Third Monday of Easter

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Though princes meet and talk against me, your servant meditates on your statutes. Yes, your decrees are my delight; they are my counselors.

We should delight in the laws of the Lord. We should rejoice in fulfilling God’s commandments. We should be happy to walk in the way of our Redeemer and proclaim His Good News. Our faith should be founded on joy. Our hope secured by gladness. Our love should flow from cheerful spirits. We should be at peace in any storm. The world may try to shake our confidence in God, but if we remain true to Him, then nothing will harm what matters most: the inner image of God that dwells within each of our souls.

Do we strive to follow the laws of the Lord? Do we meditate on God’s statutes? How can we be more joyful in our way of living the Christ-like life?

O Lord, your decrees are our delight.

Amen.

Second Wednesday in Ordinary Time

You are a priest forever, in the line of Melchizedek. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.”

No matter what challenges, worries, fears, disappointments, and enemies we face in life, we should be confident in the Lord. We should feel an unwavering hope in Him, trusting He will help us get through whatever difficulties we face. He will never abandon us, whether we are in times of plenty or times of need. He is our High Priest and is always watching out for us, sacrificing Himself for us, guiding us spiritually, and giving us every opportunity to do good, avoid evil, and repent.

Are we confident in God’s Divine Plan for us? How can we be more open to His guidance? What can we do to become a more hopeful people?

O Lord, thank you for being such a perfect priest to us.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens. This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

After his imprisonment, Paul could have been plagued by doubts and worries, but instead, he trusts in God’s Divine Plan. He firmly believes he was given the grace to preach to the Gentiles, spread the Good News to them, and bring to light for all God’s Divine Plan. As such, his faith is not shaken by his captivity. He knows sometimes doing God’s Will requires sacrifices from us. Just as Jesus sacrificed himself for us, so we must be willing to do the same for him and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Are we willing to suffer for God’s Glory and for the good of others? How can we put the graces God has given us to better use? How can we be bolder in speech and confident in our relationship with Jesus and all of God’ children?

O Lord, we place our confidence in you and your Divine Plan.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted. Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will leave your corpse and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God. All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle is the LORD's and he shall deliver you into our hands.

We might be terrified by the trials we must face in life and be tempted to retreat from them. However, if we seek to do good and trust in the Lord, then God will grant us victory. It might not be how we imagined things, but He will bring good out of our actions if we are willing to do His Will without fear or even in spite of it. When we confront our challenges, we should do so not armed with worldly thoughts, words, or works, but with confidence that God’s Grace will provide us all we need to succeed. If we do everything in the name of the Lord of hosts, then God will deliver us from all evil and give us triumph over every obstacle. God wants us to be armed with faith, hope, and love... and if we put on Christ in such a way, then we shall win the battles we need to and have spiritual triumphs over sin and death.

How can we conquer our fear of difficulties? What can we do to become more trusting and confident in the Lord? Are we willing to let God arm us as He wishes and at the time of His choosing?

O Lord, arm us with your grace and armor us with your love.

Amen.

First Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Eli said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." She replied, "Think kindly of your maidservant," and left. She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast. Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD, and then returned to their home in Ramah.

In her time of trial, Hannah turned to God and poured out her troubles to the Lord. She didn’t let her sorrow or misery dishearten her to the point where she gave up. Instead, she sought God’s intercession in her life, trusting that He could answer her prayers. Often we are faced with difficult times that try our souls and we would do well to remember Hannah’s response and make it our own. When we are suffering trials, we should turn to God, ask for His intercession, and trust that everything will be made right in the end. We might have to suffer greatly in this life, but we should believe with our whole hearts, souls, and minds that God will never abandon us. He will always answer our prayers for our betterment... though not necessarily in the way we envisioned. If we are confident God will come to our assistance, then we will be able to go in peace, no longer downcast, but secure in the knowledge that God will grant us what is best for us.

Do we turn to God and pour out our troubled to the Lord on a daily basis? Are we confident God will come to our aid if we ask Him? How can we be more trusting of God’s role as our Intercessor and Advocate?

