Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up! I, the LORD, have created this. For thus says the LORD, the creator of the heavens, who is God, The designer and maker of the earth who established it, Not creating it to be a waste, but designing it be lived in: I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Justice and salvation are what God offers us each and every day. He created all the universe and everything in it in order for us to live in justice so we might be saved. He does not wish us any evil, He gives us every chance to do the right thing... to know, love, and serve Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths and to love others as He loves them. He wants us to be good fruits, nourishing the faith, hope, and love of others so they might join him in Heaven. He wants us to be fonts of His Mercy, pouring out His Grace upon all whom we meet. He did not create us to be a waste, but to be a living blessing, showing others that God loves them and should be at the center of all people’s hearts.

Are we leading just lives? What are we doing in order to lead others to God’s Grace and Salvation? Are we living our lives wisely and well or are we wasting them?

O Lord, give us the grace to live in you and not waste away in worldly pursuits.

Amen.

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 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.

Thirty-Third Monday in Ordinary Time

Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Indignation seizes me because of the wicked who forsake your law.

The unfair treatment of others should fill us with indignation. It should light a fire within us. One that inspires us to bring love, mercy, and justice to the world around us. When we see wickedness, we should oppose it and try to show people there is another way. We cannot force goodness on others, but we can proclaim the Good News and show what it means to be Christians by living our lives in accordance with Scriptures. Most importantly, although we might hate the sins, we must also love the sinner. We must be able to separate the two from each other so we can treat people well no matter how ugly their actions are. God is the only judge and no matter how much we might be tempted to condemn another, we must only condemn their actions, not the person.

How are we fighting against the unfair treatment of others? How can we learn to love those whom we find most repugnant? What do we do to keep ourselves from being judgmental?

O Lord, help us to fight against the unfair treatment of others.

Amen.

Thirtieth Thursday in Ordinary Time

Save me, O Lord, in your mercy. Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name’s sake; in your generous mercy rescue me; For I am wretched and poor, and my heart is pierced within me.

There are moments in our lives when we just have to ask God to save us. We are lost in a sea of confusion. We are battered by storms of doubt and difficulties. We are crushed beneath a mountain of worries. We are pierced by sufferings and sorrows. We don’t have the strength to get back onto our feet without God’s Help. Thankfully, God is always listening and He will never give us a burden we cannot bear. He will always grant us graces, blessings, and strengths to overcome our trials. He takes pity on us, wretched and poor, and deals kindly with us. He tends to our wounds, guides us back to where we are meant to be, and shows us the way forward.

Do we ask God to save us or do we try to save ourselves? How can we learn to trust that God will deal with us kindly and rescue us from harm? What can we do to imitate His generous mercy in our own daily lives?

O Lord, in your generous mercy rescue us.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Lord, you are merciful and gracious. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

When we are faced with difficulties or sadness, we should turn to God for consolation. We should set our hearts on Him and remember all the wondrous deeds He has done for us. We should recall His Goodness and think upon all He will do for us in Heaven. Doing these things, should gladden our hearts and lift up our souls because we know God will grace us with blessings beyond anything we can imagine in this life. He will come to our aid when we call to Him and grant us graces more numerous than the stars. He has the ability to turn our sorrows to joys and our worries into confident trust in Him.

Are we merciful and gracious like our God? Do we call on Him in our times of need? How can we let Him lift our souls out of darkness, doubts, and worldly cares?

O Lord, we call to upon your mercy and grace all the day.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday in Ordinary Time

If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand? If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.

Thank goodness God doesn’t mark our iniquities! Instead, He offers us forgiveness and mercy. He allows us to wash away and cleanse our sins though the sacrament of reconciliation. He allows us back into His good graces if we come to Him with humble and contrite hearts, confess our sins to a priest, and do penance. What a wondrously loving God we have! One who is willing to forgive and forget our sins if we are willing to be humbled before Him.

Do we appreciate how forgiving and merciful God is to us? Do we mark the iniquities committed against us? What can we do to be more forgiving of ourselves and others?

O Lord, may you be revered forever for your mercy and forgiveness.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.  This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.

Praying for those in authority is something we all should do. Even if we do not agree with a person’s politics, we should still pray that they make the best decisions for the people they represent. We should pray that our leaders resist the temptations of office, such as corruption, pride, arrogance. We should also pray that our leaders build up the kingdom of Christ and not tear it down through their speeches, decisions, and laws. We might not be able to claim ultimate victory over the worldly in the realm of politics, but that doesn’t mean we should leave the field, either. Instead, we should treat our foes with love and mercy and try to show them the truth by being good citizens who are faithful to the Gospel.

Do we offer prayers for our leaders? How can we show love and mercy to our political foes? What can we do to make our country into one that respects the dignity of each human and our religious freedoms?

O Lord, we pray for those in authority.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.  Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost. But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life. 

