Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Let my tongue be silenced if I ever forget you! By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps.

God will deliver us from all evil. This is something we never forget. Even when we are faced with great difficulties, even when our foes seem to have the upper hand, if we trust in God, He will save us. He will lead us out of the desert and bring us to the Promised Land. He will turn our tears into joy. He will give us harps to play so we might laugh and dance and sing his praises.

Do we let our trials in this life cause us to forget God? Or do we take those challenges and make them into opportunities to praise Him? Do we trust in God enough to walk through the dark valley to get to the Promised Land on the other side?

O Lord, may we never forget what you have done for us.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Easter

So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said, "Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt. With uplifted arm he led them out, and for about forty years he put up with them in the desert. When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.

There is a Promised Land waiting for us at the end of this life. We need only follow God to where He wants us to be. There may be times when we feel like we are wandering in a wilderness. There may be enemies that stand in our way. However, one day we will leave the desert behind, overcome our enemies, and enter into our inheritance. When that day comes we have hopefully done all we can to prepare for our entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Are we preparing ourselves for the Promised Land? How can we keep our bearings in the desert of the world? What enemies and obstacles must we overcome to reach the Kingdom of Heaven?

O Lord, exalt us and lead us to the land of our inheritance.

Amen.

Nineteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

The LORD then said to him, "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over." So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab, but to this day no one knows the place of his burial. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab, till they had completed the period of grief and mourning for Moses.

In this scene, God gives Moses a glimpse of the Promised Land. He shows Moses what lies ahead for the Israelites, but because of Moses’ sin, he makes clear once again that Moses shall not cross over before his death. This might seem very harsh to many of us, but God’s punishment is just. Moses did anger God with his lack of trust in Him when he struck the rock at Meribah twice out of anger with the people of Israel. He let his own emotions override his ability to show others God’s holiness. As God’s representative, he needed to keep his feelings out of the message God wanted to send, but he let them interfere. Sometimes we do the same, we let our emotions and passions lead us astray. We fail to be good representative of God’s holiness to others when we let our negative emotions get in the way of doing God’s Will.

What emotions are getting in the way of our ability to be good and faithful servants to God? How can we rid ourselves of these destructive emotions? What can we do to make sure we are reflecting God’s holiness to all the world?

O Lord, give us the strength we need to avoid letting our emotions override our ability to show your love and mercy to the world.

Amen.

Eighteenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the children of Israel against me. Tell them: By my life, says the LORD, I will do to you just what I have heard you say. Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall. Forty days you spent in scouting the land; forty years shall you suffer for your crimes: one year for each day. Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me. I, the LORD, have sworn to do this to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me: here in the desert they shall die to the last man.

After everything God had done for the Israelites, from freeing them from Egypt to dwelling with them in the ark, they still did not trust God. This lack of faith spurred by fears and doubts overcame their confidence in God. How easily we can fall into the same pattern in our own lives. We are faithful followers of Christ while things are easy, but the moment He asks us to risk something for our spiritual growth, we grumble and complain. He offers use a life overflowing with graces and good fruits, but we recoil from it because we are afraid of the obstacles in our way. We come up with excuses not to take the leap of faith and deny God our trust. And then, we wonder why our lives seem to be wondering aimlessly through the desert from suffering to suffering with no relief. It is because we turned our backs on the way forward and have chosen to oppose God’s Will. The only remedy for this is to purge ourselves of our doubts and fears and put our faith in God’s Providence.

What are the things we grumble about in our lives? Are our doubts and fears holding us back from where God is calling us? How can we learn to take the leap of faith when God provides us with an opportunity to follow Him into the Promised Land?

O Lord, we are sorry for our grumbling and ask you to lead us where we need to be.

Amen.

Sixteenth Monday of Ordinary Time

“Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today.

How quickly we can forget all God has done for us! He does so much to show us His Love and Mercy. He gives us graces and consolations, and yet we find things to complain about. We wonder why He couldn’t do this or that for us and grumble about where He is leading us. How short our memories are when it comes to God’s faithfulness to us. He is always here for us, and yet we feel abandoned or anxious. We wonder why He couldn’t just leave us alone, let us rest on our laurels, and stay in our comfort zone. However, He has our best interests at heart. He wants us to grow in faith, hope, and love and we cannot do that without exercising our spirit and pushing ever onward toward the Promised Land. He tells us to, “Fear not!” because if we place our trust in Him, He will lead us to victory over sin and death.

In what ways do we remind ourselves of all God has done for us? How can we learn to accept whatever comes along the road to Heaven, rather than to complain about it? Are we willing to keep moving forward to the Promised Land in spite of the sacrifices we will need to make to do so?

O Lord, help us to keep in mind all you have done for us, especially when we feel most anxious and worried.

Amen.

Fifteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

I am concerned about you and about the way you are being treated in Egypt; so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.

God is always concerned for us and our well being. We might not feel that way all the time. We might feel abandoned and lost. However, God is always with us, by our side in good times and bad. We might not see Him, but He is there to protect and guide us. He gives us the graces we need to overcome every obstacle, to bear any burden, to make it through our sorrows. And through Jesus Christ, He has given us a way, leading us out of our worldly miseries and into the promised land of eternal life with Him.

Do we feel abandoned or lost? Are we miserable or sorrowful? How can we turn these things over to God and allow Him to bear us out of our hardships and worries?

O Lord, lead us to the land flowing with your love and mercy.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, “When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”

Joseph’s trust in God’ Providence is something we should all strive for. He believes God keeps His promises, maybe not always in the way or time we expect, but He always fulfills His oaths. Through Jesus, God promised us salvation if we would listen to Jesus’ teachings and follow in his footsteps. It is by doing these things that we align our lives with the Truth, walk the Way of Christ, and live the Life of love and mercy God calls each of us to. He also promised us that one day Jesus Christ would return and we would be judged according to our faith and works. We shall have a place either in Heaven or Hell. Hopefully, we choose to live in accordance with God’s Will and find ourselves counted among the saints.

Do we trust in God’s Providence? Do we believe God will take care of us and lead us to the Promised Land? How can we prepare for His coming as if it was to be today?

O Lord, take care of us and lead us to Paradise with you.

Amen.