Thirty-First Friday in Ordinary Time

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God. For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ. Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another’s foundation, but as it is written: Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

It might be difficult to believe, but there are many in this world that do not know Jesus Christ. They have no personal or communal relationship with Him. He exists outside their frame of reference. They might have heard about him, but they do not know him or what he truly stands for. So many children are not being taught what it means to be Christian. So many are told they do not need him in their lives. So many are denied him by parents who have neglected to bring him into their children’s lives. It can be saddening to think that the only exposure many have with Jesus is as a historical figure, who lived and died in Israel. What a loss for such people! We should look at this lack and be driven to do something about it... to proclaim the Gospels and show others what it means to be faithful, hopeful, and loving Christians. That way those around us will have a chance to see and understand our God, who is Good and worth knowing.

What does pertain to God in our lives? What have we done to accomplish His Will in our lives? How are we spreading the Good News and the knowledge of Christ to all those who are around us?

O Lord, spread your Word and accomplish your Will through us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

Holy is the Lord our God. Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel, among those who called upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.

It is important for us to call upon the Lord. Just as we talk to our loved ones, be they family or friends, so too, we should talk to God. We should seek to make Him a part of our daily lives. He should be the center of everything we think, say, and do. We should strive to accomplish His Will just as Jesus did in his life. If we do all these things, then God will provide what we need. He will give us every grace and blessing.

How often do we call on the Lord? Are we willing to let go and allow God to lead us where we need to be? How can we become good and faithful servants to Him in all things?

O Lord, we call upon you and you answer us.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Monday in Ordinary Time

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.

God brought us to life through and with Christ. We gave us our lives for a purpose and wants us to fulfill His Will. As such, He gives us every grace we need to accomplish His Divine Plan. He wants to think, speak, and work through us so He might bring about the greatest good for all His beloved children. We are hampered in doing His Will when we fall into sin and indifference. However, He is always besides us, offering forgiveness and mercy so we might repent and do what is right and good. He is kind and loving and provides us all we could ever hope for in our lives. He offers us salvation as a gift and if we are humble and trusting enough, we receive it with open minds, hearts, and spirits.

For what purpose has God given us life? How are we fulfilling or denying this purpose? How can we accomplish God's Will more faithfully, hopefully, and lovingly?

O Lord, we thank you for the immeasurable graces you've given us.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday in Ordinary Time

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

We all belong to God through Jesus Christ. If we have anything to boast about, it is not our successes, but God’s success through us. Everything good that comes from our thoughts, words, and works finds its source, center, and summit in our Heavenly Father. It is He who inspires, guides, and strengthens us, giving to each person the time, talents, and treasures they need to fulfill His Divine Will. Anything virtuous we accomplish is made possible by our faith in God, hope in His promises, and love of Him.

Do we boast of ourselves or of all God has done for us? How can we more faithfully belong to God through Jesus Christ? What can we do to accomplish the Will of God in our own lives?

O Lord, we belong to you.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.

If we want to have a place in the Kingdom of God, then we cannot be stingy with our time, talents, or treasures. We have to use them all to sow the Way, the Truth, and the Life in the lives of others. We cannot shrink from the sacrifices that are asked of us or worry about the cost of doing what is right. If we do God’s Will, then He will give us everything we need to accomplish His Divine Plan. Whatever we lose in time, talent, or treasures, God will return to us through grace... and a thousand-fold. We cannot let our fears, doubts, and anxieties about life keep us from living as God wants us to live. We cannot put off till tomorrow what God has given us to do today. We have to embrace the challenges and do as God has determined, without sadness or compulsion... but as cheerful givers of body, mind, and heart.

What is God asking us to sow? How can we become better reapers of good works? What can we do to become more cheerful givers?

O Lord, grant us the grace we need to sow and reap bountifully.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."

Sometimes our good works can cause others to try to give glory to us, rather than to God. They may mean well, but our response should be one of humility. We should remind those who would honor us that everything good we’ve accomplished is the result of God’s Goodness. We have to resist the temptation to pride and remember we are but lowly servants of the Lord. We are witnesses, proclaiming the Good News and through we might play a part in God’s Plan... it is His Will that has brought about the good fruits we bear. We do not own them, but rather have been given our gifts and graces to glorify God as best we can, nourish the souls of others, and bring gladness into the hearts of those whom we meet each day.

How can we remain humble in the face of the praise of others? What can we do to remind others that all our good works come first and foremost from God? How can we do God’s Will is such a way to magnify Him and not ourselves?

O Lord, help us to proclaim your Good News with humble hearts.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away.

