Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

We can learn a lot about how to live our lives from Scripture. We are shown time and again what it means to be a God-bearing person. We are given commandments to follow, teachings to live by, and guidance in leading holy lives. We are given corrections for our failures and trained in righteousness. If we live according to the Good News, we will be equipped for every good work. This is why it is so important to proclaim the Word of God through our every thought, word, and work. It not only builds up and reinforces our own holiness, but helps others to increase in faith, hope, and love. The life of Christian virtue is one we must live whether it is convenient or inconvenient so we can convince, reprimand, and encourage others in their own journeys toward God.

Do we take time each day to meditate on Scripture? How can we take what we learn from the Good News and put it into practice? What can we do to support others in their own faith journeys?

O Lord, help us to be persistent in living out the teachings of the Holy Scriptures you’ve provided us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

In the day to day of the world, we can get distracted by lots of things. We can lose sight of what really matters. We can forget what we really should want above all... to see God’s face in Heaven. However, with prayer, practice, and persistence we can bring this desire to the forefront of our lives. We can find ways to overcome our distractions, worries, and fears and instead focus on what is truly important... our relationship with God and with His children.

How can we rid ourselves of all those distractions that keep us from living the Christ-like life? What can we do to found our lives more perfectly upon God’s Presence within us? How can we improve our relationship with the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

O Lord, help us to establish our lives upon you so that one day we might see your face.

Amen.

Tenth Thursday in Ordinary Time

"Climb up and look out to sea," he directed his servant, who went up and looked, but reported, "There is nothing." Seven times he said, "Go, look again!" And the seventh time the youth reported, "There is a cloud as small as a man's hand rising from the sea." Elijah said, "Go and say to Ahab, 'Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.'" In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell.

We can only have one God. We either choose to follow our Heavenly Father and trust in His Will or we choose the Evil One and follow him to our destruction. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t straddle the fence. We must love our Lord and Him alone and live forever or we will love the world and die in sin. We must have faith that God will pour out the graces we need to grow in faith or we will have faith in nothing and wither in wickedness. There is no middle ground between Good and Evil, Right and Wrong. We either choose to be good and faithful servants of Jesus Christ or we become the vile tenants who kill him for our own selfish reasons.

Does our love of God come first and foremost in our lives? Are we willing to turn away from all those things that lead us away from God and into temptation and sin? Do we pray every day that God will pour His Love, Mercy, and Grace into our hearts and renew our spirits?

O Lord, make us persistent in pursuing your life-giving graces.

Amen.

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

We are all charged with proclaiming the Word with whatever gifts and talents God has given us. Some may proclaim the work through the vocation of being priests and religious. Others through being ministers and volunteers. Still more through parenthood, being care-givers, or their jobs. Some may proclaim the Good News through words of wisdom, consolation, love, faith, or hope. Others through good works and acts of mercy. Still others through ideas that give glory to God or help to the needy. No matter what the calling is, we are all asked to be persistent in our pursuit of God’s Will... whether it is convenient or inconvenient for us. This means convincing the difficult, reprimanding those whom we love when they do wrong, encouraging others to patience, and teaching everyone we meet that the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ is exactly what they need to thrive in this life and the next.

Are we proclaiming the Good News as we should? What can we do to bear God’s Divine Word into the lives of those around us? Are we persistent in our faith, hope, and love even when it is inconvenient?

O Lord, we accept your charge to proclaim your word.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The LORD said to Samuel: "How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons."

We all suffer setbacks in our lives. We all have plans that just don’t work out. We all know what it is like to have to start over from scratch. When faced with all these things we are often tempted to grieve or give up, but God reminds us that just because things don’t end up how we envisioned them, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t set out again and try to do things right the next time. Failure isn’t something we should fear. No. Not trying is what we should fear. Rarely does anything we do go off without a hitch or a hiccup or an outright disaster. But what matters is trying to do good and avoid evil. God doesn’t want us to grieve our failures, but to learn from them, to fill ourselves up with His grace, and then go back out into the world. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be on our way and not hiding. We might feel sad for ourselves and not want to risk being hurt again, but the only way to do God’s Will is to risk suffering and accept the sword that will pierce our hearts. Spiritual success doesn’t mean we would be called upon to make great sacrifices... in truth it may mean making even greater ones than we ever imagined.

