Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the LORD intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.

Trying to divine God’s Will is impossible for us. We can never truly know what God wants from us if we depend on our own interpretations of signs. It is only when we open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit through prayer and through spiritual counsel from trusted and holy people that we can begin to glean what God wants from us. However, knowing is only the beginning because often what God asks of us requires great sacrifices and risks on our part. Also, the world is such a distracting place that sometimes we can lose sight of our spiritual goals and settle for worldly ones that take us further away from where we should be. When we shelter ourselves in earthly things, we become trapped by worries and concerns. But this is not what God wants from us, He wants us to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News and do so without counting the cost or fearing the consequences. He wants us to be fearless in our faith, boundless in our hope, and generous in our loving. He wants us to bear good fruits for Him and all His children, and that is the true test... the yield of our labors.

Do we think we know what God wants of us? How do we know this? Are we bearing good and abundant fruits?

O Lord, make us courageous in our pursuit of your will.

Amen.

Nineteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!

Our hearts are like Jerusalem. They are cities made of virtues and vices. We have places of holiness and openness to God’s Will and we have our dark corners where it isn’t safe for us to go. But no matter what, we can be sure that like Jerusalem God will grant us peace in our borders if we have faith in Him, hope in His Goodness, and love as He loves us. He will wash away our iniquities and cleanse the places in our hearts that have grown dark from abuse and indifference. He will fill us up with His Grace and Mercy if we allow Him through our gates and welcome Him into our lives. He will bring great riches into us if we let Him. And He will dwell within us if we make ourselves into His living temples.

Are we willing to let God bring peace into our hearts? What dark places do we need to cleanse from our lives? How can we be more open to the spiritual food God offers us?

O Lord, grant us your peace and fill us with good fruits.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Lent

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.

If we want to prosper spiritually, then we have to prepare our souls to be good soil for the Word of God. We have to clear away the debris that doesn’t belong. We have to till the dirt so that it welcomes the seeds of faith. We must plant our fields near the running water of hope. We have to tend the vineyards and orchards of our souls with love. We have to protect ourselves from the wickedness and snares of the Devil. We have to uproot the weeds of weakness, imperfection, indifference, and worldliness that try to choke off our growth. If we do all these things, then when the time of harvest comes, our souls will produce good and abundant fruits.

How can we place our hope more firmly in the Lord? What are we doing to prepare the vineyards and orchards of our souls to bear much fruit? How can we protect ourselves for those things that would destroy our faith?

O Lord, work within our souls so they might prosper.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is fully ripe." So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

In the end, there will be two harvests. One harvest for the good and fruitful. Another harvest from the evil and fruitless. One harvest will lead to joy and everlasting life. The other to suffering and destruction. We all face a stark choice in our lives. Will we be among the fruitful and the saved or the barren and the burned. Every thought, word, and work will weigh upon the scales of judgment for good and evil. If we want to be saved, then we must do everything in our power to bear good and abundant fruits and uproot the vices and indifference that strangle our good works before they can come to fruition.

What good fruits have we brought into this world? How can we magnify and multiply them? What can we do to be more fruitful in virtue, good deeds, and prayer?

O Lord, help us to bear good and abundant fruits.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Wednesday in Ordinary Time

What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Our faith was planted and watered by others, but in the end, it is God who causes it to grow. Our beliefs can’t be founded on others. We do not belong spiritually to a particular person no matter how much they have helped us in our faith. Our mothers, fathers, friends, priests, and others might have played an important role in our spiritual journey, but we do not belong to them. Instead, their examples should show us we belong to God. In this way, if they fail us in some way it doesn’t affect our relationship with God.

In what ways has our faith grown over the years? How can we make our hearts and minds more fertile ground for spiritual growth? How can we help to grow the faith of others?

O Lord, we are your field help us to grow in faith and yield abundant fruit.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.

Once restored from our sinful lives, we must do everything within our powers to retain our purity of body, mind, and spirit. This isn't always easy in today's world where we are constantly bombarded by words and images that tempt us to sin or revel in evil. However, if we are on guard against the world, then we will remain good and virtuous. We will be merry no matter the trials that come and plant the seeds of faith, hope, and love wherever we go. And in the end, if we are patient and humble, we shall produce good fruit for God and others to
enjoy.

What are we doing to retain our purity of faith, hope, and love? How can we strengthen these virtues? In what ways can we tend the vineyards of our souls and the souls of others so they bear good fruit?

O Lord, your love sustains and nourishes us so that we can produce good fruits.

Amen.

Fifteenth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Will the axe boast against him who hews with it? Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it? As if a rod could sway him who lifts it, or a staff him who is not wood! Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send among his fat ones leanness, And instead of his glory there will be kindling like the kindling of fire.

