Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist

They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 

Sometimes we are like John. We hear some news and run off. We race ahead. When we arrive at where we are going, we can be tempted to jump right in, but John takes a moment to look before he leaps. Why does he do this? We do not know. Perhaps he is afraid of what he sees. Or maybe he knows Peter should be the first disciple to cross the threshold. Fear or humility... or both... or neither. It is hard to say because we cannot ask him. Perhaps John wonders if his eyes are tricking him... as if all he sees is just wishful thinking and he needs confirmation from Peter before he can fully embrace what his heart is telling him. Sometimes we are like that. We need some sort of confirmation that what we believe is true, where we are going is the right way, what we are doing is for the best. This confirmation can come from many people, places, or things, but all of them have one source... God. It is He who reaffirms our beliefs and helps us take the next step in our lives... to cross the threshold to holiness.

Are we running toward God or away from Him? How can we reaffirm the faith of others as well as our own? Are we willing to cross the threshold to holiness?

O Lord, we believe.

Amen.

Thirty-First Thursday in Ordinary Time

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

We must believe God will do good things for us if we are to have any hope of eternal life. We must believe whatever we lack in our spiritual lives will be provided to us out of the bounty of our Lord. We must believe He will grant us blessings, graces, talents, and treasures to help us to achieve His Will in the world. We must be courageous and stouthearted and unwavering in our love of Him and all His children and trust that in the end all will be for our benefit and salvation.

Do we trust that good things will come to us, even when we are in our darkest hours? What can we do to build up and support our hope in God? Are we willing to wait for the Lord with courage?

O Lord, grant us the patience to wait for you.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Two things I ask of you, deny them not to me before I die: Put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; Lest, being full, I deny you, saying, "Who is the LORD?" Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God.

Falsehood and lying can start out small, but they are the types of sins that multiply, weighing us down with unnecessary anxieties and worries. Often when we lie, we become fearful of being found out and so we create bigger and bigger lies that eventually strangle our relationships with God and others. Our falsehoods bury us and make us unable to be ourselves anymore. Our pride and insecurities can also cause us to sin, too. Pride can convince us we are right and good when in reality we are wrong and evil. We can be convinced of our own righteousness and superiority, but that is the Devil leading us astray. Our confidence should not be in ourselves, but in God, who provides all graces and good things for us. Our doubts, fears, worries, and anxieties can also lead us astray. They can erode our confidence in God’s Goodness and in our worth as His children. They can make us feel abandoned and tempt us to abandon God. However, nothing should make us feel totally unworthy of God’s Love. Yes, we are sinners and unworthy for Jesus to enter under the roofs of our souls, but Christ has given us the Divine Word and if we accept it and live it out, then our souls shall be healed.

How can we resist all temptations to falsehood and lying? What can we do to cultivate humble hearts rooted in the love of God and neighbor? How can we guard against the doubts that try to creep into our lives and tempt us to abandon God?

O Lord, give us truthful and trusting hearts.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

As Christians, our belief in Jesus brings us together. It forges us into one, united people of God. It transforms us into living temples built upon the foundations of love for the Holy Trinity and all of God's children. There are no strangers among us, but rather fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are built together by our Heavenly Father in order to do His Will and bring about His Kingdom. Our time, talents, and treasures are given to us for this purpose. We are meant to use them to build up His Church and woe to us if we waste or bury them.

Is God the Father the foundation of our lives? Is Jesus Christ the capstone of our faith? Are our hearts sacred temples adorned with the inspirations and graces of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, make us into dwelling places for you.

Amen.

Sixth Tuesday of Easter

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.

The question posed by the jailer is one that we all should seek an answer to in our lives. What must we do to be saved? Yes, believe in the Lord Jesus, but what does that mean? We can see for the jailer it means letting the prisoners free, bringing those in need to his house, and bathing their wounds. Yes, faith inspires him to do this, but he also had to choose to act on his faith. Sometimes we can have very noble and good ideas, but if we never act on them then how much good did those thoughts do us? This is why we believe faith and works go hand in hand with each other. You can't have one without the other and so we should strive to live our faith to the best of our abilities.

Do we ask God what we must do to be saved? Are we putting our faith into our works? How can we live out our beliefs more perfectly?

