Fifteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations—Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. 

God’s covenant is not only with Abraham or Isaac. It is not only with the Apostles. It is with all his followers. It is with all who are willing to pick up the light burden of the cross and carry it where God wills us to go. It is with all those who choose to rest in God through prayer. It is with us if we keep His commandments to know, love, and serve Him and treat our neighbors as He treats them... with charity and mercy. If we do good and avoid evil and live lives that proclaim the Good News, then when we pass from this earth, we will have a place in Heaven and a share in salvation.

Do we remember the covenant God has with us? Do we keep it in mind when we are tempted to sin? How can we be faithful to the covenant like our Heavenly Father is faithful to us?

O Lord, we are bound to the New Covenant, remind us of this as often as we forget it.

Amen.

Twelfth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly.

Serving God constantly isn’t easy. We are constantly bombarded by distractions and temptations that can take us away from God. Even when we are doing what is right, we can lose sight of why we do it. Sometimes in the busyness of everyday life we can forget to pay attention to God. It is easy to become so caught up in the daily grind that we let our spiritual lives suffer. We don’t remember to offer up our works. We eat and drink and don’t think of saying grace. We buzz here and there and forget where our priorities should be. We take time to enjoy ourselves, but don’t set aside time to be with God in prayer or meditation. Because of how absorbing the world can be, we have to be extra sensitive to God’s Divine Presence in our lives and allow Him to help us through our days. By doing this, we can find ways to make our daily works into holy ones that bring us closer to God and fulfill our calling as Christians of the New Covenant.

When others see us, do they know we are Christians? How can we become better servants to the Lord? What can we do to remind ourselves to be more aware of God in our lives?

O Lord, we seek to serve you constantly.

Amen.

Eighth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

To the upright I will show the saving power of God. “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens proclaim his justice; for God himself is the judge.

God makes clear that if we want to make a covenant with Him, it must be through sacrifice. We can’t go through our lives without being willing to surrender our time, talents, and treasures to God. We must put God first and foremost in our lives and give Him priority over all else. We have to be willing to give up whatever He asks us to leave behind. We cannot live a Christ-like life if we aren’t willing to make every moment of our days into a sacrifice for His glory and the good of His children. If we want to be faithful and upright, then we must be prepared to suffer and do so joyfully and calmly. We must give of ourselves without complaint or counting the cost because Jesus never hesitated to offer himself up as an oblation to God for the cleansing of our sins and the salvation of our souls.

What sacrifices are we being asked to make? What can we do to make our lives into offerings for the reparation of sins and the salvation of souls? How can we become upright and just in our dealings with God and His children?

O Lord, we are willing to sacrifice everything we are and have to be a part of your new covenant.

Amen.

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

The Lord will remember his covenant forever. I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just. Great are the works of the LORD, exquisite in all their delights.

It can be tough to remember God’s covenant with us, especially in a world full of temptations and distraction. We can lose sight of God’s Goodness and the debts we owe Him for all the gifts He has given us over the years. We can take for granted God’s Love and Mercy and lose our way. Thankfully, God sends us daily reminders, great and small. Instances of His Presence in our lives. The greatest of these reminders is the Blessed Sacrament, which we can receive on a daily basis if we seek it out. And even when we can’t make it to Mass, God pours out His graces on us and makes us part of His company, His children. So, let us be thankful and delight in the works of the Lord.

Do we remember our covenant with God on a daily basis? Do we give thanks to Him for all He has done for us? How can we overcome everything that stands in the way of us being part of God’s company?

O Lord, great are your works.

Amen.

First Wednesday in Ordinary Time

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are supposed to live our lives in such a way as to give glory and thanks to God and to invoke His Name wherever we go. We are supposed to make Him known among the nations, sing His praises, and proclaim His wondrous deeds. We can’t do any of these things if we don’t imitate Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words, and works. When people meet us, they should know we are Christians by our love, mercy, and caring. Just as God remembers His covenant with us forever, so we must remember our role in that covenant... as good and faithful servants willing to sacrifices ourselves and our goods for the glory of God and the good of others.

Do we remember God’s covenant with us each and every day? How do we make God known in our lives? What do we do to proclaim His wondrous deeds?

O Lord, help us to make you known among all the nations.

Amen.

Eleventh Friday in Ordinary Time

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD as one party and the king and the people as the other, by which they would be the LORD's people; and another covenant, between the king and the people. Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and demolished it. They shattered its altars and images completely, and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.

The two covenants in this Scriptural passage remind us of our relationships with God and all His children. We have responsibilities to God and to each other, which we must uphold if we wish to have any share in the Kingdom of God. God should have the first and foremost claim upon our time, talents, and treasures. He should be the beginning and the end of our days. The source, center, and summit of our lives. We should shatter all the things that keep us from being completely God’s children. In addition, we should seek to be good and faithful servants to our Lord and His people. We should be protectors of the innocent, teachers of the ignorant, and consolers of the suffering... imitating God, who is our one, true, King.

Are we fulfilling our covenant with God? Are we fulfilling our covenant with His children? How can we be more faithful and fruitful in our relationships with God and His people?

O Lord, help us to live up to our responsibilities to you and your children.

Amen.

