Twenty-Eighth Monday of Ordinary Time

At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate. We can learn a lot from what he said and did in his life. He has given us a narrow path to follow and we would do well to recognize it and follow in his footsteps. There is something greater than us that can only be found in Jesus. He fulfills us if we let him. He saves us if we seek him in faith. His wisdom is greater than all the philosophers ever to speak and his preaching is more potent than all the prophets. This is why we should listen to him and allow him to lead us wherever we need to be. He'll never lead us astray. We have only to trust in him and he will show us our calling and how best to live our lives so that when the judgment comes, we shall be found to be good and faithful servants.

How are we preparing for the Final Judgment? Do we meditate upon the Wisdom of Christ and try to understand how to become holier people? Do we repent of our sins?

O Lord, you are greater than all things. Help us to focus our lives on fulfilling your Will.

Amen.

Seventeenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

We are either good or bad fish. Righteous or wicked. This is the judgement that is awaiting us at the end of our lives. We will either be gathered into God's Kingdom and enjoy the Heavenly Banquet or we will be thrown into the fires of Hell. We will be judged by our actions. Our good deeds and our wicked ones. We will come face-to-face with our true selves and in the end we will know exactly why we were sorted to Heaven or Hell. We can only hope that our faith and love are true and holy and not misguided and corrupted by personal desires. So let us make every effort now… this day… to know, love, and serve God and our neighbors to the best of our abilities so that when the day comes and we are judged by God he shall see that we reflected His Goodness in the world and not our own selfishness.

Are we acting like good or bad fish? How can we grow in righteousness and rid ourselves of wickedness? Are we reflecting God's Goodness in our lives?

O Lord, help us to be good fish in the sea of your love and mercy.

Amen.

Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living.

God is the Heavenly King of the living, not the dead. And who are the living? Those who do God’s will, just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did in their righteous lives. The dead are those who choose the spiritual death of sin over the spiritual life of obedience to God’s commandments to love Him and our brothers and sisters with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. The living are the loving disciples of Jesus Christ. They bear the image of God within them and though they might stumble and fall along the way they continually seek the forgiveness of their Father through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are healed of the wounds of their sins and imperfections.

Have we done all that we can do to know, love, and serve God and His children? How do we prepare ourselves for the final judgment? How do we keep the thought of resurrection in our minds during the day?

O Lord, you are the God of the living, not the dead. Help us to live in you, forever and ever.

Amen.

Sixth Wednesday of Easter

“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.”

The Spirit of Truth is with us, just as Jesus is with us, and the Father who sent them. Together they are the Holy Trinity, three persons with their own distinct divine missions, but one God forever and ever. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to guide us to the truth along our faith journeys and help prepare us for the Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgment. He gives us all the knowledge and understanding we need to do the Father’s Will and to live our lives in accord with the model of Jesus. We should take heed of the Holy Spirit’s inspirations and find ways to constantly manifest the truth He reveals to us to our fellow man.

Are we actively seeking the truth? Are we preparing ourselves for the things that will come? How do we acknowledge the Holy Spirit in our lives?

O Lord, guide us to the truth through your Holy Spirit.

Amen.