Twenty-Ninth Friday in Ordinary Time

I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul urges us all to live in a manner worthy of the call of Christ. It is a calling that emphasizes our oneness in Christ. We are called to be united to our Heavenly Father through the Body and Blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The act of joining our hearts, minds, and spirits to God requires us to trust in Him, to be humble enough to submit our will to His, and to strive to preserve our unity. We are called to faith, hope, and love. We are called to be gentle and patient and bear with one another. We are called to live out our baptismal vocation and imitate Jesus Christ. We are called to be willing to be a prisoner for the Lord and put His Will before ours.

Are we willing to suffer and be imprisoned in order to follow God’s Will? How can we learn to bear with others in patience and mildness? What can we do in our lives to be more united with God and all His children?

O Lord, we wish only to answer the call you’ve given us to be united with you and your children in faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

Thirtieth Saturday of Ordinary Time

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’”

Humility is an important virtue for all of us to cultivate throughout our lives. We are constantly tempted to commit acts of pride, such as seeking to be recognized for the good we’ve done, bragging about our successes, etc. However, this is not what we are called to do. Jesus gives us a better way: the little way of humility. When we act out of meekness, rather than boasting, we imitate Christ’s model of spiritual modesty. This may be difficult for most of us to do, but it is necessary if we want to share in Jesus’ life. So the next time we are tempted to seek honor, let us remember that the honor of this world is nothing but chaff before God.

Do we continually cultivate a spirit of humbleness? What are we prideful about? How can we teach ourselves to be meek when confronted with these temptations?

O Lord, may we learn to be meek and mild, especially when confronted with the temptation to be prideful.

Amen.

Fifteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

We can learn a lot from Jesus and the way he deals with those who persecute him. He does not challenge the Pharisees in a confrontational manner. He doesn’t cry out and make a scene. He doesn’t bruise anyone physically or emotionally or get angry with them. Instead, he brings justice, love, and mercy to his followers. He brings hope to the hopeless. In a similar manner, we are called to be meek and humble of heart, not to be pushovers (Jesus certainly wasn’t), but also not to push others. You can’t force faith, hope, or love. We nurture it and cultivate it with patience.

Do we contend with those who persecute us? Or do we act like Jesus? How can we foster within us the patience and mildness we need to act truly Christ-like?

O Lord, help us to bring your justice and hope to the world.

Amen.

Sixth Friday of Easter

When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.

Loving God and our neighbors requires sacrifice and suffering if we want to do it right. Love asks us to labor with patience, mildness, and perseverance so that one day we can give birth to good works that will ripple out into the world. Like children whom we care for and nurture, these acts of charity and mercy go out into the world and show our neighbors that we are Christians by our love. When we see these good works bear fruit, we forget all of the sacrifices they required from us and are thankful for the graces which flowed from our actions.

What are our current labors of love? What are we willing to suffer and sacrifice for? How can we reflect on the sufferings and good works in our lives in such a way as to grow in our capability to love God, ourselves, and others?

O Lord, help us to give birth to good in the world.

Amen.