Fourteenth Friday of Ordinary Time

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever. They are not put to shame in an evil time; in days of famine they have plenty. 

Being wholehearted means offering everything to God. It means not holding anything back. It means giving all we have to God. It means making our lives into living sacrifices. It means handing over our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies to God to do with as He wills. It means loving God and His children with all we are. If we do this, then we will inherit the Kingdom of God. We will not be put to shame. We will have plenty all the days of our lives.

Are we wholeheartedly God’s people? If not, then how can we become more God’s and less our own? What can we do to make clear to God and others that we are Christians?

O Lord, we are wholeheartedly yours.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.”

Our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies should echo the words we hear in this psalm, “Here we are, Lord; we come to do your will.” The decision to let go of our will and choose to do God’s Will is one that shapes who we are. This is what Mary did when she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” And these words should ever be on our lips, too. God wants our love, obedience, and good works and if we give Him these, then He will respond with His Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Are we doing God’s Will? How can we be more obedient to God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations? What can we do to make our lives into living sacrifices of love for God and all His children?

O Lord, here we are, help us to do your will.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.”

The only sacrifice and oblation God wants from us is to do His Will in all things. This means being faithful to His commandments, Christ’s teachings, and the inspirations of the Spirit. This means placing our hope in God and trusting in His Grace and His Mercy. This means knowing, loving, and serving God and all His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. This means being obedient even to the point of sacrifice and death. This is the offering God wants from us... to imitate His Son, Jesus Christ, in all things and come to Him when He calls.

How can we make our lives into living sacrifices? What can we do to be better followers of the commandment, teachings, and inspirations of God? How can we more perfectly imitate Jesus in our lives?

O Lord, behold we come.

Amen.

Thursday After Epiphany

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. From fraud and violence he shall redeem them, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. May they be prayed for continually; day by day shall they bless him.

God sent His Beloved Son into the world to redeem us from sin, hatred, violence, selfishness, and all other evils. He purchased our lives with the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. He made His Son into a living sacrifice through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We should all be humbled to think that God came down from Heaven, became man, and sacrificed Himself for a people who constantly sin against Him. How many of us would be willing to sacrifice ourselves for those who ignore, abandon, persecute, and abuse us on a daily basis? And yet, this is what God calls us all to do... to love others as He loves them, which means being willing to suffer and even die for those who would do neither for us.

Do we thank God for all He has redeemed us from in this life? How can we act more Christ-like in our treatment of others, especially those whom we find most difficult to love? What can we do to prepare ourselves to become living sacrifices to God for others?

O Lord, bless us and make us into holy sacrifices to you for others.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

When Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"

The only sacrifice and offering God desires from us is for us to echo the words of Mary and say, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done unto me according to thy Will.” All the almsgiving, mortifications, and prayers mean nothing if we do not do them in accordance and in respect of God’s Will. If someone needs help, but we say to them come back later I’m praying, then are we doing God’s Will? If we mortify ourselves in some way during Fridays or Lent out of obligation and not love of God, then how can we expect to grow in faith? If we give alms to the poor or needy, but do so only out of our surplus or to absolve ourselves from doing more, then are we truly being charitable? We can do all the right things, for all the wrong reasons. However, if we make our entire lives into sacrifices and are willing to give everything to God, then His Spirit will work through us and we will become not only a worthy offering, but a fruitful vine full of good works.

Are we willing to do God’s Will no matter what it might cost us in the world? How can we transform ourselves into living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others? What can we do to ensure we are doing the right things for the right reasons?

O Lord, we come to do your will.

Amen.

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

Jesus’ sacrificed himself for the forgiveness of sin, once and for all. In a similar way, we also must be willing to sacrifice ourselves by forgiving those who trespass against us. It isn’t always easy to forgive someone who has done us wrong, but if we want to be true to our calling as Christians, then we must put aside our disappointments and dislikes and have mercy on everyone who has harmed us in one way or another. Jesus was willing to forgive those who mocked, tortured, and crucified him. We should be willing to do the same without hesitation. So, let us make our lives into a living sacrifices united with Christ’s poured out for the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of souls.

Are we willing to forgive those who have trespassed against us? How can we learn to be more merciful towards those who have harmed us? How can we free ourselves from the chains that come from being unforgiving?

O Lord, free us from any grudges we might hold against those who have sinned against us and help us to forgive.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice once and for all. He held nothing back. He gave everything he could for us. He lived and worked for us to show us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He suffered and died for us to take away our sins and save us from the fires of Hell. He did all these things to bring us closer to our Heavenly Father through the inspirations and workings of the Holy Spirit. He died for love of us, pouring out his mercy. And in the same way, all of us are called to become living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others. We are asked to bring about the salvation of ourselves and others, striving to follow the narrow path to Heaven and lead as many people with us as possible.