None of us really imagines our time running out, at least not when we are healthy and young. We see all these people in the world who die, but rarely do we think about how that might happen to us at any time. There are no guarantees we will live to see the end of this day or the beginning of the next. We may assume so and make plans, but we never truly know when our time on earth will come to an end. This is what we are reminded of in today’s reading and we would do well to heed its advice. Our time is running out and we should use it to the best of our abilities and for the greatest good. We often find reasons to waste time and that is what we are warned against. We should be spending our energies on heavenly and spiritual pursuits and not on worldly ones. Sure, there are times when we need to rest and relax, but we should keep a close eye on those times to make sure they are rejuvenating us and not draining us of time better spent doing good works.

Is our time spent on worldly or spiritual pursuits? How can we make heavenly things the focus of our lives? What can we do to avoid wasting time?

O Lord, help us to focus our time, talents, and treasures on fulfilling your will and not our own.

Amen.

Twenty-Third Monday of Ordinary Time

I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past.

Whenever we are suffering, we have the opportunity to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of the Church. This is not to say that Christ’s afflictions in his Life, Passion, and Death were incomplete, far from it! But rather that our sufferings can be united to his and bring salvation to others if we are willing to offer them up. Jesus died on the cross once and for all, but the manifestation of his saving grace is often brought to fruition through His Body, which is the Church. And we are members of that Church and therefore share in the call to make visible God’s Love and Divine Mercy. As Christians, we all have the vocation to offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice for the glory of God and the good of our fellow man.

Do we unite our sufferings with those of Christ? What do we think, say, and do in order to turn our afflictions into opportunities to accomplish God’s Will? How can we manifest the Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus in our daily lives?

O Lord, help us to turn our sufferings into gifts for you and graces for others.

Amen.

Sixteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

"Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother."

We are all the brothers, sisters, and mothers of Christ when we do the will of our Heavenly Father. Mary’s life is the perfect example of living in accord with the Holy Spirit. She does this perfectly even when she does not always understand the reason God is asking her to do something. She did not understand what becoming the Mother of God would mean, but she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word.” She did not understand why Jesus left her side and spent three days alone in the temple, but she still kept all these things in her heart. She did not understand why her son was condemned to death and crucified, but she accepted Jesus’ final words to her and became the Mother of the Church through John. It is Mary’s willingness to accept God’s Will that is the true reason why she was chosen by God to bear His Beloved Son and become our spiritual mother. She gives us a perfect example of what it means to magnify the Lord through our every thought, word, and work. We would do well to learn from her for she knows the Heavenly Father as only a daughter can know Him, she knows Jesus as only a mother can know him, and she knows the Holy Spirit as only a bride can know her husband. As such, she shows us how to live our lives as members of God’s heavenly family.

Do we do God’s Will or our own? Have we taken the time to meditate upon Mary’s life and make her virtues our own? How can we make our own hearts open to the inspirations of the Holy Trinity?

O Lord, we want only to do your will and be members of your heavenly family.

Amen.

Sixteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."

We have been given our sign. It is the sign of the cross, a sign of God’s Compassion, Forgiveness, and Love. No other sign is necessary for our salvation than Christ hanging on the cross, not in defeat, but in triumph. It is on the cross that he forgave us for our sins. It is on the cross that he promised us eternal life. It is on the cross that he gave us our spiritual mother. It is on the cross that he offered us the hope that overcomes all despair. It is on the cross that he showed us what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. It is on the cross that he reminded us of the sacrifices we will have to make in order to accomplish God’s Will. It is on the cross that he revealed to us the importance of placing ourselves into the hands of our Heavenly Father. And when we take these together, we cannot help but see that behind every cross is the Risen Lord, Our Savior.

Are we looking for signs like the scribes and Pharisees? Or is our attention focused on the cross and its promise of resurrection? How can we make the sign of the cross the heart of our faith lives?

O Lord, your cross is the only sign we need.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

We would all do well if we constantly asked ourselves, what we can do to accomplish the works of God. We do this best by believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ and living them out to the best of our abilities. We might not understand how to accomplish God’s Will or why He wishes us to undertake a certain task, but that is why we have faith He knows best and will always give us the graces we need to do His Works. We all have a choice in this life between surviving on the earthly things that perish or thriving on the heavenly things that endure forever. We will be constantly tempted to partake in vice and sin and to enslave ourselves to the world, but if we want to live free, then we need to believe in the Good News and proclaim it through our every thought, word, and work of this day and all our days.

Do we work for the worldly food that perishes or the heavenly food that endures? How can we accomplish God’s Will in our lives? Do we believe in Jesus and live according to his teachings?

O Lord, help us to thrive on heavenly things.

Amen.