wash us away. With God as our cornerstone, we can withstand any trial and stand firm against all temptations. We shall survive all difficulties if we trust in God and let Him lead us to a saintly life. It may not be easy to keep the faith in the midst of sufferings, but reaching the Gates of Heaven is worth every test we must undertake.

Are our lives founded on Our Lord and God? Do we trust Him to support us through every trial? How can we make God the foundation of our every thought, word, and work?

O Lord, we trust in you, Our Rock and Savior.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Give glory and eternal praise to him. “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.”

These words were sung by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of a burning furnace. Imagine that for a moment... being surrounded by flames and yet finding the inner calm to sing in praise and glory of God. Trusting God will deliver you from evil no matter the trial you might be facing. What a marvelous faith these men showed. A faith all of us are called to imitate in our own lives, especially when our foes put us to the test or our circumstances seem hopeless. To bless God, even in the middle of our suffering is something that is not easy to do, but it is the best thing for us. It shows God we believe in Him and accept His Will in our lives even if His Divine Plan requires us to face difficult trials and make great sacrifices. So, let us join our voices with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and sing, “Blessed the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.”

Are we at peace with the difficulties we face in our lives? Do we trust our sufferings will lead to a greater good? Do we praise and glorify God even in the midst of our trials and tribulations?

O Lord, we bless and exalt you above all forever.

Amen.

Thirteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes. Search me, O LORD, and try me; test my soul and my heart. For your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in your truth.

Not many of us call out for God to search and try us. There is a part of us that would prefer not to be tested. We would rather avoid trials of our faith, hope, or love. We would prefer to steer clear of the sufferings that come along with such ordeals. However, as Christians we cannot shy away from the sacrifices our faith requires of us. We might not want to suffer, but we accept sometimes we must be willing to go through some pain for the glory of God or the good of others. We are able to make such a submission to God’s Will because He has given us an example of selflessness in Jesus. He has also provided us an Advocate in the Holy Spirit who helps us to walk in the truth no matter what might stand in our way.

What do we think God sees in us when He searches our hearts and tests our souls? Will He find goodness, love, and holy righteousness? If He finds weaknesses, then what can we do to overcome our faults and become stronger Christians?

O Lord, search and test us so we might walk in your truth.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday of Lent

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

Sometimes God allows us to be scattered. He allows trials and tribulations to enter our lives and turn them upside down. He doesn’t do this to torment or harm us. He does this because He wants to test our metal. He wants to know if we truly love and serve Him or if we are only giving Him lip service when everything is going our way. He allows our difficulties to reveal our hearts and minds and hopefully to strengthen our faith, hope, and charity. It is much easier to think and say we are Christians, but much more difficult to show we are Christians by our love. Thankfully, after we are scattered, God comes to gather us again, bringing peace and guarding us from harm. We have only to pass through these dark nights to see the rising Son of the Resurrection and life eternal.

Do we turn to God when we are scattered by fears, doubts, and worries? Do we welcome Him into our lives when He comes to gather us back into His flock? Are we willing to let Him lead us where we need to go?

O Lord, guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Amen.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered he is able to help those who are being tested.

Jesus understands what we go through each day because he was incarnated and lived here on earth for over three decades. He has been tempted like us, but without sin. He has suffered like us, but without giving up hope in our Heavenly Father. He has been bullied, persecuted, and shunned like us, but without seeking revenge. He knows the trials and tribulations we face and he is willing to walk us through them all if we allow him. He become like us so he could give us a perfect model to follow... a way to faith and mercy and love. He wants to help us through every obstacle from the moment of our conception to the moment of death so we might one day join him forever in the heavenly feast.

Do we seek God’s help in our times of need? Are we as merciful and helpful to others as Jesus is to us? How can we be more open to God’s grace in our lives?

O Lord, help us through the tests of our lives.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.

Even though we might suffer and be persecuted for our faith, we will not go unrewarded for our fidelity to God and His teachings as handed down to us through the Scriptures and the Church. We might be asked to make sacrifices, but none of the things we will give up in this life will compare to the blessings we will receive when we come into the Kingdom. Each day, we are tested by God, not because He wants us to fail, but because He wants us to succeed in what is most important in life. He gives us every grace and opportunity to do the greatest good with our lives and to become living saints. Whatever we suffer is simply meant to purify us of those attachments that are holding us back from knowing, loving, and serving God and others more perfectly. Our sacrifices when united with those of Jesus Christ shine for all to see and like living fires sent the world ablaze with the love of God. We are all called to be witnesses to the faith and it is only through trial and triumph that we can give the best of witnesses... the witness of self-gift.

Are we willing to suffer a little in this world in order to enjoy the feasts in heaven? How can we prove ourselves to God and give a fruitful witness to the Good News? In what ways can we set the world ablaze with the love of God?

O Lord, we offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices for your glory.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Lent

“Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue.

There will be times in our lives when we will be challenged to either stand up for the truth and be punished for doing so or remain silent and save our skins. This is the choice the blind man and his parents were faced with and it is the same one we must confront in various ways in our lives. The parents chose to pass the buck onto their son. They were afraid of acknowledging Jesus ever after he healed their son. They should have been happy for the miracle of their son’s cure, but they let worldly concerns strangle their joy and muzzle their praise. The formerly blind man on the other hand is not afraid of speaking the truth. He does so several times and because of this he is tossed out of the synagogue. However, this apparent loss is really a gain. Jesus finds him and reveals himself to be the Son of Man. The man’s faith has saved him. He has chosen the light of Christ over the darkness of the world.

Are we willing to suffer in order to proclaim the truth? Are we willing to be persecuted for our faith? How can we conquer our fears and live in the light of the Good News?

O Lord, cure our blindness so we might see your guiding light.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name. He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol. 

Throughout our lives we will be put to the test, not because God wants us to fail, but because He wants us to succeed. He wants us to learn how to know, love, and serve Him and His children with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths. He wants us to choose what is right and to avoid those things that lead us into sin. He wants us to be willing to sacrifice everything for Him. He does this because He knows that without a tested conscience and well-formed free will, we could not love Him and His children as we should. We could not understand what it means to be charitable and merciful without the ability to choose to be selfish and unforgiving. True love and mercy are tested in the fires of temptation and quenched in the waters of opportunity. Hopefully, we shall prove our worth by being made stronger by our spiritual tests.

What tests are we undergoing at the moment? How can we overcome them? How can we learn to trust in God as much as Abraham trusted in God?

O Lord, give us the strength to overcome every test and trust in you.

Amen.