In what ways do we give Jesus thanks for all he has done for us? How can we turn our lives into living sacrifices? What can we do to bring others closer to Christ, to our Father, and the Holy Spirit?

O Lord, take away our sins and bring us to salvation.

Amen.

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.

Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Because you have thought yourself to have the mind of a god, Therefore I will bring against you foreigners, the most barbarous of nations. They shall draw their swords against your beauteous wisdom, they shall run them through your splendid apparel. They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.

Pride can undo all our good works. It can make us think we know better than God. It can convince us that we deserve all the honor, glory, and praise for what we do. However, the spirit of pride only leads to our destruction. While it may lift us up in the world, it tears down our relationship with God. We become new Adams and Eves, deciding we can discern right and wrong for ourselves without thought to God’s commandments, teachings, or inspirations. The only protection from this deadly sin is the virtue of humility. We must be willing to humble ourselves even in our successes. We cannot let our selfish inclinations lead us astray. Instead, we must put aside our self interests and be willing to make ourselves into living sacrifices to God and for the good of others. Only then will we be like God... because we will have put on His Will.

Are there areas of our lives where pride has crept in? Do we give all glory, honor, and praise to God for all the goods we have? How can we become humbler people?

O Lord, drive all pride out of us and replace it with humble trust in you.

Amen.

Fifteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.

Our prayers are only as effective as our purity of heart allows them to be. If we are tainted by sin, our prayers are also tainted. If we pray for selfish reasons or out of a sense of entitlement, then our prayers will not be heard. If we pray for help, but do not help others, then we shall receive exactly what we have given... nothing. In order for our prayers to reach God's ear, they need to be freed from our sins, failings, faults, fears, doubts, and worldly desires. Only when they are liberated from these things can they soar up to the heavens and reach our Heavenly Father. However, freeing ourselves from these evils isn't easy. It requires us to put away our misdeeds, to cease doing evil, to learn to do good, to make justice our aim, to redress the wronged, to answer the plea of others, and defend those who have no defenders. Doing all these things mean putting God and others before ourselves and being willing to sacrifice everything we have in order to do God's Will and aid our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How can we purify our hearts? What can we do to right our wrongs and bear good fruits? Are we willing to make the sacrifices necessary for us to become living sacraments of God's Love, Mercy, and Grace?

O Lord, wash us clean so we might know, love, and serve You and all your children.

Amen.

Eleventh Wednesday in Ordinary Time

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha answered, "May I receive a double portion of your spirit." "You have asked something that is not easy," Elijah replied. "Still, if you see me taken up from you, your wish will be granted; otherwise not."

Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit and in a way, we are also called to ask for a double portion of the spirit of Jesus Christ. We should always be striving to be God's instrument of goodness, love, mercy, and grace to all the world. We should hunger and thirst for righteousness. We should be willing to make our lives into living sacrifices. All of this is what Jesus did in his life and his model should be one we strive to imitate. Our souls should magnify our Lord and Savior and rejoice in his work... done through us. Of course, we can never truly receive a double portion or ever surpass the holiness of Jesus Christ, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to be the best version of ourselves.

In what ways are we striving to be better Christians? How can we make ourselves more and more into Christ? Are we willing to imitate Jesus even in those things we find most difficult?

O Lord, grant us a double portion of your Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

Jesus Christ is both our High Priest and our purifying sacrifice. He proclaimed the Good News to us and gave us an example of what it means to be a child of God. He showed us how to live within this world, but not belong to it. He revealed to us how to make our hearts into living tabernacles... places where we can rest in God and He in us. He also demonstrated for once and all that we are called to become living sacrifices, pouring out God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace just as Jesus poured out his Most Precious Blood. When we look upon all Jesus has done for us, we see a roadmap to salvation and if we want to share in the heavenly feast, then we must make ourselves into priests proclaiming the Good News and sacrifices fulfilling it.

How can we make our lives into living sacrifices? What can we do to prepare our hearts to be tabernacles of the Lord? Are we willing to pour ourselves out in sacrifice and suffering for the glory of God and the good of others?

O Lord, make us into worthy sacrifices.

Amen.

Fifth Tuesday of Easter

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith.

The words Barnabas and Paul spoke to the early Christians have just as much validity today. We, like our predecessors, have to persevere in faith. We have to be willing and able to undergo many hardships for the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Just as Jesus underwent a Passion for us, so, too, we must undergo one for him. We must be willing to make our lives into living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others. This is no easy task, but it is one that we all must perform if we want to be disciples of Christ. Thankfully, with prayer, fasting, and a firm trust in God's Divine Plan, we can become good and faithful servants and worthy successors the Apostles.