We are but servants of God. We are tools and vessels created by God to do His Will. If there is any goodness that comes from our thoughts, words, and works, it is God's Goodness, not our own. If we succeed at a task given to us, the laurels aren't ours to claim. We must guard against the temptation to become proud of our accomplishments. After all, they aren't really ours. They are God's first and foremost. We merely manifested His Goodness, Love, and Mercy. Our good fruits do not belong to us, but to God. He has the first right to them and we should be thankful to Him for whatever He might give us from His bounty. If we fail to do so, then like Assyria, we will have everything taken away from us. We will be left with nothing. But, if we boast rather of God and exalt Him above ourselves, then we shall be rewarded beyond our wildest dreams.

Do we boast of ourselves or of God? How can we make it a habit to give God thanks for every good thought, word, and work we have been given? What can we do to exalt God in our lives and humble ourselves?

O Lord, may our lips ever boast of you and your Goodness and not our own.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Lent

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.

When we sin, our souls can be like the Dead Sea, where very few creatures can live. Our failings, imperfections, and wickedness can cause our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies to be barren of good works. However, through the sacrament of reconciliation, we can be refreshed and renewed. Our vices are washed away and our virtues multiplied. We bear good fruits of all kinds and grow in faith, hope, and love. We are watered by the love, mercy, and grace God has given us through the life, passion, and resurrection of Jesus. We become spiritual food and medicine to those in need of it just as Christ did in his holy life.

How can we refresh and renew our souls? Do we make regular use of the sacrament of reconciliation and the graces it grants us? How can we become spiritual food and medicine to the souls of those we meet each day?

O Lord, help us to be refreshed in spirit and bear good fruits all the days of our lives.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

God gives us everything we need to succeed as Christians. He offers us guidance and graces. He supplies us all our good thoughts, words, and works. All He asks from us in return is a spirit of humble servitude and a faithful, hopeful, and loving life spent sowing the spiritual seeds He gives us. If we do this, then our acts of charity and mercy will sustain not only our souls, but the souls of many others. They shall multiply and increase the harvest of good and righteous fruits. God wants us to be active in our faith... to scatter it wherever we find good and fertile ground so that devotion and fidelity to God will grow in the hearts and minds of all those whom we are graced to meet.

In what ways do we thank God for the graces He has given us? How can we use these gifts and talents to increase the harvest of His righteousness? Where is God asking us to scatter the seeds of our faith?

O Lord, thank you for the graces you have given us and the harvest have entrusted to our hands.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Lent

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.

The river in this passage signifies God’s blessing upon His followers. He wants us to live abundantly, to be refreshed in faith, and to grow in love. He wants us to bear good fruits in thought, word, and work. He wants our hearts to remain ever green with life-giving grace. He wants to wash us with the waters of His Love and Mercy. He gives all these things to us because He wants us to be fruit for the world, sustaining those in physically, emotional, and spiritual need. He wants us to be medicine for the sick in mind, body, and spirit. He pours Himself out to us not to grow in isolation from each other, but to imitate Him and pour ourselves out for Him and His children. He is our sanctuary because He wants to show us how to be shelters for others.

Are our lives planted near the living water that flows from the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit? Are we drawing our sustenance from the eternal spring of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace? How can we become fonts of goodness in the midst of the deserts of the world?

O Lord, water us with your love so that we might bear good fruits.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Lent

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. 

If we want to have peace in our lives, even in the midst of trial and tribulation, then we need to place our trust and hope in God. It is from His Divine Love that we can draw our courage and strength. He gives the graces we need to be not afraid to do His Will. He is the root of our every consolation and virtue. He is the stream of living water which nourishes and sustains our spirits through good times and bad. He makes it possible for us to do what is right and bear good fruits even when we are suffering or being persecuted. With God’s Life within us, we grow in faith, hope, and love. He makes it possible for us to do His Will and do it wisely and well.

Do we truly trust in God or do we place our trust in ourselves? In what ways can we show to God that our hopes are in Him and not worldly things? How can we foster a spirit of trust within our faith lives?

O Lord, you are the root of all our faith and the seed of all our good works.

Amen.

Fifth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. The LORD God gave man this order: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”

We often forget that the Garden of Eden had delightful and good food for Adam and Eve to eat and the tree of life to partake of, if they had chosen it. We so focus our attention on the tree of knowledge of good and evil, on what was forbidden, that we overlook all the good things God wanted us to have. He wanted us to have all our needs provided for and to live with Him in peace and harmony for all eternity. However, our ancestors choose the knowledge of good and evil over a life of holiness. This act introduced the sinful selfishness we know as original sin, which has passed down to us in the form of an inclination to sin. Thankfully, although we were cast out of the Garden of Eden, God had prepared a new path to eternity with Him and that path is the Way of Jesus, which we can only walk if we accept His Truth and live His Life. If we do these things, then something greater than the Garden of Eden will await us at the end of our lives... an eternity of being with God.

