The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Jesus Christ is our King. This is something we as Christians need to accept. We need to recognize him as our Lord, who has the right to ask us to do whatever is needed to fulfill his will. If he asks for our gifts and talents, then we must give them to him to the best of our abilities. If he asks for our treasures and goods, we must offer them up for his purpose. If he asks for us to suffer mockery and persecution for him, then we must stand at his side ready to receive the blows. If he asks us to die for his glory or the good of others, then we must be able to let go of our lives and give them over to him as a sacrifice. In all things, we must we willing to accept our crosses, whatever they might be... great or small, easy or hard. This is what Jesus did for us, and we should be willing and able to do the same for His Kingdom.

Do we recognize that we were created through and for God and not ourselves? Do we recognize Jesus as the Head of the Church and the master of our lives? What are we doing to seek out our spiritual fulfillment in and with Him?

O Lord, in you we were created and for the magnification of you we were made.

Amen.

Thirty-Third Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full. My steps have been steadfast in your paths, my feet have not faltered. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my word.

The pathways to Heaven may be narrow and fraught with peril, but they lead to glory and joy. This is why we must strive to be steadfast in the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Together they lead us to where we need to be as Christians and servants of God. They keep us from straying from the path and falling into the pits and traps that lay just off the edge of the trail. Our enemies wait for us to misstep and sin so they might attack us and drag us away to our own destruction. However, God is always listening and His Word will guide and protect us if we let it. Then, we shall know true happiness, which only comes from imitating God and magnifying His Holy Spirit within us.

Are we willing to turn our back on the wide road of destruction and instead follow the narrower road to salvation? How can we live in accordance with God’s Will? What can we do to imitate and magnify our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, help us to be steadfast in your paths.

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.

Thirty-First Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need. He dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright; he is gracious and merciful and just. Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.

As Christians, we are called to be lights to the world. Our thoughts should enlighten ourselves and others and lead us to faithful and holy lives. Our words should bring the fires of hope into the world. Our works should reveal and magnify God’s Goodness and manifest it for all to see. We are meant to be gracious, merciful, and just, leading all whom we meet to a better way of life through the truth. We make present the Lord through our good deeds and we should do everything in our power to be the dawn in the darkness for all those in need of God’s Light.

Are our thoughts, words, and works good? Do we cultivate our lives so they are filled with graciousness, mercy, and justice? How can we become a light for others on their journey toward eternal life with God?

O Lord, help us to dawn through the darkness.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

God cannot deny the image of Himself that resides in each person. This is why He is so willing to forgive and bring us back into His good graces even after we have turned our backs on Him through sin or apathy. He wants us to be united to Him in body, mind, and spirit. He wants us to magnify Him through our thoughts, words, and works. However, He will not force us to be good and faithful children. He wants us to choose to know, love, and serve Him and the image of Him that exists in each person. If we deny Him, He will attempt to change our minds and give us every opportunity to atone for our transgressions, but in the end, He will deny us salvation if we refuse the offers of His Divine Mercy. But, if we persevere and die with Him, then we shall live forever with Him as co-heirs to His Heavenly Kingdom.

In what ways have we denied God’s Divine Image within us? How can we rid ourselves of these things that mar us so we can accept God more fully into our hearts, minds, and spirits? What can we do to persevere in our faith?

O Lord, we are willing to die for you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.

We should strive to see the good things of the Lord in this life as well as the next. We should see the world through the lens of faith. We see should see the good in others, in creation, and do our best to bring out the good in our every thought, word, and work. This is how Jesus approached the word, knowing that we are sinners, but being willing to look past that to the holy people beneath. He tried to free everyone of the shackles of sin and we should do the same to the best of our abilities and according to our talents. And if we do these things, then we will join the Holy Trinity in the house of the Lord and spend the rest of eternity with God, contemplating Him and the good things He has done for us.

Are our eyes open to the good things of this world? How can we magnify those things that lead us closer to God? What can we do to diminish those things that lead us away from Him?

O Lord, we seek to dwell with and contemplate you always.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Monday in Ordinary Time

The Lord comes to judge the earth. For great is the LORD and highly to be praised; awesome is he, beyond all gods. For all the gods of the nations are things of nought, but the LORD made the heavens.

Everything in this world is nothing compared to God. We are nothing. The earth is nothing. The universe is nothing. And yet, God has given us His all though the sacrifice of His Beloved Son. He died for us because He loves us in spite of our nothingness. He gave each of us His Divine Image to bear into the world. Not to hide it, but to reveal it through our thoughts, words, and works. He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire us so that we could magnify Him and rejoice in His Goodness. And in the end, we will be judged by how well we manifested God to others because we are all called to be God bearers and without Him we are empty vessels, devoid of substance and meaning. But with Him, we are His children, and worthy of spending the rest of eternity with Him in Heaven.

Do we recognize our nothingness without God? How can we allow God to fill us with His Divine Image? What can we do to magnify and manifest Him to all the world?

