The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.

Death no longer has power over us. God has conquered it and sin through the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He has show us that death has no power over us if we know, love, and serve Him as faithfully as we can. As Christians, we have been crucified with Christ, we have accepted our crosses and willingly bear them toward our own Calvary. We proclaim our readiness to suffer and die for the glory of God and the good of others. And so, we do not fear death because we believe it is only a gateway to a more perfect union with God in Heaven. We see it as merely a threshold to cross so we can be with our Lord and nothing more.

Are we afraid of death? Do we fear what God might ask us to sacrifice in order to have eternal life with Him? How can we overcome these fears and place our trust in God?

O Lord, crucify our selfish selves and sinful bodies so we might be made anew in and through you.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Monday in Ordinary Time

This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.

The Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus is all the sign we should need in order to repent. Through Christ’s Life, we are shown the Way and the Truth that will lead us to the Promised Land. Through His Passion, we are shown what it means to mortify ourselves, accept our crosses, show compassion to others, and love our enemies. Through His Death, we are given an example of what it means to be willing to die for what we believe in. Finally, through His Resurrection, we are shown the promise of to everlasting life for all who proclaim the Good News until their final breath. Indeed, we have a great tome of wisdom set before us in the New Testament, which reveals what God is calling us to be as Christians. So, let us heed the Word of God Made Flesh and live as good and faithful servants to God and all His children.

In what ways do we imitate the compassionate Life of Christ? How do we deal with the sufferings and sacrifices that come with our own passions? How have we prepared ourselves for our death and eventual resurrection? 

O Lord, we seek and follow only the sign of your Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Amen.

Thanksgiving

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have a lot to be thankful for each and every day of our lives. We ought to be thankful for God’s gift of life for us and our loved ones. We ought to be thankful for the faith and hope He has sustained in us. We ought to be thankful for the love He has shown us. We ought to be thankful for the knowledge He has passed onto us and the ways He has enriched us through the Scriptures and the traditions of the Church. We ought to be thankful for the graces and spiritual gifts He has given us. Most of all, we should be thankful for His Divine Mercy and the compassion He has shown us by sacrificing His Beloved Son for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of our souls.

What else should we be thankful for? How can we show our thanks to God and to others? What can we do to live in a constant spirit of thankfulness?

O Lord, we give thanks to you for all you have done, are doing, and will do for us.

Amen.

Thirtieth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two.

Paul rejoices at the prospect of life or death. He sees both paths as ways to fulfill his calling. In the same way, we are called to be detached enough from life to be not afraid of death. Death is just a doorway to Christ and a new life. We have nothing to fear from it. If God sees fit to take our lives today, then our response should be, "Amen. So be it!" If He lets us live for many years to come, then we should response, "Amen. So be it!" Both options should spark a fire of hope within us. Life should spark within us an eagerness to do fruitful labor and magnify Christ in thought, word, and work. Death should spark within us the joyful expectation of spending the rest of eternity with our Beloved God. There is no loss for us in death as long as we live the Christ-like life and strive to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the commandments of our Heavenly Father.

Do we rejoice in God no matter what He is asking of us? Are we bold in our faith, always seeking ways to magnify the Lord? How can we cultivate the attitude of detachment we need to be willing to live or die for our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, we shall rejoice in life or death as long as both lead us ever closer to you.

Amen.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.

The choice before us is clear: life with God or death with sin. We can either give our hearts, minds, souls, and strengths to God or to the world. There is no middle ground... no sitting on the fence. If we are lukewarm in our faith, give into our temptations, or allow ourselves to be lead astray, then we have chosen the world and will have to face the consequences. If, however, we obey the commandments of the Lord and follow the teachings of His Good News, we will be blessed by Him. We shall go forth, grow in the faith, and live in peace and prosperity. Perhaps not as the world sees success, but rather a spiritual success that leads us to know, love, a serve God and others more perfectly and fruitfully.

Are we choosing life or death? How can we live more faithfully the Good News? How can we love God, walk in His ways, and keep His commandments, statutes, and decrees?

O Lord, we choose life and prosperity with you.