Are we producing good and delightful fruits or stealing fruits from forbidden trees? How do we express our thankfulness to God for all He has provided for us? What can we do to resist our temptations and do God’s Will?

O Lord, we wish only to eat the good and delightful fruit of your love and mercy.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Advent

My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!”

God is our lover. The Bible is the greatest love story ever told. Our lives are chapters in the never-ending story. Each one is different, but God wants the same ending for us all. He wants us to be with Him forever in paradise. He sees the beauty in all people and gives them every chance to grow in faith, hope, and love. He treats each of us as His beloved. He calls to us to come with Him, prune away our sins, to celebrate life, and bear good fruits.

Do we appreciate how much God loves us? What can we do to prune away our sins and imperfections? How are our lives an expression of God’s Love to others?

O Lord, you are our beloved, our beautiful one.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Saturday of Ordinary Time

There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.

God gives us every chance to bear good fruit in our lives. It is up to us to choose to be fruitful. God can't force us to do what is right. He can't make us love Him or others. We have to choose that on our own. God gave us this life to use it wisely and well and yet we so often refuse to bear fruits. We avoid opportunities to do good because we are too afraid, too lazy, or to blinded by sin. Instead, we choose evil, selfishness, and a sense of entitlement. However, all these things do are wither us from the inside out. In a state of sin, our spiritual growth is stunted and in some cases completely cut off. It is only when we cultivate the ground of our souls with virtues and fertilize it with the sacraments that we can truly blossom and bear good fruits. Otherwise, we shall be cut down and cast into the fire like dead wood.

What is keeping us from bearing good fruits? How can we cultivate and fertilize our hearts? What can we do to increase our spiritual growth?

O Lord, cultivate the soil of our souls with your love, mercy, and grace.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.

In order to live for God, we must die to ourselves. We must be willing to give our every possession, including our lives, in order to do God's Will. This is the only way to produce the good fruit God desires from us. We cannot yield anything but the weeds of sin if we do not tend to our souls and cultivate the virtues of faith, hope, and love. If we love ourselves more than God, then we lose the light of truth, our roots wither, and we put ourselves at risk of dying a death that we can never return from. But if we are willing to sacrifice everything we are and have for God's sake or for His children, then we shall preserve our lives for eternity with the Holy Trinity. We must follow in Jesus footsteps if we want to be saved. This means living a life that is sacrificial and loving and selfless. Then and only then can we claim to be servants of God and discover the honor that comes from being a humble disciple of Christ, His Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Are we willing to die to ourselves so that we can live for God and His children? How can we prune our lives of the temptation to selfish love? What can we do to be better followers of Christ?

O Lord, we hand over our lives to you. Do with them what you will.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

We are all called to be good seeds in the world and bear fruit for God and His children. However, we will not be unopposed. The weeds of the wicked will seek to strangle us and keep us from being spiritually fruitful, but we must resist their persecutions and temptations. We will have no one to blame if we fall into sin and fail to produce good fruit. It is up to us to open our hearts to the Sun of Truth and allow the cleansing rains of God’s Divine Mercy to nourish us with grace.

What can we do to keep ourselves from becoming weeds? How can we grow in faith, hope, and love?  What can we do to bear good fruits in our lives?

O Lord, let our righteousness shine like the sun.

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.

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.

Fourteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

We are all called to be laborers in the vineyard of souls. We do this best when we imitate Jesus by teaching the faith to others, proclaiming the Gospel with our words and works, and taking pity on those in most need of God’s Love and Mercy. Doing all of these things means being willing to sacrifice our time, talents, and treasures to know, love, and serve God and His children. If we are willing to do this, then we will be able to cultivate and nourish the souls of others on the Work of God and our acts of charity and mercy. We should do everything we can to improve the harvest of souls and help others bear good fruit. This is what Jesus did in his life, and it is what we are called to do in ours.

In what ways do our lives teach others about the faith, proclaim the Good News, and cure people of what troubles them? What can we do to become better laborers in the vineyard of souls? How can we help others to bear good fruits?

O Lord, we have heard your call for laborers and will help you with the harvest of souls.

Amen.

Twelfth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.

The way we speak and act determines whether we bear good or bad fruits in our lives. If we speak the Word of God and do God’s Will, then we will produce goods and live life abundantly in heaven. If we speak ill and do everything for selfish reasons, then we will produce evils and be cut down and thrown into the fires of Hell. This is the choice we have to make in our lives: to do good or evil. It should be an easy choice, but as with many things, we complicate the choice with anxieties, doubts, fears, passions, and excuses. However, if we want to be worthy of heaven, then we must put aside all these things and instead nourish ourselves on the faith, hope, and love of God, who shows us how to bear the best fruit.

Are our lives bearing good or bad fruits? How can we cultivate our souls so that they only produce goods? What can we do to get rid of those things that cause us to produce bad fruits?

O Lord, give us the grace we need to make all our fruits good.

Amen.