Fifth Thursday of Lent

“I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.” God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”

We are all part of a covenant with the Heavenly Father. He is our God and we called to be His good and faithful servants. Some of us might rebel against this through sin and indifference, but it is true nonetheless. God wants to be ours and wants us to be His. Wholly. Completely. He wants us to live out His commandments, follow His teachings, and enact His inspirations. He gives us everything and all He wants in return is our faith, hope, and love. It isn’t always easy to live in accordance with the New Covenant, but it is the only way we will be saved from the fires of Hell and enter fully into eternal life with God in Heaven.

Are we living out our covenantal calling to be good and faithful servants to God and all His children? Do we make clear that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is at the heart of our lives? What can we do to live out the New Covenant more faithfully?

O Lord, help us to keep your covenant, now and forever.

Amen.

Twelfth Friday of Ordinary Time

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said: "I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence and be blameless." God also said to Abraham: "On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised."

Our covenant with God asks us to do a lot for God. We have to walk in His Divine Presence wherever we go. We must be blameless. We must circumcise our hearts, minds, and spirits. We need to follow His commandments and do everything for His sake so we can glorify Him and not ourselves. The covenant appears to be very demanding, but the thing we must keep in mind is that the covenant is a two-way street. It also makes a great demand on God. It asks Him to forgive us our trespasses and sins. It asks Him to remain with us forever. It asks Him to take us into His Heavenly Home and prepare a place for us. It asks Him to share eternal life with us. The promises we make to God seem a small price to pay for such amazing gifts.

Are we following the New Covenant as faithfully as we should? Do we realize how much more we gain through our relationship with God, then we lose through our sacrifices for His sake? How can we walk in God’s presence always and be blameless in His sight?

O Lord, help us to keep our covenant as faithfully as possible.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday of Lent

I will make with them a covenant of peace; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD, who make Israel holy, when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.

God wants to make a covenant of peace with all of us. This is not necessarily a covenant of outward calm, but rather inner peace. It is the tranquility that comes from being in harmony with the Will of God. When we align ourselves with God’s Divine Plan and live holy lives, then it doesn’t matter what problems we are facing. Trials and tribulations can swirl around us, but in our hearts will be a serenity untouched by doubts, worries, or temptations. When our inmost being is made into a sacred sanctuary to God, then He can dwell within us and make us into His people. He will rule over us, teach us, and guide us so that we might prosper and be at peace even in the midst of all our troubles.

Are we open to making the sacrifices we need to in order to enter into a covenant of peace with God? How can we make our hearts and minds into sanctuaries where God can live and make us holy? What can we do to align ourselves more perfectly with God’s Will?

O Lord, we ask you to make a covenant of peace with us.

Amen.

Fifth Thursday of Lent

I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.” God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”

Our relationship with God is covenantal. It is a solemn agreement to accept God as our Heavenly Father, Sibling Savior, and Holy Spirit and to know, love, and serve Him and His children with all our being. In return for this, God promises to love us as His sons and daughters and protect us from evil. He promises to teach us the truth, show us the way, and lead us to life everlasting. He promises to enkindle the fires of our hearts, to inspire us, and lead us to holiness. We are His children and He is our Heavenly Father. We are His brothers and sisters and He is our Sibling Savior. We are His spiritual spouses and He is our Holy Spirit. Together we can do all things. Together we can move mountains and give light to the whole world.

Have we accepted God as our Heavenly Father, Sibling Savior, and Spiritual Spouse? How can we keep God’s covenant ever in our hearts and minds? What can we do to show God that we want to be united to Him through the New Covenant?

O Lord, we shall keep your covenant throughout our lives.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.

When we celebrate the sacraments, from baptism to reconciliation to communion to confirmation to marriage to ordination to the anointing of the sick, we reaffirm our covenant with God. We promise to remain good and faithful servants to our Heavenly Father and in return God promises us a special place in Paradise. He makes us co-heirs with Christ to His Heavenly Kingdom. Both sides have duties and obligations to each other in our Holy Covenant and as we know, God cannot fail in his obligations, but we can. This is exactly why we have the sacrament of reconciliation. It helps repair our relationship with God and gives us the graces we need to resist and avoid temptations and remain holy.

Are we living up to our agreement with God? Are we using the sacraments to strengthen our relationship with God so we do not stumble and fall in sin? Do we appreciate what it means to be part of a Covenant with God?

O Lord, raise us high and make us a people sacred to you.

Amen.

Seventh Saturday of Ordinary Time

An everlasting covenant he has made with them, his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them. His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard. He says to them, “Avoid all evil”; each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men. Their ways are ever known to him, they cannot be hidden from his eyes.

God has given us many things. He created us in His Divine Image. He gave us dominion over the earth. He has offered us knowledge and wisdom. He has shown us what is good and evil. He has made covenants with us and revealed His Justice and Mercy to us. He has warned us against sin and provided us with the grace to know, love, and serve Him and His children. He watches over us every day lending us the aid we need to become good and faithful servants. And it is up to us to see all these good things and to repay Him for all He has done for us. We do this best when we keep His Divine Image clean within our hearts. When we treat creation with the same respect and love He does. When we use the truth He has taught us to make prudent decisions. When we imitate His Justice and Mercy with our own words and works. When we warn others away from temptation and sin and help them to be holier. When we lend others our help without expectation of return. In this way, we avoid all evil and live up to our end of the new covenant.

Do we not only accept God’s justice and judgment, but seek to reveal it through our words and works? Are we avoiding all evil? How can we make God’s precepts of love, mercy, and grace into the foundation stones of our lives?

O Lord, make us into living covenants.

Amen.