The Nativity of the Lord

When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my son; this day I have begotten you? Or again: I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me? And again, when he leads the firstborn into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him.

Jesus came into the world to purify us and he accomplished that through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. However, the road to salvation had many way points throughout time. From the beginning, Jesus’ sacrifice for us was planned. His conception, his birth, and his life on earth were set in motion before creation. The Father of the Universe, the Son of Salvation, and the Holy Spirit of Love between them conceived the world with man’s redemption in mind. All time has been ordered to this end, united by the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all time. So, let us be joyful and thankful for this day, for the birth of Christ, and sing with the angels of Heaven, “Glory to the newborn King.”

What is our role in the history of salvation? What are we doing to bring about the salvation of souls and purification from sins? How can we bring the message of Christmas into the world every day of the year?

O Lord, thank you for coming into the world as a little child and purifying us from our sins.

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.

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.

Each and every day we prove our spiritual metal. We show God if we are made of the gold of goodness or the lead of evil. We reveal whether we are strong as steel in our beliefs or weak as tin. We either polish our interior lives so they shine like silver or ignore and abuse our lives until they rot with rust. We reflect God’s Love or we dull it with selfishness. It is up to each of us to tend the flames of our inner furnaces, to hammer out our imperfections and impurities, and shape our souls into beautiful embodiments of God. Like bronze statues, we must be formed and made into one, seamless piece united to and reflective of our Lord and God.

In what ways do we prove ourselves to God? How can we refine ourselves in the fires of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace? What can we do to help others to be purified in faith, hope, and love?

O Lord, prove us in the furnace of your love.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday in Ordinary Time

You heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions. But when he, who from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

We all have ways of life we need to be converted from. Some of us must be converted from pride, others from envy. Some from wrath, others from sloth. Some from lust, others from avarice. Some from gluttony, others from a combination of these sins. No matter what sins we've committed in our past, we have a chance at redemption. God's Mercy is greater than our sins and if we confess our failings, do penance, and strive to do good and avoid evil, then we shall be more deeply converted. Our hearts will be transformed from stone to flesh and we shall grow in grace, spreading God's Word through our thoughts, words, and works.

What ways do we need to be converted from? What sins do we need to purge ourselves of? How can we become more faithful followers and messengers of God's Divine Will?

O Lord, convert us from our former ways of sin so we might grow in holiness.

Amen.

Twentieth Thursday in Ordinary Time

I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Each of us need to be cleanse of our sins from time to time. We have to be purged of our impurities and stripped of our false idols. We often need to approach our lives with a new or renewed spirit of holiness. It is through the sacrament of reconciliation that we can be purified and our hearts of stone softened. The confession of our sins and humble penance also grants us the graces we need to live by God's commandments, teachings, and inspirations. Taking these steps goes a long way toward bringing us closer to the Heavenly Kingdom and life everlasting with our Lord and God.

What sins and imperfections do we need to be cleansed of? How can we be more receptive of the Spirit of God in our lives? Do we make regular and meaningful use of the sacrament of reconciliation?

O Lord, cleanse us from our sins and soften our hearts.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Advent

For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

These words have been used to describe John the Baptist and Jesus, but they also describe what the sacrament of reconciliation does for all of us. It offers us a chance to be refined and purified. It removes our impurities by burning them away. In a similar way, the sacrament of reconciliation can rid us of our imperfections and sins, granting us the grace to become worthy vessels of God’s Will on earth. By seeking forgiveness with contrite hearts and doing our penances, we are emptied of all our sins and transformed into pleasing and faithful followers.

Do we make ourselves available to the sacrament of reconciliation and the graces it offers us? Are we willing to allow God to burn away our imperfections and refine our souls? How can we becomes living vessels, bearing God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to all the world?

O Lord, refine and purify us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields; they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers and furnished them with doors. There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.

Here we have a description of the aftermath of the purification and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, but what does this have to do with us? More than we might think if we consider ourselves... bodies, minds, and souls to be temples to God. If that is the case, then we can recognize the need to purify and rededicate ourselves after we fall into sin. And when we do so through the sacrament of reconciliation, we should celebrate like the Israelites did. We should come to the altar of sacrifice, offer our prayers, alms, and mortifications to God as burnt offerings and sacrifices of deliverance and praise. We should adorn ourselves with thoughts, words, and works of charity and mercy, giving glory to God who is the source, center, and summit of all goodness. We should be overjoyed that we have swept clean our hearts and made them ready to be temples to our Lord and God.

How do we purify ourselves after we sin and rededicate ourselves after receiving reconciliation? Do we celebrate and give thanksgiving to God for all He has forgiven us? How can we adorn ourselves with good words and works?

O Lord, we offer ourselves as living temples to you.

Amen.

Nineteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Come here and listen to the words of the LORD, your God. This is how you will know that there is a living God in your midst, who at your approach will dispossess the Canaanites. The ark of the covenant of the LORD of the whole earth will precede you into the Jordan. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the water of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; for the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a solid bank.

The Israelites left Egypt by the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and they enter the Promised Land by another miraculous crossing. These two miracles bookend the long road from slavery in Egypt to the reception of the commandments and the Law to wandering in the desert to freedom in the Land of Milk and Honey. This passage mimics our own spiritual journey. First, we must trust in God enough to accept His call to rise up and follow Him out of our slavery to sin. Then, we must learn our faith and manifest the commandment to know, love, and serve God and His children. We must also purify ourselves of our fears, doubts, and imperfections. Lastly, we must take the leap and march forth into the world secure in our faith, hope, and love. By following this Way, we prepare ourselves for a Promised Land not in this life, but in the next... the Heavenly Kingdom where we will spend eternity with God and the community of saints.

Do we trust in God enough to let Him lead us away from out temptations and out of our sins? How can we manifest the commandments and purify ourselves of all that holds us back from being good and faithful servants? Are we ready to confidently walk the Way God has prepared for us?

O Lord, you are ever in our midst no matter where we are in our journey.

Amen.

Friday after Ash Wednesday

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Fasting isn’t about giving up trivial things (chocolate, candy, etc.) or making exterior changes in our lives (exercising more, watching less TV, etc.). Yes, these can be parts of the whole experience, but they need to be grounded in the desire for an interior change that springs from choosing heavenly things over worldly ones. Fasting means acting justly toward others, helping them with their burdens, setting them free from those things that oppress them, breaking the yokes around our neighbor’s necks. It means sharing with, sheltering, and clothing those in need. It is learning to sacrifice yourself for others and never turning your back on them. If we do all these things, then we shall be a light for the whole world showing them the path of love, mercy, and grace that God has prepared for us all. It is not enough to think, say, or do the right thing out of a sense of obligation, we have to do good works because we want to be more like Christ.

What are we fasting from during this Lenten season? How can we interiorize the act of fasting? What can we do to transform ourselves over this time of purification so that we can be more Christ-like year around?

O Lord, give us the grace to fast not only outwardly, but inwardly, too.

Amen.