Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are times when we will feel abandoned by family, friends, co-workers, and others. We feel alone in the world and tempted to despair or even anger at those who have forsaken us. However, we must remember the people in our lives, no matter how much we love them are imperfect, like us. They will not always do what is good or avoid what is wrong. Thankfully, we do not need them by our sides in our darkest hours. We can instead put our trust in God and allow Him to lead us out of the night and into the dawn. When we trust God in such a way, we allow Him to sanctify and bless our lives so they bear good fruits even among the worries and woes of the world. We are given strength by these gifts to go forth and proclaim the Good News to all who will hear it. When we choose to believe in the promises of Jesus Christ, we will be rescued from every evil, resurrected in spirit, and brought safely to God’s Heavenly Kingdom where we will glorify God forever.

Are we willing to forgive those who abandon us in our times of need? How can we place our complete trust in God? What can we do to proclaim the Good News even in the midst of our own trials?

O Lord, to you be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word. My soul waits for the LORD more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

Trusting in God means that sometimes we have to wait for Him. We need to learn patience and allow God to work in His own time. He knows better than us when we need help and what help is best for us. We might have our own notions about how God can help us, but they are not necessarily the best ways He can aid us. We can often grow impatience and upset when God seems to fail to answer our pleas, but that is our own selfishness blinding us to God’s work in our lives. He will never abandon us, we have only to bear our crosses and trust in His Saving Graces, which will come when and where it is most needed.

Do we trust in God and His Word? Are we patient enough to wait for His Help? Do we recognize all God is doing for us even in the midst of our trials?

O Lord, we wait for you more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

Blessed the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs! Why should I fear in evil days when my wicked ensnarers ring me round? They trust in their wealth; the abundance of their riches is their boast.

Even when things seem the worst, we should not fear. Even when our enemies seem to have the upper hand, we should trust in God. Even when we are seemingly abandoned, we are not alone. Even when evil seems to be winning the day, we should know that the victory of the good will come. God may let us be tried by trials and sufferings, but if we remain true to Him, He will not allow them to overwhelm us. Others might show off their wealth, flaunt their fame, or revel in their desires, but ultimately these things will wither and fade. Such worldly people cling to these empty things, but in the end, they will leave this world with nothing to show for their lives. It is the poor in spirit who will bear abundant fruits and make a true and lasting difference in the world.

Are we poor in spirit and rich in kindness? Are we unafraid of the evils around us? Have we placed our trust in God as we should?

O Lord, with you at our side, we have nothing to fear from the wicked.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

You have searched me and you know me, Lord. Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.

God is ever-present in our lives. There is not a moment when He abandons us, even if we might sometimes feel that way. He is always beside us, even when we turn our backs on Him. He does not leave us alone, no matter how much we might push Him away with sin. He is a loving Father who is always waiting for us to return to Him when we go astray. And sometimes, He goes far out of His way to find us and bring us home. There is no place we can flee that is out of His reach and nothing we can do that He won’t forgive if we are truly sorry and contrite. So, let us not be afraid of Him, but rather embrace Him and make Him a central part of every day.

Do we sometimes think we can escape God? How can we embrace God as central to our lives? What can we do to make ourselves more present to Him as He is ever-present for us?

O Lord, you are always there for us.

Amen.

Fourteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord. Hear, O LORD, a just suit; attend to my outcry; hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.

When we are suffering, God is listening. He is watching over us even in our times of trials. He will not abandon us, but He will not always answer us in the way we seek. He may indeed save us from our trials and tribulations, but if He chooses not to do so, we have no reason to be angry with Him. He is just and merciful, but He also will not hand us life on a silver platter. He will not solve all of our problems. He wants us to learn and grow in our own unique ways. He wants us to discover our unique callings and not force them on us. He hears our outcries, but we should remember that He might not answer us at the time or in the way we expect. Instead, He will help us in ways that will offer us a chance to grow in faith, hope, and love. Let us pray we take these opportunities and accept their challenges so one day Our Heavenly Father might say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.”

How do we suffer? Do we complain and get angry and get even? Or do we offer everything up to God and accept the sacrifices asked of us without hesitation or moaning?

O Lord, attend to my outcries how you deem best.

