Holy Saturday – Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. How manifold are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all—the earth is full of your creatures. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.

God created the world to be good. He made us to be good. He provides everything we need to live in this world. He gives us love and the light of faith. His works are indeed manifold! His Divine Wisdom is woven into the very fabric of reality itself. Every creature on the earth, in the water, under the soil, or in the sky bears the gift of creation inside them. And one day, all of these things will be renewed by the Holy Spirit and made new so we call enjoy them all in the afterlife.

Are we calling out for and accepting the Holy Spirit into our lives? How are we reflecting the manifold works of the Lord? What can we do to be as good as God is?

O Lord, grant us the wisdom to see all you have wrought in the light of faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

First Friday of Advent

Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale. When his children see the work of my hands in his midst, They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

As Christians, we have nothing to be ashamed or afraid of. As long as we keep our eyes opened and see the work of God’s hands in our midst. Every day of our lives, we are witness to miracles, great and small. Moments in which God does great things for us. Moments when He gives us a small grace to get us through the day. If we keep in mind how much God does for us, then how can we not keep God’s Name holy and reverence Him? We might not always understand what He has done, but if we trust in Him, we shall gain understanding. We may not be perfect, our faults might drag us down, but if we seek forgiveness, then we shall receive the instructions we need to do better.

Are we uplifted by and fearless in our faith? Do we keep God’s Name holy and reverence Him for all He has given us? Are we seeking understanding and instruction?

O Lord, we are in awe of you and all your gifts to us.

Amen.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?”

It is ironic that the crowds following Jesus ask him to give them a sign so that they will believe. They had just witnessed a miracle that feed them and here they are asking for another one, just to be sure. Isn’t that the temptation we all have in life? We want certainty. We want everything handed to us on a silver platter. We avoid risks and leaps of faith. We avoid those things which might require us to sacrifice or suffer. We are blind to the Will of God and timid in carrying it out when we are faced with it. No matter how many signs God sends us we always have the final choice about whether we will follow Him or not. We can always come up with excuses as to why we can’t accomplish His Will. In the end, these excuses lead us nowhere just as the excuses and complaints of the Jews resulted in their wandering in the desert for forty years. We are faced with the same choice as the Jews and if we are obstinate and only seek certainty and comfort, then we will never reach the Promised Land because to know, love, and serve God and His children is to risk everything for them without excuse or complaint.

What signs are we asking for from God? Do we really need them or do we already know in our hearts what He is asking of us? How can we open our eyes and ears to the daily miracles that surround us and show us how to live Christ-like lives?

O Lord, we believe in you and want only to accomplish your will.

Amen.

Second Saturday of Easter

But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

The Lord works with us. He gives us every grace we need to think, say, and do the right and good thing. Wherever we are lacking, he takes up the slack. We need to remember this the next time we face a seemingly impossible or very difficult task. We grow in our faith by risking ourselves for Christ, by being willing to go forth and preach the Gospel through our words and works. Let us be not afraid to be a sign of God’s love for His children. We may not cast out demons, speak in tongues, or anything else overtly special, but whenever we commit an act of charity or mercy, we perform a miracle. We should make sure we perform these miracles in the name of the Lord. When we do that we make ourselves and our actions into sacramental signs of God’s Love.

Do we go forth and preach the Gospels in our lives? In what ways do we recognize all the help God has given us? How can we be better signs of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace?

O Lord, work with us to go forth and preach your Most Holy Word.

Amen.