Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

We are all God’s children and He wants the best for us. He wants us to live good lives and to grow in faith, hope, and love. He wants us to become the best versions of ourselves and choose right over wrong. He gives us every grace to succeed as His children. And if we do fail, He is there to pick us up again, dust us off, and bandage our wounds. He may be disappointed in us, but He will never abandon us. Instead, He will treat us with mercy and compassion and continue to teach us what is good and evil, hoping that we will not repeat our mistakes or fall again. And if we do? He is there again, willing to forgive and forget, if we will but admit our sins, do penance, and try to amend our lives.

Do we act like children of God? Are our lives reflective of our Heavenly Father’s Divine Love and Mercy? How can we amend our lives and become worthy heirs to God’s Kingdom?

O Lord, grant us the grace to choose goodness over sin.

Amen.

Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin/Doctor of the Church

God is with us. I tell of Egypt and Babylon among those that know the LORD; Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia: “This man was born there.” And of Zion they shall say: “One and all were born in her; And he who has established her is the Most High LORD.”

We are all born to become citizens of the City of God. We are all given rights and responsibilities by the mere fact of our conception. God is with us from the moment of creation and remains with us even through death to the final judgment and beyond. He wants us all to be good and faithful servants, willing to do our duty to Him and to all His children. So, let us come together as one and live out our calling to be God’s representatives on earth in hopes of one day enjoying the Heavenly banquet with our Lord and King.

Have we accepted our citizenship within the City of God? How are we respecting the rights of others and fulfilling our responsibilities as Christians? What can we do to build up the Kingdom of God?

O Lord, we will strive to be good and faithful citizens of your Kingdom.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

You are my inheritance, O Lord. Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot.

God is our inheritance. He is both the promise and the gift. It is in Him that we will find the rewards of everlasting life and it is through Him that we will find our true callings in life. He is our refuge and our rest. He is our Lord and Savior. It is Him who allots our portion and fills our cups to overflowing. He holds nothing back from us and gives us exactly what we need to grow in faith, hope, and love. He is life giving, granting us the graces and blessings that will help us to live life abundantly. It is to Him and Him alone that we should hold onto in our times of need for He will give us all He can to help us to get to a place of plenty.

Do we take our role as heirs to God’s Kingdom seriously? How can we fulfill our callings to be His holy and good children? What can we do to help others to find their inheritance, too?

O Lord, be our inheritance and the cup of our salvation.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Jesus’ body and blood speak eloquently to all of us of what it means to be a good and faithful servant. It means being willing to give up everything in order to know, love, and serve God and all His children. We might be intimidated by this radical call of self-sacrifice, but it is a vocation none of us can ignore if we want to be a part of God’s Kingdom. We cannot deny what God is asking of us and share in the inheritance He offers us. If we accept His adoption, then we must accept the sufferings that come with becoming His heirs. The only way we can become enrolled in Heaven is to sprinkle ourselves with the blood of sacrifice.

Are we willing to be sprinkled with the blood of suffering and sacrifice in this life so we might join in the feast of the next one? What sacrifices are we being asked to make in order to fulfill God’s Will? What are we doing to prepare ourselves to be God’s good and faithful servants?

O Lord, sprinkle us with your blood.

Amen.

Fourteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

In you, my God, I place my trust. You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, Say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Our relationships with others are founded on trust and it is no different when it comes to God. The only difference is we either trust Him completely or we don’t trust in Him at all. We either depend on Him or on ourselves. We follow His Way, Truth, and Life or we make our own. We shelter in His Good Graces or we seek worldly security. We rest in His Arms or we take comfort in earthly pleasures. We have a deep and loving relationship with God or we have a shallow and selfish one (or no relationships at all).

What is our relationship with God like? Is it important to us and central to the way we live? How can we root ourselves more firmly as a child of God and heir to His Kingdom?

O Lord, we place our trust in you.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Easter

The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. The LORD is king, in splendor robed; robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.

