The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and praise; give to the LORD the glory due his name!

There are many things for us to rejoice in during this season and throughout our lives. First, we should rejoice in having a God who is a Father to us. A Lord who Shepherds us. A Holy Spirit to guide us. We should be joyful for our lives, families, friends, neighbors, and even the strangers we meet each day. We should be jubilant at the thought of the graces, gifts, talents, and blessings God has given, is giving, and will give to us. And in return, we should honor Him, glorify Him, and praise Him for being so overwhelmingly loving of us, who are at times so terrible at loving Him.

Do we rejoice at everything God has given us? Do we give God the glory and praise He deserves? What can we do to honor God as He should be?

O Lord, let us always give you the glory due to your name.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Easter

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.”

Jesus was sacrificed for us. This is something we should ponder and take to heart. Imagine for a moment what Jesus gave up for us. How he who was without sin died for us who are sinners. He died to give us the power of the Holy Spirit and the riches of grace. He died to grant us wisdom and strength. He died to bless us who are in need of blessing. We should marvel at what Jesus did for us through his passion and death all so we might share in his resurrection and join the choir of angels in singing, “Worthy is the Lamb.”

Do we meditate and ponder the sacrifice God made for us? Are we as forgiving as Jesus was for us? How can we give God the glory, honor, and praise He deserves?

O Lord, you are the worthy lamb who died for us.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Advent

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. "My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory."

Our hearts and minds should exult in the Lord, our Savior. We should find solace in our God. We should be uplifted by the knowledge that God is with us and will never abandon us. We should give glory, honor, and praise to our Heavenly Father for He is good and loving and protective. He will not let any harm come to our souls if we allow Him to guard us from wickedness. He will defeat our enemies, especially sin and death, and bring us joyful triumph and eternal life. We should exalt Him for all He has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. He is our Savior and in Him we should trust, always and in every way.

Do our hearts and minds exult in the Lord? Do we give Him the glory, honor, and praise He deserves? How can we become more perfect in our thanksgiving to Him?

O Lord, we rejoice in you and the victories you bring us in this life.

Amen.

Thirtieth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.

God calls us to obey our parents and to honor our fathers and mothers. This is sometime difficult to do, especially since our parents are all imperfect. Just like us, they are sinners, too. They have their blind spots and their blemishes and sometimes it can be hard to love them. They aren't always the best influences, either. However, we should always strive to honor them in the sense of loving them unconditionally and doing our best to obey them when it doesn't lead us into sin. Our relationship with our parents mirrors the relationship between God and us. Sometimes we are difficult to love. Sometimes we are sinners. Sometimes we are blind and blemished. Sometime we are not the best influences on others. Still, God loves us and so we should love our parents, too, in spite of their imperfections. For if we love them, then we will be better able to obey our Heavenly Father and Mother so our lives might go well and we might live forever and ever with God in Heaven.

Do we obey and honor our earthly fathers and mothers? What about our Heavenly Father and Mother? How can we become better children of both?

O Lord, we seek to obey and honor you, our Heavenly Mother, Mary, and the parents you've given us in this life.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts."

Sometimes our good works can cause others to try to give glory to us, rather than to God. They may mean well, but our response should be one of humility. We should remind those who would honor us that everything good we’ve accomplished is the result of God’s Goodness. We have to resist the temptation to pride and remember we are but lowly servants of the Lord. We are witnesses, proclaiming the Good News and through we might play a part in God’s Plan... it is His Will that has brought about the good fruits we bear. We do not own them, but rather have been given our gifts and graces to glorify God as best we can, nourish the souls of others, and bring gladness into the hearts of those whom we meet each day.

How can we remain humble in the face of the praise of others? What can we do to remind others that all our good works come first and foremost from God? How can we do God’s Will is such a way to magnify Him and not ourselves?

