Twenty-Third Monday in Ordinary Time

Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Pride can corrupt us from the inside out. It can spoil our good works and lead us deeper and deeper into sin. It can convince us we are better than others when in fact we are sinners just as much as anyone. This is why it’s so important to examine our consciences, make a good confession, and cleanse ourselves of our sins. The only way to be pure and holy is to rid ourselves of all our bad habits and imperfections and make ourselves more and more Christ-like. Then and only then, will we be ready to share in the Eucharistic feast in truth and sincerity.

Has pride wormed its way into our hearts? If so, then how can we rid ourselves of it? What do we need to do to cleanse ourselves of malice and wickedness and become sincerer and more truthful in our spiritual lives?

O Lord, clear our hearts of all that is evil and refresh our spirits.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest

With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.

Once restored from our sinful lives, we must do everything within our powers to retain our purity of body, mind, and spirit. This isn't always easy in today's world where we are constantly bombarded by words and images that tempt us to sin or revel in evil. However, if we are on guard against the world, then we will remain good and virtuous. We will be merry no matter the trials that come and plant the seeds of faith, hope, and love wherever we go. And in the end, if we are patient and humble, we shall produce good fruit for God and others to
enjoy.

What are we doing to retain our purity of faith, hope, and love? How can we strengthen these virtues? In what ways can we tend the vineyards of our souls and the souls of others so they bear good fruit?

O Lord, your love sustains and nourishes us so that we can produce good fruits.

Amen.

Eighteenth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

City shall be rebuilt upon hill, and palace restored as it was. From them will resound songs of praise, the laughter of happy men. I will make them not few, but many; they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them.

We all need a bit of rebuilding every now and then. When we fall into sin or indifference, we need to restore ourselves in mind and spirit. When we are sick or injured, we need to return our bodies to health. When we have suffered a loss of some sort—be it job, loved one, or something else—we strive to rebuild our lives as best we can. If we do this in a spirit of trust in God's Goodness, then we shall find that no matter what befalls us, He will raise us up again. He will put songs of praise and glory on our lips and laughter in our hearts. We shall be able to restore ourselves and become even stronger in faith, hope, and love.

What areas of our lives need to be rebuilt to become more perfectly God's dwelling place? How can we put the graces God has given us to good and fruitful use in restoring our lives to purity? In what ways can we glorify God for all He has done for us?

O Lord, rebuild us in your image and likeness.

Amen.

Christmas Weekday

If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

If we want to be followers of Christ and true children of God, then we must act in righteousness. We might fail from time to time and fall into temptation and sin or do evil and let opportunities to do good slip by us, but when this happens we need to reconcile with God and make amends. As heirs to the Heavenly Kingdom, we are called to place our trust in God, hope in His Divine Providence, and keep ourselves pure for Him. Just as He knows, loves, and serves us, so must we know, love, and serve Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all God’s beloved children and we should act accordingly as holy and humble people, pouring out our Father’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to all whom we meet.

Do we act in righteousness toward God and our brothers and sisters in Christ? How can we become more loving, hopeful, and faithful children to our Heavenly Father? What can we do to make ourselves more and more like Him?

O Lord, make us like you... righteous, loving, and pure.

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 that 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-Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time

Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal table, and treat your servants according to what you see." He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days; after ten days they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah trusted that as long as they sought to remain pure and undefiled God would provide them with the sustenance they would need to survive and even thrive. They chose to risk their lives in order to live out their faith. They chose to fast for their Lord and God instead of feast on worldly pleasures. Because of their faith, they grew in wisdom and prudence and found favor with the king. Their trust was rewarded just as our trust in God is rewarded today. We might not be taken captive and asked to eat unclean foods, but we are tempted and the world asks us to partake in lives of sin. This is why it is so important for us to place our faith in God and trust He will deliver us from all evil. He may let us suffer setbacks in this life, but they are only meant to strengthen our beliefs and prove our love for Him above all. It is not an easy path to keep ourselves clean from sin, but it is necessary if we want to have a place in the everlasting feast.

Do we trust God will see us through every trial? How can we keep ourselves pure and undefiled? Are we willing to suffer and fast in this life in order to enjoy and celebrate the next one?

O Lord, see us through every test of our faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

Christmas Weekday

If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.
As children of God, we are called to righteousness and purity. God gave us the perfect example of these virtues in His Beloved Son, who was righteous and pure in all his thoughts, words, and works. God did this because He loves us and wanted to give us a concrete model we could look to for guidance. Because of the example of Jesus Christ, we know who God is, what He wants from us, and how we should act toward Him and our neighbors. So, if we what eternal life with our Heavenly Father, we must be like Christ and have hope in our Creator.
Are we righteous and pure or selfish and sinful? What is getting in the way of our being Christ-like in our thoughts, words, and works? If we are sinful, how can we make ourselves righteous and pure going forward?
O Lord, make us righteous and pure.
Amen.