We are all Paul is some way or another. Some are blasphemers. Others persecutors. Many are arrogant in their own unique ways. All of us have acted wrongly whether out of full-knowledge and consent to sin or out of ignorance. Thankfully, God is infinitely more forgiving than we could ever be sinful. No matter what we have done or failed to do, He has the grace to wash our stains and imperfections away and give us a clean start. After all, Jesus Christ did come into this world to save sinners and we all are sinners. Some of us foremost among them. However, God is compassionate and if we come to Him and confess our sins with humble and contrite hearts, then He will treat us mercifully. God is patient and kind. He will never use our admission of guilt against us. Instead, He will respect us for having the courage to admit we are wrong and in need of help and He will give us the graces we need to overcome our weaknesses and defend ourselves from the wickedness and snares of the Devil and all the evil powers of the world. Then, one day, when the race has been run, He will welcome us into the Heavenly Kingdom and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.” And all the sins of our past will be left behind and forgotten.

In what ways are we like Paul before his conversion? Do we make regular use of confession to help us uproot our weaknesses and sinful tendencies? How do we mirror God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to others, especially those who tempt us to sin or who we have difficulty forgiving?

O Lord, we thank you for treating us with such infinite mercy.

Amen.

Twenty-Third Tuesday in Ordinary Time

The Lord is compassionate toward all his works. I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.

God is compassionate toward all of us. He may be just in His punishment, but He is merciful, too. He gives us an example of treating others well and being good to them, even when they aren’t good to us. He shows us how to know, love, and serve Him and all His children, especially those who are most difficult to love. It is by His Holy Name that we are blessed and filled with grace and it is because of Him that we are called to become living sacrifices.

How do we treat others? Are we as compassionate as God is compassionate? What can we do to grown in mercy and love of God and others?

O Lord, be compassionate toward us.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Wednesday in Ordinary Time

I trust in the mercy of God for ever. I, like a green olive tree in the house of God, Trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

God planted us upon this earth to bear good fruit. He has nourished us with the Light of faith and the waters of His Love and Mercy. He has cultivated us with Hope and pruned us with the virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. He has weeded evil out of our hearts and protects us from the worms of temptation. We flourish under His care and grow in holiness and grace with each passing season. It is because of Him that we have good things and produce good works. And we should be thankful He has planted us in the fertile soil of His Divine Image, which gives us all we need to become fruitful Christians.

Do we trust in the Light of God’s Truth? Do we allow ourselves to be saturated with the waters of God’s Love and Mercy? What can we do to ensure we bear good and abundant fruits?

O Lord, we trust in your mercy.

Amen.

Nineteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!

Our hearts are like Jerusalem. They are cities made of virtues and vices. We have places of holiness and openness to God’s Will and we have our dark corners where it isn’t safe for us to go. But no matter what, we can be sure that like Jerusalem God will grant us peace in our borders if we have faith in Him, hope in His Goodness, and love as He loves us. He will wash away our iniquities and cleanse the places in our hearts that have grown dark from abuse and indifference. He will fill us up with His Grace and Mercy if we allow Him through our gates and welcome Him into our lives. He will bring great riches into us if we let Him. And He will dwell within us if we make ourselves into His living temples.

Are we willing to let God bring peace into our hearts? What dark places do we need to cleanse from our lives? How can we be more open to the spiritual food God offers us?

O Lord, grant us your peace and fill us with good fruits.

Amen.

Seventeenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

Thank goodness God doesn’t deal with us according to our sins or requite us according to our crimes. If He did, we would all be destined to destruction. We are infinitely blessed to have such a kind and merciful God as our Heavenly Father, who not only gave us His Beloved Son, but also His Holy Spirit. He has provided us commandments to protect us, teachings to guide us, and inspirations to sanctify us. He is always ready to help those who fear disappointing Him. He will never abandon us as long as we seek Him out in our daily lives and strive to be good and faithful servants. Yes, we might stumble along the Way, we might forget the Truth, and we might lose sight of the Life we are called to live, but He will be there every step of the way to lead us back to where we are supposed to be as Christians.

Are we as kind and merciful as God is to us? How can we become more compassionate? What can we do to promote the compassion of others?

O Lord, help us to imitate your kindness and mercy.

Amen.

Sixteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

Sometimes we fail to offer God a sacrifice of praise. This happens when selfishness enters into our thoughts, words, and works. We might do the “right” thing, but for the wrong reasons. Our just and merciful actions might be tainted by self-righteousness and unforgiveness. We might put on a mask of goodness, but without addressing the evil within our hearts. We talk a good game about being followers of Christ, but in truth we fail to follow through on our talk and make it our reality, too. However, with God’s Grace all things are possible… even changing our fake praise and “good” works with the real things. We just have to let go of our selfish desires and grudges and let God step into these areas and purify them and make them holy.

Why are we selfish, self-righteous, and unforgiving? How can we rid ourselves of these things and become more faithful to the New Covenant? In what ways can we be more faithful in our praising of God?

O Lord, make us into truly just and merciful people, who praise you in through, word, and work.

Amen.

Fifteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed. He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel.