O Lord, help us to proclaim your Good News with humble hearts.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD's holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice. Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Making holy the sabbath day can be difficult for us, especially in a world that tries to demand our attention every moment of our waking lives. We are constantly tempted to watch TV, play games, and do everything but make time for God. And yet, the sabbath day is meant to be a day of rest, a day to spend with God in prayer, reflection, and meditation. We cannot do any of those if we are constantly distracted by other things. We need to show God He comes first every week and the only way to do that is to hold back from our own pursuits on Sundays and to delight in the time we spend with God not only at Mass but in prayer as well. If we honor God by keeping holy His day, then He shall give us every opportunity to flourish during the rest of the week in what is best for us. He will nourish us with grace and consolations and lead us to peaceful and fruitful lives.

Are we keeping holy the sabbath? How can we make more time for prayer to, meditation on, and contemplation of God? What are worldly things we can cut out of our Sunday routines?

O Lord, help us to pursue you always and especially on the sabbath.

Amen.

Thanksgiving Day

And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth; Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will! May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; May his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our days.

We should all praise and bless our Lord and God. He has given us so many good things throughout our lives from life itself to His Divine Mercy. He has helped us in many ways, seen and unseen. We will only truly know how much after we die and behold everything He has done for us. He has given us guardian angels to watch over and protect us. He has given us every opportunity to live our lives in accordance with His Will. He offers us life everlasting as long as we are humble and contrite and do penance with the hope of sinning no more. He grants us joy of heart and peace of mind and spirit if we trust in Him. His Goodness towards us knows no bounds and will deliver us from every evil if we allow Him to lift us up in our times of need.

Do we give God the glory, honor, and praise that He deserves? What can we do in thanksgiving for all God has given us? How can we learn to treat others as God treats us... with love, mercy, and enduring kindness?

O Lord, thank you for all you have done for us.

Amen.

Fourteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, “Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!” In solemn wonder he cried out: “How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!” Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it.

After receiving his vision of the stairway to Heaven, Jacob gives glory to God, sets up a memorial stone, anoints it with oil, and vows to become a follower of God if the Lord protects him. These actions can teach us a lot about how to respond to God’s inspirations in our lives. When we receive guidance from God through insights, the voice of our consciences, graces, or other means, we should first give glory to God. Then, we should remember what God has given us and honor the gift as best we can. Lastly, if the inspiration comes from God, then it will have its good fruits and it will be by these fruits that we shall know God’s Will has been done.

Do we give glory to God whenever he does something for us? How can we honor his gifts? What can we do to remain with God as He remains with us?

O Lord, truly you are with us.

Amen.

Thirteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Rebekah had been listening while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau. So, when Esau went out into the country to hunt some game for his father, Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau that she had in the house, and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear; and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands and the hairless parts of his neck. Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish and the bread she had prepared.

Mary does for us what Rebekah did for Jacob. She listens to God and knows what He wants and if we treat her with honor and love, then she will do everything she can to put us into position to receive God’s blessing. If we listen to her and do whatever she tells us, then God will find us pleasing. She tells us to dress in the virtues of faith, hope, and love because she knows our Heavenly Father favors them. She tells us to cover up our flaws and imperfections by putting on the sacrificial life of Christ because she knows that the only way to our heavenly reward is through becoming children of God. She prepares for us a feast of faithful acts and good works that she knows God will enjoy. Mary is our most perfect Mother, giving us every advantage... for who knows God better than His Daughter, His Mother, and His Holy Spouse?

Do we honor and love Mary as we should? Do we follow the example she sets for us? How can we make Mary a more important and influential model for our lives?

O Lord, thank you for our immaculate mother.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.

We often talk a good game about doing God’s Will, but when it comes to actually doing the right thing we can sometimes convince ourselves to do the wrong thing because it seems more socially acceptable or avoids conflict with others. We can also convince ourselves we are morally superior to others and act holier-than-thou toward them because of their sinful lives. However, we must always keep in mind that we are sinners too and should not judge lest we be judged by the same measure.

Do we honor God with our lips only, or also with our hearts? Have we acted superior to others? If so, then how can we make amends to them and love them as Jesus loved the sinner, but hated the sin?

O Lord, help us to honor you with our hearts and seek not to judge others.

Amen.