Second Sunday of Advent

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

We should be eager to live virtuous lives... to do good and avoid evil. We should be eager to rid ourselves of our imperfections and resist all temptations. We should be eager to be at peace with God and ourselves and not caught up in the chaos of the world around us. Throughout each day we will be tested by distractions, doubts, sufferings, obstacles, and all manner of trials, but as long as we choose what is right over what is wrong and put our trust in God, then we shall find inner tranquility. The world might race around us and people might run here or there, but we shall remain where we need to be... centered in Christ. Earthly things may try to divert our attention from God and from good deeds, but we shall remain focused on the Way, Truth, and Life Jesus has shown us. It is not easy to live spotless lives and to be at peace, but as long as we seek reconciliation with God, we shall be given both... and much more: eternal life.

Are we eager to live out our faith? Are we willing to deny ourselves worldly things in order to remain unblemished? How can we better base our lives on the calm and steady rock that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

O Lord, purify us in the fires of your love and mercy and grant us your peace.

Amen.

First Thursday of Advent

Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock.

God is our Rock and if our lives are founded on Him, we shall not lose them. No storm of suffering will topple us. No quake of fear will bring us down. No flood of woes shall wash us away. With God as our cornerstone, we can withstand any trial and stand firm against all temptations. We shall survive all difficulties if we trust in God and let Him lead us to a saintly life. It may not be easy to keep the faith in the midst of sufferings, but reaching the Gates of Heaven is worth every test we must undertake.

Are our lives founded on Our Lord and God? Do we trust Him to support us through every trial? How can we make God the foundation of our every thought, word, and work?

O Lord, we trust in you, Our Rock and Savior.

Amen.

First Sunday of Advent

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has bestowed on us many graces throughout our lives. We might not notice them. We may take them for granted. Or we may even turn our backs on them, but they are always within our reach. All we have to do is accept them, use them wisely and well, and give God thanks for all His help. If we welcome God’s Grace into our hearts, then He will enrich us in every way with virtues, holiness, works of charity and mercy, and spiritual rewards. He will make us into saints fashioned in the likeness of Jesus, our Lord and King.

What graces has God given us? Do we give Him glory, praise, and thanksgiving for all He has done for us? How can we more perfectly put to use the physical, mental, and spiritual graces God has provided us?

O Lord, keep us firm in our faith to the end.

Amen.

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

I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”

We should never be ashamed of our faith or proclaiming the Gospel. We should be overjoyed to bring the Good News into the world through our thoughts, words, and works. We should want to embody righteousness for all we meet, friends and enemies. We should not be afraid to be criticized by others for our beliefs, nor should we apologize for our choice in faith. If we want to be worthy of eternal life, then we must choose to live the Christ-like life. A life founded on the commandments of our Heavenly Father, formed around the teachings of Jesus, and crowned with the sanctifying inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

Are we ashamed by our faith? If not, then what do we do to proclaim it in thoughts, words, or works? How can we become more righteous by faith?

O Lord, we will never be ashamed to proclaim the Gospel.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.

We should strive to see the good things of the Lord in this life as well as the next. We should see the world through the lens of faith. We see should see the good in others, in creation, and do our best to bring out the good in our every thought, word, and work. This is how Jesus approached the word, knowing that we are sinners, but being willing to look past that to the holy people beneath. He tried to free everyone of the shackles of sin and we should do the same to the best of our abilities and according to our talents. And if we do these things, then we will join the Holy Trinity in the house of the Lord and spend the rest of eternity with God, contemplating Him and the good things He has done for us.

Are our eyes open to the good things of this world? How can we magnify those things that lead us closer to God? What can we do to diminish those things that lead us away from Him?

O Lord, we seek to dwell with and contemplate you always.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. Making known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.

Our faith isn’t a passive one. It requires us to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News. It asks us to move out of our comfort zones and do what is right even though it might cost us greatly to do so. It calls us to be the best versions of ourselves by imitating Christ, even to the point of dying on a cross. It is through us that God manifests himself to most people. Our thoughts, words, and works reveal Him to others and we will be held accountable for how well or poorly we bear God into the world around us. So, let us lift high the cross and proclaim we are Christians by our love.

Do we make known the splendor of God’s Kingdom? What can we do to show others the glory of God? How can we help God’s Kingdom to endure through all generations?

O Lord, we are your friends and will make you known wherever we go and in whatever we do.

Amen.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go.  By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. 

Sometimes we don’t know where God is calling us, but we go anyway. It is by faith alone that we set out along the way prepared for us. We trust Him even though we don’t have a clear picture of what the future holds. We intrinsically believe something better lies before us because God loves us. We understand we might wander for many years, get lost, be asked to make sacrifices, and undergo many trials, but if we believe in Him, He will lead us to the promised land. He will protect us from our enemies, including sometimes ourselves, and bring us to the place we need to be. And, once we arrive, if we do what is asked, He will welcome us into His Holy City with open arms and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants... Come, share your master’s joy!”

