Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours; prosper the work of our hands for us! Prosper the work of our hands!

God is constantly at work within us. He is always trying to use our bodies, minds, and spirits to bring forth good and do away with evil. His inspirations are whispered into our thoughts. His strength pours out into our veins. His teachings echo in our hearts. His influence is ever present in us. We have only to be open to it and allow Him to work through us. When we do this, our words will bring joy and peace… our works happiness and good. So, let us be open to the Lord our God and shout for joy at His Presence in our lives. If we do this, then our works will bear fruit and prosper.

Do we allow God to fill us with His Love? Are we allowing God to work through us? How can we be more open to allowing God to work through us?

O Lord, prosper the works of our hands.

Amen.

Seventeenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

O God, let all the nations praise you! The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

God has blessed us in many ways. He is the source of all our good. He is the center of all our joy. He is the summit of all we should strive to be. If we cultivate our relationship with Him, then we will grow in faith, hope, and love. We will blossom with kindness and bear good fruits as long as we drink from the font of holiness and let the light of truth sustain us. If we have deep roots into our faith, then when dark nights or dry spells come into our lives, we will continue to thrive on the holy waters within our hearts. And when good times come, we will yield thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold.

How can we make God the source, center, and summit of our lives? What can we do to bear good fruits? How can we allow God to sustain us through the difficult times of our lives?

O Lord, help us to yield good fruits.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. Show forth, O God, your power, the power, O God, with which you took our part; For your temple in Jerusalem let the kings bring you gifts.

We all have gifts we should bring to God. Some of us have gifts of the body. Others gifts of the mind. Many of us have gifts of the spirit. No matter what these gifts are, we, like the Three Wise Kings, are called to bear them to God. We are to offer the gold of our good works to Him. We are asked to pay homage to Him through the frankincense of our prayers. We are meant to give him the myrrh of our acts of mercy. The wondrous thing about giving all our goods and gifts to God is He always returns them to us... magnified and glorified. He makes our poor offerings rich. So, we should be not afraid to offer up our little things to Him because He sees not that they are small, but that they are given to Him with great love.

What gifts and goods do we have that we can offer to God? How can we bring God into our daily actions both great and small? What can we do to prepare our gifts so they are given in the most humble and loving way?

O Lord, we bring you our gifts.

Amen.

Second Monday of Easter

Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord. Why do the nations rage and the peoples utter folly? The kings of the earth rise up, and the princes conspire together against the LORD and against his anointed: "Let us break their fetters and cast their bonds from us!"

Many nations rage against Christian values. Their people utter every folly against the followers of Christ. Mockery and persecution are not things of the distant past. They are constantly circling every Christian looking for any weakness. Some of these are subtle attacks. Others are blatant and violent. Many leaders and politicians conspire against our faith, its teachings, and ultimately our God. All we can do as Christians is defend ourselves with good words and works that speak to the heart of others and make clear we are a people of truth, conviction, and love that will never bow or bend to the pressures of the world.

Are we taking refuge in the Lord in the midst of our trials? Have we prepared ourselves to be persecuted? How can we resist the mockery of the world with our good words and works?

O Lord, help us overcome all our worldly persecutors.

Amen.

Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you. Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests.

God will help us if we are willing to let Him. He wants what is best for us and if we are committed to Him, He will lead us where we need to be and inspire us to do what needs to be done. If we trust in God and are open to His Holy Spirit, then we will do good and avoid evil. We will be secure from sin and able to resist temptations. Our faith is one that is meant to be lived with complete fidelity and joy. We should take delight in being the children of God and doing His Will in all things.

Are our lives committed to the Lord? Do we trust in Him enough to let Him led us where He wants and not where we want? How can we do good works in our lives.

O Lord, help us to do good.

Amen.

Thirtieth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two.

Paul rejoices at the prospect of life or death. He sees both paths as ways to fulfill his calling. In the same way, we are called to be detached enough from life to be not afraid of death. Death is just a doorway to Christ and a new life. We have nothing to fear from it. If God sees fit to take our lives today, then our response should be, "Amen. So be it!" If He lets us live for many years to come, then we should response, "Amen. So be it!" Both options should spark a fire of hope within us. Life should spark within us an eagerness to do fruitful labor and magnify Christ in thought, word, and work. Death should spark within us the joyful expectation of spending the rest of eternity with our Beloved God. There is no loss for us in death as long as we live the Christ-like life and strive to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Do we rejoice in God no matter what He is asking of us? Are we bold in our faith, always seeking ways to magnify the Lord? How can we cultivate the attitude of detachment we need to be willing to live or die for our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, we shall rejoice in life or death as long as both lead us ever closer to you.

Amen.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my son: this day I have begotten you; just as he says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Although we might not all be called to be priests or religious or missionaries, we are all called to be Christ. In that way, we are all called to be the sons and daughters of God and to proclaim the Good News and participate in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Our every thought, word, and work should have the Gospels behind them so we might be living reflections of Jesus Christ, our high priest and savior. So too, we should place ourselves in the right mind before, during, and after Mass by offering ourselves as sacrifices upon the altar and giving God all our good works. In this way, we live up to our calling to be a priestly people and true sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.

