Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

Discerning God’s Will for us isn’t always easy. Yes, sometimes the path is clear, but other times we are faced with multiple ways to go forward and it is difficult to know which one is the best. Sometimes He is calling us to leave behind something. Other times He is asking us to try something new. Sometimes the changes in our lives are forced upon us by the loss of a job, a loved one, or some other circumstance. Other times we have time to prepare for a choice we know must be made. Whatever decisions we are faced with, the best way to undertake them is to pray and allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What is the Will of God for us? How can we more faithfully discern the path God wants us to follow? How can we lead others to the right path, too?

O Lord, we thank you for everything you’ve done for us.

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.

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.

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

Though I was seized with great fear, I answered the king: "May the king live forever! How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?" The king asked me, "What is it, then, that you wish?" I prayed to the God of heaven and then answered the king: "If it please the king, and if your servant is deserving of your favor, send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves, to rebuild it."

God wants us to be happy. He wants to give us what we need to succeed in our spiritual lives. He is constantly asking us, “What is it, then that you wish?” Not for us to answer in worldly terms or to make selfish requests, but rather to prayerfully ask for the thoughts, words, and works that will help us to build up the temples within our souls. He wants us to discern with Him what are the most important aspects of our lives so we know where we wants us to go and what He wants us to do. We can’t do that if we are paralyzed with fears, doubts, and distractions. However, if we answer His call and pray for guidance, He will lead us where we need to be and inspire us to say and do what is in accord with His Will.

How can we overcome our fears and answer God’s call to follow Him? What is it that God wishes for us? What can we do to discern God’s Will in our lives?

O Lord, help us to wish for what is right and good.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds; for he who fears God behaves accordingly, and his friend will be like himself.

There are many types of false friends. There are friends who only stay with us as long as we fit into their plans or further their goals. There are friends who become our enemies for selfish reasons. There are fair-weather friends who flee at the first sign of trouble. These are not the types of friends we want in our lives. They pressure us to do things we should not do. They betray us. They abandon us in our times of need. It is only the faithful friend who will support, forgive, and shelter us no matter what comes our way. They give us the greatest treasure there is... their love. And in return, we should be their faithful friend, their shelter in the storms of life, and their life-saving remedy. True friendships are forever. They will last, like God’s Love lasts, because they emulate the love God the Father has for His Son... the love that is alive in the Holy Spirit, who is alive in us.

How can we get rid of the false friends in our lives? What can we do to discern good from bad friends? How can we become faithful friends to others?

O Lord, make us and our friends faithful to each other.

Amen.

Christmas Weekday

We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. 
We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true.  And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

We all have the ability to discern good from evil. Our consciences let us know when we are doing right and warn us when we are falling into sin. However, if we do not listen to our consciences and do not practice discernment, then we weaken our ability to know what truth is. If we become lazy in our approach to living out our faith, then we shall slip into a sinful slumber and be unable to wake our consciences. When this happens, we become spiritually dead and can only return to our senses through the reviving sacrament of reconciliation. This is why it is so important to remain in a state of grace and retain our discerning spirits. Without our consciences, we are lost, but with them we know the spiritual direction we are called to travel and what is best for us.

Do we belong to God or the world? Do we exercise our consciences? How can we discern the truth in our lives?

O Lord, give us a spirit of discernment to discover the way to eternal life.
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.

Third Sunday of Advent

The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.

What should we do? This is a question at the heart of our lives and our faith. It is a question we have wrestled with in the past, continue to struggle with at present, and will need to face in the future. The reason why this is such a difficult question to answer is because everyone is made with a unique dignity and calling that is all their own. As Christians, we understand that we are called to know, love, and serve God and His children, but how to do this is more difficult to answer because it requires us to examine ourselves and listen for God’s guidance. We can’t do this if we are constantly listening to the world and letting it define who and what we are. We need time alone with God in prayer, in fasting, and in almsgiving. We also should listen to the words of those whom are good influences in our lives because sometimes what they say can be a great help in discerning our vocations. We need to build a relationship with God in order to know how best to do His Will. So let us take the time to do so this day and every day of our lives.

Are we actively trying to discern our vocation or are we constantly distracted by worldly things? Are we building up fruitful relationships with God so we can better do His Will? Do we take time each day to spend with God in hopes of discovering our true callings?

O Lord, give us the answers we need to do your will.

Amen.

Eighteenth Friday of Ordinary Time

For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct.

In the end, we will all be judged by Jesus. We will be repaid for every act of virtue and vice, for those things we did and those we failed to do. When we take our last breath we will receive a revelation about ourselves. Nothing we have done will go uncovered, the goods and evils we’ve forgotten will be remembered. In our heart of hearts, we will know what the just judgment should be for us. In that moment we will know how much God loved us and what we did and didn’t do to repay that love to Him and His children. We may end up in Hell (hopefully not), Purgatory (much more likely), or a few of us may go straight to Heaven (what a grace that would be!). However, no matter where we end up we will know we deserve every moment of torment, purification, or bliss. After all, we are the ones who made the choices that brought us to our place in the afterlife. Hopefully, we’ll make the right ones from here on out.

What virtues and vices do we have? How can we increase the good within us and decrease the evil? In what areas of our lives could we do a better job of being Christ-like?

O Lord, help us to live a good life so that when you come with your angels, you will repay us with the respite of Heaven.

Amen.

Tenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.' Anything more is from the Evil One.

We all say things we wish we could take back. We all have made promises we’ve broken. We’ve all said we’d do something and then failed to do it. We’ve even told people we can’t do something, and then went ahead and did it anyway. This is because we speak before we think things through. We should always try to take a step back and weigh our options. We should ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Deep down we probably know what the right thing is, but sometimes we can convince ourselves that we know better than God. This is why Jesus warns us against swearing oaths. Because sometimes we will agree to do something and then discover that it’s not the right thing to do. But because we have sworn to do it, we do it disregarding our conscience. Jesus isn’t telling us not to change our minds, but rather to think about what we promise to do so that we don’t have to change our minds. It isn’t bad to do the right thing, in spite of your promises, but it is far better thing to promise to do what’s right from the beginning.

When have we said yes to the right thing, and then failed to follow through? When have we said no, and then realized that saying yes was the right thing? Do we speak before we think and pray about our situations?

O Lord, let our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no.”

Amen.

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Jesus does not send his disciples into the world alone. He gives them the Holy Spirit to work with them and confirm their works through signs. Today we might not have the great signs they did, but we are still not alone. The Lord works through and with us to accomplish God’s Will. He gives us every grace to fulfill our role in his Divine Plan. All we have to do is accept the graces he gives us and the task he sets before us and then we will become living signs of God’s love for His children. Every time we preach the gospel through word and especially through deed, we manifest God’s saving grace to those whom we help.

What tasks have God set before us? If we don’t yet know what they are, then how can we discern them? What signs, great and small, confirm our works as good and Christ-like?

O Lord, work with us and confirm your word through us.

Amen.