Thirty-Second Thursday in Ordinary Time

Your word is forever, O Lord. Your word, O LORD, endures forever; it is firm as the heavens.

God’s Word is eternal. It was from the beginning, is now, and ever shall be true. It is a Word spoken in love and compassion meant to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is nothing in this world that can make a claim to us more than God’s Word Made Flesh. Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord, should be the source, center, and summit of our every thought, word, and work. His Word is fixed in our hearts and although we might be tempted to deny its existence out of pride, greed, or other vices, it is always there waiting patiently for us to acknowledge it and accept it and live it.

Is the Word of God at the core of our lives? What do we do to cultivate it in our lives? How do we reveal ourselves as followers of the Word in our everyday actions?

O Lord, your word endures forever.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Advent

Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; Here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.

God is powerful and His rewards are immeasurable. He feeds us with His Holy Word through the scriptures, the celebration of the readings at mass, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. He feeds use on His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. He gathers us into His arms from the moment of our birth in order to protect us and guide us. And we will lift us to His bosom on our last days as long as we are willing to be found and caught by Him. He also leads us through good times and bad ones with a care that is perfect. He wants only the best for us, but He will never force us to accept his gifts. It is up to us to recognize His Voice and follow in His footsteps.

Do we thank God for all the gifts He has given us? Do we feed ourselves upon God’s Word and Body? Are we willing to let Him gather us into His Arms?

O Lord, press us to your heavenly heart and lead us with care to paradise.

Amen.

Sixteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

God continually tries to sow His Word in our hearts. It is up to us to make sure the seed of faith falls on good ground. If we do nothing to prepare our hearts to receive the Good News, then the seed will be eaten up before it gets a chance to grow, killed when our faith is tested, or strangled by our worldly worries. But if we enrich the soil of our souls with virtues, then we will produce good fruit. We will not only grow in faith, but bud in hope and bloom with charity. Our every thought, word, and work will yield a hundred, sixty, or thirtyfold. We shall live life abundantly and help others do the same.

What do we do to prepare our souls to receive God’s Word? How can we help others to prepare themselves? Are we enriching our lives with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, or are we allowing our doubts, fears, and selfish interests to destroy our lives?

O Lord, cultivate my soul with your heavenly virtues and so that I can accept the seed of faith and yield a good harvest.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

God wants to make our hearts His dwelling place. Just like the manger Jesus was born into, we are seemingly unworthy of such a great honor. However, as Jesus tells us when we keep his word we are beloved by God and it is that love which draws God to us and makes our humble hearts worthy to receive Him. It is a grace for us to be given the strength and perseverance to keep the Living Word of God alive within us. We should be ever grateful for this gift because without it we would be hollow people of the world rather than hallowed followers of Christ. So when we feel alone or unworthy, we should remember God is with us as long as we do the best we can to know, love, and serve Him and He makes us worthy through His Love, which more than makes up what is lacking in the imperfect mangers of our hearts.

In what ways do we keep God’s Word? In what ways do we fail to keep it? How do we prepare ourselves to be dwelling places for the Lord?

O Lord, we want to keep your word and become dwelling places for you.

Amen.

Monday in the Octave of Easter

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.

Jesus meets Mary Magdalene and the other Mary while they are on their way to deliver the message of the angel. They are faithfully bearing the good news and because they are doing this Jesus rewards them with his greeting. We too are called to bring the Gospel message to others and if we do it well, God will reward us too. He will give us his Holy Spirit to uphold us in our hour of need. He will give us His only begotten Son through the sacrament of the Eucharist. He will give us His Fatherly Mercy when the Day of Judgment comes. In response we should be ready to greet the Holy Trinity with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, embrace the foot of his Heavenly Throne, and do Him homage.

Do we bear the message of Jesus as we should? If not, then how can we do a better job of delivering his message to our brothers and sisters? How do we greet God when he is made present to us through the sacraments?

O Lord, we embrace you and do you homage.

Amen.