Are we persevering in our faith in the face of the temptations, distractions, and indifference of the world? Are we willing to undergo hardships for our faith? How can we make our lives into living sacrifices for God's Glory and the good of all?

O Lord, we commend ourselves to you and seek only to do your will.

Amen.

Third Tuesday of Lent

But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord.

If we are leading the Christ-like life, then we are living sacrifices. We might not be dying on a physical cross, but we are dying to ourselves day after day. We give our faith to God without reservation, we offer prayers with contrite hearts and humble spirits, asking our Heavenly Father for forgiveness. We trust in God’s Mercy and so we are merciful. We follow God with our whole heart and so we lead others closer to Him. We fear letting the Lord down and so we raise ourselves up and do His Will without reservation or hesitation. We strive to do our best as Christians and hope God’s Kindness and Mercy will deliver us from all evil and our own weaknesses.

How can we cultivate contrite hearts and humble spirits? How can we make ourselves into living sacrifices? What do we need to do in order to follow God with our whole being?

O Lord, we sacrifice ourselves to you, deliver us by your wonders.

Amen.

Third Friday of Advent

After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said: "Pardon, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.  I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."

When God gives us something, be it a talent, a grace, or any other gift, our first reaction should be to give something to God in return. We can offer up the talents He has given us as a living prayer to Him. We can thank Him for all the graces He has given us from the first moment of our conception to our last breath on earth and the promise of eternal life afterwards. We can make our lives into living sacrifices to the Lord, transforming ourselves into faithful offerings to our God, Most High. We can dedicate ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to do with us what he needs to have done.

What are we giving to God in recognition for all He has done for us? How can we be more faithful in presenting ourselves, our thoughts, words, and works to God? How can we become more dedicated to our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, we turn our lives over to you as dedicated sacrifices.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Wednesday of Ordinary Time

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.

As followers of Christ, we might be seen by others as pitiable and misguided. The world might tell us we are deluding ourselves and letting opportunities to enjoy life, improve our lot, and fulfill our desires to pass us by… all in the hopes of an afterlife. The see us choose the uncertain, unverifiable promise of one day joining the Holy Trinity in Heaven over worldly things and shake their heads at us. However, we are not to be pitied. Instead, we should embrace our death to the world and accept our call to choose the heavenly things of the eternal tomorrow over the earthly things of the passing today. It is this hope for a blessed afterlife which should animate our thoughts, words, and works and allow us to become living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others.

Are there earthly things that tempt us? If so, then how can we resist those temptations and die to the world? How can we become better living sacrifices to God’s glory and for the good of His other children?

O Lord, give us the peace that comes with being tested and proved in the furnace of your love.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The exiles kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Levites, every one of whom had purified himself for the occasion, sacrificed the Passover for the rest of the exiles, for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.

Jesus offered one sacrifice for all of us on the cross. It is a sacrifice that we make present through the sacrament of the Eucharist and one we are all called to participate in. When we receive the Blessed Sacrament, we are asked to unite ourselves to Jesus as he united himself to us by becoming the Word Made Flesh. In a way, we are remade through our reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, becoming living sacrifices to God and for others. The surrender of self to God’s Will is a cornerstone of our faith and requires complete confidence in our Heavenly Father that our sufferings when united to Christ’s Passion and Death will lead to the Resurrection and eternal life.

Do we unite ourselves with Christ’s sacrifice, especially when we receive the Eucharist? How can we become living sacrifices to God’s Glory and for the good of others? Are we willing to give our lives in order to bring about God’s Will?

O Lord, purify us so we might sacrifice ourselves more perfectly to you and for your children.

Amen.

Holy Saturday

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. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.

To become better followers of Christ, we must do two things. We must die to sin and live for God. The former requires us to be able to resist temptation and sin no more. If we do sin, then we need to reconcile with God through the sacrament of confession. We need to bring ourselves before our Savior, seek his forgiveness with contrite hearts, and do penance for what we have done and failed to do. The second part of the equation requires us to know, love, and serve God and His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. To do this we need to imitate Christ in all things and become living sacrifices, pouring ourselves out in acts of charity and mercy just as Jesus did in his most holy life. Once we do both these things we will discover that our thoughts, words, and works bear good fruit and death loses its power over us, becoming instead a doorway to an abundant afterlife with God.

Have we died to our sins? Are we living for God? How can we become more Christ-like in everything we think, say, and do?

O Lord, we want to die to sin so that we might live for and with you forever.

Amen.