Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

Then they prayed, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place." Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

Before they made their decision about whom should replace Judas as an Apostle, the followers of Christ prayed. They asked for guidance from God to show them which person to choose.  In a similar way, we are all called to make the same prayer when faced with a decision. We are asked to bring God into the equation and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. By doing so, we are less likely to choose our own path and more likely to choose God’s way. This isn’t always easy, but it is necessary if we want to be good and faithful servants. Servants who listen to their Lord and allow Him to work through, in, and with them all the days of their lives.

Do we pray to God before we make our decisions? Do we ask for His guidance and inspiration? How can we make Him more present in all our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, you know our hearts, show us which way we are being called to follow.

Amen.

Fifth Friday of Easter

It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right.

Notice that in this letter, the Apostles give credit for their decision to the Holy Spirit. It is God, Himself, who has lead them to this revelation through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we believe God plays an important role in the life of the Church and guides it to make the right decisions in matters of faith and morals. This doesn’t mean it is perfect, far from it, but it does mean the collective wisdom of the teachings of the Church will lead us to do what is right and good. It might not always fit with popular philosophy or worldly pursuits, but is what we are called to do. The world might tell us to choose our own path, but God is whispering to us, “Choose mine and you will live forever.”

Do we let the Holy Spirit lead us in our decisions? How can we make Him a bigger part of our decision-making process? Do we keep ourselves free of those things that might lead us away from God?

O Lord, help us choose the right thing to do in our lives.

Amen.

Sixth Monday of Ordinary Time

Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.

It’s hard to be joyful while we are suffering, but that is exactly what each of us are called to do as Christians. We are all called to cultivate a spirit of perseverance that will suffer every trial with calm, humility, and love. If we are able to accept the trials and tribulations that come from choosing right over wrong, then we can perfect our suffering and make it into a holy sacrifice to God for all. In addition to being joyful in all things, we are also called to live wisely and well, doing all things for God and His children. It’s not always easy to know what to do in our lives, but as long as we pray to God for His guidance He will give us every opportunity to choose the right path.

Do we suffer joyfully or let our sufferings anger us or wear us down? How can we cultivate the virtue of perseverance in the face of suffering? Do we seek God’s wisdom whenever we are faced with a decision in our lives?

O Lord, grant us a spirit of joy and the virtues of perseverance and wisdom.

Amen.

Third Wednesday of Advent

The LORD spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"

We shouldn’t tempt the Lord nor should we look for signs, which can lead us astray. Instead, we should pray about each decision we make and discern God’s Will through our conscience. We cannot depend upon God to lead us to the right choices through outward signs, but we can depend upon the Holy Spirit giving us the grace to know right from wrong. Yes, from time to time God will send us a sign, but we shouldn’t put our faith in the sign, but rather in God. If a sign comes from God, then good will come from it, but if it comes from our imaginations, misconceptions, or even from the Devil, then we could be lead astray. This is why we should rely on our God-given sense of right and wrong and make every effort to live holy lives founded upon the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church.

Do we pray before making important decisions? Do we allow God into our daily choices? How can we foster a well-formed conscience?

O Lord, grant us a sense of right and wrong and the will to choose good over the evil.

Amen.

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age. Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws.

When we are faced with choices in this life, we need to think not only of the effect our decision will have on us, but also on others. What people see us do influences them, especially the young, who are impressionable. If they see us take the easy way out or use deception to get what we want, then they will carry that lesson into their lives. We might not even know how our sins effect them in this life, but when we die God will show us how we lead others astray. At the same time, if we do good and avoid evil, then we give others an example of what it means to be Christian. We show them how to live our lives in imitation of Jesus and to be not afraid to become living sacrifices to God’s Glory.

Do we think about others before we make our decisions? How can we live lives that model what it means to be Christians? What can we do to show others, especially the young how to know, love, and serve God and His children?

O Lord, make us into noble examples of how to sacrifice ourselves for you.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Saturday of Ordinary Time

It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations.

Righteousness comes from faith and is a gift given to us by God. This is why it is so important for us to pray from the gift of righteousness. We can’t do good and avoid evil without God’s Grace. We need His help in our every decision in life so we can discern what is wrong and right. When we live our lives by faith, our consciences are divinely inspired through the Holy Spirit and we are better able to follow God’s Commandments both old and new. In addition, placing faith at the center of our lives gives us a firm foundation to build off of as we construct our lives in accordance with the Way, Truth, and Life that Jesus taught us.

How can we grow in our faith? In what ways can we align our lives with the commandments of God the Father, the teachings of God the Son, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit? How can we inform and exercise our consciences so that we grow in grace?

O Lord, grant us faith and righteousness.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Saturday of Ordinary Time

For near is the day of the LORD in the valley of decision. Sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withhold their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion, and from Jerusalem raises his voice; The heavens and the earth quake, but the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the children of Israel.

It is important for us to live our lives as if the day of the Lord is near. We never know when our time on this earth will end. Some live long lives, others short ones. There are no guarantees we will have a tomorrow to make amends for our sins or to do the good we are called to do. However, if we take refuge in the Lord each and every day, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, through acts of charity and mercy, and through the resistance of temptation, then we shall be able to stand against evil and choose good above all.

