Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

They will praise you, Lord, who long for you. I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him. The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: “May your hearts be ever merry!”

If we aren’t longing for the Lord, then we don’t have our priorities straight in this world. We should be living in constant anticipation of God’s coming into our lives, especially through the sacraments. We should be preparing ourselves for the Second Coming and the Day of Judgment. We should be striving to become holy people full of faith, hope, and love. We should strive to keep the vows of our baptism and to eat our fill of the Blessed Sacrament. We should be seeking God in every way possible from the beginning of each day to the end of each night. We should praise God with every ounce of our being. We should have merry hearts because when we long for God, we can be confident in His longing for us, too.

Do we long for God as we should? How can we cultivate a life of anticipation focused on being with God now and forever? How can we participate in the sacraments more fully and longingly?

O Lord, may our hearts long for you and be ever merry.

Amen.