Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

You are my inheritance, O Lord. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.

God is our inheritance. He is both the promise and the gift. It is in Him that we will find the rewards of everlasting life and it is through Him that we will find our true callings in life. He is our refuge and our rest. He is our Lord and Savior. It is Him who allots our portion and fills our cups to overflowing. He holds nothing back from us and gives us exactly what we need to grow in faith, hope, and love. He is life giving, granting us the graces and blessings that will help us to live life abundantly. It is to Him and Him alone that we should hold onto in our times of need for He will give us all He can to help us to get to a place of plenty.

Do we take our role as heirs to God’s Kingdom seriously? How can we fulfill our callings to be His holy and good children? What can we do to help others to find their inheritance, too?

O Lord, be our inheritance and the cup of our salvation.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Wednesday in Ordinary Time

I trust in the mercy of God for ever. I, like a green olive tree in the house of God, Trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

God planted us upon this earth to bear good fruit. He has nourished us with the Light of faith and the waters of His Love and Mercy. He has cultivated us with Hope and pruned us with the virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. He has weeded evil out of our hearts and protects us from the worms of temptation. We flourish under His care and grow in holiness and grace with each passing season. It is because of Him that we have good things and produce good works. And we should be thankful He has planted us in the fertile soil of His Divine Image, which gives us all we need to become fruitful Christians.

Do we trust in the Light of God’s Truth? Do we allow ourselves to be saturated with the waters of God’s Love and Mercy? What can we do to ensure we bear good and abundant fruits?

O Lord, we trust in your mercy.

Amen.

The Fourth Monday of Easter

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus is our gateway to heaven and eternal life. It is through following his teachings and example that we can enter paradise and experience the glorious and awe-inspiring presence of the Holy Trinity. It is through his Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection that we are given the opportunity to be saved and become holy people. He offers us spiritual nourishment through the sacraments and constant protection from the evil influences in our lives which try to lead us astray, steal our souls, and lead us to the fires of Hell. He is the source, center, and summit of our lives and when we accept his love, mercy, and grace, we are rewarded with more fruitful lives. All we have to do is to seek out the truth, knock at the door of God’s Divine Mercy, and ask for His sanctifying grace to pour into our hearts.

Where are our lives leading us? Are we seeking truth, forgiveness, and holiness? Are we willing to follow the narrow path to heaven?

O Lord, help us to live more abundantly.

Amen.

The Third Tuesday of Easter

“Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the spiritual sustenance that fills our hearts, souls, and minds with sanctifying grace. He gives us the graces we need to live in faith, hope, and love. Feeding our bodies may help us survive from day to day, but feeding our spirits help us to live forever with God. We should constantly ask God to give us the Bread of Life. We should constantly seek it in the sacrament of the Eucharist. By doing these things, we will grow in spirit and our virtues will be strengthened. When we partake in communion with God and our fellow Christians, we will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again.

Do we seek out the bread of life through the blessed sacrament of the Eucharist? How can we become life-giving people? Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness?

O Lord, give us your bread always.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Easter

“Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Jesus came to give us abundant life and it is up to us to follow him through his open gateway or to let ourselves be stolen and slaughtered by the thief. So how do we enter into the abundant life Jesus promises us? We do so by imitating Christ and becoming meek and mild like the lamb in his parable. When we humble ourselves and follow Jesus’ lead, we are protected and provided for by God. We are saved and our souls grow in faith and when the time of harvest comes we yield much to the shearer’s blade.

How can we do a better job of following Christ? What can we do to keep the thief of souls away from us? Are we as meek, mild and humble as we should be?

O Lord, lead us through your gate to abundant life.

Amen.