First Monday of Advent

“Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Once we recognize God is our Lord and King, we shall be like the nations mentioned here... we shall find peace. The conflicts in our lives, both great and small, come from rebellions against God. From Adam and Eve to our own sinfulness, we wage a war with ourselves. We do what we know is wrong and avoid the good because being a sinner is easier than being a saint. However, if we want to have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must climb the mountain of holiness, follow its narrow path, and exert every effort to live good and faithful lives. We might stumble and fall along the way, but as long as we dust ourselves off, return to the right path, and trust in God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace, then we shall eventually find the Gates of Heaven and be found worthy to join in the never-ending Beatific Feast.

Are we climbing the mountain of holiness or sliding into the valley of sin? How can we amend our lives so we can more easily follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to Heaven? What can we do to become living saints?

O Lord, lead us up the mountain to eternal life with you.

Amen.

Twenty-First Saturday in Ordinary Time

The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice. Before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to rule the earth; He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity.

We should welcome God’s rule over us. We should be thankful He wants to conquer our hearts and make them part of His Heavenly Kingdom. We should exult that He has come to humble us. We should be happy we are made into His servants. We should praise Him for His light yoke and easy burden. We should glorify Him for His Justice and Mercy. We should be glad He treats us with equity. We should leap for joy in the knowledge He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever.

Are we willing to let God rule us? How can we humble ourselves before Him? What is our Heavenly King asking us to do today, tomorrow, and forever?

O Lord, rule over us.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Easter

The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. The LORD is king, in splendor robed; robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

God is our King and as such deserves our respect. We should fear disappointing Him, not because He will punish us for our faults, but because He is a Good Father and we don’t want to disappoint Him. He is robed in majesty and so we bow before His Will and sing His glory and praises. He is robed in splendor and so we allow Him to lead us. He is girted with strength and so we seek His help through the teachings of Jesus and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. As His children and heirs, all His Kingdom is promised to us if we will accept it and all the rights and responsibilities that come with living out our baptismal promises.

Do we show respect to God in our thoughts, words, and works? How can we live our lives as worthy heirs to our Father? What can we do to build up the Heavenly Kingdom on earth?

O Lord, you are robed in majesty, splendor, and strength.

Amen.

Seventh Monday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. And he has made the world firm, not to be moved. Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O LORD.

Many in this world will tell us that there is no such thing as black and white. Everything is a matter of perspective and opinion. Good and evil don’t exist in their eyes. They have an anything goes kind of attitude and try to convince us to let go of our beliefs and embrace the grayness they live in. It may indeed be tempting to forget what we’ve learned as Christians and simply be part of the world. However, we were not created for the world, but for God and He is Good. He is Light. He is right. We cannot follow Him if we do not believe these things. We cannot be examples of holiness to others if we do not accept there is good and evil in the world. God is our King, there should be no other. He made the earth and everything in it good. It was only through the Devil and the original sin of Adam and Eve that evil entered into the world. God’s throne is planted firmly in the Way, the Truth, and the Life we are all called to live and if we want to be part of His Kingdom, then we must believe this and live it.

How can we do better and avoid evil? What can we do to fight our sinful inclinations? How can we anchor God’s Throne of Wisdom within our hearts so we might be worthy of being part of His Kingdom?

O Lord, plant your throne firmly in our hearts.

Amen.

First Friday of Ordinary Time

All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, "Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us." Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: "Grant the people's every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king."

All of us have rejected God in one way or another. Some of us have rejected Him through sin. Others through being caught up in worldly distractions or laziness. However, no matter the reason, God will always be our King, waiting for us to allow Him to protect us from the wickedness and snares of the Devil and the world. He won’t force us to accept Him because He wants us to give our faith to Him freely and without reservation. He wants us to become His followers by our own choice. So let us remember that when we make sins or worldly things our kings, we will suffer greatly for it, but if we turn to God, then He will grant us what is good and lead us to the Promised Land and eternal life with Him.

In what ways are we rejecting God? How can we overcome our sins and inordinate attractions to worldly things? What can we do to place God firmly at the center of our lives?

O Lord, you are our one and only King. Rule over our hearts forever.

Amen.