Amen.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

No matter how much we might want to convince ourselves otherwise, it is only by dying to our self interests that we can live for God. Every time we choose selfish sin over selfless love, we choose death over life. Every time we choose power, glory, wealth, lust, or any other vice over virtue, we choose death over life. Every time we turn our backs on the needs of others in favor of our own wants, we choose death over life. It is not easy choosing life over death because we are told that it’s the people you know, the places you go, and the things you have that prove whether your life is worth living. However, all of these worldly things are temporary. They are not the foundation of everlasting life. They come and go, but God remains with us always. It is only by loving Him, heeding His Voice, and Holding fast to Him that we find the true purpose of our lives. Without Him, we are dead, but with Him we shall live forever.

Are we choosing a blessed life with God or a cursed death with the world? Have we loved God as we should and heeded His Voice? What can we do to show that we are holding fast to God and His message of selfless love?

O Lord, give us lives that last, filled with faith and good works.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. For it is testified: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

We are all called to be a priestly people. This means living holy and righteous lives oriented toward God and bringing others to Him through our thoughts, words, and works. This means not only participating in the sacraments, but internalizing them, embodying their significance, and bearing fruits through them. In order to be raised in the order of Melchizedek, we are asked to make our lives a living sacrifice to God and to imitate Christ, who was the perfect High Priest. It is Jesus' example that shows us what it means to be filled with the power of life that cannot be destroyed and to testify to it with our whole being.

How can we answer the call for us to be a priestly people? Is celebrating the sacraments a central action of our faith lives? Are we full of the power of life and willing to testify to its importance?

O Lord, make us a priestly people.

Amen.

Easter Sunday

Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

The empty tomb is a wonderful image for us to keep in mind as we celebrate the Easter season. Jesus has risen! He has conquered death with his sacrificial Life. He has conquered sin with his virtuous Way. He has conquered false teachings with eternal Truth. Sometimes we must undergo symbolic deaths of our own in imitation of Jesus. These may be deaths to certain sins, imperfections, or even good things that we sacrifice for God or others. We also undergo deaths when we move, change jobs, and during other instances of change in our lives. However, each of these deaths brings us to a new life and an opportunity to fulfill God’s Will in another way. This is why we are constantly reminded to “be not afraid” throughout the gospels. We should not be afraid of death whether it is literal or symbolic because if we die for God and the good of others, then we will rise with Christ on the last day and share in the paradise of Heaven.

How do we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ in our daily lives? How do we express our thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice and the saving grace he poured out upon us through His Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection? Are we willing to undergo the symbolic deaths that will lead us to a better life?

O Lord, thank you for giving us the saving grace necessary for us to lead holy lives and rise with you.

Amen.

Sixth Saturday of Easter

I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.

Just like Jesus, we come into this and we will leave it. This life we are given is a gift and we should not be afraid to live it as Jesus did. He gave us a model for Christian living founded on the gospels and the commandments of God to love Him and love our neighbors as He loves us. As we walk through the world during our lives, we ought to be thankful for its goods and wary of its evils. We need to remember that ultimately, no matter how pleasant or comforting certain aspects of the world might be, it is the everlasting joy of heaven that we want, not the passing pleasures of the world. So let us be not afraid to sacrifice ourselves, to mortify our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. It is only in giving ourselves away completely to God and His children that we can empty ourselves and fully receive those graces God constantly offers us.

How often do we thank God for the gift of our lives? How do we prepare ourselves for leaving this world? What are the things we can sacrifice in order to make more time for God and His children?

O Lord, you have brought us into the world. We hope you will draw us back out of it when we are worthy of your kingdom.

Amen.

Third Wednesday of Lent

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Jesus fulfills the law and prophets through his Gospel and sacrifice. The law and prophets were necessary before Jesus, because mankind needed them. However, Christ completes them through his priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission to the world. His words build upon the law and transfigure it into the Gospel message we have today. His actions complete the foreseen future of the prophets. This is why we as Christians do not depend merely upon the law or prophets of the Jewish people. We give them due acknowledgement, but there is something more than the law and the prophets in Christ. He calls us to follow his Way, Truth, and Life and in order to do that we must look past the letter of the law and the signs of the prophets to the spirit of the law and the sign of our salvation.

Do we live our lives according to the spirit of the Gospels? Do we focus our every thought, word, and work on the goal of saving souls, including our own? What are the sacrifices we are willing to make to follow God’s commandments?

O Lord, we want to fulfill your Gospel message and become prophets of your love.

Amen.