O Lord, all is naught before you.

Amen.

Twenty-First Monday in Ordinary Time

The Lord takes delight in his people. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia!

Our glory is determined not by our worldly fame or fortune, it is determined by how well we fulfill God’s Divine Plan for our lives. God delights in us when we manifest Him and do everything in our power to know, love, and serve Him and His children. He wants us to exult Him and His marvelous deeds and to encourage our fellow Christians to bear good fruits. We do this through the way we live our daily lives and the way we treat others, especially those most difficult for us to love. We sing His praises best when our voices are ones full of charity and compassion. We amplify God’s greatness most powerfully when we imitate the life of Christ, who is the most perfect example of holy goodness.

How can we give glory to God in all we think, say, and do? How can we sing His praises more meaningfully? In what ways can we grow in the glory of all God’s faithful?

O Lord, we exult you in glory and praise.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire! Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise. Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"

God is constantly trying to fill us with the fires of his faith, hope, love, goodness, truth, mercy, and grace. He wants us to be ablaze with Him from the moment we wake in the morning to the moment we close our eyes at night. When people see us, they should know we are Christians by the light of our lives shining in the darkness of the world. We should be beacons of faith, hope, and love. We are meant to be lights for all the world to see and constantly lead others to Him. So, let our lives burn bright in the night, praising, glorifying, and magnifying God in all we think, say, and do.

Are we keeping the fires of our faith alive even in the midst of the darkness of the world? How can we make ourselves into beacons of grace for all who see us? What can we do to enkindle the light of Christ in ourselves and others?

O Lord, fill our souls with your fire.

Amen.

Eleventh Monday of Ordinary Time

The Lord has made known his salvation. In the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. 

God has made known His Salvation in many ways. He made it known to the Israelites in the Old Testament. He made it know through the coming of Jesus Christ. He made it known through the life, passion, death, and resurrection of His Beloved Son. He made it known through the proclamation of the New Testament and the sacrifices of the early martyrs. He made it known through the institution of the Church and its traditions. He made it known from generation to generation through the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit. He tries to make it known through us and through the way we think, speak, and work. He wants us to reveal His Justice and Mercy to all the nations. He wants us to show His Kindness to the world. So, let us be God-bearers, magnifying the Lord in all we are from the beginning to the end of each of our days.

Do we give God thanks for all He has done to save us from sin and death? In what ways are we making God’s Salvation known to others? How can we become better signs of God’s kindness and faithfulness toward all of mankind?

O Lord, make your salvation known to and through us.

Amen.

Pentecost Sunday

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the LORD.

The Holy Spirit comes into our lives in many ways. He comes in our moment of conception. He comes in our living. He comes in our loving. He comes in our holy thoughts. He comes in our words of peace and compassion. He comes in our works of charity and mercy. He comes to renew our faith in every prayer we pray and every mass we attend. He comes to us through the Blessed Sacrament. He also goes forth with us into the world. He goes forth with us to proclaim the Good News. He goes forth with us to be our companion along the Way. He goes forth with us to guide us to the Truth. He goes forth into our daily world to show us how to live the Life of Christ. He goes for with us to show us how to make our every moment into a good work that brings gladness to God and others.

Are our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies open to the Holy Spirit? What can we do to bring the Holy Spirit into every facet of our lives? How can we embody the gifts of the Holy Spirit and magnify God through our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, send your Spirit to us so we might be able to go forth into the world and bear your Good News to all your people.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. Why should the pagans say, “Where is their God?”

Everything we do should be for God’s glory, honor, or praise. Our every act should have Him as its Source, its Center, and its Summit. No matter what our status, occupation, or position in life is, we should find ways to imitate Christ. Our days should be filled with works of charity and mercy toward whoever comes our way, even our enemies and those whom we find most difficult to love. We should magnify God in our work and in play by having a charitable mindset in all things. Our lives should constantly point others toward God. And if we receive praise for what we do, then we should make clear God is the source of all our good.

Do we give glory to God as often as we should? Do our thoughts, words, and works magnify the goodness of our Lord? Do our lives reveal the presence of God to others?

O Lord, grant us the graces we need to show others that you are with us.

Amen.

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

God loves the goodness for He is good. God loves the righteous for He is upright. God loves justice for He is just. God loves kindness for He is kind. God loves the faithful for He is the Way. God loves the trustworthy for He is the Truth. God loves the joyful for He is the Life. In Him is the fullness of existence and redemption. We will never be disappointed if we remain by His side and allow Him to lead us where we need to go and inspire us to do what must be done.

