Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant.

God guides us in many ways. He gives the His Holy Spirit to inspire us to holiness. He gives us our consciences to remind us of right and wrong. He gives us models in the faith through, Jesus, Mary, and the saints. He shows us the way to live as good and faithful servants. He gives us guidance through the Scriptures and the traditions and teachings of the Church. He gives us the sacraments to sustain us. He pours out His Love, Mercy, and Grace so our souls might flourish in the faith and we might produce good fruits through our thoughts, words, and works.

Are we accepting of God’s guidance and help? What way does God want us to walk? How can we be more open to the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, show us the way we are called to walk in this life.

Amen.

First Monday of Advent

“Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Once we recognize God is our Lord and King, we shall be like the nations mentioned here... we shall find peace. The conflicts in our lives, both great and small, come from rebellions against God. From Adam and Eve to our own sinfulness, we wage a war with ourselves. We do what we know is wrong and avoid the good because being a sinner is easier than being a saint. However, if we want to have a place in the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must climb the mountain of holiness, follow its narrow path, and exert every effort to live good and faithful lives. We might stumble and fall along the way, but as long as we dust ourselves off, return to the right path, and trust in God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace, then we shall eventually find the Gates of Heaven and be found worthy to join in the never-ending Beatific Feast.

Are we climbing the mountain of holiness or sliding into the valley of sin? How can we amend our lives so we can more easily follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to Heaven? What can we do to become living saints?

O Lord, lead us up the mountain to eternal life with you.

Amen.

Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

There is a temptation to grumble when things don’t go our way or when we are suffering in some way. However, if we truly believe God is our Shepherd, then we should not doubt that He will provide relief for us. We shall not want for anything as long as we remain true to Him and do not leave His Wounded Side. His Love, Mercy, and Grace will pour out upon us as long as we cling to Him. He will spread a table before us and provide us the refreshment and nourishment we need to grow strong in faith, hope, and love. If we follow Him, He will anoint us with holiness and fill us with saving grace till we overflow with it.

Do we allow God to shepherd us? Are we open to letting Him guide our thoughts, words, and works? How can we become better followers of His Good News, allowing Him to lead us where we need to be?

O Lord, anoint us with your Holy Spirit and make us overflow with your goodness.

Amen.

Tenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Holy is the Lord our God. Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he!

Holy is our God, the font of all holiness. If we want to be worthy of heaven, then we have to take the time to drink in His holiness through reading the Scriptures, prayer, mortification, almsgiving, and works of charity and mercy. We worship God best when we are doing good and avoiding evil. God loves it when we listen to Him, but He loves it even more when we take His Divine Word and live it out with faithfulness.

Are we living holy lives? What can we do to grow in holiness? How can we pour that holiness into the world so those around us can grow in holiness, too?

O Lord, you are holy and we worship at your footstool.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Lent

The Lord is gracious and merciful. The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

God is faithful and holy. He will not forsake us, nor will He torment us. He is gracious and merciful. He wants to lift us up to heaven with Him. He wants to raise us from the slavery of sin. He does everything in His power to save each and every one of us. He would move mountains for us if it would help us to become good and faithful servants. But He also won’t force Himself on us. He wants us to love Him freely. And He deserves our love, too.

Do we recognize how gracious and merciful God is to us? How can we be more faithful in our words and holy in our works? Are we willing to let God lift us up from our sinful lives?

O Lord, make us more like you... gracious, merciful, faithful, and holy.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart.

Seeking God with all our hearts isn’t easy. There are so many things in the world that demand our attention, drive us to distraction, and try to lead us astray. However, if we follow the commandments of God, then we will be able to follow God more perfectly and be blameless in His sight. If we strive to know, love, and serve God and His children, then we will be blessed. God pours out His Grace upon those who seek Him and do His Will with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. Yes, the way to salvation is narrow, but God’s arms are broad and He will draw us back to His path if we are humble enough to turn back to Him and take His Hand.

How can we become blameless in the sight of God? What can we do to become holier people? What changes is God asking us to make so we can walk in His Way, Truth, and Life?

O Lord, we seek you with all our hearts.

Amen.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.

Our hope should rest in the Lord.  The world can’t promise us anything will last forever. Only God can give us eternal happiness. The wicked will promise us much, but all they can deliver is empty. The way of sinners may be easier to walk on earth, but after death it becomes a way of ruin and suffering. However, if we delight in the laws of the Lord and meditate on them, then we shall live good and faithful lives worthy of salvation.

Do we meditate on the commandments of the Lord? How can we be more faithful to them? What can we do to resist the temptations of the world and live holy lives?

O Lord, we hope in you.

Amen.

Seventh Wednesday of Ordinary Time

O Lord, great peace have they who love your law. Those who love your law have great peace, and for them there is no stumbling block.