God has made known His Ways to us. He has shown us His Divine Love and Mercy through His deeds. The Incarnation united Him with us in body and blood. His hidden life with Mary illustrated how to be humble and obedient. His ministry revealed what it means to be forgiving, compassionate, and charitable to all, even our enemies. His Passion and Death were choices Jesus made to reveal what it truly means to give your life for others. His Resurrection and the Gift of the Holy Spirit reminds us to hold onto hope no matter what and gives us the strength to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News.

Do we follow the ways of God? Do we imitate his good deeds? How can we be as kind and merciful as He is to us?

O Lord, help us to follow your ways.

Amen.

Thirteenth Friday of Ordinary Time

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just. Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people. 

Just as Jesus became strong and filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him, so we are called to grow stronger in faith and wisdom so God can favor us. Our Heavenly Father wants each and every one of us to be good as He is Good. He wants to bless us and help us to observe and do what is right. He wants us to be just and merciful as He is Justice and Mercy. He wants to bless us and fill us with grace and give us every chance to become holy disciples. When we consider all He has done for us, we should be more than willing to give Him thanks and to bear His Good News to the ends of the earth.

Do we observe what is right? Are we just in the way we treat others? How can we be good as our Heavenly Father is Good?

O Lord, remember and favor us as we strive to do what is right and just.

Amen.

Thirteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness. He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever.

God is kind. He cares for each and every human being and has sacrificed His Beloved Son to prove His Love to us. He is merciful because even though we take Him for granted, ignore Him, turn our backs on His teachings, choose worldly things over Him, and fail Him in countless ways... He still is willing to forgive us. Even though we are sinners, He still shows us compassion in our own times of trial and difficulty. He is much slower to anger than any of us and much more forgiving. He knows we are weak and fallen, but He gives us the grace to be strong and rise up again. If we do make Him angry, but confess our sins with contrite hearts and do penance, then He will let go of His anger and let us back into His Good Graces. We should feel blessed to have such a merciful and kind God and strive to imitate Him whenever we can.

Are we kind? Are we merciful? How can we become better imitators of God’s gracious goodness?

O Lord, make us kind and merciful as you are kind and merciful.

Amen.

Eleventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth. Majesty and glory are his work, and his justice endures forever. He has won renown for his wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the LORD.

God is justice and truth. He is majestic and glorious. He is wondrous in His deeds. He is gracious and merciful. As His children, we are called to be just in our actions and truthful in our speech. We are called to recognize God’s majesty and glorify God through our words and works. We are asked to proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the world. We are inspired to be gracious to all whom we meet and merciful to those who trespass against us. Our vocation in this life is to be the best reflections of God’s Divine Image that we can be so others can see God at work in the world and know we are Christians.

Are we just and truthful in our dealings with others? In what ways do we make known God’s Goodness to the world? How can we become more gracious and merciful?

O Lord, make us into instruments of your justice and truth.

Amen.

Eleventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Praise the Lord, my soul! Praise the LORD, my soul! I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.

There are many reasons for us to sing God’s praises. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night, God is blessing us in one way or another. He may do so in small or great, hidden or obvious ways. He is constantly showing us how much He loves us through these acts of charity. He also reveals His Divine Mercy to each of us, offering forgiveness for our sins and helping us to resist temptations. It is only through His Strength that we can be strong. It is only through His Love that we can be loving. It is only through His Compassion that we can be merciful. And because of these things we ought to sing praise to God while we live so one day, we might join the choir of angels in Heaven and sing to our Beloved God forever and ever.

Do we take notice of all the good things God has done for us? How can we respond to God’s Grace in more meaningful and fruitful ways? What can we do to sing His praises to others?

O Lord, our souls will praise you all of our lives and beyond.

Amen.

Tenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

The Lord is kind and merciful. He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.

It is truly humbling to consider how much God has forgiven us. Think about all of our imperfections, failures, trespasses, and sins. Think about what we have done wrong in this life and all the goods we have failed to do. And yet, God continues to love and forgive us. He pardons us of our iniquities and heals us of our ills. He redeems us from destruction and offers us everlasting life. He crowns us with kindness and compassion as a show of what we are called to do as Christians. Truly, He is kind and merciful and all He asks of us is to be kind and merciful to others and to love Him as He loves us.

Have we thanked God for being so kind and merciful to us? Are we kind and merciful to others like God is to us? What can we do to show our desire to be pardoned, healed, and redeemed?

O Lord, pardon our iniquities and redeem us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.

In the end God will be victorious. Good will overcome evil. Holiness will defeat sin. Life will destroy death. And knowing these things should give us a lot to sing about. We should sing a song of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father for all the amazing graces He has given us. We should sing God’s praises to the mountains and seas. We should march throughout the world as saints, proclaiming God’s Mercy and the promise of Heaven. We should sing joyfully to the world and bear the Good News with all our thoughts, words, and works.

How can we join our voices to those of the heavenly choir? What can we do to bring the music of mercy and love into our world? What joyful notes are we being called to sing for God and His children?

O Lord, we sing your praises on the harps of our hearts.

Amen.