Amen.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: “He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

There are times in our lives when we feel abandoned. Our family, our friends, our neighbors fail us in some great or small way or persecute us in some manner. They mock us... perhaps for our beliefs or our way of life or any number of things. They scoff at us and shake their heads at us. Sometimes we even feel God has left us, but nothing can be further from the truth. He is always with us and if we rely on Him, He will deliver us from our fears, doubts, worries, and foes. He will rescue us because He loves us even to the point of sacrificing His Only Beloved Son for us on the cross.

How can we fight off the feeling of abandonment? What can we do to remind ourselves that God is with us? Are we willing to place our lives in God’s Hands and rely on His saving grace?

O Lord, rescue us.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

There will be some times in our lives when we feel betrayed or abandoned. We might feel alone in the world. However, Paul reminds us we are not ever really alone if we stand firm in our faith. God stands beside us through good times and bad. He lends us His Strength when we need it. He lends us His Light when we are lost and alone. He lends us His Word to encourage and enlighten us. He lends us everything we need to conquer the obstacles that the world throws in our way. He does all of this because He loves us and He wants us to fulfill His Will so all the world might hear His Good News through us.

Do we feel abandoned or betrayed? How can we learn to trust God even when the night is darkest and the world is grim? How can we become God’s Strength, Light, and Word to those who need it?

O Lord, may the proclamation of your Gospel be completed through us.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them 'brothers.'

God sent us His Beloved Son so we might become brothers and sisters in Christ. God did not have to lower Himself and become flesh and blood. He did not need to be born of the Virgin Mary. He could have come to earth in any form and yet he choose to come as one of us. He choose to lower himself for a little while and become a helpless baby born of a young mother. He choose to grow up under obedience to his earthly parents. He remained hidden for thirty years of his life. As one of us, he must have suffered in a thousand little ways before He took up the mantle of Messiah. Bumps and bruises, lost loved ones, and other unrecorded troubles. And after he began proclaiming the Good News, he suffered even more... disappointments, rejections, mockery, and persecution. All culminating in his Passion and Death so he might rise again and bring with him the promise of the Resurrection. We would do well to remember this as we go through our lives. When we feel that God has abandoned us, we should look to the cross and remember Jesus bore great burdens for us and will never ask of us to carry more than we can bear.

Do we act like brothers and sisters in Christ? Have we mediated on what it means that God sent His Beloved Son into the world to live and die as one of us? How can we live more faithfully as the adopted children of God?

O Lord, we are not ashamed to call you our brother and our Savior.

Amen.

Twenty-Sixth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Should he come near me, I see him not; should he pass by, I am not aware of him; Should he seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, "What are you doing?" How much less shall I give him any answer, or choose out arguments against him! Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words.

Sometimes we are blinded to the presence of God in our lives. This blindness can come in many forms. We might be distracted by worldly things, we might be sunk in the darkness of sin, or lost in indifference. We can be tempted to think nothing we do or say will make a difference because God has abandoned us. We may even feel angry at Him for letting us suffer. However, just because we can’t see God or hear Him doesn't mean He's not there. Just because we feel abandoned and alone doesn't mean we are. Just because we are suffering doesn't mean God wants us to suffer. This is why we must trust in Him even in our times of trials. If we appeal to Him, He will answer us. Maybe not in the way we wish, but He will give us what is best for the well-being of our souls.

Are we being blinded to God's Presence in our lives? If so, then what can we do to see Him more clearly? How can we learn to trust He has our best interests at heart, even in the midst of our sufferings?

O Lord, make us more aware of your presence and grace in our lives.

Amen.

Memorial of the Guardian Angels

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, "The child is a boy!" Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light? Wherefore did the knees receive me? Or why did I suck at the breasts?"

There can be times in our lives when we feel like Job. Nothing is going right. Our lives are ruined in one way or another. We are stripped of something, or everything, we held dear. We can feel abandoned and let down by God, but this is not the case. God will always be with us, especially in our darkest hours. He has given us many graces to see us through these times of trial, not least of which are our guardian angels. We would do well to remember them when we are suffering or in need. They are there to guard us, guide us, and lead us closer to God. All we have to do is trust they are there and pray for their intercession.