Where is God calling us? What is He asking us to do? How can we answer Him with the faith of Abraham, Mary, and all the saints who have come before us?

O Lord, grant us the faith to obey you whenever you call and go wherever you send us.

Amen.

Seventeenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

O God, let all the nations praise you! The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

God has blessed us in many ways. He is the source of all our good. He is the center of all our joy. He is the summit of all we should strive to be. If we cultivate our relationship with Him, then we will grow in faith, hope, and love. We will blossom with kindness and bear good fruits as long as we drink from the font of holiness and let the light of truth sustain us. If we have deep roots into our faith, then when dark nights or dry spells come into our lives, we will continue to thrive on the holy waters within our hearts. And when good times come, we will yield thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold.

How can we make God the source, center, and summit of our lives? What can we do to bear good fruits? How can we allow God to sustain us through the difficult times of our lives?

O Lord, help us to yield good fruits.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Easter

How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.

It is impossible for us to truly repay God for all He has done for us. He gave us the world we live in. He gave us His Divine Image. He gave us our lives. He has offered us His Love, His Grace, and His Mercy. He has given us more than we could ever return to Him. All He asks for in return is our faith, hope, and love so we might know, love, and serve Him and all His children to the best of our abilities.

Are we making a good-faith effort to repay God for all He has done for us? What can we do to build up the Kingdom of God on earth? How can we fulfill our baptismal vows?

O Lord, help us to be counted among your faithful ones.

Amen.

Third Thursday of Easter

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. Bless our God, you peoples, loudly sound his praise; He has given life to our souls, and has not let our feet slip.

Joyful spirits are something we all need to cultivate in this world. Having a joyful spirit can be the difference between optimism and despair. Without joy, faith weakens and withers. Without joy, hope drains and disappears. Without joy, love falters and fails. We must be able to rejoice in our triumphs as is right, but also remain joyful in the midst of trials. God loves a joyful spirit. He gives strength to those who cultivate joy in their hearts and spread its good seeds to others. He wants His children to have a contagious joy that can’t help but spread from person to person, bringing each person closer to Him.

Are we joyful people? How can we increase our joy? What can we do to bring joy to others?

O Lord, we cry out to you with joyful spirits.

Amen.

Tuesday of Holy Week

 I will sing of your salvation. In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, and deliver me; incline your ear to me, and save me.

We will never be put to shame for our faith. The world might try to shame us in various ways for our beliefs, but if we remain faithful and true, then we will triumph in the end. God will rescue us from injustice and deliver us from evil. He is always listening to us through our prayers and watching us in action. And if we are thinking, speaking, and doing His Will, then He will save us. He is a refuge for all whom are good and faithful, which is certainly something to sing about.

Who has tried to shame us for our faith? How can we respond to them with love and in such a way as to build up the faith of others? Are we as faithful to listening to God as He is to listening to us?

O Lord, we sing of your salvation.

Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent

For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish,  that I may gain Christ and be found in him,  not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus lived, suffered, died, and resurrected for us. He sacrificed everything to bring us salvation. In the eyes of the world, He lost all that he had. And yet, in the eyes of his faithful, He lost nothing. Instead, he gained everything. Should it be any different for us? No, we must also be willing to lose everything in order to do God’s Will. We must consider the world and all it offers us to be so much rubbish. We must strive to be faithful and righteous in a land that is neither. In the end, the only way for us to attain resurrection from the dead is to be willing to die to our passions, our desires, and ourselves.

Are we willing to accept the loss of all things in order to do God’s Will? How can we nourish our faith in Christ so we might grow in righteousness? What can we do to know, love, and serve God and all His children more faithfully?

O Lord, conform us to your death so we might attain the resurrection.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Lent

The Lord is gracious and merciful. The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

God is faithful and holy. He will not forsake us, nor will He torment us. He is gracious and merciful. He wants to lift us up to heaven with Him. He wants to raise us from the slavery of sin. He does everything in His power to save each and every one of us. He would move mountains for us if it would help us to become good and faithful servants. But He also won’t force Himself on us. He wants us to love Him freely. And He deserves our love, too.

Do we recognize how gracious and merciful God is to us? How can we be more faithful in our words and holy in our works? Are we willing to let God lift us up from our sinful lives?

O Lord, make us more like you... gracious, merciful, faithful, and holy.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Think about what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. Just like a worldly ambassador, we have many responsibilities to our God and King. We act on His behalf through our thoughts, words, and works. We are His representatives to those around us... to our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. If we fail to live up to our duties, then we fail not only God but all those whom we were supposed to aid through our position. If we are corrupted or selfish, we give the world yet another reason to reject God. However, if we are true to our faith by spreading hope and love to all the nations, then we will become powerful testaments to God’s Goodness. We shall help others to be reconciled with God and guide them to salvation. We are all called to magnify the Lord in all things and help others to know God is With Us. It was for this that we were put on earth and hopefully we fulfill that purpose each and every day of our lives.

