Fourth Sunday of Advent

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We were created to be apostles. We were made to bear God into the world. We were conceived to proclaim the Good News to all the nations. God has given Himself to us through the Scriptures, the Church, and the sacraments. He wants us to succeed as His servants and heirs to His Kingdom. And if we want to accomplish His Divine Plan, then we must be obedient to Him. We must follow His Commandments. We must live according to His Way, His Truth, and His Life. We must listen to the inspirations and guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must choose to be with Him as much as He is with us. We must belong to Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Are we with God or against Him? Are we answering the call to apostleship? What can we do to belong more perfectly to Him in all things?

O Lord, help us to become better apostles of the Good News for all.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth. Defend the lowly and the fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the lowly and the poor; from the hand of the wicked deliver them.

God will bring judgment to the earth and we would do well to remember that. Each of us is given a role to play in the building up of the Body of Christ. Some will be called to be parents and guardians, others to be care-takers and educations, still others will be asked to be protectors and leaders. All of us are asked to bear God’s Love and Mercy into the world and to proclaim the Good News with our every action. We, like Him, are tasked with defending the lowly and fatherless, rendering justice to the afflicted and destitute, and rescuing the lowly and poor from the hands of the wicked. We are all meant to be manifestations of our Heavenly Father’s Will, the Son’s Word, and the Holy Spirit’s Heart. And if we wish to be found worthy of Paradise, then we must magnify our Lord by being His eyes, ears, lips, and hands.

Do we defend the lowly and fatherless? Are we just toward the afflicted and destitute? What can we do to rescue the lowly and poor from wickedness and evil?

O Lord, help us to bring your just judgment to the earth.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Monday in Ordinary Time

The Lord comes to judge the earth. For great is the LORD and highly to be praised; awesome is he, beyond all gods. For all the gods of the nations are things of nought, but the LORD made the heavens.

Everything in this world is nothing compared to God. We are nothing. The earth is nothing. The universe is nothing. And yet, God has given us His all though the sacrifice of His Beloved Son. He died for us because He loves us in spite of our nothingness. He gave each of us His Divine Image to bear into the world. Not to hide it, but to reveal it through our thoughts, words, and works. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire us so that we could magnify Him and rejoice in His Goodness. And in the end, we will be judged by how well we manifested God to others because we are all called to be God bearers and without Him we are empty vessels, devoid of substance and meaning. But with Him, we are His children, and worthy of spending the rest of eternity with Him in Heaven.

Do we recognize our nothingness without God? How can we allow God to fill us with His Divine Image? What can we do to magnify and manifest Him to all the world?

O Lord, all is naught before you.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. Making known to men your might and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom. Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.

Our faith isn’t a passive one. It requires us to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News. It asks us to move out of our comfort zones and do what is right even though it might cost us greatly to do so. It calls us to be the best versions of ourselves by imitating Christ, even to the point of dying on a cross. It is through us that God manifests himself to most people. Our thoughts, words, and works reveal Him to others and we will be held accountable for how well or poorly we bear God into the world around us. So, let us lift high the cross and proclaim we are Christians by our love.

Do we make known the splendor of God’s Kingdom? What can we do to show others the glory of God? How can we help God’s Kingdom to endure through all generations?

O Lord, we are your friends and will make you known wherever we go and in whatever we do.

Amen.

Eleventh Monday of Ordinary Time

The Lord has made known his salvation. In the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. 

God has made known His Salvation in many ways. He made it known to the Israelites in the Old Testament. He made it know through the coming of Jesus Christ. He made it known through the life, passion, death, and resurrection of His Beloved Son. He made it known through the proclamation of the New Testament and the sacrifices of the early martyrs. He made it known through the institution of the Church and its traditions. He made it known from generation to generation through the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit. He tries to make it known through us and through the way we think, speak, and work. He wants us to reveal His Justice and Mercy to all the nations. He wants us to show His Kindness to the world. So, let us be God-bearers, magnifying the Lord in all we are from the beginning to the end of each of our days.

Do we give God thanks for all He has done to save us from sin and death? In what ways are we making God’s Salvation known to others? How can we become better signs of God’s kindness and faithfulness toward all of mankind?

O Lord, make your salvation known to and through us.

Amen.

Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation.

The water of salvation is meant to be shared. We cannot receive the sacraments or go to Mass and refuse to spread the Good News to the rest of the world. As Christians, we cannot turn our back on the world. Instead, we must bear the Light of Christ into it to the best of our ability and bring as many people into the wedding feast as we can gather. We cannot do that if we are locked away from the world. We should be confident and unafraid to do whatever Jesus tells us to do. We should be willing to empty ourselves of all those things that keep us from being filled with the Holy Spirit so we might become living fonts of God’s Grace. We should strive to pour out the good wine of salvation to all whom we meet and give it to all who are thirsty for salvation.

Are we confident and unafraid to bear the Good News into the world? Are we willing to empty ourselves of our own desires and wants so we can become better bearers of God’s Divine Grace and Mercy? What can we do to bear the light of Christ into the lives of those around us?

O Lord, you are the fountain of our strength and courage.

Amen.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

God’s words to us through the Scriptures and the Church are spirit and life-giving. They refresh our souls with their grace. They nourish our lives with their wisdom. If we trust in them, we will never be disappointed or misled. The Word Made Flesh came to help us to become living words of God, to prefect us in spirit, and to enlighten us in the Way, the Truth, and the Life we are all called to follow. As Christians, we are given the responsibility to become the Word of God for others and so let us proclaim the Good News in all things, at all times, to all peoples.

Do we listen to the word of God? Are we willing to let His Wisdom guide us? How do we bring God’s word into the world in our own lives?

O Lord, refresh our souls with your Divine Word.

Amen.

First Friday in Ordinary Time

Do not forget the works of the Lord! What we have heard and know, and what our fathers have declared to us, we will declare to the generation to come The glorious deeds of the LORD and his strength.

The world is a distracting place. It can make us forget all sorts of things. Our responsibilities, our loved ones, even our God. It’s so easy to overlook God in a world full of people, places, and things that are crying out, “Look at us!” We can go from moments of devotion to moments of distraction in the blink of an eye. But this is part of the struggle we all have as Christians. It isn’t easy to constantly recall the debts and gratitude we owe God for all He has done for us. However, we must try our best and when we do remember God, we must throw ourselves entirely into declaring His glorious deeds and strength through our thoughts, words, and works. For if we do not remind the world of God, then we have failed in our duty as a Christian to be a light to all the nations.

What distractions are vying for our attention? How can we bring God to the forefront of our lives? What can we do to proclaim God to all the world?

O Lord, let us never forget the works you have done for us.

Amen.

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus is our King, but not in the way the world sees kings. He is a servant king, who puts the welfare of his people above his own. He is willing to sacrifice himself for our good in hopes that we might grow in faith, hope, and love. He has given us a faithful witness of what it means to be a good and faithful servant. It means a willingness to suffer and to forgive. It means loving our enemies as well as our family and friends. It means making ourselves into living sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. It means acting like kings and queens called to know, love, and serve God and all His children. It means becoming priestly people, keeping holy the Sabbath and partaking in the sacraments. It means being prophets of the Good News and bearing the Word of God to all whom we meet each day in whatever ways God calls us.

Are we allowing Jesus and his teachings to rule our lives? How can we let the Holy Spirit work through us and become more faithful servants to God and His children? In what ways can we transform ourselves into priests for our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, make us into faithful witnesses to you, just as Jesus was, is, and ever will be the perfect witness to your goodness and glory.

Amen.

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

We are all charged with proclaiming the Word with whatever gifts and talents God has given us. Some may proclaim the work through the vocation of being priests and religious. Others through being ministers and volunteers. Still more through parenthood, being care-givers, or their jobs. Some may proclaim the Good News through words of wisdom, consolation, love, faith, or hope. Others through good works and acts of mercy. Still others through ideas that give glory to God or help to the needy. No matter what the calling is, we are all asked to be persistent in our pursuit of God’s Will... whether it is convenient or inconvenient for us. This means convincing the difficult, reprimanding those whom we love when they do wrong, encouraging others to patience, and teaching everyone we meet that the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ is exactly what they need to thrive in this life and the next.

Are we proclaiming the Good News as we should? What can we do to bear God’s Divine Word into the lives of those around us? Are we persistent in our faith, hope, and love even when it is inconvenient?

