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

Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.  Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you.  If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.

There are many ways in which we can deny Jesus. We can do it through our sinful words and works. We can be dismissive of those in need. We can choose ourselves over others. We can become so prideful that we see ourselves as better than others. We can fall into despair and falsely believe we are not worthy of God's Love or Mercy. It is important as followers of Christ to remain in and with God in our everyday actions so that we can come to share in the eternal life God offers us. We might be tempted to listen to the world that denies Christ and tells us to do the same, but we must resist and instead confess our belief in Jesus all the more strongly.

What are the ways we are tempted to deny Jesus? How can we solidify Jesus' teachings so they remain in our hearts? How can we more faithfully confess the Good News in spite of what the world tells us?

O Lord, help us to remain in you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

Very few of us will ever outright deny Jesus, but all of us deny him in some shape, form, or fashion. We deny him when we sin. We deny him when we fail to do good. We deny him to our families, friends, and neighbors who challenge our way of Christian living. We deny him especially in those whom we have the most difficulty in loving. However, God understands that we will turn our backs on Him and fall and that is why He gave us His Beloved Son as an example of what it means to triumph over our human frailties. He shows us how to carry our crosses with confidence. He shows us how to show compassion even in the midst of our own trials. He shows us how to forgive those who trespass against us. He shows us what it means to give hope to the hopeless. He shows us how to persevere even when we feel abandoned by God. He shows us that he loves us like brothers and sisters by giving us his Mother to watch over and intercede for us. He shows us how to thirst for righteousness. He shows us how to accomplish God's Will. He shows us how to commend our spirits to God. And most importantly, he shows us how to pour out God's Love and Mercy to a world in need of them both.

In what ways do we deny Jesus? How can we transform our hearts so we can turn our denials of God's Will into whole-hearted acceptance of it? How can our lives show God's Love and Mercy to others?

O Lord, we acknowledge you as our Lord, our Savior, and our perfect Model.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

“I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”

We are constantly given opportunities to acknowledge or deny Jesus before others. Every word we speak and work we perform reflects our hearts and whether they are with God or against Him. Hopefully, our speech echoes the message of the gospel and our actions mirror those Jesus undertook in his life. Of course we are not always perfect manifestations of God’s Love and Mercy, but even when we fall under the weight of our own crosses, we should imitate our Lord by standing up and continuing our journey towards Cavalry.

Do we acknowledge God before others? In what ways do we deny Him? How can we accept Him more faithfully and become better reflections of His Love, Mercy, and Grace?

O Lord, give us the strength and courage to acknowledge you now and forever.

Amen.