Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.

Jesus is our high priest, our source of grace and love, our center of hope, and the summit of our faith. He showed us through his life, passion, death, and resurrection what it means to live out our vocation to know, love, and serve God and His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. He has given us an example of what it means to be holy, innocent, and undefiled. He has spoken the Truth to us so we might walk his Way and live his Life. Most importantly, he will not give up on us in this life. He will do everything in his power to lead us to the Promised Land of Heaven. He is our high priest and savoir and in him we can trust and hope and be brought to perfection.

Do we give thanks to God for giving us His Beloved Son as our High Priest? How can we become a more priestly people? How can we make ourselves into living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of all?

O Lord, make intercession for us and save us.

Amen.

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Revelation reminds us we are not alone in our fight against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. We have Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael to help us. We would do well to pray for their intercession in our lives. Michael as our protector, Gabriel as a guide, and Raphael as a healer of our souls. With them on guard against the Devil, we can be confident we shall not be dragged into sin and destruction by the Evil One. With them, we can fight back against our spiritual enemies and remain in the good graces of God, our Heavenly Father. With them, we can conquer death and have eternal life with Jesus Christ. With them, we can fulfill the purpose the Holy Spirit has given each and every one of us.

How can we be on better guard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil? Do we pray for the intercession of Saint Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael? If not, then how can we make it a habit in our lives to do so?

O Lord, thank you for the gift of your archangels.

Amen.

Second Sunday of Lent

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who died-or, rather, was raised-who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

With God as our guardian, we have nothing to fear. No person, no trial, no obstacle can overcome us with God at our side. God will do everything in His power to save us from the fires of Hell and lead us to eternal life with Him. If we know, love, and serve God and His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, then He shall remain with us throughout our lives. And when we do fall into temptation and sin, if we return to Him with contrite hearts and willing to do penance, then He shall acquit us and free us from our sins. Moreover, Jesus’ compassionate voice will speak on our behalf before the throne of God if we follow his teachings.

Do we realize God is always with us? How can we bring Him to the forefront of our minds at all times, especially when faced with temptations and trials? In what ways can we imitate God’s protection and compassion when dealing with others?

O Lord, with you at our side, we have nothing to fear.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.

We are not alone. As Christians, we have the Church and its witnesses to help us to celebrate our faith and support us. We have the saints, especially Mary, to watch over us and intercede for us with God. Most importantly, we have a leader: Jesus. With the Church and the saints cheering us on and Jesus leading the way, we can run the race that lies before us. We can cast aside our sins, overcome every obstacle, endure any cross, and reach the finishing line that leads to eternal life. All we need to do is train our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies to follow in the footsteps of Christ and to be humble enough to let him lead us along the right path to Heaven.

Do we seek support from the Church and its members? Do we pray to the saints for help in running the race toward heaven? Have we accepted the need for us to follow Jesus and let him perfect our faith?

O Lord, give us the endurance we need to finish the race to eternal life with you.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.

Jesus offered himself on the cross for all of us. He made the ultimate sacrifice to make up for all of mankind’s sins. This is because no matter how much we sacrifice in this life, it would never be enough to make up for our sins because the weight of our sins are measured by who we sin against. If we spit on a random person on the street, we suffer a lesser penalty than if we spit on a policeman or the President of the United States. The title and station of the person we sin against magnifies the debt we must pay. So when we sin against God, our debt is infinite and cannot be repaid by any of our deeds. However, when Jesus took our sins upon himself, he made an infinite sacrifice for us because he, too is infinite. As such, it is only through Jesus’ intercession that we are able to be made clean of our imperfections and given the power to think, speak, and do good.

How do we express our thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice? Do we turn to him whenever we are in need of forgiveness?  How can we lead holy and innocent lives?

O Lord, intercede for us.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

As we celebrate Mary, the Mother of God, we should remember what a blessing it is to have her as our own spiritual mother. She is our mediator, the Queen-Mother of heaven. She knows how best to present our needs before her Father, Son, and Spouse the Holy Trinity. She can make the smallest act of love into the most precious sacrifice. She knows how best to cleanse us when we have soiled our baptismal promises. She is full of grace and more than willing to help us to be full of grace, too. She gives us an example of what it means to follow God’s Will no matter what He asks us to do. God’s face shines upon us because she choose to give Him her eternal “Yes!” We would do well to echo that same fiat in our own lives. Then, God will look kindly upon us and give us peace because we remind Him of His beloved Mother.

Do we give thanks to God for giving us Mary as our Heavenly Mother? Do we seek her intercession when we are in need? How can we model our lives after hers?

O Lord, through your mother you have blessed us.

Amen.

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

We all have a guardian angel watching over us, but do we ever speak to them? Perhaps we should take time each day to be mindful of our guardian angels and ask for their help in listening to Our Lord, doing God’s Will, and overcoming the temptations that hound us. These angels are not only our guardians, but also spiritual guides, who know how best to know, love, and serve God and His children. So let us make use of them!

Do we pray for the intercession of our guardian angels? Do we thank them for the help they give us each day? Do we ask for their help in overcoming our trials and temptations?

O Lord, thank you for giving us all guardian angels to watch over us and protect us.

Amen.

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Although today’s gospel speaks of the aftermath of the incarnation of Christ, we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary today because without her fiat there would have been no incarnation (at least as we know it). Mary, who was born without sin, is given a singular grace among all mankind. She is given the choice to bear the savior of mankind. She is not forced to bear Jesus, instead she freely accepts the gift of the incarnation into her womb. This acceptance makes possible the story of our salvation and this is why Mary is held in such high regard and venerated by Christians. Her assent to the our Heavenly Father opens the doors of grace to all of us and we would do well to remember her model and seek to learn from her virtues of faith in God, hope in His mercy, and love of Him and all His children.

Do we ask for Mary’s intercession in our lives? Do we seek to act in accord with God’s Will just as she did in her own most obedient life? Are we willing to say “yes” to our Heavenly Father just as Mary did?

O Lord, let us take Mary into our homes and our hearts.

Amen.