Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

We are all in need of some discipline. There are areas of our lives where we all need some extra work. There are imperfections and sins in each of us that require some correction. So. it should come as no surprise when we are disciplined in some way. God doesn’t do this to hurt us, but rather to help us overcome our weaknesses and build up our faith, hope, and love. These moments of trial may be painful, but if we use them as opportunities to grow in holiness, then they will ultimately lead to joy and the peaceful fruits of righteousness.

What areas in our lives do we need more discipline? How can we learn to appreciate the trials that come our way and use them as stepping stones toward holier lives? What can we do to help others to overcome their weaknesses?

O Lord, we accept your discipline and hope to grow from it.

Amen.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. 

We all have parts of our lives that need to be put to death in order to live like Christ. Some of us fight against immorality, others impurity, still others with passions and evil desires. We all have our areas of idolatry where something other than God takes center stage in our hearts and minds. We need to stop lying to others and ourselves and take off these old, sinful selves and put on the yoke of Christ. It is only by doing this that we can be renewed in faith, hope, and charity. It is the only way we can come to know, love, and serve God and His children as they deserve. It is the only path that will lead us to become true reflections of the Holy and Divine Image that resides within each of us.

What do we need to put to death in our lives? How can we rid ourselves of all those things that tarnish the image of God within us? What should we do to take off our sinful selves and put on Christ?

O Lord, help us to put to death our sins and imperfections.

Amen.

Tenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

It is truly humbling to consider how much God has forgiven us. Think about all of our imperfections, failures, trespasses, and sins. Think about what we have done wrong in this life and all the goods we have failed to do. And yet, God continues to love and forgive us. He pardons us of our iniquities and heals us of our ills. He redeems us from destruction and offers us everlasting life. He crowns us with kindness and compassion as a show of what we are called to do as Christians. Truly, He is kind and merciful and all He asks of us is to be kind and merciful to others and to love Him as He loves us.

Have we thanked God for being so kind and merciful to us? Are we kind and merciful to others like God is to us? What can we do to show our desire to be pardoned, healed, and redeemed?

O Lord, pardon our iniquities and redeem us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are children not of the slave woman but of the freeborn woman. For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Sin enslaves us to possessions, to people, to selfishness, and to evil. It yokes us to our bad habits and our evil inclinations. It weighs us down with wickedness. It eats away at our spirit, rotting it from the core. In the end, it leads us to destruction and wailing and gnashing of our teeth. Thankfully, God has given us His Beloved Son to free us from the bonds of sin. The Good News of Jesus Christ calls us to rebel against our bad habits and evil inclinations. It lifts the burden of wickedness from our shoulders. His Truth nourishes our souls and helps them grow in faith, hope, and love. The Word Made Flesh leads us upon the Way to Heaven by helping us live our lives for God and His children. So, the next time we feel burdened by our responsibilities to God, His Church, and His children, we should remember than they are much lighter than those chains that enslave us when we choose selfishness and sin over holiness and right.

Have we let our sins enslave us? How can we rid ourselves of the vices, bad habits, and imperfections that keep us from being free from evil? How can we thank God for the saving graces He has given to us through His Beloved Son?

O Lord, free us from sin and lead us to freedom in you.

Amen.

Eighth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Everyone in the world has been ransomed from death and sin by Jesus. However, not everyone accepts their release from our worldly prison. Some refuse to be unbound and instead cling to the chains of their sins and remain in darkness. They prefer their slavery to sin and its momentary pleasures to the freedom of virtue and its eternal joy. The choice between these two is obvious when looked at objectively, and yet everyone falls and fails. We are not perfect like our Heavenly Father is. We are not all loving like Jesus is. We are not sanctified like the Holy Spirit. We are imperfect, selfish, and sinful. However, God does offer us the graces we need to overcome all these failings by accepting the Body and Blood of Jesus into ourselves and uniting with the perfect, loving, and holy Trinity. Whether we take God’s outstretched hand is up to us. Hopefully, we do and choose to be ransomed from sin and death once and for all.