O Lord, grant us what we need to be at peace in you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

Through Baptism and Confirmation, we have been anointed as followers of the Holy Trinity... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because of these sacraments, we have been given the graces we need to do good and avoid evil. Our consciences have been formed by the teachings of the Gospel and the Church and trained by our good works and prudent choices. God has given us the tools we need to remain with Him by choosing right over wrong and growing in faith, hope, and love. And so, we should have confidence in God, knowing that He will remain with us if we let Him and that if we are faithful to Him we will not be put to shame.

Are we living out our baptismal and confirmation promises? What can we do to remain in God at all times? How can we more perfectly place our confidence in God?

O Lord, help us to remain with you forever.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Monday of Ordinary Time

Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to do. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. But it was not for him alone that it was written that it was credited to him; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.

We should never doubt God’s promises, nor His Love for us. He will give us everything we need and empower us by faith so we can do good and avoid evil. Every day, He offers us the materials to build up our confidence in Him and make ourselves into temples of righteousness. God handed His Beloved Son over to death for our transgressions not to condemn us, but to raise us from the death of sin to the eternal life of justification through Christ. We might not always understand what God is asking of us, nor how we might accomplish His Will, but our Heavenly Father will never abandon us. And hopefully, we shall not abandon Him, but rather give glory to Him and trust He will provide all we need.

Do we truly believe in what God has promised us through baptism, namely salvation? How can we use what God has given us to build up our confidence in Him? In what ways can we give thanks to God for the justification He has offered us through the life, passion, death, and resurrection of His Son?

O Lord, empower us by faith.

Amen.

Memorial of the Guardian Angels

Old men and old women, each with staff in hand because of old age, shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem. The city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Even if this should seem impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people, shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also, says the LORD of hosts?

Nothing is impossible for God. If He has plans for us and we accept them, then He will give us every grace we need to overcome the trials, sufferings, and obstacles in our way. If He wishes us to leave everything behind and follow Him, then we will have all we need awaiting us at our destination. If He needs us to say or do something for Him, then He will give us the words or the actions we need to accomplish His Will. If He asks us to leave behind what we know, then He will give us everything we need to embrace the unknown and thrive. We might not always understand why God is asking us to do something or how we are to accomplish it, but as long as we have child-like confidence in Him, then we shall always be given exactly what we need when we need it.

Are we open to the impossible? Are we willing to let God lead us to places, people, and works we have never dreamed of? How can we trust Him as we should?

O Lord, with you all things are possible.

Amen.

The Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."

We often ask God to give us faith, strength, perseverance, etc. However, if we trust in God, then we should not doubt that He will always give us exactly what we need, when we need it. We might not get what we want, how we want it, but God will provide for us. When we give God our confidence, He will give us the grace that will see us through any challenge. Faith in God uproots us from worldly things and plants us in the sea of God's Love, Mercy, and Grace. It is only when we believe with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths that we can move mountains and mulberry trees that we will discover the strength of faith within us.

Do we trust God? How can we cultivate a faith that will uproot us from worldly things and plant us in the sea of God's graces? Are we willing to sacrifice our worldly wants for our spiritual needs?

O Lord, give us a faith that can move mountains and mulberry trees.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Sometimes when God inspires us to do something, we can feel unworthy. We see our sinfulness and wonder how God could want someone like us to take on a new responsibility, to champion a cause, or take a leap of faith in our lives. However, God does not dwell upon our failures, sins, or imperfections. Instead He focuses on our potential for good. We can learn a lot from seeing ourselves through God's eyes and believing that although unworthy by ourselves, we are made worthy by the grace of God. It is for this reason that we should not be afraid to follow Christ and become fishers of men. Of course, this holy confidence also requires action and sometimes that action will involve giving up what's comfortable and familiar in life, to leave everything behind. This is perhaps most difficult when what we give up is good and joyful. However, we should be willing to take the next step upon the path to salvation even if it means detaching ourselves from good things and people because in the end everything good we give up for God will be repaid a thousand times over in Heaven.

What is God calling us to do? What is keeping us from doing His Will? How can we gain holy confidence in God's Will and following our calling?

O Lord, give us the grace to leave everything and follow you.

Amen.