Many in the world see the laws of the Lord as restricting. They are, but for our own good. God didn’t give us the Ten Commandments to oppress us, but rather to help us to be free from sin and death. When we follow and love God’s Laws, we become just and holy people. We show the rest of the world there is a path to peace and hope. We only need to let go of our selfish instincts and embrace the selflessness of Jesus Christ, who revealed to us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we are acting as Christians should, we experience an inner peace that cannot be shaken as long as we trust in God. There is no stumbling block that can cause us to fall if we depend upon God and follow in His Son’s footsteps. Even if the world is crashing down around us, we can have inner peace by simply loving God and doing what He leads us to do.

Are we at peace with God? Are we at peace with others? How can we become better lovers of God and His Divine Laws?

O Lord, we love you and your laws.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.

God constantly pours His love upon us because He wants us to be filled with love. He wants us to be overflowing with holiness, goodness, truth, mercy, and all that He is. He wants us to magnify Him in and through our every thought, word, and work. He only wants what is best for us and does everything in His power to provide us with the graces and blessings we need to become good and faithful servants to Him and His children.  He wants to make us heirs to His Heavenly Kingdom because He wants to spend the rest of eternity with us. Our Father wants us to be his sons and daughters forever and ever, for a thousand years and beyond... till time ends and beyond. It should humble us to imagine that God loves us so much although we are less than dust compared to Him. What a marvelous thing it is to be loved by an infinite God.

Are we allowing ourselves to be filled to the brim with God’s Love? Do we sing for joy at the thought of how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father? How can we help others feel loved, too?

O Lord, fill us with your love.

Amen.

Fourth Saturday in Ordinary Time

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage.

If we listen to the Holy Spirit within us, He will guide us in right paths to holy and fruitful lives. Even if those paths might pass through dark valleys and darker nights, we will have nothing to fear if we trust in God. He might not lead us along the paths we would choose, but He will lead us along those ways that will lead to our good and our salvation. With God at our side, we have nothing to fear from the world or from the evils within it.

Do we allow God to shepherd us? Are we willing to let Him lead us even to where we don’t want to go? How can we be more trusting of Him even when we are passing through dark valleys and darker nights?

O Lord, guide us along right paths to holiness and salvation.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

In many ways we can be childish in our lives. We can be selfish, inconsiderate, and temperamental. However, if we have faith, hope, and love, then we will grow into holy children of God. We shall become Christ-like in all things, see the world around us more clearly, and know God’s Will more perfectly. The difference between childishness and child-likeness is the difference between self-centeredness and God-centeredness, between prideful self-dependence and trusting dependence upon God. Yes, God asks us to put away the childish things in our lives, the ones that lead us away from Him, but He doesn’t want us to rid ourselves of the most important thing we have to offer Him... our child-like love.

In what ways are we childish? How can we overcome these selfish and prideful sins and imperfections? What can we do to become a more faithful, hopeful, and loving child of our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, help us to put away those childish things that keep us from being holy heirs to your Heavenly Kingdom.

Amen.

Third Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Here am I Lord; I come to do your will. I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me. And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God.

Sometimes we are called to wait for the Lord... to be patient and listen for His call. We don't know the hour when He will summon us to Him, but we can be ready to do His Will. We are like instruments waiting to be played. One day God will have need of us and He will stoop toward us and pick us up. He will test us out and see if we will play the notes He wants. Hopefully, He will find us receptive to Him and willing to work the music He has planned. If not, He might put us away for a while longer and come back to us later in hopes that we will ready ourselves for the work ahead. However, if He finds us ready, then He will make beautiful music through us and with us and in us... a music that will proclaim His glory and lead to our salvation. So, let us keep our souls in tune by doing good and avoiding evil... by confessing our sins, doing penance, and striving to be holy.

Are we waiting patiently for God's call? How can we make ourselves more open to His invitations to holiness? What can we do to keep ourselves ready for the work God has prepared for us?

O Lord, we are ready for you to put a new song into our mouths so that we might fulfill your will.

Amen.

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In the center and around the throne, there were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a man, and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come."

The lion, calf, man, and eagle symbolize the noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest creatures created by God. They are covered with eyes and so are able to see all the good God does for His Creation. In response to what they witness, they give constant glory and praise to God. They call Him Holy and proclaim Him as their Lord God Almighty. In a similar way, we as Christians are called to be the noblest of people by following the commandments of God and living holy lives. We are called to be the strongest of people by bearing our crosses without complaint while resisting all evil. We are called to be the wisest of people by knowing the Truth and proclaiming it. We are called to be the swiftest of people by doing God’s Will without hesitation. These aren’t always easy to do, but thankfully God has given us the graces we need to proclaim day and night, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come."

How can we be nobler, stronger, wiser, and swifter in our faith? Are our eyes ever open to the wonders, graces, and glory of our Lord and God? In what ways can we proclaim the Good News and praise God, who was, who is, and who is to come?

O Lord, you are holy. Grant us the grace to be holy, too.

Amen.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

We are all called to be temples of God. We are all asked to be sacred spaces wherein God can dwell. We are given the grace to build our lives upon the foundations of the rock of Christ. Whenever we worthily receive the Word of God or the Blessed Sacrament, we are transformed into living temples to the glory of God for the good of all. We strive to keep ourselves holy and help others to do the same for we are all called to build up the Church and be united as One Body of Christ. Woe to us if we fail in our calling to be good and faithful servants or if we destroy the foundations of faith in others, but blessed are we if we strive to uphold the faith in ourselves and all of God’s children.