Do we live our lives as if we might die or Christ might return at any moment? How can we live in anticipation of the second coming? In what ways do we seek refuge in God?

O Lord, help us make the right decisions. The ones that will lead us closer to you.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Advent

Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

 At first glance Ahaz’s words might sound like a good idea. We shouldn’t test or tempt God. Instead, we should trust in Him. However, God was the one who wanted to perform a sign for Ahaz in order to reinforce his faith. Ahaz turned Him down because as long as no sign was given Ahaz was free to do as he wished, to trust in himself. But if he asked for a sign and received it, he would have given God power over his decisions. He would have had to live according to God’s Will and not his own. Sometimes we act like Ahaz. We trust in ourselves over God. We choose our own way. We close our eyes to the signs around us that are pointing us to a better way of living. Our only hope is to humbly put aside our self-reliance and accept that we need God’s help. Then, and only then, will we empty ourselves enough to be filled with the grace we need to live holy lives.

Are we open to God’s influence in our lives? Do we trust God more than ourselves? Can we learn to humble ourselves before God?

O Lord, we trust in you and the greatest sign you ever sent us, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.

We are faced with many challenges in our lives. Moments of doubt, fear, and sorrow. Moments of hunger and thirst. Moments of decision for good or evil. Our character is determined by the choices we make during these times. Our spirit is strengthened or weakened by whether we listen to Jesus’ teachings and follow his commandments. We would do well if we listened to the conscience within us and walk in the Way of the Lord. If we let His Truth guide us, then we shall be made worthy of His Life and never weep again.

Are we thankful for the answers God gives us? Are we grateful for the food and drink He gives us? Will we listen to His guidance and follow in His way?

O Lord, lead us where we need to be.

Amen.

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

Before Jesus made the decision about whom he would name Apostles, he went off by himself and spent the night in prayer. This is how we should pray before making our own decisions, great and small. We should ask God for guidance and trust He will lead us to the best decision. We cannot secure salvation on our own, and we would do well to understand our dependency on God for this and for many other graces that get us through each day. It is by God's Love and Mercy that we are saved and we should recognize this in our prayer lives. We cannot become good and faithful servants without turning our lives over to God and allowing Him to lead us where we need to be and not necessarily where we want to go.

Do we turn to God in prayer before we make important decisions great and small? Do we allow God to lead us where we need to be? How can we make our lives more open to prayer and its fruits?

O Lord, call us to you and make us your good and faithful servants.

Amen.

Twenty-Third Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles.

Before choosing his Apostles, Jesus sought out a place of solitude and spent the night in prayer. How many of us seek out quiet prayer before making a major decision in our lives? We live in an impulsive world where we are constantly making decisions on the fly, but sometimes we need to take a step back, slow things down, and pray to God about what we should do. Taking these steps will help us to discern what is the right thing to do and can help us to not only make more fruitful decisions, but also avoid making rash ones. We would do well in our lives to take the time to gain the perspective we need to choose good over evil. We may not always have such time, but whenever we do, we should remember to turn to God first and then make our decisions.

Do we seek out God's guidance when making choices, both great and small? How often do we spend time in prayer to God? How can we make God more central to our decision-making process?

O Lord, help us to make the right decisions throughout our lives.

Amen.

Tenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.

It's amazing how much truth can be captured in one sentence. Let your "Yes" mean "Yes," and your "No" mean "No." This saying is something we all should take to heart. It can be so easy to say, "Yes," to something, but then change our minds. We break promises. We forget. We let fears, doubts, and anxieties keep us from following through with our plans. We can be too hasty in saying, both "Yes" and "No." We should put more thought into our decisions and make sure we are making the right choice from the beginning. We shouldn't make decisions lightly or with the knowledge that we are only saying "Yes" or "No" with no plan to follow what we say. This is not to say there aren't times when we should change our minds, especially when new information is discovered. Being too stubborn to change our minds is also a fault. However, changing our minds should be something we take very seriously precisely because we put effort into our initial decision.

Does our "Yes" mean "Yes" and our "No" mean "No?" Do we take time to properly weigh our decisions and responses to others? Do we take our decisions to heart and follow through on them to the best of our abilities?

O Lord, let our "Yes" mean "Yes" and our "No" mean "No."

Amen.

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus is constantly praying in the gospels, especially before major events in his ministry. In this way, he gives us an example of how we should pray to him before making big decisions in our lives or when facing great tasks. He goes off by himself and prays on a mountain. We might not have a mountain nearby, but we too should make a point to retreat from the world from time to time in order to focus on God and pray to Him without distractions. He also spends the entire night praying to God. How many of us have done the same? Have we even prayed one hour to God? Perhaps we should find time each day to spend with God. It could be early in the morning before work, during a break in the afternoon, or even right before we go to bed. All we have to do is make the time for God and keep it holy and without distractions. Once we do this, we will be refreshed in the spirit and be able to make better decisions about our lives and become more like the Twelve Apostles.

Do we make time to pray to God, especially in the midst of our daily decisions? When we do pray, do we try to go to a deserted place so that we are not distracted? How much time do we spend with God each day?

O Lord, teach us how to pray.

Amen.