Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need. Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; He shall never be moved; the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.

We all have something we can give to others. We have an abundance of time, talents, and treasures at our disposal, which we can use to give glory to God and for the good of others. We might not be able to say, “Yes” to every request, but when we can, we should make time for those in need. Just as God is gracious with us, so we should be gracious to others, conducting our lives with justice, mercy, and charity for all whom we meet.

What do we have to give to God and others? How can we use our time, talents, and treasures to bear good fruits? In what ways can we be more generous with ourselves?

O Lord, give us the grace to be generous and just in all our thoughts, words, and works.

Amen.

Eleventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth. Majesty and glory are his work, and his justice endures forever. He has won renown for his wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the LORD.

God is justice and truth. He is majestic and glorious. He is wondrous in His deeds. He is gracious and merciful. As His children, we are called to be just in our actions and truthful in our speech. We are called to recognize God’s majesty and glorify God through our words and works. We are asked to proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the world. We are inspired to be gracious to all whom we meet and merciful to those who trespass against us. Our vocation in this life is to be the best reflections of God’s Divine Image that we can be so others can see God at work in the world and know we are Christians.

Are we just and truthful in our dealings with others? In what ways do we make known God’s Goodness to the world? How can we become more gracious and merciful?

O Lord, make us into instruments of your justice and truth.

Amen.