God is our King and as such deserves our respect. We should fear disappointing Him, not because He will punish us for our faults, but because He is a Good Father and we don’t want to disappoint Him. He is robed in majesty and so we bow before His Will and sing His glory and praises. He is robed in splendor and so we allow Him to lead us. He is girted with strength and so we seek His help through the teachings of Jesus and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. As His children and heirs, all His Kingdom is promised to us if we will accept it and all the rights and responsibilities that come with living out our baptismal promises.

Do we show respect to God in our thoughts, words, and works? How can we live our lives as worthy heirs to our Father? What can we do to build up the Heavenly Kingdom on earth?

O Lord, you are robed in majesty, splendor, and strength.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Saturday in Ordinary Time

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.

We all should pray that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened by God. There are many areas in our lives where we are blind to what is right and good. Sometimes these blind spots are people, other times they are worldly things, and still more are evil inclinations. However, when our hearts are open to the hope that belongs to our calling to know, love, and serve God and His children, then we free ourselves from these blindfolds. Once enlightened, we can accept our inheritance as Christians and give glory to God for all He has done for us through the greatness of his power. What a wonderful gift God gave us through the Word Made Flesh! He united Himself to our lives through the life of His Beloved Son and raised us from dust and ashes to be heirs to the Kingdom. All we have to do is accept our roles as good and faithful children, who trust in their Heavenly Father and do His Will.

Do we pray to God for enlightenment? What can we do to become better heirs to the Kingdom of God? How can we thank God for all He has given us through His Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, may the eyes of our hearts be enlightened.

Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Trinity is the source, center, and summit of our faith. The Father is our loving God, the Creator of all things, and the Source of all that is good. Jesus is our Merciful Lord, the Prophet of the Good News, and Source of our salvation. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate, the Fountain of our inspirations, and the Source of our holiness. Each person of the Holy Trinity is at the center of what it means to be Christians and we should strive to live in accordance with their commandments, teachings, and guidance. So, too, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the summit of our faith, hope, and love. When we face the judgment, we shall have to answer to the Holy Trinity for what we have done and failed to do... for how we glorified them or how we denied them. Hopefully, we shall allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God. Then, and only then, will we be worthy of our adoption as the children of God and heirs to the kingdom

Do we give glory to God, our Heavenly Father? Do we heed the words of Jesus and follow his Way, Truth, and Life? Do we allow the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the Good News through our every thought, word, and work?

O Lord, led us by your spirit so we might become worthy sons and daughters.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Ordinary Time

When the time of David's death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon: "I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, 'If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.'"

The words David speaks to Solomon are also the ones God speaks to us every day. He instructs us through the teachings of the Church and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit to keep His commandments and the spirit of the laws. If we do this, we will succeed in the important things of life and we will become worthy heirs to His Heavenly Kingdom. If we fail, we will be faced with many hardships and difficulties, but we will also have a chance to right our wrongs and return to God’s Graces through the sacrament of reconciliation. Hopefully we listen to God and follow Him faithfully so that one day we might join Him in Paradise and eat with Him at the Heavenly Banquet.

Are we courageous enough to be men and women in Christ? In what ways are we keeping the commandments? How can we remain faithful to the Lord with all our hearts and souls?

O Lord, grant us the courage to stand firm in our faith and follow your every commandment.

Amen.

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters, “My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts.”

God makes no distinction between us when it comes to giving us every opportunity to become saints. He wants every person in this world to choose Him over the world. He wants all of us to become heirs to His Kingdom and good and faithful servants. He never asks us to carry burdens beyond the strength He has given us. Nor does He give us impossible tasks. He wants us to succeed in those things which will bring us closer to Him and He wants to lead us to where we need to be in order to become the best versions of ourselves. He knows our hearts and what would fulfill and purify them. He gives us the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide us and with Him by our side we can become saints.

How are we living up to our calling to be saintly heirs to the Kingdom? Do we thank God for all the graces He has given us so that we can overcome the trials of this life? How do we let the Holy Spirit guide our decisions as the Apostles did?

O Lord, you have granted us the Holy Spirit. Give us also open ears and hearts to listen to and live by His spiritual guidance.

Amen.

Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter

But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people.
We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you that what God promised our fathers he has brought to fulfillment for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.