Are we treating ourselves and others as temples of God? How can we build up our faith, hope, and love? What can we do to remain holy dwelling places for our Lord and God?

O Lord, build us into living temples to you.

Amen.

Twenty-Third Monday in Ordinary Time

Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Pride can corrupt us from the inside out. It can spoil our good works and lead us deeper and deeper into sin. It can convince us we are better than others when in fact we are sinners just as much as anyone. This is why it’s so important to examine our consciences, make a good confession, and cleanse ourselves of our sins. The only way to be pure and holy is to rid ourselves of all our bad habits and imperfections and make ourselves more and more Christ-like. Then and only then, will we be ready to share in the Eucharistic feast in truth and sincerity.

Has pride wormed its way into our hearts? If so, then how can we rid ourselves of it? What do we need to do to cleanse ourselves of malice and wickedness and become sincerer and more truthful in our spiritual lives?

O Lord, clear our hearts of all that is evil and refresh our spirits.

Amen.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

The vocation of our lives as Christians is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is why we take his name to describe us as a community of believers. It is from God that all good things come and it is through imitation of His Beloved Son that we do good and avoid evil. When we think, speak, and act like Jesus, we proclaim ourselves the brothers and sisters of Christ and accept all the responsibilities this relationship entails. We promise God to be holy, good, charitable, merciful, and virtuous to the best of our abilities. If we do this, then we will fulfill our purpose on this earth, be justified by Christ, and glorified at the Resurrection on the Last Day.

Are we conformed to the image of Christ? If not, then in what ways can we become more Christ-like in thought, word, and deed? How can we help others to become better Christians, too?

O Lord, conform us to yourself.

Amen.

Eighth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, Be holy because I am holy.

As Christians, we are all called to holiness. This means being willing to make sacrifices. It means turning our backs on the ways of the world and choosing the Way of Christ. It means deafening ourselves to the falsehoods of the world and listening to the Truth Jesus proclaimed in the Good News. It means dying to our selfish selves and living our lives for the glory of God and the good of others. All our hopes and dreams should find their source, center, and summit in God. All our bodies, minds, and hearts must be transfigured and become more Christ-like. We must make ourselves into true children of God, putting aside our sinful desires and conducting ourselves with faith, hope, and love.

Are our hopes set completely on Jesus Christ? How can we become more obedient to God, our Heavenly Father? What can we do to allow the Holy Spirit to be holy through us?

O Lord, help us to be holy as you are holy.

Amen.

Seventh Thursday of Easter

"My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead." When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the group became divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.

We all hope in the resurrection of the dead, it is one of our core beliefs. After all, if we do not believe in the resurrection, then our faith is dead. Our faith in the resurrection is a founding principle of our Christian traditions and the source of our hope in an everlasting life. We believe if we are good as our Heavenly Father is good, if we are merciful as Jesus is merciful, and if we are holy as the Holy Spirit is holy, then we shall one day join them in Heaven for all eternity. Not just as spirits, but in our resurrected and perfected bodies. This is the promise Jesus made to us through his life, death, and resurrection and if we follow in his footsteps, then we too will join him in Paradise.

What role has the belief in the resurrection played in our lives? How can we make it more meaningful to us? What are we doing to prepare ourselves for it?

O Lord, you are our hope in the resurrection of the dead.

Amen.

Fourth Friday of Lent

“With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward.

In the end, we are either counted among the innocent or the wicked. We either revile and torture God and others in thought, words, and deeds, or we love and serve Him and His children with all our beings. We either put God to the test and try His patience or trust in Him completely. We either put God to death through lives of sin and indifference or we become living tabernacles where He can dwell forever and ever. We either rely on ourselves or we depend upon God and have faith that He will take care of us. We either a blinded by selfishness or we are aware of our God-given role in this life and embrace it wholeheartedly.

What areas of our lives are leading us to wickedness? How can we turn our backs on these evils and follow the light? What can we do to increase in virtue and innocence?

O Lord, lead us away from wickedness and into holiness.

Amen.

Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

The imitation of Christ is the core of what it means to be a Christian. We are all called to do everything for the glory of God and for the good of all souls. We have a vocation to love God and our neighbors. We are asked to give no one any offense and to seek to please everyone in every way as long as it is right and good. We are called to seek the benefit of the many over our own benefit. We are tasked with leading others to salvation by being reflections of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace. As imitators of Christ, we are meant to be exemplars of holiness to everyone whom we meet no matter who they might be. This isn’t always easy, but we do not live up to the name of Christians if we do not try to be a blessing to all.

How can we be better imitators of Christ? What can we do to live more holy, graceful, and loving lives? Do we seek the benefit of others even when it means sacrificing our own interests?

O Lord, help us to be a more perfect imitators of you in all things.

Amen.