Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Angels are constantly watching over each and every one of us. We pray to St. Michael for protection from the wickedness and snares of the devil. We pray to Gabriel that we might receive the Good News with open hearts just as Mary did. We pray to Raphael for healing of body, mind, and spirit. Each archangel's name reveals an important aspect of our faith. Michael's name means, "Who is like God?" and reminds us that we should never let our pride or worldly temptations replace our faith in God, who should be the Alpha and Omega of our lives. Gabriel's name means "God is my strength" and we would do well to remember that when we are faced with trials and sufferings. Our strength can only bear so much without God, but with Him all things are possible and great burdens can become light. Lastly, Raphael's name means "God has healed" and as long as our hearts are open to His Mercy, our spiritual wounds will be healed and we shall be cleansed of our sins. We are all blessed to have these archangels watching over us and constantly reminding us that God gave them to the world to protect us, give us strength, and heal us.

How often do we turn to our guardian angels for help? What about the archangels? How can our lives be more angelic and always point others toward God?

O Lord, send your angels to protect and guide us.

Amen.

Fifteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

If we want God to delight in us, then we need to live our lives as Jesus did. We need to open our hearts and minds to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, proclaim the Good News to all who will listen, and love others in a spirit of humility. We do this best not by crying out and making a scene of our faith, but rather by knowing, loving, and serving God and our neighbors quietly and without reservation. When we bring justice and hope to others, we imitate Jesus’ ministry and this is what God wants from us more than any sacrifice.

Are we healers of God’s people, prophets of His Word, and servants of His Will? Are we willing to set aside our own inclinations and follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit? Have we cultivated a spirit of humility within ourselves so that God can work through us in all things?

O Lord, place your spirit upon us and make us into prophets of your faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

Thirteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

With faith all things are possible. We just have to believe in God’s Love and Mercy and trust that whatever happens will be for the good. It takes a great deal of spiritual courage to bring our fears, doubts, and sins before God and to place our hope in Him. Evil thoughts might try to convince us that God cannot forgive what we have done or we are not worthy of forgiveness, but we shouldn’t listen to them. Instead, we should seek our God and present ourselves to Him as we are and ask for Him to heal us and make us as we should be. Only then can we rise from our infirmities, pick our lives off the ground, and go home to our Heavenly Father.

Are we willing to bear our sins to God so He might cleanse us of them? What can we do to cultivate a deeper faith and hope in God’s Mercy? How will we lead our lives once we are granted forgiveness?

O Lord, forgive us our sins and lead us home to you.

Amen.

Twelfth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

Jesus sees Peter’s mother-in-law is ill and heals her, then goes on to heal many others who are brought to him. We can learn a lot about what it means to love by reading the scriptures and then imitating Jesus’ actions. When we see someone in need, we should have the same response as Jesus does. We should seek to comfort the afflicted and do everything we can to help them heal. So too, we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves to help them as best we can. Jesus did not turn people away because he was too busy, too tired, or needed a break. He did everything he could to help those in need and so should we.

Who are the people in our lives who are most in need? How can we know, love, and serve them? What are we willing to sacrifice for their benefit?

O Lord, you have taken away our infirmities. Help us to do the same for others.

Amen.

The Fourth Tuesday of Lent

“Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.”

After we are healed of our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation, we are given a new opportunity to live our lives as incarnations of Christ. Once we are forgiven, it is up to us to take the initiative and avoid temptations, sin no more, and do good works. If we do not, then we shall fall back into bad habits, lead lives of sin, and fail to do good when we have the chance. A worldly life of wickedness paralyzes our souls and sickens our minds, making it more and more difficult to cleanse ourselves as we either blind ourselves to the truth or sink into despair. So let us take the mercy and graces God gives to us through the sacrament of reconciliation and make them pillars in our lives. Then, we shall be able to rise up from our imperfections, failings, and sins and walk the narrow path to Heaven.

Do we receive reconciliation on a regular basis? If not, then why do we hold ourselves back from God’s Infinite Grace? After we are cleansed of our sins, do we strive to avoid temptation, sin no more, and do good works?