Are there any areas in our lives where we feel abandoned? Have we turned those areas over to God and asked for his help? How can we make praying to our guardian angels a habit in our busy lives?

O Lord, send us your angels to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

"Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, when suddenly a great wind came across the desert and smote the four corners of the house. It fell upon the young people and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you." Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair. He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said, "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!" In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.

We all will suffer losses in our lives. Some of our losses will be in terms of wealth. Others in terms of health. Still more will be of our loved ones. We can react to these sufferings in many ways. We can become bitter and complain about how unfair life is, we can become lost in despair and sorrow, or we can accept our losses and trust God’s Grace will see us back to prosperity. We will be tempted to be angry toward God or to believe He has abandoned us, but all we need to remember is He is always with us. He sent His Beloved Son to suffer and die for us so we might never be alone in our darkest hours. Even if it is difficult for us to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we must remember it is there. All we have to do is put one step in front of the other and continue to follow the path Jesus Christ prepared for us.

Are we bitter or despairing of any losses we have suffered? How can we learn to trust God even in the midst of our dark nights? How can we cultivate the spirit of detachment needed to be able to let go of our goods, our health, and our loved ones so we do not fall into sin when we lose them?

O Lord, blessed be your name in our good times and in our bad.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Lent

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me." Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

God will never forget us. Although we might suffer trials and tribulations, afflictions of body, mind, and heart, He shall never abandon us. He is the perfect Father for us. He knows what we want and gives us exactly what we need. He knows what we can handle and gives us the grace to succeed. He knows what is best for us and He will do everything He can to lead us to our greatest potential as both human beings and Christians. He shall not forsake us, even though we might forsake Him for sins and distractions. He will always treat us with tenderness, even when we are heartless and pay Him little to no heed. He will always be waiting for us to return to Him, not to tell us "I told you so," but to welcome us back home and say, "let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found."

Do we trust God will always be there for us? How can we be there for those whom are in need around us? What can we do to become as tender and loving as God is to us?

O Lord, we will never forget you.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Sometimes we can forget the saints lived regular lives, just like us. They had friends and enemies and weren’t saints from the start, but rather became saints by how they dealt with their trials in this life and treated others. They experienced abandonment, betrayal, and harm. They also received support and help. The way they got through the ups and downs of their lives is the same way we do. They put their trust in the Lord and allowed Him to lend them strength. They proclaimed the Gospels through thoughts, words, and works so all could hear and witness the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ through them. It was not easy and required many sacrifices, but in the end they understood it was only by walking in the footsteps of Jesus that they could arrive at the Promised Land.

Who are our friends and enemies? Do we treat them as Jesus would? Do we trust God to give us the strength we need to overcome all our trials?

O Lord, give me the strength to proclaim your Good News through my every thought, word, and work.

Amen.

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"My Lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us. Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers told us when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ For now the LORD has abandoned us and has delivered us into the power of Midian." The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian. It is I who send you." But Gideon answered him, "Please, my lord, how can I save Israel? My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father's house." "I shall be with you," the LORD said to him.

Like Gideon, we can be tempted to wonder why God lets certain things happen to us. We wonder why he doesn’t fix things. We feel abandoned. However, sometimes God wants us to fix things. He wants us to take up our cross, go out into the world, and trust in His Strength. At first, we might shrink away from this idea and wonder why He wants us to go forth. We don’t feel worthy or strong enough. We feel insignificant and powerless, but we should not be afraid because God is with us. He can lift up the lowly to the highest heights and give strength to the weak. He can do all things, if we let Him into our bodies, minds, and hearts... and allow Him to manifest His Divine Will through us.

Are there areas of our lives that we feel have been abandoned by God? How can we remember He is always with us? What can we do to prepare ourselves to go forth and do the Will of God?

O Lord, be with us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, he would be with the judge and save them from the power of their enemies as long as the judge lived; it was thus the LORD took pity on their distressful cries of affliction under their oppressors. But when the judge died, they would relapse and do worse than their ancestors, following other gods in service and worship, relinquishing none of their evil practices or stubborn conduct.