O Lord, help us to know what we must do to be saved.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

As Christians, we are called to profess our faith through our words and works. The people who hear and see us should know without a doubt we are Christians by our expressions and acts of love and mercy. And if we do these things, we will never be put to shame. No persecution, mocking, failure, disrespect, or other suffering will be able to touch us because our hearts will be protected as long as they remain true to God and believe in the promise of eternal life. It is this belief in the resurrection that sparks us to action and to sacrifice for God and for others.

Do we confess Jesus is Lord through word and deed? Do we believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead? Do we trust no matter what might happen to us God will never allow us to be put to shame?

O Lord, we believe in you with our whole hearts.

Amen.

Third Sunday in Lent

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

No matter how many times we see the faith alive in someone else. No matter how often we hear someone proclaim the Good News through word or work. No matter how much we are exposed to the conviction of other Christians. In the end, we have to choose to believe in Christ for ourselves. We have to accept the truth he has given us through the scriptures and the traditions of the Church he founded. We have to trust that the Holy Spirit has kept his Gospel message alive in the members of His Spiritual Body, the Church. This personal choice leads us to the community of saints. The two are inseparable. And once we come into the community of believers, then just like the Samaritan woman, we are asked to spread the Good News to others and help them come to their own choice to join the Body of Christ and recognize Jesus as their Lord and Savior, too.

Who were the people in our lives who helped introduce us to the Good News? Do we pray for them and thank them for giving us the opportunity to discover our faith? How do we proclaim the Gospels to others in our lives?

O Lord, help us to lead others to faith in you.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

As Christians, we are called to profess our faith through our words and works. The people who hear and see us should know without a doubt we are Christians by our expressions and acts of love and mercy. And if we do these things, we will never be put to shame. No persecution, mocking, failure, disrespect, or other suffering will be able to touch us because our hearts will be protected as long as they remain true to God and believe in the promise of eternal life. It is this belief in the resurrection that sparks us to action and to sacrifice for God and for others.

Do we confess that Jesus is Lord through word and deed? Do we believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead? Do we trust that no matter what might happen to us God will never allow us to be put to shame?

O Lord, we believe in you with our whole hearts.

Amen.

The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? 
Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.  But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

Persistence and patience are two important virtues we need to cultivate as Christians. There will be times in our lives when we will want to give up because everything seems stacked against us. There will be other times when we feel abandoned because our prayers seem to go unanswered. But with persistence we can overcome any obstacle and with patience we can learn to accept God's Divine Plan and trust that everything will work out in the end. In addition, these two virtues help us to enter more deeply into our faith by connecting us with Jesus, who was persistence and patience personified. Whenever we feel like giving up, we can look at Jesus and see how after his cross came his triumph. The same holds true for us.

Do we call out to God day and night whenever we are in need? Do we trust that God will provide us with the graces we need to overcome all things? Do we believe that God will see justice done for us, even if it is not in the way we might want it?

O Lord, grant us the persistence and patience we need to triumph over every cross.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Jesus asks his disciples a question that each of us must answer for ourselves. Do we believe he was just a man? Or do we believe he is the Son of God, the Christ, and our Savior? If he was both God and man, then his very life on earth challenges us to follow his Way. His words of Truth challenge us to listen to his teachings. His holy Life serves as an example for us. Just as he was willing to suffer greatly, be rejected, and killed for the faith, so must we. It is only by handing our lives over to God that we can come to be raised again.

Who do we say Jesus is? Are we willing to suffer in order to do God's Will? Are we willing to live the Christ-like life no matter who or what stands in our way?

O Lord, you are our Savior and we are willing to join in your suffering and sacrifice.

Amen.

Twentieth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

“Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.

We can't save ourselves, but thankfully God has chosen to give us every opportunity to accept the salvation He offers it to us through the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. All we have to do is to give up everything and follow Jesus. If we do these things, then we shall grow in faith, hope, and charity. We shall receive rewards more bountiful than any that the world can offer. Last but not least, we shall inherit eternal life. It is not easy to sacrifice everything. We will be tempted to doubt, fear, and run away from Christ, but as long as we stand firmly by his side, even in the midst of trial and tribulation, then we shall be rewarded for our fortitude and persistence.

