Pentecost Sunday

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the LORD.

The Holy Spirit comes into our lives in many ways. He comes in our moment of conception. He comes in our living. He comes in our loving. He comes in our holy thoughts. He comes in our words of peace and compassion. He comes in our works of charity and mercy. He comes to renew our faith in every prayer we pray and every mass we attend. He comes to us through the Blessed Sacrament. He also goes forth with us into the world. He goes forth with us to proclaim the Good News. He goes forth with us to be our companion along the Way. He goes forth with us to guide us to the Truth. He goes forth into our daily world to show us how to live the Life of Christ. He goes for with us to show us how to make our every moment into a good work that brings gladness to God and others.

Are our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies open to the Holy Spirit? What can we do to bring the Holy Spirit into every facet of our lives? How can we embody the gifts of the Holy Spirit and magnify God through our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, send your Spirit to us so we might be able to go forth into the world and bear your Good News to all your people.

Amen.

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples!

Going out to all the world and telling the Good News can be a bit intimidating, but it isn’t impossible. We can go out to the world in all sorts of ways. Through the way we treat our family, our friends, our neighbors, and the strangers we meet each day. Perhaps the best way to proclaim the Good News is to simply embody it for others in our thoughts, words, and works. When we imitate Jesus Christ, we spread the faith, glorify God, and bring others closer to Him.

Are our lives giving glory to God? In what ways is God calling us to go out into the world and tell the Good News? How can we praise God to all whom we meet?

O Lord, help us to glorify you in all things.

Amen.

Seventh Saturday of Easter

"This is the reason, then, I have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear these chains." He remained for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul proclaimed the Good News to the ends of the world by announcing it in the heart of the pagan empire of Rome. In a similar way, we, too are called to give witness to the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ. We are called to bring God’s Word into the world. At the end of every Mass, we are sent forth to bear the message of the Gospels to those around us. We are asked to be missionaries to our families, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. This isn’t an easy mission, but it is one we must perform if we wish to be a part of the Heavenly Kingdom.

In what ways are we bearing the Good News to others? How can we become better witnesses to the Way, the Truth, and the Life? Are we willing to allow God to send us forth into the world to proclaim His Divine Word?

O Lord, help us to proclaim the Kingdom of God and teach others about you.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Easter

His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.

The world doesn't quite know what to do with Christians. Some worldly people ignore us, others persecute us... and a still others see our good works and wonder if our lives reveal there is something better than the world. We cause confusion, discord, and all manner of problems for those who are part of the world. But that's what Jesus did, too. He was and still is a sign of contradiction. He died so that hearts of others might be known. He died so that we all might have a chance to live in accordance with the commandments to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths... and to love our neighbors as He loves them. Our faith isn't of the world, but it does send us forth into the world to be lights to the earth and bring people closer to God and to the promise of life everlasting.

Are we being good and faithful examples of what it means to be Christians? How can we bear the light of Jesus into the world with even more fidelity? What can we do to help others to follow the Way, to hear the Truth, and the live the Life of Christ?

O Lord, help us to bear the Good News into the world with all our strength.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday of Easter

During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.

There are times in our lives when we are called to change course. We are asked by God to leave behind everything we know and go where He is leading. This can be difficult to do for many reasons, but if we trust in God’s Providence, then we shall be rewarded for it. We might face obstacles and sufferings, but they shall be overcome with persistence, patience, and grace. So next time we think God is calling us to do something for Him, let us respond, “Yes!” Let us seek passage to that place and proclaim the Good News where God wants us to.

Are we open to changing the course of our lives in order to do what is right and good? How can we make our hearts and minds ready to listen to God’s calling? To whom are we called to proclaim the Good News?

O Lord, we are ready to go where you will.

Amen.

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"My Lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us. Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers told us when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ For now the LORD has abandoned us and has delivered us into the power of Midian." The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian. It is I who send you." But Gideon answered him, "Please, my lord, how can I save Israel? My family is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father's house." "I shall be with you," the LORD said to him.

Like Gideon, we can be tempted to wonder why God lets certain things happen to us. We wonder why he doesn’t fix things. We feel abandoned. However, sometimes God wants us to fix things. He wants us to take up our cross, go out into the world, and trust in His Strength. At first, we might shrink away from this idea and wonder why He wants us to go forth. We don’t feel worthy or strong enough. We feel insignificant and powerless, but we should not be afraid because God is with us. He can lift up the lowly to the highest heights and give strength to the weak. He can do all things, if we let Him into our bodies, minds, and hearts... and allow Him to manifest His Divine Will through us.

Are there areas of our lives that we feel have been abandoned by God? How can we remember He is always with us? What can we do to prepare ourselves to go forth and do the Will of God?

O Lord, be with us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision, "Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city." He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.

Although we might not receive such a message directly from God, we should take God's message to Paul into our own hearts. We should not be afraid to go on speaking the Good News to others. We should not be silent when confronted with opposition to our faith because God is with us. None of those who attack us can truly harm us as long as we hold fast to the faith and trust in God. Yes, we might suffer for our faith, but God will never give us more than we can handle and the wounds we receive for his sake are ones we can wear proudly to the Judgement Day.

Have we put fear behind us in regards to proclaiming the Good News? So we truly believe God is with us everywhere we go? Are we willing to teach the word no make the opposition?

O Lord, we are not afraid of going forth and speaking the Good News.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

After healing Simon’s mother and curing many others in her house, Jesus rises early and goes off to a deserted place. Jesus seeks out a place of solitude so that he can pray to his Heavenly Father and reflect on everything he has done, is doing, and will do. We can learn a lot about how to meditate on the message of the gospels, contemplate God’s presence in our lives, and pray better by following Jesus’ example. We need to get away from our worldly distractions if we are truly to focus on our spiritual needs. However, once we are done praying, we also need to be ready to move on and go wherever God is leading us. We cannot become so comfortable in one place that we never leave. There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to go forth. Sometimes this means leaving behind our families or friends, other times it means making sacrifices of time, talents, and treasures. But no matter what God asks of us, we should remember that He never asks more of us than we can give and He always gives us the graces we need to endure.

Do we seek to be alone with God and enjoy His Presence? How can we better meditate on the gospels and contemplate God’s presence in our lives? Are we willing to go where God is leading us and preach the truth through our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, help us to find our deserted place, where we can pray to you with all our hearts and listen to you with all our souls.

Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.

We all need to prepare ourselves for the reception of Jesus through the Eucharist. We might not wander through Jerusalem as the disciples did, but we need to wander through our hearts, seeking the place where we can unite ourselves to the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is through the Blessed Sacrament that we are united with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. When we partake of the Eucharist, we are not just reenacting the Last Supper, we are also making it truly present again. Jesus is with us during the Eucharistic celebration from start to finish. He remains with us afterward as well. We would do well to remember how important it is to prepare ourselves to receive Him, who died for us all. So the next time we are about the go to communion, let us make ready our hearts for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How do we prepare for the Eucharist? What do we do before, during and after receiving the Body and Blood of Christ? How can we carry Jesus out into the world with us after the Mass?

O Lord, help us prepare our hearts for you.

Amen.