Twenty-Eighth Friday of Ordinary Time

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.  So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.

Believing in God’s Plan for us and following His Will lead to righteousness. Each time we choose to believe, we are credited and given the graces we need to fulfill our calling and perform our good works. Our faith leads to good works because it provides us with the perfect models of what it means to align our lives with God’s Providence. Both Jesus and Mary show us how to be righteous in our thoughts, words, and works. They are embodiments of love, mercy, and grace, ever-flowing with acts of charity and forgiveness. By conforming our lives to theirs, we grow in wisdom and the favor of God, becoming blessed in His eyes. By putting on Christ and imitating Mary, our iniquities are forgiven and our sins forgotten by our Heavenly Father, who sees them alive within us when we embrace our vocation to love Him with all our minds, hearts, and strengths and our neighbors as He loves them.

Do we believe in God’s Plan for us? How can we do a better job of following the vocation God has prepared for us? What can we do to conform our lives to God’s righteousness?

O Lord, we believe in your Divine Providence.

Amen.

Thirteenth Friday of Ordinary Time

"Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not procure a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred to get a wife for my son Isaac." The servant asked him: "What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?" "Never take my son back there for any reason," Abraham told him. "The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and the land of my kin, and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me, 'I will give this land to your descendants'–he will send his messenger before you, and you will obtain a wife for my son there. If the woman is unwilling to follow you, you will be released from this oath. But never take my son back there!"

Abraham is adamant about the oath he makes his servant swear in regards to procuring a wife for his son. He makes clear that the wife must come from his own land and kindred. He also makes clear that his son is not to go back to the old land. Abraham firmly believes in the covenant he has made with God and as such he sees settling for less or going backwards as two things he cannot allow his son and heir to do. Abraham trusts that God’s promise will be kept and so he makes clear his intent to only move forward in faith and not look backward. It can be hard for us to have the same trusting and forward-looking attitude in our own lives. There are moments when we are tempted to settle for less than our best. There are times when our past weighs upon us and tries to drag us backward. But we cannot allow this to happen. We must trust in God and march forward to the end that God has prepared for us in the Promised Land of Heaven.

Are we as adamant in our faith in God’s Providence as Abraham? How can we come to trust in God more and more? What can we do to avoid the pitfalls of settling for less or being dragged backwards by our pasts?

O Lord, let us put all our trust in you and your Divine Providence.

Amen.

Twelfth Saturday of Ordinary Time

“Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?” But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.” Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.” But he replied, “Yes you did.”

There may be times in our lives when we feel like Sarah... we think to ourselves that something is impossible even for God to do. However, we need to remember that God is all powerful. He can help us overcome any obstacle. He can give us the strength to carry any burden. He can offer us the graces and gifts we need to fulfill His Will. He can forgive us our sins, no matter how bad they might be. He is not limited in His Love or Mercy and at the appointed time He will gives us all we need to survive our trails and thrive in holiness. But in His time, not ours. So let us resist the temptation to put restraints on God’s Goodness and Power and instead accept God’s aid in whatever form it comes... whenever it comes.

Are there things in our lives that we haven’t entrusted to God’s Providence? How can we place these things into His Hands? What can we do to become more trusting of God’s Love for us and His willingness to provide for our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs?

O Lord, there is nothing too marvelous for you to do.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Saturday of Ordinary Time

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men."  But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Sometimes we don't understand why God seems to be calling us to do something. Sometimes we are afraid of the answer we might get. However, the only way for us to grown in our faith is by seeking understanding in spite of our doubts and asking for the answers we might not want to hear. We will not understand everything in life, but we can make a firm resolution to put our trust in God no matter what sorrows and sufferings come our way. So too, we can make the resolution to seek the truth about God, others, and ourselves. We will not gain perfect knowledge in this life, but we can get a clearer picture of God as our Father, our Brother, and our Advocate. We might not understand everyone we meet, but we will be able to recognize the Christ in everyone, even those whom we find most difficult to love. Last but not least, we will come to a better, though still imperfect knowledge of ourselves and hopefully we will use it to become good and faithful servants, humble and contrite of heart.

Do we trust in God's Divine Plan? Are our spiritual lives filled with moments of faith seeking understanding? Are we afraid of what God wants from us or are we willing to give Him everything for the reparation of sins, conversion of sinners, and the salvation of souls?

O Lord, we do not always understand, but we shall always believe in your Divine Providence.

Amen.