O Lord, you heal us through your sacrament of reconciliation. Give us the graces we need to sin no more and walk your Way, speak your Truth, and live your Life.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus is our Heavenly Physician and the message of the gospels is our prescription. Through the words and works depicted in the scriptures, we are given an example of how to live our lives so that we are spiritually healthy. Jesus shows us how to give up our unhealthy attachments and harmful habits and follow him upon the narrow path to Heaven. He also gives us a model of how we are supposed to treat others, especially those whom we find disagreeable. Instead of excluding or ignoring them, we are called to minister to them and help them to lead healthier lives both physically and spiritually.

Do we follow the prescriptions of the gospel? Have we made a concerted effort to excise our unhealthy attachments and harmful habits? Do we treat others with the respect that Jesus would if they were before him?

O Lord, you are our physician, heal us of our afflictions.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Ordinary Time

As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

As word of Jesus’ healing powers spread, more and more people come to him seeking to be cured. They might not know Jesus’ message, but they recognize his authority from all his good works. We too should recognize Jesus’ authority and power and turn to him for help with our problems whether they are physical, emotional, or spiritual. And just like those who sought him out so long ago, we will be healed, too. We have only to come to him in faith, stretch out our hands in hope, and lovingly accept the graces he gives us.

Do we recognize Jesus’ authority in our lives? Do we come to him when we are sick or in trouble? Are there other people in our lives who we can lead to God’s healing powers?

O Lord, heal us of our afflictions.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Just like Jesus, we should never allow our peers to pressure us out of doing good or into doing evil. When we know in our hearts that something is right, we should do it, no matter the circumstances. We can come up with excuses, convince ourselves we shouldn’t get involved, or just plain chicken out, but in the end we’ll have to account for what we have done and failed to do. We have a choice in our lives. We can be like the Pharisees, hardhearted and condemning of others, or we can be like Christ, compassionate and restoring others to health of mind, body, and spirit. As Christians, we are both the healed and the healer. As sinners, we need to stretch out our hand to God with contrition and humility so that He might restore us both physically and spiritually. However, once we are cured, we are called by God to go forth into the world and bring His Grace to others through our acts of love and mercy.

Do we allow others to lead us into doing evil or keep us from doing good? Are our lives focused on saving lives, rather than destroying them? Do we not only seek healing for ourselves, but also for those around us?

O Lord, you have healed us with your saving grace. Help us to stretch out our hands to others who are in most need of your love and mercy so that you might heal them, too.

Amen.

First Thursday of Ordinary Time

“If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

We are all unclean in our own ways. We might not be physical lepers, but we do have the spiritual leprosy of sin. Thankfully, we also have access to Jesus’ merciful healing through the sacraments, especially the sacrament of reconciliation. It is through this sacrament that we can be cleansed of our sins. All we need is to be contrite in our hearts for the sins we’ve committed, firmly intend to avoid evil and the temptation to sin, and to do our penance. Jesus is always looking upon us with eyes of pity and offering us a compassionate hand, we have only to accept his offer of forgiveness and amend our ways. Hopefully, we seek out Jesus’ mercy just as the leper did so long ago, because He will never turn away one of his faithful children if they ask for his help. And as such, we should always remember to be merciful toward others because we will be judged by how we judge and treat them.

Have we sought to make ourselves clean? Do we seek God’s Divine Mercy through the frequent reception of the sacrament of confession? Are we fonts of His Compassion and Grace for others, especially those who trespass against us?

O Lord, make us clean and compassionate.

Amen.

First Friday of Advent

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!”  When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

After the blind men ask Jesus to have pity on them, Jesus asks them if they believe he can heal them. They both respond with “Yes, Lord.” This is the spirit of faith and hope we all need to have in the midst of the sufferings of our lives. We need to believe God is able to help us out of whatever trials we are undergoing. Our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths must say with one voice, “Yes, Lord, we do believe.” Then our eyes will be open to God’s love, mercy, and grace and we will be able to see His helping hand actively aiding us every day of our lives. What a comfort it is to know our God is interceding for us in our every need. He is ready to heal us of any ill if we but ask Him to have pity on us and believe He will respond to our pleas.