O Lord, we accept your charge to proclaim your word.

Amen.

Fourth Friday of Easter

But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people. We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you that what God promised our fathers he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.

Just like the first disciples, we are also called to be witnesses before the people, proclaiming the Good News to everyone we meet. Jesus died for us so that we might live in accordance with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He wants us to be his eyes, ears, lips, hands, and feet... bearing God into the lives of our family, friends, and neighbors. And if we are faithful to God and put our trust in His Divine Plan, then we shall be like Christ and worthy of being called the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.

How are we witnessing to the Way, the Truth, and the Life? What can we do to be better preachers of the Good News? Do we thank God for treating us as His children?

O Lord, make us good and faithful witnesses to the truth.

Amen.

Third Thursday of Easter

"I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?"  Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water.  What is to prevent my being baptized?"  Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him.  When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing.

During our lives, we will have many opportunities to spread the word and works of God. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will come across those in need of help and be given the chance to make a difference in their lives. And just like Philip, if we put our trust in God, we will lead someone closer to our Heavenly Father. We shall become living reflections of Christ, bearing his light into the world and guiding others to holiness and salvation. We might not go out and baptize others with water like Philip or be whisked away by the Holy Spirit, but our thoughts, words, and works will manifest God’s Grace and lead to good fruits and rejoicing.

Are we open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to be a bearer of God’s Grace and Mercy, even to strangers? How can we manifest God’s Grace for all whom we meet each day?

O Lord, we wish to proclaim Jesus in all that we think, say, and do.

Amen.

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life—for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Word of Life became flesh for us and just as he came into the world to bear the Good News, so too should we give witness to him and his teachings. Jesus’ incarnation is a reminder to us all that we are the sons and daughters of God and we are all called to manifest Him in our daily lives. We are asked to think His thoughts, speak His words, and perform His good works. We have the responsibility to make visible God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace for all. We do this when we proclaim the Gospels, live according to God’s commandments, and enter into fellowship with those around us. When we share our faith with others, we give them an opportunity to grow in their own faith and come to a deeper understanding and conversion of their souls. We are constantly giving witness to our faith in God because the people around us are watching... hopefully they see a God-bearing person, who leads them closer to their Lord.

How can we become incarnations of the Word of Life?  In what ways can we give witness to our faith? Are our thoughts, words, and works bringing others closer to God?

O Lord, make yourself visible through us.

Amen.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah, and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."

Many of us who read this passage might think of the water flowing from the Temple as the love, mercy, and grace of God, but on another level this passage speaks about us as well. We are all called to be living temples to God, allowing His Goodness to pour out of us through our thoughts, words, and works. We are asked to empty ourselves so we might be filled with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are responsible for bringing God into the world through our actions. We are tasked with magnifying God by refreshing the world with our purity and holiness. God gives us every opportunity to grow in the faith, to bear good fruits, and to give life to others. We might not always think of ourselves as fonts of God’s grace, but that is what we are called to be as Christians and we should do all we can to build up the temple within us through virtuous lives.

Do we act like living temples to God? In what ways are we bringing God’s love, mercy, and grace to others? How can we bear more good fruits in our lives?

O Lord, build us into temples to your Goodness.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.

The knowledge of God’s Will can be gained through many things. It can be gained through prayerful discernment. It can be gained through the support and encouragement of others. It can be gained through doing good works or seeing others do good works. It can be gained through inspirations from the Holy Spirit. It can be gained through reading the Scriptures. It can be gained through the traditions and sacraments of the Church. This knowledge brings with it wisdom, understanding, good works, strength, endurance, patience, joy, thanksgiving and many other blessings and graces. Most of all, it helps us to become God-bearing people, who manifest God’s Will in all we think, say, and do... making us into true holy ones and lights for the whole world.

How can we open our minds to the knowledge of God’s Will? How can we manifest our knowledge through our words and works? What can we do to become the best God-bearers we can be?

O Lord, make us fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.

Amen.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.