What honors has God given us? How can we make them holy? In what ways can we live out our calling to be a priestly people?

O Lord, thank you for making us your sons and daughters through Christ.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, " but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Being a Christian is more than just thinking good thoughts and proclaiming the good news. Our faith is more than just our beliefs, it is also our actions. Our good deeds say much more about what we truly believe than any thought we can have or word we can say. Without good works, we have a hollow faith. When faced with an opportunity to be charitable or merciful to another person, we cannot pass up the chance to help. If we do pass it up, then we fail to live up to the name of Christian. However, if we do everything we can to help those in need, then we shall be alive in our faith and be found worthy of spending eternal life with God in Heaven.

Do we express our faith in works as well as thoughts and words? How can we become more charitable and merciful to others? Are our eyes open to the opportunities to do good deeds for those in need?

O Lord, give us the grace to live out our faith through our good works.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Friday in Ordinary Time

The one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

We are all called to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God and it is by these two vocations that we will be judged. God will judge whether we have been good and faithful servants in these regards. He will shine the light of truth on all our thoughts, words, and works and we will see what is hidden within us. We shall know every motive, good or bad, and see every virtue and vice. We will truly know ourselves and whether we have lived Christ-like lives or if we have lived foolishly and falsely. We shall know if we have been charitable or selfish, hopefully or despairing, faithful or indifferent Hopefully, God will find something praise-worthy within all of us. But if we doubt He will find good works in our hearts, then we should amend our lives so we might do something worthy of being called Christians.

Are we being good and faithful servants of Christ? Have we been loyal and trust-worthy stewards of the mysteries of God? How can we align our motives and actions more perfectly with God's Will?

O Lord, you are my Judge, be merciful.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Let no one deceive you in any way. To this end he has also called you through our Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.

There are many people who would deceive us in this world. They would lead us astray in one way or another by convincing us there is no such thing as sin. Or we are holier than others. Or we must do some evil for the greater good. They will seek to compromise our faith, our hope, and our love in various ways... through temptations, indifference, anxieties, fears, and doubts. However, if we ground our lives in the Gospels and stand firm to our Christian traditions and the teachings of Christ, then we shall be able to withstand their assaults. Our hearts will be forged into fortresses dedicated to the Lord through our holy thoughts, words, and works.

Are there people in our lives who are trying to lead us astray? What might we do to lead them to God without imperiling ourselves? How can we strengthen ourselves in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, let no one deceive us. Let your truth reign over us forever and ever.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Monica

We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.

God makes us worthy of our calling through His graces. He gives us the virtues, goodness, and strength to be good and faithful Christians. He is the one who brings to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of our faith. We are His instruments, His living vessels and our primary purpose on this earth is to do His Will, to glorify Him, and love Him and His children. It is by doing these things with a humble and self-sacrificing heart that we are saved and eventually glorified. Moreover, we are not only responsible for ourselves, but also the faith lives of those around us. We are called to do everything we can in order to help our family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies to become instruments of God's Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Are we putting our time, talents, and treasures to good use? Are we making every effort to fulfill the purposes God has given us? What are we doing to help others fulfill their purposes?

O Lord, make us worthy of our callings.

Amen.

Fourteenth Friday in Ordinary Time

Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD; Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, 'Our god,' to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion."

We commit many crimes against God and others throughout our lives. Some are great, many are small. However, all need to be forgiven. And so, we, like the Israelites, are asked to come before God through the sacrament of reconciliation and ask for forgiveness for all our sins. Only after being freed from our sins through a good confession and penance, can we offer to God all our good works to full effect. It is the difference between offering our Lord and King a treasure covered with filth or one polished and clean. The former He will reject, while the latter He will accept. It also means remembering all of our good thoughts, words, and works are not ours. They are God's and we should be ever thankful for the gifts and talents He has given us and be more than willing to give them all back to Him whenever He desires them.

Have we sought forgiveness for all our sins great and small? Did we make a good confession and penance? Are we willing to turn over all our good works to God to do with as He wills?

O Lord, forgive us our iniquities and cleanse us of our sins.

Amen.

Seventh Wednesday of Easter

I have never wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You know well that these very hands have served my needs and my companions. In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

As Christians, we believe it is more blessed to give than to receive. We do not seek worldly goods or success, but rather seek to honor and glorify God through our good works and to help our neighbors as best we can. In this way, we make ourselves more and more like Christ, who put God the Father first, others second, and himself last of all. We make our lives into living sacrifices handed over to God to do with as He sees fit and poured out for the blessing of others.

Are we givers or takers in this life? How can we become more charitable people? What can we think, say, and do to help the weak?

O Lord, we want to give an example of your Way, Truth, and Life to others.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Easter

When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, "Tabitha, rise up." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord.

