Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.  In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

We are all adopted children of God through Jesus Christ, who made us his brothers and sisters through his life, passion, death, and resurrection. He broke his body and poured out his blood for us in order to secure us our adoption... to make us co-heirs to the Kingdom of God. He shows us how to be good and faithful children to our Heavenly Father. He shared his own Holy Mother with us while on the cross and asked us to take her into our homes and hearts. He gave us his Holy Spirit to be our advocate and constant guide. He has offered his love, his mercy, his saving and sanctifying grace to fill us with good things so we might grow in favor with God and give praise and glory to Him for all He has done for us.

How are we living out our calling to be co-heirs to the kingdom of God? What can we do to become more faithful children of our Lord? Do we give thanks for all the blessings God has given us, especially the Holy Spirit and our Holy Queen, Mary?

O Lord, bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

Amen.

Fifth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth! When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place—What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?

It is an amazing and humble thought to realize God cares for us. In all the universe, He has chosen to create us in His Divine Image and made us co-heirs to His Kingdom. He loves us unconditionally and gives us every grace to help us to grow in faith, hope, and love. He wants us to succeed in our spiritual lives and lead us to holiness and life everlasting with Him. All of creation, He made for us. How wonderful for us that God wants to spend forever with us and is willing to help us along the narrow way.

Are we open to God’s help as He leads us toward salvation? How can we care for others like God cares for us? What can we do to be worthy co-heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom?

O Lord, thank you for caring so much for us.

Amen.

Fifth Monday in Ordinary Time

May the Lord be glad in his works. Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak.

We are the works of the Lord and He is glad in us when we do His Will. He created us to be co-heirs to the Kingdom with His Beloved Son and instruments of His Grace, Mercy, and Love. We are constantly blessed by Him with time, talents, and treasures that He means for us to share with all His children. He is a great Father indeed, clothed in majesty and glory. He is our Light and our Savior. He has done marvelous deeds for us all. It is only fitting that we know, love, and serve Him more perfectly by doing good and avoiding evil.

Are we allowing God to work through us? How can we be more open to allowing Him to use us as instruments of His Goodness? What can we think, say, and do to show others how great our Heavenly Father is?

O Lord, may we do your works and bring gladness to your Divine Heart.

Amen.

Monday After Epiphany

I will give you all the nations for an inheritance. The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.”

God has given us all a great inheritance. He has provided us life for a reason. He has not given us the gifts and goods we have to squander them on worldly things. He wants us to use them to proclaim His Good News in great and small ways. Not all of us are called to be prophets, priests, or kings, but we all have duties that reflect these roles. We are asked to speak the Truth like the Prophet of Prophets. We are called to make our lives into sacrifices like the Priest of Priests. We are called to know, love, and serve God and others like the King of Kings. We can't do these things if we prefer the lies of the world, allow our possessions to possess us, avoid suffering at all costs, or choose to be selfish. No, the only way to be found worthy of our spiritual inheritance is to accept it and then live our lives in accordance with God's Will.

Are we using our inheritance wisely and well? How can we become better stewards of God's gifts and blessings? How can we avoid the temptations and traps of the world?

O Lord, we are your children and accept your will.

Amen.

The Epiphany of the Lord

It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:  that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

We are all coheirs in the promise of Christ Jesus. We are all members of the same body. The Three Wise Men came to the Christ child, led by a star and in hope of meeting the Messiah. They brought him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the same way, we come to Christ, too, and give him our time, talents, and treasures. We know all our thoughts, words, and works find their source, center, and summit in God, who is our Father and our King. He has adopted us as His own children through the sacrifice of His Beloved Son and the love of the Holy Spirit.

Do we act like coheirs to the promise of Christ? What are we doing to be co-partners in God's Divine Plan of salvation? What gifts do we have to give to the King of Kings and our fellow children of God?

O Lord, make us co-partners in spreading the Good News.

Amen.

The Epiphany of the Lord

You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:  that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

We are all coheirs to the Kingdom. We are all members of the same body. We are all copartners in Christ. We are all called to work with each other to give glory to God and build up the Church. We are all tasked with becoming stewards of the faith, doing God’s Will in all things. We are all given the opportunity to be good and faithful servants, who give witness to the faith by sharing ourselves with others. We all have a vocation to be priests, prophets, and servant leaders, leading people to the Way, the Truth, and the Life by word and example. There are many who are only exposed to Divine Truth through us and we have a responsibility to proclaim the Good New through our every thought, word, and work.