How can we overcome our failures? What can we do to combat the discouraging emotions we suffer after a setback? How can we learn from our mistakes and go back out into the world and try again?

O Lord, fill us with your grace after our failures and send up back into the world.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

The man then said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” The man asked, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel, because you have contended with divine and human beings and have prevailed.”

Jacob’s persistence pays off with a blessing from God. He could have easily given up at any time, especially when his hip socket was wrenched. However, he refused to let go and so he was blessed. Sometimes we have things we must wrestle with in our lives. They might be bad habits and sins, they might be major decisions about our lives, or they might be trials that test our faith. But no matter what they are, if we persist in holding onto God as our rock and savior, we shall be rewarded in the end.

Are we persistent in the things that matter most... in faith, hope, and love? Are we willing to wrestle with the tough choices of our lives instead of flee from them? How ca we prepare ourselves for the physical, mental, and spiritual struggles that lie ahead?

O Lord, bless us who hold onto you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, 
because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”

We can never pray enough, especially if we think of prayer as not only a mental or verbal activity, but also as a physical one. When we pray, it should be with our entire being, our every thought, word, and work. Our days should be a persistent prayer of praise to God for all He has done for us and our loved ones. If we do this, God will render a just decision for us out of love rather than annoyance. We can never ask God for too much help or seek His advice too many times. He is always willing to listen and aid us. We should not hesitate to speak to Him whenever we have the opportunity because He is the one Counselor who will never let us down.

Do we pray to God persistently? How can we build up the habit of prayer? Do we give thanks to God when He answers our prayers?

O Lord, we trust that you will render a just decision for us against our adversary,

Amen.

The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? 
Will he be slow to answer them?  I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.  But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

Persistence and patience are two important virtues we need to cultivate as Christians. There will be times in our lives when we will want to give up because everything seems stacked against us. There will be other times when we feel abandoned because our prayers seem to go unanswered. But with persistence we can overcome any obstacle and with patience we can learn to accept God's Divine Plan and trust that everything will work out in the end. In addition, these two virtues help us to enter more deeply into our faith by connecting us with Jesus, who was persistence and patience personified. Whenever we feel like giving up, we can look at Jesus and see how after his cross came his triumph. The same holds true for us.

Do we call out to God day and night whenever we are in need? Do we trust that God will provide us with the graces we need to overcome all things? Do we believe that God will see justice done for us, even if it is not in the way we might want it?

O Lord, grant us the persistence and patience we need to triumph over every cross.

Amen.

Eighteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

We would do well to keep in mind the persistence and words of the Canaanite woman whenever we are faced with difficulties. We should not be so prideful that we do not seek God’s help first and foremost. None of us is perfect. We are all sinners. However, we should also never feel so unworthy of God’s Love that we fail to ask for His Mercy. God loves both saints and sinners, those who are worthy and unworthy, and He will not rest until He has given all His children every opportunity to love Him in return. It is in the virtue of humility that we find the sense of worth that we need to approach God, persist in our faith, and the willingness to accept any graces, great or small, that God might offer us in our times of need.

How often do we ask God to have pity on us? How often do we turn to God for help? Are we willing to do what it takes to cultivate the virtue of humility?

O Lord, give us the faith to seek you out constantly and with humble, persistent hearts.

Amen.

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed.  I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence."

Being Disciples of Christ requires a great deal of persistence. In order to do God’s Will, we often have to persist through trials and overcome obstacles. Because we forsake the riches of the world in favor of heavenly rewards, we will often find ourselves in need of or depending upon the charity of others. This requires a great deal of humility on our part. It is not easy to ask for help, but God wants us to ask for His help and the help of His children. By doing these things we give God and others an opportunity to express and share their love with us. At the same time, this experience of love multiplies our own acts of charity and mercy. That is the wonderful thing about love. It is the one thing we can give that does not lessen us, but makes us more than we already are. Being persistent in the virtue of love is one of the greatest callings in our lives. We might not always feel like helping out, but our feelings and passions should not rule us. Instead, our minds and wills should hold sway and choose to love in spite of how we might feel. This too is the lesson Jesus is trying to teach us. It is not only the persistence of the asker that we should imitate, but also the willingness to act charitably to others even when we do not feel inclined to do so.

Are we persistent in our love of God and His children? Are we willing to humble ourselves to ask for help? Are we willing to love others even when we feel inconvenienced or uninspired to do so?