Do we appreciate the ransom Jesus paid for our forgiveness? Are we accepting of the help God is offering us? How can we resist our imperfections and choose to follow the perfect God?

O Lord, we are imperfect, but with you we can be freed to be better people.

Amen.

Third Friday of Lent

I will heal their defection, says the LORD, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

God wants to be our eternal shade. He wants to be the place where all of us rest. He knows we are imperfect, but His Love can make us perfect. He knows we have sinned against Him, but He loves us still. He wants to take root in our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. He wants to grow within us, to bear good fruits through us, and to be a shelter for us for all time. He wants us to flourish and prosper and rest. He loves us freely, without restriction or hesitation and He wants us to love Him in the same way. He wants us to love others as He does. And if we do, then we shall rest with Him forever and ever.

How often do we take time to rest in God? Do we allow God to take root in our lives as we should? What can we do to grow in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, you love us freely, help us to love you freely, too.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Lent

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

Although we might not meet a Jonah in our lives, that doesn’t mean we aren’t all being warned by God to change our ways. We might have certain sins and imperfections we fall into again and again. These spiritual weaknesses need to be addressed with the same contrition, hope, and determination as the people of Nineveh. We might not put on sackcloth, sit in ashes, or fast on nothing, but we do need to turn away from our evil ways and make amends with God. If we do make things right with Him, then we shall be saved from destruction and death. God will take pity on us and give us another chance to prove we love Him more than our sins and failings.

What do we need to repent for and fast from? How can we amend our lives? What actions can we take to put God first and foremost in our lives?

O Lord, we repent for all our sins and imperfections.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Advent

For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

These words have been used to describe John the Baptist and Jesus, but they also describe what the sacrament of reconciliation does for all of us. It offers us a chance to be refined and purified. It removes our impurities by burning them away. In a similar way, the sacrament of reconciliation can rid us of our imperfections and sins, granting us the grace to become worthy vessels of God’s Will on earth. By seeking forgiveness with contrite hearts and doing our penances, we are emptied of all our sins and transformed into pleasing and faithful followers.

Do we make ourselves available to the sacrament of reconciliation and the graces it offers us? Are we willing to allow God to burn away our imperfections and refine our souls? How can we becomes living vessels, bearing God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to all the world?

O Lord, refine and purify us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“If I find favor with you, O LORD, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

We are a stiff-necked people, too. We have imperfections that we do not seek to rid ourselves of. We have wickedness and sins we constantly fall into. We fail to do good when opportunities present themselves. We fall short in our faith. We falter in our hope. We lack in our love of God and others. And yet, God is still with us, He still loves us, He is willing to pardon our wickedness and receive us as His Own Children. He wants to be our Heavenly Father, Beloved Brother, and Holy Spirit, writing His commandments, teachings, and inspirations upon our hearts. All we have to do is accept Him into our lives by bending our stiff necks and dying to our sinful selves so we can rise as holy and unique incarnations of Christ.

 What are the imperfections, wickedness, and sins we need to be pardoned for? How can we rid ourselves of these failings and become more perfect children of God? What can we do to ensure that God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations stay with us always?

O Lord, come along in our company and receive us as your own.

Amen.

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.

We are not perfect. We all have our blind spots and our sinful inclinations. However, as long as we try to walk in the light, recognize our sinfulness, and seek to amend our lives, then God will be merciful. We’ll get lost along the way through pride, envy, lust, or some other sin, but if we are contrite and seek fellowship with God, then He shall lead us back to where we need to be. The trouble comes when we cannot recognize our sinfulness or think we are better than others. If we are unable to recognize our vices, then we need to pray for God to show them to us so we can address them with humility and allow God to cleanse us of every wrongdoing.

Are we in fellowship with God? Are we striving to follow the way of light? What sins do we need to overcome in our lives?