Sometimes we can have a lot in common with the Israelites of old. We go through hot and cold periods of faith and sin. We are good for a while, but fall into the same sins over and over again. We can have times of great comfort and joy in the faith, but also dark nights where we get lost. We can feel abandoned by God in our times of trial. Yet, we can also champion the faith like the judges of old. We are sinners, struggling to be saints. God knows this better than any of us and that is why He does all He can to help us to overcome our weaknesses and become better servants to Him and all His children.

What sins are we struggling with? Are we keeping the faith to the best of our abilities, especially when we are in our dark nights of the soul? How can we better resist the temptations that surround us?

O Lord, take pity on us and help us to become better Christians.

Amen.

Eighteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

When Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents, so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved. “Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people?”

There are times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by what is going on. We might be ill, persecuted, sorrowful, fearful, or any number of things and pray to God for a way out. We might be upset with God because we are in a rut and don’t have a sense of progress in our lives. We might be angry that others are complaining to or about us. We might wonder why God is treating us so badly after all we have done for Him in our lives. We might even worry we’ve done something wrong and are being punished for it. All these feelings are part of being human, we know, love, and serve imperfectly and so time and time again we find something we can grumble about. However, if we trust God and prayerfully ask for His help, He will give it to us and we will eventually find our burdens lifted, the obstacles in our way removed, and our spirits renewed. We simply must be patient and let not our hearts be troubled by worldly things, nor should we allow our minds to become so prideful we mistakenly believe God owes us in some way. Whatever aid He gives comes as a gift, not a repayment.

What do we grumble about? How can we let go of our grumblings and trust in God’s Divine Providence? How can we remind ourselves doing God’s Will is not a burden, but an opportunity to grow in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, protect us from the temptation to complain about our lives.

Amen.

Fifteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.

God is always concerned for us and our well being. We might not feel that way all the time. We might feel abandoned and lost. However, God is always with us, by our side in good times and bad. We might not see Him, but He is there to protect and guide us. He gives us the graces we need to overcome every obstacle, to bear any burden, to make it through our sorrows. And through Jesus Christ, He has given us a way, leading us out of our worldly miseries and into the promised land of eternal life with Him.

Do we feel abandoned or lost? Are we miserable or sorrowful? How can we turn these things over to God and allow Him to bear us out of our hardships and worries?

O Lord, lead us to the land flowing with your love and mercy.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Lent

“Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ The LORD said to Moses, “I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.”

We are constantly tempted to forget what God has done for us and to turn our backs on Him. We have selective memories about the past and tend to overlook those things God has done for us in favor of what is happening in our lives today. We disregard the graces, the miracles (great and small), and the love God has given us as we struggled to survive the trials and sufferings of our lives. We let the fears, doubts, pleasures, and distractions of the world weigh us down and claim all our attention. And in our moments of weakness, we make worldly things into our idols. We put our trust into molten calves made of money, power, possessions, pride, and other false gods. However, we, like Moses, must remain faithful to God and seek to help others do the same. When we recognize ourselves or others placing our faith in something other than God, then we must do everything in our power to smash the idol and renew our commitment to God. This is not easy to do when we feel pressured by the world or when we are suffering, but if we want to be worthy of eternal life, then we must resist these temptations and trust that even when we feel abandoned that God is with us and only wants the best for us.

What are worldly things tempt us away from God? How can we rid ourselves of these temptations and replace them with trust in God’s Divine Plan? How can we help others do the same?

O Lord, we want to be a great nation for you. Please, be patient with our failings.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Lent

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

Sometimes we feel forsaken and abandoned by God. Even Jesus, the Son of God, and God Himself, came to experience this feeling on the cross. And it is this experience that should reassure us. God knows what it feels like to be one of us. He knows it isn’t easy to suffer trials whether physical, emotional, or spiritual in nature. However, He makes it clear time and time again that He will not forget us. He loves us more than any parent could ever love. He wants what is best for us. He doesn’t want us to suffer. He wants to protect us from harm, even from ourselves. He will give us every opportunity to prosper. He will give us every grace we need to survive and to thrive. He will pour out His Divine Mercy so that we might experience His Forgiveness.

Do we feel abandoned by God? What can we do to remind ourselves that He will never forget us? How can we imitate His Love and Mercy when dealing with those who feel forsaken?

O Lord, we know you shall never forget us. Give us the grace to never forget you.

Amen.