Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. 

God has made us worthy of our callings in this life. He has given us the graces we need. He has provided us with gifts and talents and treasures sufficient to accomplish the works He wants us to do. He has blessed us in ways seen and unseen all so we might fulfill His Will on earth. If we fail to do good or avoid evil, it is not because He did not help us enough. It is because we ignored our calling, settled for something less, or choose a sinful life over a holy one. It is our fault and ours alone when we fall short because we are weighed down by doubts, fears, apathy, or selfishness. However, if we are willing to shrug off these things and place our trust in God, then there is no limit to how far we can go. We will be able to make the leaps of faith we need in order to achieve God’s Will and the world, including ourselves, will be better off for it.

Do we bring to fulfillment every good purpose and effort of faith? Do our thoughts, words, and works glorify God? What can we do to live up to the calling God has given us?

O Lord, make us worthy of your calling.

Amen.

Tenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Holy is the Lord our God. Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he!

Holy is our God, the font of all holiness. If we want to be worthy of heaven, then we have to take the time to drink in His holiness through reading the Scriptures, prayer, mortification, almsgiving, and works of charity and mercy. We worship God best when we are doing good and avoiding evil. God loves it when we listen to Him, but He loves it even more when we take His Divine Word and live it out with faithfulness.

Are we living holy lives? What can we do to grow in holiness? How can we pour that holiness into the world so those around us can grow in holiness, too?

O Lord, you are holy and we worship at your footstool.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am' I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet."

Just like John the Baptist, we are all called to proclaim a life of repentance to all of God’s children. We are asked to be prophets of the God News spreading God’s Word to all those whom we meet each day. No, we are not Jesus or John... and perhaps we are not worthy to unfasten the sandals of either man’s feet, but we have the same mission as both of them... the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. It is a vocation all Christians have and we must do our best to prepare the way of our Lord and God... for He is coming again and when he does we want to be able to stand before him and say, “We did our best to bring you into the world and bring others into your Way, Truth, and Life.”

Are we fulfilling our calling to be prophets of God’s Good News? How can we spread the Word of God to the world around us? In what ways can we prepare the way of the Lord?

O Lord, we are not worthy to unfasten your sandals, but with your heavenly aid, we shall unfasten the hearts of others so your Love, Mercy, and Grace can enter into them more fully.

Amen.

Third Wednesday of Easter

Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Humility is a virtue we all need to cultivate as Christians. It is the recognition of our own faults and frailties and a powerful inoculation against the sin of pride. It is the ability to consider ourselves lowly and because of this to be willing to become a servant to God's Divine Will. It is not to berate ourselves and lose hope, but rather it is a virtue that spawns hope by helping us place our trust in God and not ourselves. It is not to be falsely humble and pretend we are completely worthless, but rather to recognize the worth we have comes from the graces and gifts God has given us and we should be good and faithful stewards of all God has given us. If we are truly humble, then God will favor us as He favored His Holy Mother Mary, Most Humble.

How can we learn to cloth ourselves with humility in our dealings with God and others? What can we do to humbly place our total trust in God's Will? What can we do to guard against false humility?

O Lord, we humble ourselves under your mighty hand.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time

"Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

None of us are worthy to have Jesus come under the roofs of our hearts. However, Jesus is not concerned with whether we are worthy or not, but rather whether we are contrite in seeking him out or not. If we are contrite and seek his healing for us or another, then he shall come to us and give us every grace we need to overcome our trials in this life. Contrition, obedience, and love are needed for us to be saved from eternal death. We cannot be contrite if we do not truly hope to amend our lives and follow God. We cannot be obedient if we do not have faith in and fidelity to God. We cannot love if we are not willing to do as God tells us through our consciences. All three are needed, faith, hope, and love and the greatest is love.

Even though we are unworthy of God's Love, are we open to its coming into our lives? Do we recognize God's authority over our thoughts, words, and works? Do we love others enough to seek God's help for them just as the centurion sought help for his servant?

O Lord, we are unworthy, but only say the word and we shall be healed.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Sometimes when God inspires us to do something, we can feel unworthy. We see our sinfulness and wonder how God could want someone like us to take on a new responsibility, to champion a cause, or take a leap of faith in our lives. However, God does not dwell upon our failures, sins, or imperfections. Instead He focuses on our potential for good. We can learn a lot from seeing ourselves through God's eyes and believing that although unworthy by ourselves, we are made worthy by the grace of God. It is for this reason that we should not be afraid to follow Christ and become fishers of men. Of course, this holy confidence also requires action and sometimes that action will involve giving up what's comfortable and familiar in life, to leave everything behind. This is perhaps most difficult when what we give up is good and joyful. However, we should be willing to take the next step upon the path to salvation even if it means detaching ourselves from good things and people because in the end everything good we give up for God will be repaid a thousand times over in Heaven.

What is God calling us to do? What is keeping us from doing His Will? How can we gain holy confidence in God's Will and following our calling?

O Lord, give us the grace to leave everything and follow you.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

God wants to make our hearts His dwelling place. Just like the manger Jesus was born into, we are seemingly unworthy of such a great honor. However, as Jesus tells us when we keep his word we are beloved by God and it is that love which draws God to us and makes our humble hearts worthy to receive Him. It is a grace for us to be given the strength and perseverance to keep the Living Word of God alive within us. We should be ever grateful for this gift because without it we would be hollow people of the world rather than hallowed followers of Christ. So when we feel alone or unworthy, we should remember God is with us as long as we do the best we can to know, love, and serve Him and He makes us worthy through His Love, which more than makes up what is lacking in the imperfect mangers of our hearts.

In what ways do we keep God’s Word? In what ways do we fail to keep it? How do we prepare ourselves to be dwelling places for the Lord?

O Lord, we want to keep your word and become dwelling places for you.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Easter

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

God loves us so much He sacrificed his own Son for us in hopes that we would open ourselves to His Mercy and Grace. Whenever we feel unworthy or depressed, we should remember these words and the sacrifice Jesus made for us during his Passion and Death. We are loved. No matter how unloved or unappreciated we might feel at any single moment, God loves us and that makes us worthy of loving ourselves. If God sees the good in us in spite of the bad, then who are we to condemn ourselves and deny the forgiveness He offers us. In the end, it is our choice because although God loves us He will not force us to love Him, our neighbors, or even ourselves. He allows us make the choice to follow Him and be saved or to follow ourselves and be lost. Hopefully, we choose to welcome His Love with open arms.

Do we recognize on a daily basis that God loves us? What do we do to remind ourselves of His Love Mercy, and Grace? Do we love ourselves in a healthy way, not selfishly, but selflessly?

O Lord, send your Son to us so that we might not perish, but rather have eternal life in, with, and through you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen

I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

We are all unworthy. This is a reality that we sometimes forget in the successes of our lives. We say good things and do good works, and a part of us believes these things make us worthy of God’s forgiveness. However, these things although often signs of grace and expressions of our love are not guarantees of our salvation. We can do all the right things for the wrong reasons. We can say yes to God with a part of our minds, but fail to will it with all our heart. In the end, God gives us forgiveness as a gratuitous gift and it is in our seeking this gift in contrition and accepting it in humility that we find our salvation.

Have we ever felt holier-than-thou towards anyone? If so, how can we make up for this transgression? If not, than how do we remind ourselves of our unworthiness without falling into despair?

O Lord, we are not worthy to receive you into our hearts, but you have said the Word through your Son Jesus Christ and we are made worthy through the healing power of your Love.

Amen.