Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them. But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law." The Apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter.

The particulars of our faith haven't always been set in stone. Many generations of Christians contemplated, discussed, and debated every detail. No one man or woman could have interpreted, comprehended, or proclaimed the completeness of our faith. Instead, the collective wisdom of the Church of believers, guided by the Holy Spirit, let the Wisdom of God think, speak, and work through them to form our faith from our decision to accept the Gentiles to our belief in Jesus as both God and man. None of these were easy decisions, but we believe they were inspired by God and as such they have become part of our traditions and doctrines. We would do well to remember that our faith has 2,000 years worth of thought behind it and we shouldn't be some presumptuous to believe we know better than all the great minds who came before us. Sometimes our faith requires us to believe first and then seek to understand.

Do we put our faith in the teachings and traditions of the Church above our own beliefs? How can we humble ourselves so we can seek understanding of our Church's doctrines? Are we willing to trust that the Holy Spirit is at work in our Church and that in the end everything shall lead to a greater good and a deeper understanding of our faith?

O Lord, we trust in you and your Church on earth.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Easter

When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord. Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the Church and taught a large number of people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

Many of Jesus’ first disciples hadn’t expected the Gentiles to accept the Good News and become Christians. This wasn’t necessarily part of the plan they’d envisioned. However, even in death Jesus was reminding them God’s Plan isn’t limited to an earthly kingdom, nor is it limited to one ethnicity. Rather, His Divine Mercy is for all of His children, no matter their upbringing. His Forgiveness can’t be contained to one people and so it goes forth and spreads like a wildfire to all the nations. Sometimes our own ideas about our faith are limiting, but we need to remember God’s Divine Plan is bigger than just us. It touches everything in Creation and though we might not understand it, our own difficulties and sufferings might be leading to a greater, unseen good we will only understand when God reveals Himself to us on the Day of Judgment.

What in our lives hasn’t gone to plan? How can we learn to let go and let God lead us to where we need to be? How can we live up to the name of Christian?

O Lord, help us to see the grace of God in our lives and follow where you lead us.

Amen.

Second Friday of Advent

I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.

All of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good. We might find them difficult to follow, but that doesn’t mean we should disobey them. We might not understand them, but that doesn’t mean we should turn a deaf ear to them. Instead, we should strive to do good and avoid evil because even though it might be hard, it is the right thing to do. Similarly, we should place our faith in God’s teachings in the hopes we shall one day come to an understanding of those teachings we have trouble understanding. By doing these things, we place our trust in God above ourselves. We say, “As you wish, Lord.” And He in turn will give us all the graces we need to prosper in our spiritual journey and have our names written in the book of life.

Do we trust all of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good, even when they are most difficult to follow? Are we willing to follow God’s Will wherever it will take us? Are we willing to make the leaps of faith we need to in order to go where God is leading us?

O Lord, teach us what is good and lead us to the Promised Land.

Amen.

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, as well as by the Apostles and the presbyters, and they reported what God had done with them. But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic law.”

We won’t always agree about what it means to be Christian or the direction the Church is taking or not taking. After all, we are human and our knowledge and actions are imperfect so it’s only natural to realize we’ll get into debates about faith. However, we should talk to each other respectfully and in light of the collective wisdom of the Church’s two thousand years of teachings and traditions. We should also trust that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church in her deliberations and lead her to make the right decisions at the right time. This doesn’t mean we’ll agree with everything. However, part of being faithful servants to God and His Church is trusting that believing will lead to understanding and that the Truth will win out in the end.

Do we dialogue with those who disagree with us or do we argue and alienate them? Do we recognize the possibility that we don’t have all the answers and need to listen to the lessons the Church has to teach us? Are our hearts open to both the traditions of the Church and the evolution of those traditions in accordance with the Scriptures and the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, make our dialogues with each other fruitful and uniting.

Amen.

First Friday of Advent

Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale. When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

As Christians, we have nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. As long as we keep our eyes opened and see the work of God’s hands in our midst. Every day of our lives, we are witness to miracles, great and small. Moments in which God does great things for us. Moments when He gives us a small grace to get us through the day. If we keep in mind how much God does for us, then how can we not keep God’s Name holy and reverence Him? We might not always understand what He has done, but if we trust in Him, we shall gain understanding. We may not be perfect, our faults might drag us down, but if we seek forgiveness, then we shall receive the instructions we need to do better.

Are we uplifted by and fearless in our faith? Do we keep God’s Name holy and reverence Him for all He has given us? Are we seeking understanding and instruction?

O Lord, we are in awe of you and all your gifts to us.

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.