Are we good and faithful stewards of our faith? How can we become better coheirs of the Kingdom, members of the Church, and copartners with Christ? What can we do to fulfill our callings to build up the body of Christ?

O Lord, we want to be better stewards of your grace.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.

We are the adopted sons and daughters of God and we would do well to remember that. God so loved us He sent His Beloved Son to die for us all so we might be united to our Heavenly Father through the Body and Blood of Christ. He also sent the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Guide so we would know He loves us as His children. God does so many things for us. He gives us His Love, Mercy, and Grace to fill us with charity, to wash us of our sins, and to strengthen us for the way ahead. We should take comfort in the knowledge that we are so loved by God that He wants us to call Him, Abba, Father. Not only that, but He has also prepared a place for us in His Heavenly Kingdom and as long as we are willing to cast off the shackles of sins, we shall be given the grace to be co-heirs with Christ.

Do we act like the sons and daughters of God? How can we become more saintly people so we make our Heavenly Father proud of us? Do we call upon God as our Father when we are in need?

O Lord, Abba, Father, thank you for all you have given us.

Amen.

The Nativity of the Lord

When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Christmas is a time to remember the kindness, love, and mercy God has shown to us through the act of His Incarnation. The Word becoming flesh is a testament to God’s generosity. His willingness to become a man for us and experience the world through our eyes in all ways but sin speaks volumes about how much He loves us. God the Father not only sends His Beloved Son into the world to teach us the Truth and guide us along the Way, but He also poured His Holy Spirit upon us in order to inspire us to live saintly lives. The birth of Jesus Christ heralds the moment God became man so He might make us into heirs to the Kingdom and grant us the hope of eternal life with Him.

What are we doing to make Christmas a special day dedicated to God and all He has done for us? How can we become incarnations of God’s Will, pouring ourselves out in faith, hope, and love? Are we living up to our calling to be heirs to the Kingdom of God?

O Lord, you are kind, loving, and merciful. Help us to be the same.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.  In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved.

We are all adopted children of God through Jesus Christ, who made us his brothers and sisters through his life, passion, death, and resurrection. He broke his body and poured out his blood for us in order to secure us our adoption... to make us co-heirs to the Kingdom of God. He shows us how to be good and faithful children to our Heavenly Father. He shared his own Holy Mother with us while on the cross and asked us to take her into our homes and hearts. He gave us his Holy Spirit to be our advocate and constant guide. He has offered his love, his mercy, his saving and sanctifying grace to fill us with good things so we might grow in favor with God and give praise and glory to Him for all He has done for us.

How are we living out our calling to be co-heirs to the kingdom of God? What can we do to become more faithful children of our Lord? Do we give thanks for all the blessings God has given us, especially the Holy Spirit and our Holy Queen, Mary?

O Lord, bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.

Amen.

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

In a world where we are constantly told we need to stand out, show off, and take what we want, it can be difficult to remain humble. However, we don’t need to exult ourselves to make our mark on this world. We can make a difference by simply being Christians and knowing, loving, and serving God and His children to the best of our ability. We might not get rich, gain fame, or even be recognized for our spiritual successes, but when we pass on from this world God will be there with the treasures of the afterlife and the laurels of sainthood. It will be Him who exults us by telling us that we have been good and faithful servants and worthy co-heirs to the Heavenly Kingdom.

What can we do to remain humble in spirit? Are we willing to forgo worldly successes in order to obtain heavenly ones? How can we become good and faithful servant leaders?

O Lord, give us humble hearts.

Amen.

Thirtieth Monday of Ordinary Time

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

As Christians, our relationship with God is more than just Creator and created, but Father and child. As long as we accept our dependence upon God and join our sufferings with Christ, then we are co-heirs to His Kingdom. By living Christ-like lives, we cast off the spirit of slavery to sin and receive the spirit of adoption by our Heavenly Father, who knows, loves, and protects us as His Own Beloved Son. However, being co-heirs with Christ doesn’t mean we won’t be faced with trials and sufferings. Instead, it means embracing our troubles out of love for God and a desire to do everything we can to make our Father proud of us. It means being willing to sacrifice ourselves to do God’s Will so that we might be glorified through glorifying Him.

Do we take seriously our relationship with our Heavenly Father? What do we do to prove our faith in, hope in, and love of God? How can we live out our calling to be co-heirs to the Kingdom?

O Lord, you are our Father and our hope.

Amen.