Do we see the goodness of the world God created? How can we magnify that goodness and lead others to a closer relationship with our Creator? How can we embody all the virtues that have their source, center, and summit in our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, the earth is full of your goodness.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Think about what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. Just like a worldly ambassador, we have many responsibilities to our God and King. We act on His behalf through our thoughts, words, and works. We are His representatives to those around us... to our families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. If we fail to live up to our duties, then we fail not only God but all those whom we were supposed to aid through our position. If we are corrupted or selfish, we give the world yet another reason to reject God. However, if we are true to our faith by spreading hope and love to all the nations, then we will become powerful testaments to God’s Goodness. We shall help others to be reconciled with God and guide them to salvation. We are all called to magnify the Lord in all things and help others to know God is With Us. It was for this that we were put on earth and hopefully we fulfill that purpose each and every day of our lives.

Are we good and faithful ambassadors for Christ? What are we doing to lead others to reconciliation and salvation? How can we manifest God’s Love for all and do all things with righteous hearts?

O Lord, we are your ambassadors send us where you will.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Lent

It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice. Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

God wants us to be merciful like Him. He wants us to be good like Him. He wants us to be compassionate like Him. He wants us to love like Him. He wants us to magnify Him for all the world through our thoughts, words, and works. All the almsgiving, prayer, and mortification in the world will avail us nothing if we don’t do it in His Spirit. We can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. God wants us to do them for Him and Him alone. It isn’t easy choosing to be Christ-like. It is a hard and narrow path filled with hardship and suffering and sacrifice, but if we follow in God’s footsteps and accept our crosses, then we shall taste the goodness of the Lord and enjoy His Heavenly Feast for all eternity.

Are we merciful like God? Are we good and compassionate like Him? How can we magnify Him in all we think, do, and say?

O Lord, wash us from our guilt and sin so we will become merciful, good, and compassionate.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! You turn man back to dust, saying, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.

God constantly pours His love upon us because He wants us to be filled with love. He wants us to be overflowing with holiness, goodness, truth, mercy, and all that He is. He wants us to magnify Him in and through our every thought, word, and work. He only wants what is best for us and does everything in His power to provide us with the graces and blessings we need to become good and faithful servants to Him and His children.  He wants to make us heirs to His Heavenly Kingdom because He wants to spend the rest of eternity with us. Our Father wants us to be his sons and daughters forever and ever, for a thousand years and beyond... till time ends and beyond. It should humble us to imagine that God loves us so much although we are less than dust compared to Him. What a marvelous thing it is to be loved by an infinite God.

Are we allowing ourselves to be filled to the brim with God’s Love? Do we sing for joy at the thought of how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father? How can we help others feel loved, too?

O Lord, fill us with your love.

Amen.

Fifth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak.

The Lord sends out His Holy Spirit to each and every one of us and through the Holy Spirit He offers us virtues, gifts, and graces. He pours out His Love and Mercy upon us and offers to make us holy, too. He wants our souls to be blessed and our lives to be good. He wants us to be great like He is great. He wants to clothe us in His Light and robe us in His Truth so we might walk His Way in confidence. He gives us more gifts than we can count. More than we could ever repay. And yet, all He asks of us is to be good and faithful servants and love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths and our neighbors as He loves them. Truly, He is majestic, glorious, and good.

Are our hearts open and welcoming to the Holy Spirit? Do we put the graces and blessings we receive through the Spirit to good use? How can we magnify the greatness and the glory of God for all whom we meet?

O Lord, send your Holy Spirit to renew our hearts.

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.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters, especially for strangers; they have testified to your love before the Church. Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey. For they have set out for the sake of the Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.

Hospitality and friendliness toward strangers are virtues we all should strive for in our lives. Jesus was kind and welcoming to all who came to him, even those whom others saw as unclean, evil, or beneath their notice. Jesus did not care who a person was, he only saw the image of God within others and sought to renew and magnify that image in each person by showing them love and compassion. He supported all who came to him to the best of his abilities. He cured the sick, the lame, the possessed. He forgave sins. He poured out his graces and powers to bring as many as he could to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we want to be true imitators of Jesus, then we must do the same for all whom we meet in this life. Willing to help the needy, comfort the sick and sorrowing, protect the weak, and be faithful witnesses to all who come to us for aid.

Are we hospitable and friendly even to those whom we do not know or like? How can transform our own hearts into the welcoming heart of Jesus? What can we do to magnify the Lord in ourselves and others?

O Lord, make us faithful in all we do for your brothers and sisters.

Amen.

Thirty-First Thursday in Ordinary Time

But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Everything in this world is a loss, except those things that lead us closer to God. We might be surrounded by worldly treasures and pleasures, but all of them are empty when compared to the spiritual treasures and pleasures we can gain through a holy, loving, and faithful life. The supreme good of our lives is coming to know, love, and serve our Heavenly Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is this good that we should constantly strive for in this life so we might magnify the Lord and rejoice in our Savior just as his most faithful servants did in their lives.

How can we detach ourselves from worldly things and see them all as a loss? What can we do to live our lives in accord with the supreme good of knowing, loving, and serving God? Are we willing to sacrifice the world so we might gain heaven?

O Lord, you are the source of all spiritual gain. Grant us the supreme good of knowing, loving, and serving you.

Amen.