Twenty-Sixth Saturday in Ordinary Time

Job answered the LORD and said: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes.

Thankfully for us, God is merciful. Even if we sin and turn our backs on Him in thought, word, or deed, He will forgive us if we realize our errors, confess our sins, and do penance. We should take comfort in this thought and be thankful God is with us and not against us. He wants us to succeed in our spiritual lives and to become good and faithful servants. He wants us to be found worthy of eternal life and rewarded at the heavenly feast. We might only know Him now by word of mouth and blind faith, but one day we will receive the Beatific Vision of the Holy Trinity. Our eyes will rest on His Glorious Being and our hearts will be filled with a selfless love that reflects the outpouring of love God has given us.

Do we trust God can do all things? Do we repent of our failings in thought, word, and work? How can we prepare our minds, hearts, and bodies so we might one day be found worthy to partake in the Heavenly banquet?

O Lord, we disown our selfish feelings and desires and repent of any evils we have done.

Amen.

Saint Alphonsus Liguouri, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand; If you bring forth the precious without the vile, you shall be my mouthpiece. Then it shall be they who turn to you, and you shall not turn to them; And I will make you toward this people a solid wall of brass. Though they fight against you, they shall not prevail, For I am with you, to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD. I will free you from the hand of the wicked, and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

In life we will be beset upon by all manner of trials, difficulties, and obstacles. We shall be tempted to sin. We shall be mocked and persecuted for being Christians. We will be misunderstood, ignored, and abandoned. We will suffer. However, if we repent of our sins, seek to do good, and try to be a mouthpiece for God, then He will protect and strengthen us. He shall make us His dwelling place and we shall bear Him to all people.

Are we bringing forth the precious Word of God without tainting it with worldliness and sin? How can we strengthen our faith so we might become strongholds for God? What can we do to fulfill our calling to be mouthpieces of God's Love, Mercy, and Grace?

O Lord, free us from the hands of the wicked and rescue us.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am' I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet."

Just like John the Baptist, we are all called to proclaim a life of repentance to all of God’s children. We are asked to be prophets of the God News spreading God’s Word to all those whom we meet each day. No, we are not Jesus or John... and perhaps we are not worthy to unfasten the sandals of either man’s feet, but we have the same mission as both of them... the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. It is a vocation all Christians have and we must do our best to prepare the way of our Lord and God... for He is coming again and when he does we want to be able to stand before him and say, “We did our best to bring you into the world and bring others into your Way, Truth, and Life.”

Are we fulfilling our calling to be prophets of God’s Good News? How can we spread the Word of God to the world around us? In what ways can we prepare the way of the Lord?

O Lord, we are not worthy to unfasten your sandals, but with your heavenly aid, we shall unfasten the hearts of others so your Love, Mercy, and Grace can enter into them more fully.

Amen.

Sixth Wednesday of Easter

For 'In him we live and move and have our being,' as even some of your poets have said, 'For we too are his offspring.' Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world with justice' through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.

It is in God that we live and move and have our being. He is the source, the center, and the summit of our existence and we should make Him the firm foundation of our faith. We should make Him the solid shelter of our hopes and dreams. We should make him the bell tower of our hearts and minds... resounding with love, mercy, and grace… calling all of God's children to a better life in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. For we are the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, made so through His Beloved Son and the gift of His Holy Spirit. And if we want to be true to our spiritual adoption, then we must repent of our sins and allow God to manifest Himself through our every thought, word, and work.

Have we made loving God and His children the beginning, middle, and end of our lives? Have we entrusted our faith, hope, and love to Him and His guidance? Are we repentant for our sins and making amends for our faults and failings?

O Lord, in you we live, move, and have our being.

Amen.

Thursday within the Octave of Easter

Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.

Repentance is key to our faith. God knows we are not perfect and so He sent His Son to die for us so our sins might be washed away. Jesus broke his Body and poured out his Blood to feed our faith and cleanse our offenses. All we have to do is come to God with humble and contrite hearts and accept the saving grace He offers us through the sacraments. If we do so, then He will refresh our souls and lead us to eternal life with Him. Of course, true repentance isn’t always easy. Sometimes it requires us to give up something we enjoy. Other times it requires us to amend our lives and strive to be better people. However, the sacrifice God asks of us is a mere drop in the bucket when compared to the ocean of Divine Mercy He has prepared for us.

What sins do we need to repent for? How can we cultivate humble and contrite hearts? Are we willing to accept God’s grace and all that it will require from us?

O Lord, convert our hearts and wipe away our sins.

Amen.

Fourth Thursday of Lent

Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage." So the LORD relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.

We are all sinners in one way or another. We all deserve God's Wrath for the evils we've done and the good we've failed to do. It is only by the saving grace of God's Divine Mercy that we have the opportunity to be spared condemnation. However, God doesn't just give us salvation without us work towards it. He wants us to be loving and merciful as He is loving and merciful. He wants us to be good and faithful as He is good and faithful. He wants us to be contrite and penitent as He is forgiving and just. He is willing to let His blazing wrath die down, if we are willing to come to Him in the sacrament of reconciliation and make amends for our sins and failings.

