Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant.

God guides us in many ways. He gives the His Holy Spirit to inspire us to holiness. He gives us our consciences to remind us of right and wrong. He gives us models in the faith through, Jesus, Mary, and the saints. He shows us the way to live as good and faithful servants. He gives us guidance through the Scriptures and the traditions and teachings of the Church. He gives us the sacraments to sustain us. He pours out His Love, Mercy, and Grace so our souls might flourish in the faith and we might produce good fruits through our thoughts, words, and works.

Are we accepting of God’s guidance and help? What way does God want us to walk? How can we be more open to the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, show us the way we are called to walk in this life.

Amen.

Holy Thursday

Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him,  “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”

Never say never when God is concerned. We might have our own preconceived notions about how things should be, but we should never close ourselves off to what God is calling us to do. Sometimes when we see something that doesn't mesh with our own opinion, we can rebel against it. However, Jesus constantly reminds his disciples that God’s Ways are not our ways. His Thoughts are not our thoughts. He has a Divine Plan that we need to take heed of when making our own. If we want to inherit the Kingdom with Christ, then we need to be willing to change our course mid-stream and swim against the current of our lives.

What are the preconceived notions in our lives? Are they in alignment with the gospel message of Christ? If not, then how can we replace them with ones that are from God and not from our own opinions?

O Lord, wash away our resistance to you so that we can inherit the Kingdom.

Amen.