Twenty-Fourth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

How great are the works of the Lord! He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant. He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations.

God does great and small works in our lives. Each and every day, He grants us the miracle of life and gives us the grace to live them fruitfully. He provides us with spiritual food that nourishes our souls and feeds our faith. He offers us the light of hope to warm and guide us. He loves us and makes known to us His Truth and His Will. He has adopted us as His own children and wants nothing but the best for us. He made a New Covenant with us to save our souls and give us a chance at eternal life. How great indeed are His works!

Are we mindful of the New Covenant? Do we live lives in accordance with God’s Will? What can we do to become worthy recipients of the inheritance God has laid before us?

O Lord, how great are your works!

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.

Monday After Epiphany

I will give you all the nations for an inheritance. The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.”

God has given us all a great inheritance. He has provided us life for a reason. He has not given us the gifts and goods we have to squander them on worldly things. He wants us to use them to proclaim His Good News in great and small ways. Not all of us are called to be prophets, priests, or kings, but we all have duties that reflect these roles. We are asked to speak the Truth like the Prophet of Prophets. We are called to make our lives into sacrifices like the Priest of Priests. We are called to know, love, and serve God and others like the King of Kings. We can't do these things if we prefer the lies of the world, allow our possessions to possess us, avoid suffering at all costs, or choose to be selfish. No, the only way to be found worthy of our spiritual inheritance is to accept it and then live our lives in accordance with God's Will.

Are we using our inheritance wisely and well? How can we become better stewards of God's gifts and blessings? How can we avoid the temptations and traps of the world?

O Lord, we are your children and accept your will.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Easter

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said, "Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt. With uplifted arm he led them out, and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert. When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.

There is a Promised Land waiting for us at the end of this life. We need only follow God to where He wants us to be. There may be times when we feel like we are wandering in a wilderness. There may be enemies that stand in our way. However, one day we will leave the desert behind, overcome our enemies, and enter into our inheritance. When that day comes we have hopefully done all we can to prepare for our entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Are we preparing ourselves for the Promised Land? How can we keep our bearings in the desert of the world? What enemies and obstacles must we overcome to reach the Kingdom of Heaven?

O Lord, exalt us and lead us to the land of our inheritance.

Amen.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, “Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 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.’”

We don’t normally get our inheritances until after someone dies, but here the younger son demands the share that should come to him after his father’s death. By doing so, the younger son is essentially treating his father as if he is already dead. He breaks off all ties and sets off to do whatever he wants, squandering his inheritance on a life of decadence. When we choose sin over God we do the same thing, we treat God as if He is dead and go off on our own path. And in the end, like the younger son, we lose everything and find ourselves in dire straits. Our souls starve on the empty pleasures of the world and we hire ourselves out to uncaring masters. However, God is always willing to take us back. All we need to do is come to our senses, admit our sins, and be willing to do good works for our Heavenly Father in reparation for our transgressions. If we do these things, then God will welcome us back with open arms and celebrate our return with an everlasting feast.

In what ways are we like the younger son? Are we willing to admit our sins and return to God? How can we imitate the forgiveness of the Heavenly Father in regards to those who trespass against us?

O Lord, we have sinned against you. Forgive us and welcome us back into your heavenly kingdom with open arms.

Amen.