The two images of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Satan, Prince of the World are polar opposites of each other. Mary is clothed in the lights of the sun, moon, and stars. She the model of what it means to be a God-bearing person. She gives birth to our Lord and Savior, bringing new life into the world. Her entire being brings glory to God. Satan, on the other hand, is clothed in bloody red scales and his horns are meant not for trumpeting God’s glory, but to do violence to the children of God. His tail sweeps away the light of God’s Divine Truth and brings darkness. Unlike Mary, who brings love and life to all creation, he knows only how to bring about sin and death. There could not be a clearer picture painted of the choice that faces us all. We can be like Mary and bear God into the world with pain and labor, but with the promise of everlasting life or we can be like Satan devouring the world in passion and violence, but leave ourselves empty inside and with no hope of eternal life.

How can we clothe ourselves in the light of God’s Goodness and bring love and life to the world? Are we willing to bear the pain and suffering that come with doing God’s Will? What can we do to prepare ourselves to flee from the temptations and wickedness of the Devil and all his empty promises?

O Lord, make us into signs of your love and mercy for all those we meet.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Mary is blessed in many ways by God, but one we can share with her is the blessing that comes from believing in God and doing His Will. We might not be asked to bear Christ into the world physically as Mary did, but we can do so spiritually through our words and works. Every time we visit another person, we can greet them with love and help them as a humble servant. This is what Mary did for Elizabeth and it is what we can do for our friends, family, and neighbors. If we do this, then our hearts will be open to God's work, like Mary, and our presence will bring joy to His children.

In what ways do we model ourselves upon Mary? Are we as receptive to God's Will as we should be? Are we God-bearers, bringing joy into the lives of all we meet?

O Lord, open our ears to your calling and lead us wherever you will just as you did for Mary.

Amen.

Sixteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

"The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

The world is a place full of earthly wickedness and heavenly goodness. The question is which side we align ourselves with: the weeds or the wheat. We cannot be both. We cannot serve two masters. We either love the world more than God or we love God more than the world. This isn’t to say we cannot enjoy our lives, but rather if we have the choice between enjoying our lives and serving God, then we will choose God every time. This detachment from the world is necessary if we are to bear the good fruits of self-sacrifice instead of the bad fruits of selfishness. Because we grow up among the weeds, we might sometimes wonder why they seem to be thriving when we are suffering, physically, mentally, or spiritually. However, as long as we are willing to weather the bad times, we will eventually be rewarded by being lifted up to heaven and avoid the fires of Hell.

What can we do to make sure we are the wheat and not weeds of the world? How can we overcome the temptations that seek to entangle and strangle us? What good fruits are we bearing for God and His children?

O Lord, gather us into your heavenly kingdom.

Amen.

The Sixth Friday of Easter

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

As Christians, we are all like expectant mothers. Daily we bear God into the world through our thoughts, words, and works. We give birth to Christ through our good works, our acts of mercy, and our charity. We might be mocked, persecuted, or oppressed for doing God's Will. We might suffer greatly for making God present in the world. We might go through many pains and much anguish because of our decision to bear Christ into the world. But that is what we are called to do. And it is only in passing through these trials that we can come to experience the joy of bearing the Good News to the world. Seeing the face of one person touched by our choices and brought closer to God will be enough to make us forget all the trials that came before.

How are we bearing Christ into the world? What anguish or pains are we suffering? Are we offering them up to God for the reparation of sins and the salvation of souls?

O Lord, help us to bear you into the world without questioning you.

Amen.

The Fifth Saturday of Easter

If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.

Very few people like to be hated. In fact, many of us will do everything we can to avoid conflict with others or to be liked. However, Jesus reminds us that being a Christian isn’t supposed to be a popularity contest. The truths we hold as Disciples of Christ run counter to the perceptions of the world. The world believes the ends justify the means, that success in life is measured by money, titles, and toys, and everything is relative. But we believe in loving each other (even our enemies) to the best of our abilities, that success in life is measured by our faith, hope, and charity, and there are Divine Truths, which will never change. Jesus also reminds us that the world hated and persecuted him and it will hate and persecute us, too if we keep his commands. However, we can be comforted with the thought that all our sufferings can be combined with his to create a crown of glory which we can give to God when we join Jesus in heaven.

Do we belong to God or the world? Are we willing to be hated and persecuted in order to do what is right and good? Are we willing to love those who harm us, just as Jesus did?

O Lord, if we must be hated for your sake, then so be it.

Amen.