Do we truly believe that all things are possible with God? Are we willing to give up everything and follow Christ? How can we cultivate a fidelity to God that can withstand the temptations of the world?

O Lord, we are willing to give up everything for your sake.

Amen.

Eighteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” 

After Jesus tells Peter to come to him, the disciple walks upon the water, but soon he becomes frightened and loses faith. In the same way, many of us call out to Jesus, but when he answers us and asks us to come to him, we hesitate. We let all our worldly worries weigh us down until we sink into a sea of anxiety and sin. However, just like Peter, Jesus always stretches his arm out to us to catch us when we fall. All we have to do is accept his help and let him help us up again. Then, we can begin to rebuild our faith and reaffirm our belief in Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior. If we do this, then we will be given the graces we need to proclaim Jesus to the world, to help the sick, and be healed in body, mind, and spirit.

Do we trust Jesus enough to come to him when he calls? How do we respond to Jesus’ offer of help when our faith fails us? How can we express our belief that Jesus is the Son of God in such a way to bring others to belief in him and to strengthen our own calling?

O Lord, heal us of our indecision, worries, and all those things that keep us from following you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Martha

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

How far Martha has come! We first met her when she is burdened with worldly cares and unable to understand her sister’s desire to sit at the foot of Jesus. However, she has grown as a disciple since then and now expresses a faith we should all seek to imitate. It can be difficult for us to accept sufferings, especially the deaths of our loved ones. But rather than focus on our loss, we should focus on trusting in the mercy of God and the promise of eternal life. Jesus might not raise our loved ones from the dead in the same way as he did Lazarus, but he can and will raise them up to heaven to be with him as long as they have led a good life. We can take comfort in this truth and in the knowledge that all of God’s faithful children will be resurrected. No one who believes in God will ever truly die. Jesus died once, for all. He died to cleanse us of our sins and to bathe us in his mercy so that we could partake in his heavenly feast forever and ever.

Do we trust that whatever goods we ask God for will be given to us in His own way and time? Do we believe that our loved ones (and we) will rise again in the resurrection on the last day? Do we believe in Jesus and his Gospel message?

O Lord, we have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who brings everlasting life to your disciples.

Amen.

Thirteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

With faith all things are possible. We just have to believe in God’s Love and Mercy and trust that whatever happens will be for the good. It takes a great deal of spiritual courage to bring our fears, doubts, and sins before God and to place our hope in Him. Evil thoughts might try to convince us that God cannot forgive what we have done or we are not worthy of forgiveness, but we shouldn’t listen to them. Instead, we should seek our God and present ourselves to Him as we are and ask for Him to heal us and make us as we should be. Only then can we rise from our infirmities, pick our lives off the ground, and go home to our Heavenly Father.

Are we willing to bear our sins to God so He might cleanse us of them? What can we do to cultivate a deeper faith and hope in God’s Mercy? How will we lead our lives once we are granted forgiveness?

O Lord, forgive us our sins and lead us home to you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living.

Sometimes we do not entirely understand one of God’s teachings and are misled by our own intellect to believe we know better. We can claim to have more insight into the faith than two thousand years of accumulated knowledge. We can claim that “times have changed” or Jesus was confined by his times. However, if we want to be Christians, then we need to trust not in our wisdom and cleverness, but rather in God’s eternal truth. This is especially necessary for those issues or teachings which we do not understand. In a world which tells us that truth is relative and changeable, it can be hard for us to accept that the Scriptures present an immutable reality, a Divine Truth, which we cannot argue or compromise with. This requires a great deal of trust on our part and a firm belief in Jesus’ gospel message and the power of God.

Do we know the Scriptures and trust their teachings? Do we recognize the power of God? Are we willing to sacrifice our own intellectual doubts and choose instead to believe in spite of our unbelief?

O Lord, we trust in your word and power.

Amen.

Eighth Friday of Ordinary Time

Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.