What are our sins? Are we genuinely contrite for the wrongs we've done and the goods we've failed to do? Are we making use of the sacrament of reconciliation as often as we should?

O Lord, we come to you with contrite hearts. Relent and grant us your mercy.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Lent

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

Although we might not meet a Jonah in our lives, that doesn’t mean we aren’t all being warned by God to change our ways. We might have certain sins and imperfections we fall into again and again. These spiritual weaknesses need to be addressed with the same contrition, hope, and determination as the people of Nineveh. We might not put on sackcloth, sit in ashes, or fast on nothing, but we do need to turn away from our evil ways and make amends with God. If we do make things right with Him, then we shall be saved from destruction and death. God will take pity on us and give us another chance to prove we love Him more than our sins and failings.

What do we need to repent for and fast from? How can we amend our lives? What actions can we take to put God first and foremost in our lives?

O Lord, we repent for all our sins and imperfections.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

Gird yourselves and weep, O priests! wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! The house of your God is deprived of offering and libation. Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the elders, all who dwell in the land, Into the house of the LORD, your God, and cry to the LORD!

We are all called to live lives of repentance. None of us is perfect. We all sin in one way or another. Some of us are prideful, others envious. Some wrathful, others lustful. Some greedy, others slothful or gluttonous. And because of our failings, we are asked to make amends for our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation. We gird ourselves with contrition. We weep for mercy. We wail before the altar, “Please forgive us, O Lord.” We might not spend nights in sackcloth like our ancestors, but we should spend nights asking for God’s Mercy on us. We should fast and assemble with other people, seeking absolution as both individuals and as a community of believers. Then, and only then, can we be cleansed of our sins and become truly holy people.

What sins do we struggle with most? Do we pray to God to help us overcome our sins and do our best to avoid them? How do we prepare ourselves to make a good confession so that we can be reconciled with God?

O Lord, we cry out for your forgiveness and mercy.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish." When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Acts of repentance both cleanse and renew us spiritually. Through fasting, almsgiving, and praying we show God we are serious about changing our lives and making amends. By turning our back on our evil ways and denying temptations, we choose the better life over the easier one. When we sin, we either repent or harden our hearts. The former leads to forgiveness and everlasting life, while the latter leads to death and damnation. It might not be easy to turn from our evil ways, but it is necessary if we want to live and spend eternity with God in the Heavenly Kingdom. Thankfully, God is loving and merciful and more than willing to forgive us as many times as it takes for us to finally convert our hearts and do God’s Will always and in every way.

What do we need to repent for? How can we show God the sincerity of our repentance? Can we convert our hearts to what is right in the face of our temptations?

O Lord, help us to turn away from our evil ways and follow you.

Amen.

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Who can compare to God? This is what St. Michael’s name means and it is a question we should keep in mind whenever we are faced with a choice to follow God’s Will or our own. Whenever we are tempted to focus our attention on worldly things or put our trust in someone or something other than God, then we should remember the meaning of Michael’s name. The Devil and his followers forgot this and fell and so can we if we are not careful. Our sinful rebellions against God, whether great or small, might feel freeing, but all they do is bind us and weigh us down with wickedness. Thankfully, we have the hope of repentance and can cleanse ourselves of our sins and our attachments to false idols. And when we do this, we are truly freed, prevailing over all that sought to drag us down.

What are things in our lives that are distracting us from our true calling as servants of God and His children? In what ways have we rebelled against God’s Will? How can we make amends for our transgressions and transform ourselves into defenders of the faith?

O Lord, nothing can compare to you.

Amen.

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.

The call to repentance and conversion is a constant one in our lives. This is because Satan is relentless in his attacks against our spirits. The temptation to sin is a persistent challenge to us. We can only overcome the seductive song of sin by listening to God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations. Our consciences must be attuned to hear the Word of God and not the babbling tongues of the world. We will not find refreshment or restoration in earthly things. Only heavenly ones can satisfy the longings of our hearts and lead us to eternal life.

Are we repentant for our sins? How can we be more deeply converted to the way of Christ? What can we do to realize the fulfillment of God’s Divine Plan for our lives?

O Lord, we repent of our sins and ask for you to grant us a deeper conversion.

Amen.

Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”

Repentance is a freeing act, not a punishment. True contrition releases us from the bonds of sin, transforms our minds and hearts, and leads us to holy and good lives. Whenever we repent, we renew our baptismal vows. We reject Satan, his works, and his vanities. We proclaim our belief in the Holy Trinity... God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We profess our faith in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We express our intention to live in accordance with the doctrines of Christ and his Church. We promise to avoid sin and to love God and neighbor with all our hearts. This we do with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is ever at our side and ready to give us every support in living out our baptismal promises and helping us to make amends whenever we fail to do so.