O Lord, help us to be persistent in following your Will and acting with love and mercy.

Amen.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?

We are all called to take up our daily crosses. Running away from or otherwise avoiding them gains us nothing. The crosses we are asked to carry are different for each person and in accord with what we can carry. God never gives us more than we can handle, especially when we accept His help. Some of us carry crosses that test our faith, others our hope, and still more our love. The weight of these crosses can feel unbearable and even cause us to fall when we are weak, but we should not be discouraged. Even Jesus fell. The important thing is to get back up and keep walking the path God has prepared for us. In the end, we might have to make the ultimate sacrifice just as Jesus did, but as long as we let God lead us to where He wants us, then our lives will be a triumph, too.

Do we deny ourselves even the goods of our lives in order to take up our daily crosses? Are we willing to lose our lives for our faith? What can we do to cultivate the habit of getting back up from our falls into sin and temptation so that we can continue down the road to salvation?

O Lord, give us the strength to bear our daily crosses.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”

We all need help on our way to following Christ. Some, like the paralytic man, need physical help to meet Jesus where he is. Others need mental, emotional, or spiritual help to find their way to Jesus. Sometimes the help we receive is from another person, who shows us what it means to be Christ-like. Other times, we have a sudden conversion of heart because of an event in our lives. Of course just because we realize that we need Jesus doesn’t mean getting to him will be easy. There will be obstacles in our way, built up over time by our bad habits and misguided relationships. But no matter what these hindrances might be, if we are persistent and willing to do whatever it takes to make Jesus present in our lives, eventually we will be able to find him and be forgiven. Along the way, we will probably need more help from others and further conversion experiences. This is why it is so important to surround ourselves with relationships that build up our faith because without good people to carry us when we are weak and direct us when we are lost, we might never make it to Jesus.

Who are the people in our lives that are helping us get closer to God? Do we listen to their council or to the council of more worldly people? Are we willing to persist in our pursuit of Jesus even if it requires us to give up everything else?

O Lord, forgive our sins.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

If only all of us come be more like Zacchaeus in seeking out Jesus in our lives. It’s so easy to become distracted and discouraged by the world and to miss our opportunities to meet with Christ. However, we must be persistent and continue to try to know, love, and serve God and His children as best as we can so that when we do reach the place where Jesus is, he will come and stay within our hearts. When that day comes, we must also be able to let go of our possessions and make reparations for our sins. Then, God will give us the salvation we should be seeking and we shall be found in Him.

Are we persistent in seeking out God? Are we listening for His call? Are we willing to give up our possessions and repay all those whom we have harmed?

O Lord, we are seeking you. Help us to find our way to you.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Saturday of Ordinary Time

“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.  And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,  because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.  Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Persistence pays off, especially in our spiritual lives. Just like the widow, we shouldn’t give up on our desire for a fair judgment in regards to our hopes and our dreams. Sometimes God might not answer us in the way we desired Him to, but He will answer us and His judgment will be just and exactly what we need at the time. When we pray for answers or help from God sometimes we can grow impatient and wonder why He isn’t answering us, but perhaps we are missing His clues and walking past the answers right beneath our noses. Or maybe He is giving us an answer that we just don’t want to accept and so we ignore His judgment and cling to someone or something that keeps us blinded to what is right in our lives. It is up to us to be persistent in our prayer life, but God will be the ultimate arbiter of the answers we receive and as long as we accept them when they come, we will grow in faith and wisdom.

Are we persistent in our spiritual lives? Do we trust that God will answer our prayers to our benefit, even when those answers go against our initial desires? Will Jesus find faith in our hearts when he comes again?

O Lord, render a just decision for me in all that I pray for.

Amen.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

Bartimaeus gives us an example of how we should call out to Jesus in our daily lives. We may not be physically blind, but our sins can make us spiritually blind. When this happens all we can do is seek out Jesus and ask him to have pity on us. Just as Bartimaeus, we will face rebukes by friends, families, and neighbors who won’t understand our desire for God’s help. However, if we persist in our belief in Jesus and trust in his mercy, then we will be called to God and He will answer our prayers. Then we will be able to take courage and know God will grant us what we need in order to do His Will in all things.

Do we call out to God when we are in need? Do we allow others to intimidate us into not living out our faith? How can we take courage in Christ?