Are we good and faithful ambassadors for Christ? What are we doing to lead others to reconciliation and salvation? How can we manifest God’s Love for all and do all things with righteous hearts?

O Lord, we are your ambassadors send us where you will.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Lent

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.

If we want to prosper spiritually, then we have to prepare our souls to be good soil for the Word of God. We have to clear away the debris that doesn’t belong. We have to till the dirt so that it welcomes the seeds of faith. We must plant our fields near the running water of hope. We have to tend the vineyards and orchards of our souls with love. We have to protect ourselves from the wickedness and snares of the Devil. We have to uproot the weeds of weakness, imperfection, indifference, and worldliness that try to choke off our growth. If we do all these things, then when the time of harvest comes, our souls will produce good and abundant fruits.

How can we place our hope more firmly in the Lord? What are we doing to prepare the vineyards and orchards of our souls to bear much fruit? How can we protect ourselves for those things that would destroy our faith?

O Lord, work within our souls so they might prosper.

Amen.

First Sunday of Lent

For, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

There are many ways to confess Jesus is Lord. We can choose to use our free time to meditate upon the Scriptures and contemplate the life of Christ. We can proclaim the Good News through words and works. We can be charitable toward those who need charity and merciful toward those who need mercy. We can manifest God’s Love through loving our neighbors as God loves them. If we do all these things, then we will be justified and saved. If we do all these things, we will not be put to shame.

In what ways are we confessing Jesus Christ is Lord? Do we truly believe God will not allow us to be put to shame? How do we show this faith in our lives?

O Lord, we believe with our hearts and confess with our mouths that you are our Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations. Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.

God treats all of us with equity. He doesn't show bias towards anyone. He gives to all of us exactly what we need when we need it. He gives us gifts and talents in accord with our natural abilities so we can glorify Him in our own unique ways. He does marvelous deeds for us each and every day in little and big ways. We can barely imagine the depths of His Love and Mercy. We can hardly guess at all that He has done for us. We should be ever grateful for the gift of His Divine Image and the freedom to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

What marvelous deeds has God done for us? How can we repay Him for all He's done for us great and small? Do we treat others with the equity and generosity that God treats us?

O Lord, make us firm in faith and equitable in love.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

God is our Shepherd and Guide. He calls out to us for our own protection and to lead us to greener pastures. He wants us to grow in faith, hope, and love so we might become good and faithful children and produce good for all. When we are weak, He will carry us. When we are confused, He will call out to us. When we are lost, He will seek us out. He will never abandon us, He will always do everything in His power to lead us safely home to Him and Heaven. So, the least we can do is to listen for His voice in our hearts and do whatever He tells us.

Are our hearts hardened by the world or open to the inspirations of our Heavenly Father? Do we bow down and worship God as He deserves? Do we thank Him for shepherding us and guiding us to life everlasting?

O Lord, keep our hearts from being hardened by the world and our own weaknesses.

Amen.

First Tuesday in Ordinary Time

You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?

It is hard to imagine why God loves us so much. We have so little to offer Him other than our good works, sacrifices, and love. Compare these to the wondrous works, the ultimate sacrifice, and the unending love He has give us. And yet, God is mindful of us. He cares for us. He loves us. In fact, He is so in love with us that He made us in His Image. He has sacrificed His Beloved Son for us. He has given us His Spirit. Everything He is, He has given us even though we can never truly repay Him. He has given everything to us as a gift because He wants us to succeed in becoming holy people, who love Him and reflect His Image to all the world.

Do we appreciate all that God has done, is doing, and will do for us? What are we being called to do in response to God’s gracious gifts? How can we become more faithful, hopeful, and loving children to our caring Lord?

O Lord, we glorify your name over all the earth.

Amen.

The Baptism of the Lord

The Lord will bless his people with peace. Give to the LORD, you sons of God, give to the LORD glory and praise, Give to the LORD the glory due his name; adore the LORD in holy attire.

We have much to give to the Lord. He has done so much for us that we can never repay Him, but we can do what is right and give Him everything we can... our time, our talents, our treasures. We can give Him our love, our hope, our faith. We can give Him glory, honor, and praise. We can give Him all that is due to Him by knowing, loving, and serving Him and all his children. He has given us peace and blessing, the least we can do is to become instruments of His peace and blessing to the world.

What are we giving to God? Are we giving enough? How can we give more of ourselves to God and all His children?

O Lord, we want to give you the glory due to your Holy Name.

Amen.