Do we ask God to have pity on us when we are in the midst of our trials? Do we believe He will help us? Have our eyes been open to the love, mercy, and grace God shows us every day?

O Lord, have pity on us and heal us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.  He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

When someone does us a kindness, we ought to thank them for all they have done for us. How much more should we be thanking God for sending His beloved Son to sacrifice himself for us? But how much time do we spend thanking God for all of the graces in our lives? Or have we come to expect God to heal us physically, spiritually, and emotionally? Perhaps this is why the other lepers did not return. They expected to be healed and so when it happened they did not give thanks to Jesus. There is a fine line between hoping for something and expecting it. As disciples of Christ, we should never demand things of God because we have no claim over Him. All our good deeds have their source, center, and summit in Him and when we allow God to work through us through acts of love and mercy, we are merely doing what we should. This is why it is so important to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness and willingness to receive nothing in return for the good we do.

Do we ask God to have pity on us? If He does help us in some manner, do we give Him thanks and glorify Him? Are we hopeful and humble servants of God, rather than expectant and prideful servants of self?

O Lord, may our faith and hope in you save us.

Amen.

Thirtieth Friday of Ordinary Time

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

Jesus knew that healing the man with dropsy would be frowned on by the Pharisees, but did it anyway because he does not care about the opinions of men. The only one he sought approval from was God the Father. He chose to do the right and good thing rather than the popular one. We, too, should be willing to do the right, but unpopular thing. It is tempting for us to sin by taking the easy way out or choosing to do nothing when presented with an opportunity to do a good, but unpopular thing. However, this is not what Jesus modeled for us in his life and so we should do everything within our power to know, love, or serve God and our neighbors.

Do we seek approval from the world or from God? When presented with an opportunity to be charitable and merciful toward others do we take it? Are we willing to do the right, but unpopular thing?

O Lord, give us the strength to do your will even in the midst of opposition.

Amen.

Thirtieth Monday of Ordinary Time

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.

We all have infirmities. Some are physical, others emotional, and still more are spiritual. We are bound by these trials of body, mind, and spirit, but Jesus is always ready and willing to release us. All we have to do is present ourselves before him and he will do the rest. But how do we present ourselves to God? Hopefully, we do so through the sacraments, especially the reception of the Eucharist at Mass and regular acts of reconciliation. We also do so through our prayers and our daily acts of charity and mercy. Every good thought, word, and work we do brings us before Jesus and is an opportunity to allow Jesus to heal us of our imperfections and sins.

What are our infirmities of body, mind, or spirit? Do we make an effort to present ourselves and our problems to God every day? Do we make this a priority in our lives?

O Lord, set us free from our infirmities.

Amen.

Nineteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Just as we should always seek the forgiveness of God and those people whom we sin against, so too we should give others every chance to be forgiven. Jesus gives us the step-by-step process of forgiveness. First and foremost, when someone sins against us we should seek to heal our relationship in private. We shouldn’t make the harm they did us public. Instead we should try to work things out one-on-one in secret so that no public harm is done. If that doesn’t work then we should seek the help of family, friends, or trusted mediators who might be able to help us heal our division. If things still go poorly, then we should turn to the Church for guidance as to how to handle healing our relationship. If even that fails, and we can honestly say we have tried to heal the wounds within our relationship, then we should be willing to walk away. Perhaps in time the person who harmed us will come around and seek forgiveness. However, what we should not do is seek retribution or become upset with the person who has sinned against us. These actions do nothing but waste our energy and cause us to sin. Rather, we should be patient and humble and loving in our dealings with the person who harmed us and treat them how we would like to be treated. Perhaps one day they will repay us in kind and realize the errors of their ways.

Do we seek forgiveness from God and His children? Do we forgive when someone asks for our forgiveness? Are we patient with those who sin against us and never spiteful against them?

O Lord, help us win over our brothers and sisters in God.

Amen.

Thirteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”

Sometimes when we are in a state of sin, we need others to help us be healed. We, like the paralytic man, cannot do it ourselves. This is why we have the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. Through the priest, we are brought to Jesus and by own shared faith, we are healed by him. Sometimes we need others to point out our flaws, our blind spots, so that we can recognize where we are ill spiritually. These too, are like the people who brought the paralytic to Jesus. We might not always appreciate it when people point out our failings, but if they do it out of love, then we should be thankful for it. We should face our frailties with courage, knowing that Jesus will forgive us as long as we make our way to him through the help of family, friends, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

What are our physical and spiritual ailments? Who are the people who help us overcome them? Do we seek out the healing sacraments of confession and the anointing of the sick?

O Lord, give us courage to face our frailties and overcome our sins.

Amen.

Twelfth Friday of Ordinary Time

“See that you tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”

After Jesus heals the leper, he asks him to tell no one and then offer a gift as Moses prescribed. We can only assume he does what Christ tells him to do because unlike other healing stories there isn’t a follow up story about the leper telling everyone that Jesus has healed him. Instead, he simply does what he is told and there is nothing else to the story. He doesn't complicate things like so many of us do when God does something for us. We often cannot contain ourselves when something good happens and although there is nothing wrong with celebrating good news, we should always do so in a way that is respectful to God and does not make ourselves into a center of attention.  In addition, we should show our thanks to God for all of His help whenever anything good happens to us.

Do we do what God tells us to do in the gospels? Do we offer God all our gifts in thanksgiving for His help? What do we do to express our gratitude?

O Lord, help us to do what you tell us to do.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Lent

“Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Jesus asks all of us if we want to be healed of our sins and how we answer determines whether or not we are. Some of us are too self-centered or stubborn to ask for help. We think we can take care of everything ourselves. However, we should remember that we cannot heal ourselves. Every time we attempt to do so we are like the sick man before Jesus comes to him. We see a possible solution and clamber after it only to discover it is another roadblock. We must be willing to listen for God’s saving question, "Do you want to be well?" If we do, then we need to answer Him and be willing to do whatever He tells us to do. When we do trust the Lord and follow his commandments, we rise up healed of our afflictions.

Do we want to be well? If so, then what is God asking us to do? What are the problems in our lives which distract us from the offer of salvation, which God gives us each day?

O Lord, we want to be well. Heal us.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Ordinary Time

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

Those who came to Jesus to be healed believed in his power because they saw it or heard of it. On the other hand, we do not have firsthand knowledge of Jesus and so our belief in him is founded upon our faith in Christ and a trust in the message of the His Gospels. We seek out Jesus just like those first petitioners for not just physical healing, but also for our spiritual health. We beg him to heal us and others through our prayers and our acts of mercy and trust that his love will renew us. We reach out to him as the crowds of old did, but we understand that his touch will not just save our bodies, but also our souls. In addition, we realize Jesus’ Good News is not just a passive transmission, but an active transaction which demands that we bear the Word of God to others.

What are the sins and imperfections we need healed? Are we not only willing to reach out to God for His Mercy, but willing to do the same for those around us? Do our works speak of our belief in the Gospels or do we speak of our belief without the good works to back them up?

O Lord, we reach out to touch you. May your healing power flow into and through us to others.

Amen.

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.

We all have our failings, our illnesses, those things which weaken us both spiritually and physically. Jesus offers us healing and it is up to us to seek him out, to find him, and to knock at his door. This is what the crowds following Jesus did as they stretched out to touch him. They might not have understood the significance of their choice, but we do. We can see the full fruit of Christ’s life and the salvation He offers us.

Do we spend our days seeking out Christ like the crowds do? Do we stretch out our hands to touch Jesus and draw strength and healing from His graces? How can we help those who are weakened by sin or illness?

O Lord, we stretch out our hands to you let your grace flow into us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.

We are all sick with our own issues and sins. We all have an illness here or there in our souls. We all need the Heavenly Physician to heal us and make us whole. We might think we are righteous, good, and healthy, but only Jesus and his Holy Mother Mary can claim to be perfect or full of grace. We might have much grace in our lives, but there are wounds within us only God’s mercy and our contrition can cure.

What are the things which make us spiritually sick in this world? Do we consider ourselves righteous or above others? In what way can we imitate Christ and be physicians for others?

O Lord, we are sick heal us.

Amen.