Twenty-Seventh Friday in Ordinary Time

The Lord will judge the world with justice. You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever. The nations are sunk in the pit they have made; in the snare they set, their foot is caught.

God rebukes the wicked. He will not remember them if they do not amend their lives. He will forget them and blot them out forever when the time of final judgment comes. And He will do this not out of hatred, but out of disappointment with them. Those who have sunk into the pit of sin and apathy will be discarded like chaff and destroyed. Those who are evil and set snares for others will be punished for their crimes and caught in their own webs. They shall die irrevocable deaths, forgotten, just as they forgot about their duties to God and His children. So, let us pray we will always remember our calling to be Christ-like and to do all things in accordance with God’s Will. Let us hope we will not disappoint God so much that He no longer wishes to see us with Him in Heaven. Let us be humble, contrite, and merciful so He will see us as His beloved children and allow us to one day join Him in Paradise.

Do we reject sin and evil? Are we willing to rebuke wickedness when we see it, even when speaking up might cost us dearly? How can we be more courageous and just in all our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, help us to reject wickedness and live just lives.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.

The grace of God has done many things for us. It has brought us to life through the love of God the Father. It has given us every aid to be holy through the teachings and examples of Jesus. It has provided us with spiritual support through the inspirations and protection of the Holy Spirit. It has saved us and trained us to reject godless ways and worldly desires. It has encouraged us to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in an age that encourages us to live immoderately, greedily, and faithlessly. It gives us every opportunity to be cleansed of our sins, reform our lives, and become a people eager to do what is right. There is no excuse for us if we fail to live up to our calling as Christians because God's Grace provides us all we need to be good and faithful servants to God and His children.

Do we welcome God's Grace into our lives or shut it out through sin and pride? How can we be more open to the graces He is trying to pour out into our lives? What can we do to become more grace-full people, eager to do God's Will in all things?

O Lord, save us and train us to reject the godless and worldly ways that seek to lead us astray.

Amen.

First Sunday in Lent

“Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

The words of Christ are the words Adam and Eve should have spoken to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. “Get away! We are to worship and serve God alone. We do not need to be like gods.” They are the same words we are called to repeat throughout our lives. Satan will tempt us, just as he tempted Adam and Eve and Christ. It is up to us to choose whom we will respond like. Hopefully, we are not drawn in by Satan’s falsehoods like Eve or allow others to pressure us into sin like Adam. Instead, let us pray that we act like Christ, denying the temptations laid before us. Not selling our souls for worldly pleasures. Not putting God to the test when we want something our way. Not making ourselves into gods. Though these temptations may assault us, we must withstand them and respond with faith, hope, and love founded in our trust of God’s Goodness.

Do we ask God for His aid against Satan and his minions? Do we ask God to give us the strength and guidance we need so we do not fall into temptation and sin? How can we come to worship and serve God more faithfully?

O Lord, protect us from Satan and help us to know, love, and serve you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

“Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.”

God forbid the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with the following words: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and bad. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.” Notice how the serpent begins his temptation of Eve. He exaggerates what is forbidden in such a way to make God’s command sound unreasonable. Of course, Eve corrects the serpent, but her reply misstates God’s commandment to include touching the fruit. Lastly, the serpent rejects the commandment completely and then promises that breaking it will make Eve like a god. This is how temptation works, it first makes God’s Will sound unreasonable, and then it leads us to exaggerate the burdens involved with following God’s Will. Finally, temptation asks us to reject God’s Will and replace it with our own opinions and desires. Dialogue with evil always ends in sin. This is why we should ignore our temptations, avoid listening to them, and instead turn away from them and focus our minds and hearts on God’s Will.

Do we exaggerate the burdens our faith places upon us? Do we listen to our temptations and let them convince us that we know better than God? How can we close our ears to the alluring voice of evil and instead follow God’s Will?

O Lord, we want to serve your will and not our own.

Amen.

Tenth Friday of Ordinary Time

You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.

God is always looking at our deeper intents. He alone knows our inner struggles. He sees what is truly going on within us. This is why Jesus makes clear that thoughts can be sinful, too. This isn't to say that stray thoughts, unasked for and unintended are sinful. Everyone has those, but rather sinful thoughts are those that we dwell upon and let live in our hearts. They are the ones we don't push away or try to rid ourselves of. Jesus is warning us not to let our minds become consumed with sinful desires. We should seek to rid ourselves of them at the first sign of temptation. It isn't easy to keep our minds clean, but it is one of the best defenses against sin. Rejecting sinful thoughts from the very outset uproots the evils within us before they can take hold.

What sinful thoughts do we have? How can we rid ourselves of them? If we are having trouble with certain sins, do we ask God for the strength to tear out the causes of our temptations and throw them away?

O Lord, let us not commit evils in our hearts or minds.

Amen.

Sixth Tuesday of Easter

“And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”

The Holy Spirit has convicted the world and we are called to convict it too. We are called to turn away from the temptations of the world and the sins they lead us into. We are called to be righteous in our actions towards God and others… always thinking, saying, and doing the right and good thing. We are also called to reject Satan and all his empty promises. We are called into conflict with the world and its values and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can uphold the values of life, liberty, and love.

What sins do we fall into? How can we avoid them and replace them with righteous actions? In what ways do we convict the world and its sins, while loving our fellow sinners?

O Lord, help us to remain true to you in spite of the temptations of the world.

Amen.