Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.

There is a reason we are not called to be judges. We think, speak, and act imperfectly. Our knowledge is limited and incomplete. Our feelings can get in the way of justice and truth. God’s Judgments, however, are true and just for He knows, speaks, and acts perfectly. He understands our true motives and therefore what we truly deserve. He gave us His Commandments so we might follow His Will. He offered us His Son so we might imitate Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to all so we might be enlightened and grow into holy and good servants.

How can we resist the worldly temptation to judge others? What can we do to place our trust in God’s Divine Judgment? How can we live in accordance with God’s precepts and lead true and just lives?

O Lord, your judgments are true and just.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

Rise up, O God, bring judgment to the earth. Defend the lowly and the fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the lowly and the poor; from the hand of the wicked deliver them.

God will bring judgment to the earth and we would do well to remember that. Each of us is given a role to play in the building up of the Body of Christ. Some will be called to be parents and guardians, others to be care-takers and educations, still others will be asked to be protectors and leaders. All of us are asked to bear God’s Love and Mercy into the world and to proclaim the Good News with our every action. We, like Him, are tasked with defending the lowly and fatherless, rendering justice to the afflicted and destitute, and rescuing the lowly and poor from the hands of the wicked. We are all meant to be manifestations of our Heavenly Father’s Will, the Son’s Word, and the Holy Spirit’s Heart. And if we wish to be found worthy of Paradise, then we must magnify our Lord by being His eyes, ears, lips, and hands.

Do we defend the lowly and fatherless? Are we just toward the afflicted and destitute? What can we do to rescue the lowly and poor from wickedness and evil?

O Lord, help us to bring your just judgment to the earth.

Amen.

First Monday in Ordinary Time

Let all his angels worship him. The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. 

The Lord is our King and like the angels we were made to worship him. We were made to know Him through the Scriptures and through the traditions of the Church. We were made to love Him through prayer, alms, and mortification. We were made to serve Him and all His children through acts of charity and mercy. We were made to rejoice in Him and be glad. We were made to be founded on justice and wise judgment so we might be instruments of His grace to the world around us and proclaim the Good News to all whom we meet each day.

How do we worship God? What do we do to bring joy and gladness to the world and good tidings to all? Are our lives founded on justice and wisdom?

O Lord, we worship you as our King and Savior.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, O king of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, or glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

The end goal of our lives is to be judged as good and faithful servants to God and His children. Everything else in our lives needs to come secondary to our service of the Lord. It can be difficult to make God the center of our lives, especially when the world tempts us to turn our backs on Him. Fame, fortune, pleasure, and all sorts of earthly things try to worm their way into our hearts and lead us into sin. However, if we have a proper fear of the Lord, namely not wishing to disappoint Him, then we will be able to glorify God’s Name in all that we do. If our lives are just and true, then one day we will stand before God and He will welcome us into His Kingdom as His holy children.

Do we have a healthy fear of disappointing God? How can we keep our lives focused on being good and faithful servants? In what ways can we worship God and love our neighbors more perfectly?

O Lord, we fear failing you and pray for the grace to succeed in all that you ask us to do.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, "Use your sickle and reap the harvest, for the time to reap has come, because the earth's harvest is fully ripe." So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

In the end, there will be two harvests. One harvest for the good and fruitful. Another harvest from the evil and fruitless. One harvest will lead to joy and everlasting life. The other to suffering and destruction. We all face a stark choice in our lives. Will we be among the fruitful and the saved or the barren and the burned. Every thought, word, and work will weigh upon the scales of judgment for good and evil. If we want to be saved, then we must do everything in our power to bear good and abundant fruits and uproot the vices and indifference that strangle our good works before they can come to fruition.

What good fruits have we brought into this world? How can we magnify and multiply them? What can we do to be more fruitful in virtue, good deeds, and prayer?

O Lord, help us to bear good and abundant fruits.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Friday in Ordinary Time

The one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.

We are all called to be servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God and it is by these two vocations that we will be judged. God will judge whether we have been good and faithful servants in these regards. He will shine the light of truth on all our thoughts, words, and works and we will see what is hidden within us. We shall know every motive, good or bad, and see every virtue and vice. We will truly know ourselves and whether we have lived Christ-like lives or if we have lived foolishly and falsely. We shall know if we have been charitable or selfish, hopefully or despairing, faithful or indifferent Hopefully, God will find something praise-worthy within all of us. But if we doubt He will find good works in our hearts, then we should amend our lives so we might do something worthy of being called Christians.

Are we being good and faithful servants of Christ? Have we been loyal and trust-worthy stewards of the mysteries of God? How can we align our motives and actions more perfectly with God's Will?

O Lord, you are my Judge, be merciful.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Saturday of Ordinary Time

“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.  And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,  because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Persistence pays off, especially in our spiritual lives. Just like the widow, we shouldn’t give up on our desire for a fair judgment in regards to our hopes and our dreams. Sometimes God might not answer us in the way we desired Him to, but He will answer us and His judgment will be just and exactly what we need at the time. When we pray for answers or help from God sometimes we can grow impatient and wonder why He isn’t answering us, but perhaps we are missing His clues and walking past the answers right beneath our noses. Or maybe He is giving us an answer that we just don’t want to accept and so we ignore His judgment and cling to someone or something that keeps us blinded to what is right in our lives. It is up to us to be persistent in our prayer life, but God will be the ultimate arbiter of the answers we receive and as long as we accept them when they come, we will grow in faith and wisdom.

Are we persistent in our spiritual lives? Do we trust that God will answer our prayers to our benefit, even when those answers go against our initial desires? Will Jesus find faith in our hearts when he comes again?

O Lord, render a just decision for me in all that I pray for.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.

Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that we need to be willing to settle our differences with others. This can only be done by seeking forgiveness for our own transgressions and forgiving others their transgressions against us. If we go to the Final Judgment with sins on our hands or without any acts of mercy to show God, then we should expect to reap what we've sown. If all we sow is blame or condemnation, then that is what we will deserve when the end comes. So let us make peace with our enemies and show mercy to those who transgress against us. Only then will we be able to come to God with a clean conscience and be rewarded with the consoling gift of Heaven.

Who are the people we are holding grudges against? Who do we complain about? How can we settle accounts with them in a forgiving and merciful way?

O Lord, let us come before you with clean consciences and merciful hearts.

Amen.