Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire! Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"

God is constantly trying to fill us with the fires of his faith, hope, love, goodness, truth, mercy, and grace. He wants us to be ablaze with Him from the moment we wake in the morning to the moment we close our eyes at night. When people see us, they should know we are Christians by the light of our lives shining in the darkness of the world. We should be beacons of faith, hope, and love. We are meant to be lights for all the world to see and constantly lead others to Him. So, let our lives burn bright in the night, praising, glorifying, and magnifying God in all we think, say, and do.

Are we keeping the fires of our faith alive even in the midst of the darkness of the world? How can we make ourselves into beacons of grace for all who see us? What can we do to enkindle the light of Christ in ourselves and others?

O Lord, fill our souls with your fire.

Amen.

Nineteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!

Our hearts are like Jerusalem. They are cities made of virtues and vices. We have places of holiness and openness to God’s Will and we have our dark corners where it isn’t safe for us to go. But no matter what, we can be sure that like Jerusalem God will grant us peace in our borders if we have faith in Him, hope in His Goodness, and love as He loves us. He will wash away our iniquities and cleanse the places in our hearts that have grown dark from abuse and indifference. He will fill us up with His Grace and Mercy if we allow Him through our gates and welcome Him into our lives. He will bring great riches into us if we let Him. And He will dwell within us if we make ourselves into His living temples.

Are we willing to let God bring peace into our hearts? What dark places do we need to cleanse from our lives? How can we be more open to the spiritual food God offers us?

O Lord, grant us your peace and fill us with good fruits.

Amen.

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, "We have fellowship with him," while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.

We can’t continue to sin and have fellowship with God. We can’t be uncontrite and walk in the light. We need to admit we are sinners and amend our ways. Trying to hide them from God is like Adam and Eve hiding from Him in the Garden of Eden. God can see through the leaves and see the naked truth within us. Thankfully, He is a forgiving and merciful God and wants us to be cleansed of our sins and return to His side. So let us cast aside the darkness within us and choose to know, love, and serve God with all our hearts, minds, and strengths.

What darkness lives within us? How can we cast out the darkness and return completely to the light? How can we cultivate our fellowship with God and all His children?

O Lord, let us live in the light of your fellowship and mercy.

Amen.

The Fourth Wednesday of Easter

I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.

Jesus came into the world to be our light, leading us to salvation. However, if we do not listen to his words or follow his teachings, then we reject his light and condemn ourselves to the darkness of sin and death. This is why we must accept his words as the Truth, his actions as the Way, and his spirituality as the Life we are all called to live. It is not easy to lead the Christ-like life, but we will never be abandoned. The light of Jesus will always light our way. All we have to do is keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the beacon of his grace and let him lead us where we need to be as his faithful followers.

Are we following the light of Christ or are we lost in the darkness of sin? Do we accept the words and teachings of Jesus and the Divine Will of our Heavenly Father? How can we train ourselves to perceive the light of Christ in our lives and let it lead us?

O Lord, we accept your light and hear your words. Lead us to where we are being called.

Amen.

The Second Wednesday of Easter

And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

We are all called to the light and truth of God. However, every time we sin, we show a preference for darkness and slavery to our passions. This is why it is so important to build virtuous habits that lead us to the light and away from darkness. If we want to find the light, then we must not only look for it, but also prepare our souls for the journey. The narrow path to heaven is surrounded by temptations to vice and wickedness. But if we think wisely, speak well, and do good works of charity and mercy, then we will be alive in the light and bear God’s Truth into the world for all to see.

Do we prefer the light of truth or the darkness of selfishness? How can we become better lovers of the truth? What can we do to ground our every thought, word, and work in the teachings of the Gospel of Christ?

O Lord, we want to live in your light.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Easter

“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.”

If we believe in a loving God, then why do we so often fail to be loving? Sometimes we allow the darkness in our lives to overwhelm us with doubt and fear or deter us from doing the right and good thing. We need to remember that Jesus came into the world as light for us when things are at their darkest. No sin is too much for him to forgive if we will but believe in him and trust in his promise to protect us from evil and raise us out of sin.

How do we express our belief in Jesus? Do we try to see him in all the people around us? What do we do to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and into the world?

O Lord, be our light.

Amen.

Second Monday of Easter

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus tells Nicodemus—who comes to him at night—that he needs to be born from above in order to see the Kingdom of God. We, too, come to Jesus in the darkness of our own sins and doubts and question God. We ask him, “How can we be reborn again?” And he answers that the Spirit is the one who will give us new life and we don’t need to know where it comes from or where it is going. The only thing we need to do is listen to the Holy Spirit and follow God's inspirations. If we do these things, then we will be reborn into Christ and our thoughts, words, and works will have him as their source, center, and summit.

How can we be renewed in our faith? What steps do we need to take to become true children of God? What is the Holy Spirit calling us to do?

O Lord, we want to be born again in you.

Amen.