Second Sunday of Advent

Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

We should be eager to live virtuous lives... to do good and avoid evil. We should be eager to rid ourselves of our imperfections and resist all temptations. We should be eager to be at peace with God and ourselves and not caught up in the chaos of the world around us. Throughout each day we will be tested by distractions, doubts, sufferings, obstacles, and all manner of trials, but as long as we choose what is right over what is wrong and put our trust in God, then we shall find inner tranquility. The world might race around us and people might run here or there, but we shall remain where we need to be... centered in Christ. Earthly things may try to divert our attention from God and from good deeds, but we shall remain focused on the Way, Truth, and Life that Jesus has shown us. It is not easy to live spotless lives and to be at peace, but as long as we seek reconciliation with God we shall be given both... and much more: eternal life.

Are we eager to live out our faith? Are we willing to deny ourselves worldly things in order to remain unblemished? How can we better base our lives on the calm and steady rock that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

O Lord, purify us in the fires of your love and mercy and grant us your peace.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

As followers of Christ, we should be guided by the Beatitudes in every aspect of our lives. When others hear or see us, they should hear and see the Beatitudes. We should be poor in spirit so that we can be rich with confidence in God’s Divine Providence. We should be willing to mourn with others so that God will comfort us during our own sufferings. We should be meek so that we will learn to be humble enough to go wherever God wants to lead us. We should hunger and thirst for righteousness because it is only in doing good and avoiding evil that our consciences can be satisfied. We should be merciful because by doing so we act as Christ did and obtain forgiveness for our own sins. We should have clean hearts because it is only by keeping ourselves unsoiled by sin that we can see the Will of God. We should be peacemakers because when we help others heal their relationships we become true imitators of Christ and heirs to his promise of salvation. We should be willing to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness because Jesus showed us in his life that the Kingdom of Heaven is worth suffering and dying for. We should be willing to suffer insults and persecutions in the name of Christ because when our souls are right with God no amount of difficulty can lessen our joy and gladness. If we do all these things, then our reward will be great in Heaven and our lives will be truly blessed.

Are we leading lives guided by the Beatitudes? How can we make our words and works more in line with these ideals? What can we do to bring these blessings into the lives of others?

O Lord, make us into living Beatitudes.

Amen.