If we lead a good and faithful life, then we shall be raised from the dead when Jesus comes again. We shall have a share in his saving grace and share in his resurrection. Like Tabitha, our lives should be full of good deeds and almsgiving. Like Peter we should pray and trust in God’s Goodness. We don’t have to do great things to be good Christians. We only have to do the right things with love and put our faith and hope in the Lord. If we do this, then we shall be alive in the Holy Spirit and everything we do shall lead others closer to the Lord.

How can we make our lives full of good deeds and almsgiving? Do we take time out of our days to kneel and pray for God’ intercession in our lives and the lives of those around us? What can we do to make Jesus known to those whom we meet each day?

O Lord, raise us up from our sins and help us to be full of good deeds, almsgiving, and prayers.

Amen.

Friday within the Octave of Easter

Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.

Our every thought, word, and work should be done in the name of Jesus. No matter what we are doing, the spirit of Christ should be within us and guiding our decisions. We might be at home, at school, at work, at play, or anywhere in-between, but no matter where we are our faith, hope, and love in Jesus ought to guide us. Our good deeds ought to have the good of others and the glory of God as their aim. They should be done in the name of Jesus Christ. We shouldn't shy away from proclaiming the Good News in our actions both great and small. Jesus ought to be the cornerstone of our lives, the foundation of our faith, the saving shelter of our souls. There is no other name by which we are saved and so his name above all names ought to be ever on our lips.

Do we honor Jesus by thinking, speaking, and acting in his name? How can we bring Jesus into every facet of our lives? What do we need to do to make Jesus the cornerstone of our lives and keep him there forever?

O Lord, it is in your name that we find salvation.

Amen.

Fifth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

"The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king. "Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD, your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel. In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."

Wisdom and deeds can go a long way toward showing others what it means to be Christian. Just as Solomon showed the Queen of Sheba the goodness of the Lord, so we can be reflections of God’s Goodness to others. We do this best when we listen to our consciences, order our lives prudently, do good and avoid evil. When others see our spiritual prosperity, they will be attracted to our faith, hope, and charity. As the song says, they will know we are Christians by our love, which mirrors the love God has given us. By living wise and good lives, we become lights to the world and salt to the earth. We show our family, friends, neighbors, and strangers there is another way to live... a holy way that leads to heaven and eternal life with our Lord and God.

Do we listen to our consciences and do with is right? How do our thoughts, words, and works reflect the goodness of God? How can we align our lives more perfectly with God’s Will?

O Lord, bless us with your wisdom and goodness.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the LORD's glory had filled the temple of the LORD. Then Solomon said, "The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud; I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever."

Just as Solomon built a holy place for the Lord to dwell, so are we all called to create a sacred space in our hearts. We need to build our lives around our God so He can dwell within our thoughts, words, and works. We need to consecrate our lives to Him through daily sacrifices, mortifications, and offerings of good works. By doing so, we make room in our lives for God and become princely houses for our Lord. It isn’t always easy to open our hearts to God and clean out all those sins and imperfections that clutter up our inmost thoughts. However, if we want God to abide with us forever, then we must cleanse ourselves and do everything in our power to prepare a place for God to live within us.

What are we doing to prepare our hearts to be a resting place for God? How can we make our hearts into thrones for our Lord? What sacrifices, good works, and penances do we need to make in order to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist?

O Lord, help us to build hearts where you may abide forever.

Amen.

Second Saturday of Advent

How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD, To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

Just like the prophet Elijah, we are called to be a light to the world and enkindle the fires of faith within others. We are asked to do wondrous deeds, both great and small, through acts of love and mercy. We are given the responsibility to proclaim the Good News to all whom we meet through our words and share our faith through our works. We are tasked with turning the hearts of others to God and to reestablish other people’s relationships with our Heavenly Father. We should be a blessing to others in everything we do.

What are the deeds God is asking us to do? Are we fulfilling our responsibility to be prophets of the Good News? How can we become living blessings to all those whom we meet each day?

O Lord, grant us the fire of your Holy Spirit so we might set fire to the world.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.

Here we have a description of the aftermath of the purification and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, but what does this have to do with us? More than we might think if we consider ourselves... bodies, minds, and souls to be temples to God. If that is the case, then we can recognize the need to purify and rededicate ourselves after we fall into sin. And when we do so through the sacrament of reconciliation, we should celebrate like the Israelites did. We should come to the altar of sacrifice, offer our prayers, alms, and mortifications to God as burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. We should adorn ourselves with thoughts, words, and works of charity and mercy, giving glory to God who is the source, center, and summit of all goodness. We should be overjoyed that we have swept clean our hearts and made them ready to be temples to our Lord and God.

How do we purify ourselves after we sin and rededicate ourselves after receiving reconciliation? Do we celebrate and give thanksgiving to God for all He has forgiven us? How can we adorn ourselves with good words and works?

O Lord, we offer ourselves as living temples to you.

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.