O Lord, forgive and cleanse us.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Advent

For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

God wants to refine and purify us so we are precious and pleasing in His sight. He wants us to be polished and shaped by the virtues of faith, hope, and love so we can more perfectly reflect His Divine Image. We cannot fulfill this purpose if we mar our souls with sins and muddy them with imperfections. Each time we do evil or fail to do good, we need to be refined and purified once again through the fires of contrition and penance. Then, once we are made clean in the eyes of the Lord, we will become an acceptable sacrifice to God.

Are we willing to allow God to refine and purify us through whatever means He decides is best for us? Are we willing to make our lives into living sacrifices to God? How can we be more pleasing to God?

O Lord, refine the metal of our souls and purify us of all our imperfections.

Amen.

Twelfth Friday of Ordinary Time

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it.  Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “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.”

God can make us spiritually clean at any time as long as we seek him out in the sacrament of reconciliation. We all can become infected with imperfections and sins that keep us from being true reflections of God. When we fall into sin, we disfigure the image of God within us and make it difficult for anyone to recognize. However, these defects can be fixed. We can be healed, if we are willing to seek out God, ask for His forgiveness with contrite hearts, and do penance. This is how we can prove our sincerity to God and once we have completed all that is asked of us, we will be freed from our imperfections and sins and have a clean conscience to lead us along a better path.

Are we spiritually clean? What imperfections and sins are obscuring the image of God within us? When was the last time we went to the sacrament of reconciliation?

O Lord, make us clean.

Amen.

Thirty-Third Friday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, my house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

Just as Jesus drove out those who were selling things in the temple area, so must we drive out all those things that defile the temples of our souls. Our sins, imperfections, distractions, worldly possessions, and unhealthy relationships need to be thrust away from us if we wish to make room for God within our hearts. However, the Devil will be on the lookout for ways to enter our hearts and defile the temple of our souls. We must guard against him and be willing to suffer whatever might happen to us because of our desire to do God’s Will.

What are the people or things in our lives that defile the temple of our souls? How can we cleanse ourselves of these evil influences? What do we do to guard against the temptations of the Devil?

O Lord, let us hang upon your every word and not upon the evil influences of this world.

Amen.

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”

The temple Jesus was talking about was his body, which was a living temple to his Heavenly Father. In the same way, our bodies are temples to God and we should take care of them and protect them from misuse. Just as Jesus drives out all of those who are misusing the temple, so must we drive out all of the sins and influences in our lives, which keep us from attending to our heavenly duties. We should not lose sight of our calling to be living temples of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace. It is only by becoming Godbearers that we can fulfill ourselves and be found worthy of resurrection on the last day.

What are the things in our lives that distract us from fully embracing our calling to become living temples to God? How can we drive these worldly things, imperfections, and sins from our hearts? Are we consumed by zeal for our Heavenly Father’s house?

O Lord, consume us with zeal for you and your heavenly kingdom.

Amen.

Tuesday of Holy Week

Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

We might not be Judas, but we all betray Jesus when we sin. All of his disciples betrayed him in some form or fashion during the Passion when things got difficult for Christ and all who followed him. We too face similar, though usually less dire, challenges to our faith and we fail just as they did back then. Sometimes we betray Jesus with a mortal sin like Judas. Sometimes we allow peer pressure to push us into denying some element of Jesus’ message like Peter. Sometimes we run away from those who we fear might persecute us for living out the Gospel like all the other disciples. Sometimes we fail to do the right thing in favor of the easy one like Pontius Pilate. These are all wounds in our relationship with Jesus and in the end we are too weak to heal them on our own. We need God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to mend what we have broken. Thankfully for us, he offers these healing actions to us constantly, even though we do not deserve it. So the next time we fall because of our imperfections or sins, we should not be afraid because although we lost our way for a moment, Jesus will always give us another chance to follow him just as he did with all the disciples who were willing to accept his forgiveness.

What are our imperfections and our sins? What are those things which keep us from following Christ? How can we overcome these impediments?

O Lord, we know we have betrayed you, but with your help we will follow you once again.

Amen.