O Lord, we call upon you, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

“Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

Once again Jesus reminds us that persistence pays off and as long as we persist in seeking God’s Will and being good and faithful servants, then we will eventually succeed in doing both. It might not be easy, in fact, it will probably require a lot of work and worry, but the pay off in the end will be worth all the time, effort, and suffering to reach these goals. We must constantly pray to God for the graces we need to do penance, sin no more, avoid those things that lead us into temptation, and to do the right thing. God will give us what we need. We have only to ask for it repeatedly, accept it when it comes, and put it to good use.

Are we persistent in our prayers of petition and penance? Do we constantly seek God’s Will in our lives? Are we willing to accept the trials and tribulations that come with doing the good and right thing?

O Lord, give us the courage to persist in our faith and always seek your will.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

“Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

Although his disciples fail to free the lunatic from the demon, Jesus rebukes it and sends it away. When his disciples ask him why they couldn’t drive out the demon, Jesus tells them that their lack of faith is the reason. This is a humbling moment for the disciples and also for us. After all, if the disciples of Jesus, who saw his miracles and performed cures of their own in his name, lacked faith, then how does our faith compare? However, perhaps we are more like the father in this account. The father shows more than enough faith in Jesus and because of this his son is cured. He trusts Jesus will succeed where his disciples failed. He realizes the surer source of healing comes from Jesus and so should we.

When our acts of love or mercy falter or fail, what is our response? Do we try to understand why we failed and seek God’s help in overcoming our shortcomings? Do we trust God will help us in our time of need?

O Lord, our faith sometimes falls short of where it should be. Help us to grow in faith with you.

Amen.

Eighteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

The Canaanite woman’s faith, persistence, and humility pay off in today’s gospel. She does not let Jesus refuse her request, but she does so out of faith in him and in a spirit of humility. She does not demand that Jesus heal her daughter, instead she begs for Jesus to help her. We can learn a lot about how to approach God with our petitions from the Canaanite woman. When faced with a trial or suffering, we should have faith that things will turn out for the best, but we should also persist in our prayers for God’s help, while retaining a humble heart. We should never expect to be aided by God, but rather hope He will grant us His help. In this way, we will always be thankful for whatever help, great or small, He lends us.

When we ask for God’s help, do we truly believe He will come to our aid? When help does not come immediately, how do we respond? Do we continue to petition Him in a spirit of humility or complain about how He has not helped us?

O Lord, please take pity on us and help us in our times of need.

Amen.

Eighth Thursday of Ordinary Time

On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”  And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”

Even good people can sometimes try to dissuade us from doing the right thing. Like the blind man, there are times in our lives when we need to cry out to God or when we need to depend upon Him. There are times when we see some injustice and want to speak out. However, during these times there might be people who tell us to remain silent. They might tell us not to bother God with our silly concerns. They might say we shouldn't rock the boat. They warn us against doing what our conscience tells us. It is during these times that we must not allow others to pressure us into silence, but rather we should cry out all the more. God will hear us and give us the courage we need to do what is right and perhaps even give others around us a reminder that we should feel free to approach God with any issue and allow Him to lead us where He wants.

Are we the ones who rebuke others for depending too much on God or warn them against speaking up when their conscience dictates? Or are we the ones being rebuked by others? If so, then how can we remain patient and persistent in our calls for help?

O Lord, give us the courage to call out to you in all things.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Lent

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe… You may go; your son will live.

Persistence pays off when it comes to swaying God to help us. The royal official could have heard the first words of Jesus and become timid or frightened to ask him for help. However, his love for his son and his faith in Jesus prompts him to ask again and he is rewarded with his heart’s desire. Sometimes when we ask for things they don’t come to us right away and we start wondering if God is listening to us. We work and pray in worldly time, while God works in his own. He knows when, where, and how to answer our prayers so that we have the best chance at the salvation of our soul. We can learn a lot about how to be a faithful follower of God by looking at the reaction of the royal official. When Jesus says your son will live, he believes him and immediately starts back home. He is persistent, but he also knows how to trust the Word of God. Other people might have insisted Jesus come with them, not trusting him. We should make sure that in our persistence we do not become so set on what we think God should do for us that we forget to trust Him and let Him do it His Way.

Do we really need signs and wonders to believe in God? What are the simple everyday things in our lives which remind us that God is always listening to us? Do we have the trusting persistence we need to ask God for what we need and then let Him provide it to us according to His Providence?

O Lord, help us to believe your word and live.

Amen.