We all have the potential to move mountains with our faith. However, we are constantly tempted by our doubts, fears, and anxieties to trust in the world and not in God. We are especially tested when things don’t go our way or when we suffer a trial we do not think we can bear. But if we put our trust in God and do not doubt in our hearts that our prayers will be answered, then we shall receive the answer we need. Jesus goes on to tell us that when we pray, we need to forgive those who have trespassed against us so that our Heavenly Father will know our hearts are filled with love and mercy, not hatred and vengeance. The act of forgiveness Jesus asks us to offer others may not be easy for us to give, but in the end we will be measured by how we treat the least of God’s children and those whom we found most difficult to love.

Do we have faith in God? Do we believe God would move mountains for us? Have we forgiven those who trespass against us?

O Lord, we do not doubt you will do great things for us.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

“Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

We can harden our hearts in many different ways. We can do so by becoming cynical. We can do it through pride. We can even do it out of what we believe is right. Adam and Eve hardened their hearts when they ate of the apple. They decided for themselves what was right and wrong, denying God His place as Eternal Judge. There may be things we don't understand about our faith, but that is why we should constantly pray, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Today's gospel is a hard teaching for many people. This is understandable. We all know there are good reasons to leave a marriage: abuse, infidelity, etc. However, the Church follows the words of Christ in this and makes clear that civil divorce does not break the bonds of marriage. There is a permanence to the vows of marriage that not even the Church can break. Yes, there is annulment, but it requires proof that the marriage was never valid because the bride or groom did not enter the marriage with full consent, maturity, faithfulness, or intent of having children. These aren't easy to prove in many cases, which is why the Church encourages people to go through marriage preparation before saying their vows. This is to drive home the fact that both parties need to take their vows seriously and not enter the union lightly.

Have we hardened our hearts to any truths of the gospels? Are we tempted to decide what is right and wrong rather than letting God be the Divine Judge? Do we respect the fact that we will not always understand the teachings of Christ, but that it is okay to believe in spite of our doubts?

O Lord, soften our hearts and help us believe in your good news.

Amen.

Seventh Monday of Ordinary Time

“How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Directly after his Transfiguration, Jesus is confronted with three things: arguing, the failure of his disciples, and doubt. These are common even now among those who follow Jesus. We continue to argue with those who doubt Jesus. We continue to fail him in many ways just as the disciples did. We sometimes doubt him ourselves. But this is why Jesus rebukes the mute boy's father when he says, "if you can." There is no "if" for Jesus. There is or isn't. He does not live his life in half-measures. He gives everything he has without holding back. Sometimes "if" slips into our faith lives. We pray to God with "if you'll do this, I'll do that." We convince ourselves, "if God loves us, then why is this happening to us?" If should not be in our vocabulary with God because it is a word full of doubts. Instead, we should echo the boy's father and say, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"

Do we believe God can do anything? Or have we let "ifs" slip into our faith? How can we be as faithful as we should be?

O Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.

The Sixth Thursday of Easter

“Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

While we are on earth, we can’t see Jesus directly and this can cause us to have questions about our faith in him. However, we can see him indirectly through our interactions with others and through the participation in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. These glimpses of Christ help to sustain us through each day and if we live in faith, hope, and love, then one day these glimpses will become the full Beatific Vision. We will see Jesus, our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit together in all their glory and in all their love for each other and us. Then our weeping will turn into laughing. Our mourning will turn into dancing. And our grief will turn to joy.

Are there times when we question God and do not understand what He his telling us in our hearts? Do we trust God enough to let go of our doubts and trust in His Divine Providence? Do we see the presence of Jesus in those around us, in the sacraments we receive, and in the beauty of nature?

O Lord, turn our questions into answers and our grief into joy.

Amen.

The Fourth Saturday of Easter

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.  And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.

By believing in and imitating Jesus, we do the Will of God. The words we speak become God’s and not our own. The works we do become Our Heavenly Father’s and not our own. And these words and works will lead others to believe in God because they will see His Love, Mercy, and Grace made manifest in us. Some of us will be asked to do little things to bring about God’s Kingdom. Other will be asked to do great things. No matter what God’s Plan for us, as long as we do what He asks us to do and say what He asks us to say, then we will glorify God, have our prayers answered, and one day join the Holy Trinity in a never-ending heavenly banquet.

Does our Heavenly Father dwell in us? When others see or hear us, do they see and hear God? Are we doing the works of God?

O Lord, we ask you to sanctify us and make us better children of our Heavenly Father.

Amen.