Thirty-Third Friday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

The temples of our hearts need the same cleansing as the Temple area in Jerusalem during Jesus’ time and just like Jesus, we need to drive out those things that are not in accord with God’s Will. We need to make ourselves into houses of prayer with the incense of our prayers rising up to God in thanksgiving and praise. We cannot do this if we harbor sins within our hearts. We cannot do this if we live lives of sin. To transform ourselves into worthy temples to God, we need to rid ourselves of our pride, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, greed, and sloth. Then and only then can we make room for God to enter into our hearts, minds, and bodies and triumph over sin and death.

What sins do we need to cleanse from our hearts? How can we prepare ourselves to be true houses of prayer? Are we ready to live lives of virtue?

O Lord, make us temples of your love, mercy, and grace.

Amen.

Feast of St. Luke, evangelist

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

What Jesus says about his disciples also applies to us. We are to be like lambs among wolves. Our hearts, minds, and souls should be united with Jesus, who was the Ultimate Sacrificial Lamb. And just like him, we are called to live lives of sacrifice and not consumption. Pride, envy, wrath, greed, gluttony, sloth, and lust are the wolves of the world and they are constantly on the prowl to drag us away and devour us. When we lose our way, they are there waiting for us to fall into their traps. And if we do not cry out to our Heavenly Shepherd with repentant hearts, then we shall soon find ourselves in the belly of the beast. Thankfully, God is constantly protecting us from harm, calling out to us in our times of need, and gives us every grace we need to triumph over evil. All we have to do is to follow his commandments and we will reach the Kingdom of God.

Are we being good and faithful laborers? Do we act like lambs or wolves? Do we trust God to protect us from all those who would lead us astray and devour us?

O Lord, protect us from the wolves of this world.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Greed is a deadly sin for a reason. It kills our sense of charity and selflessness and replaces it with a selfish desire to possess worldly things. The irony is that by seeking more possessions it is us who become possessed. We lose ourselves in our belongings. We want more and more and never are fulfilled. This is why it is so important to resist the temptations to greed. If we don't our lives will become nothing more than an accumulation of things. However, if we set our desires on God instead of the world, then we will grow in charity and heavenly treasures. We will build up a storehouse of merits and one day will be recognized as good and faithful servants who built up His Kingdom. So let us guard against all greed so that one day we will experience the true riches of being forever in our Lord and King's presence.

Are we greedy in any ways? If so, then how can we become more charitable with our time, talents, and treasures? What can we do to guard against the greed that seeks to possess us?

O Lord, help us to fend off greed and the empty possessions that seek to possess us.

Amen.