We are all the children of God and as such we are all given every grace we need to become a worthy heir to the Kingdom of God. He gives us gifts and talents to use to spread His Divine Word and proclaim the Good News to others. He watches over us and protects us from evil. He consoles us when we are suffering and promises us that better days are ahead. He is with us always, never abandoning us, even when we abandon Him. He raises us up when we fall into temptation or worry and strengthens us with His Mercy and Love.

Do we act like worthy heirs to the Kingdom of God? In what ways do we proclaim the Good News? How can we give thanks to God for all He has done for us?

O Lord, makes us witnesses to and prophets of the Word of God.

Amen.

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Go, tell my servant David, ‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.

God sent His Beloved Son into the world to build a house for Himself. This house can be found in the Church and its scriptures and traditions. It can also be found within our hearts. Each of us has a temple within our souls that we either adorn with every virtue or disgrace with every sin. We, like St. Joseph, are given the choice to either divorce ourselves from God’s Will and thereby cut ourselves off from the house of Jesus or we can do as God asks us and take Jesus into our hearts and prepare a place for him there. If we do this and do not turn away from God’s Will, then we shall make God’s throne firm within our souls and His Kingdom will endure within us as we proclaim the Good News to all who enter our lives.

Are we building a house to God within ourselves or are we filling it with worldly things? How can we adorn our hearts with good thoughts, words, and works? What can we do to make our souls good and faithful temples to God?

O Lord, help us to build your house within us.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.

When we celebrate the sacraments, from baptism to reconciliation to communion to confirmation to marriage to ordination to the anointing of the sick, we reaffirm our covenant with God. We promise to remain good and faithful servants to our Heavenly Father and in return God promises us a special place in Paradise. He makes us co-heirs with Christ to His Heavenly Kingdom. Both sides have duties and obligations to each other in our Holy Covenant and as we know, God cannot fail in his obligations, but we can. This is exactly why we have the sacrament of reconciliation. It helps repair our relationship with God and gives us the graces we need to resist and avoid temptations and remain holy.

Are we living up to our agreement with God? Are we using the sacraments to strengthen our relationship with God so we do not stumble and fall in sin? Do we appreciate what it means to be part of a Covenant with God?

O Lord, raise us high and make us a people sacred to you.

Amen.

Fourth Friday of Ordinary Time

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body. Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.

Brotherly love is a powerful and profound action. It requires us to see everyone as our brothers and sisters in Christ and to treat them with charity and respect. For we are all heirs to the Kingdom of God, and as such we should seek to live in peace and love with each other. We cannot do this if we let petty differences, old grudges, or any other prejudices enter into our relationships with others. We might not like what a person does, but that doesn’t give us a right to disown him. We are all children of God with inherent dignities that must be respected even in those we most dislike. This dignity also calls upon us to honor each other be it as family members, friends, or strangers. It requires us to set aside our personal desires and choose what is best for all God’s children. If we live according to the way of brotherly love, then we shall have but one Heavenly Father for our protector, who shall never forsake or abandon us.

Are our lives built upon brotherly love? How do we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially when they are difficult to love? Have we chosen to love God the Father and His children above all else in this world?

O Lord, free us of those things that keep us from loving all others as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Amen.

The Second Saturday of Lent

Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’

After we commit a sin, we have a choice to make. We can either continue to sin without remorse or we can come to our senses and repent. If we choose the former, then we will starve our souls of their spiritual food and eventually die. However, if we see the error of our ways, then we will return to our Heavenly Father with humble and contrite hearts, admitting our faults and failings. How do we know this? Jesus tells us repeatedly of God’s Compassion and Mercy, which is constantly offered to us and will never run dry. As long as we are willing to admit our mistakes, God is ready to accept us back into His heavenly home with open arms. He will cloth us in holiness, give us gifts of His grace, place our feet on the right path, and feed us on virtues. God rejoices over every sinner who reconciles with Him and returns to the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Have we come to our senses in regards to our sins, especially those we have the most difficulty with? Are we willing to set aside our lives of sin and return to our Heavenly Father? Will we allow the graces of God to be poured out upon us so that we can come to life again?

O Lord, we have sinned against you and no longer deserve to be called your heirs. Show compassion to us, your prodigal children.

Amen.