Are we truly repentant of our sins? How can we live out our baptismal promises more faithfully? Do we seek the aid, inspiration, and guidance of the Holy Spirit whenever we are faced with a choice between good and evil?

O Lord, we repent and turn our hearts to you.

Amen.

First Wednesday of Lent

“Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish.” When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Although God might not send a prophet to us warning of our destruction if we do not repent, He does give us all a conscience. This voice inside us warns us against evil and exhorts us to do good. It is the voice that calls us to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It asks us to seek God’s forgiveness for our trespasses against Him. It wants us to be worthy of God’s Love and not His Wrath. Only by turning our backs on evil and choosing what is good that we can fulfill our vocation to know, love, and serve God and His children. If we do all these things, then God will forgive us our trespasses, offer us a way to reconcile with Him, and give us the grace to carry out His Will.

Do we listen to our consciences? What can we do to show God we are repentant? How can we prove we have turned away from sin and chosen what is right?

O Lord, we want to prove through our actions that we have chosen you above all else.

Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

We have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and the fire of love so we might not burn in the unquenchable fire of selfishness. Jesus has given us an example of what it means to be on fire for God and a light for the nations. If we do not repent or accept God’s offer of forgiveness, then our hearts will become like chaff. Dried out husks with no good fruits within them. However, if we allow God to nourish us on the waters of love and mercy, then grace shall grow within us and we shall bear abundant fruits. And at the end of our lives, Jesus will gather our good works into the heavenly storehouse and we shall be counted among His good and faithful servants.

Are we repentant? Are we willing to let the Holy Spirit enkindle our hearts, minds, and bodies? What fruits are we producing?

O Lord, baptize us with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Monday of Ordinary Time

If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.

Sometimes it's easier to forgive than to rebuke our family, friends, and neighbors. We often are tempted to let certain sins slide because we don't want to get into a confrontation with our loved ones or with strangers. However, our inaction doesn't do the other person any good. By saying and doing nothing, we let the person keep sinning and create a deeper and deeper gulf between them and God. It is not an easy thing to do, but we should be willing to compassionately tell others our concerns about their actions. At least then they will know what we see and that we don't like it. We might suffer because we say what needs to be said, but this is exactly what Jesus did in his life and one of the ways in which we are called to follow him. In addition, to being willing to rebuke others, we should also be willing to forgive them for the wrongs they commit against us. By doing this, they shall see that we love them and be more open to hearing our concerns.

Are we willing to rebuke others when they are living sinful lives? Are we willing to forgive everyone who has trespassed against us? Who are the people in our lives who need to be rebuked or forgiven?

O Lord, give us the conviction to rebuke those who are sinning and the compassion to forgive those who repent of their sins.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Monday of Ordinary Time

At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate. We can learn a lot from what he said and did in his life. He has given us a narrow path to follow and we would do well to recognize it and follow in his footsteps. There is something greater than us that can only be found in Jesus. He fulfills us if we let him. He saves us if we seek him in faith. His wisdom is greater than all the philosophers ever to speak and his preaching is more potent than all the prophets. This is why we should listen to him and allow him to lead us wherever we need to be. He'll never lead us astray. We have only to trust in him and he will show us our calling and how best to live our lives so that when the judgment comes, we shall be found to be good and faithful servants.

How are we preparing for the Final Judgment? Do we meditate upon the Wisdom of Christ and try to understand how to become holier people? Do we repent of our sins?

O Lord, you are greater than all things. Help us to focus our lives on fulfilling your Will.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.”

Jesus has shown us what it means to know, love, and serve God and His children. He has spoken the Good News to us and given us an example of how to live out our calling to be saints. It is up to us to accept this vocation to love, just as St. Therese did in her life. She loved God and others through her Little Way and we can, too. We do not have to do great works to fulfill God's Will, we just have to do everything with great love. It is the only way for us to avoid the woes of those who rejected Jesus and choose their own way. It is the only path we have that will lead to our acceptance in heaven.

Are we following the example of Christ? Have we repented of our sins and chosen the Way of Love? Do we strive to do everything with great love?

O Lord, we chose love!

Amen.

Twenty-Second Friday of Ordinary Time

"No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins."

If we truly want to be Disciples of Christ, then we can't hold onto our old sinful selves. Sin leaves us weak and unable to hold the love and mercy we are all called to be filled with. God may try to pour Himself into us, but if our hearts aren't contrite, then they burst, God's graces spill out of us ineffectually, and our opportunities to do good are ruined. In order to hold God's graces properly, we need to have a conversion of our hearts. He need to line them with contrition and acceptance of the sacrifices God is asking of us. If we do that, then our hearts will be made anew and whole and able to be filled with God's Love and Mercy. Then, when God pours us out in thought, word, and work, our lives will refresh the spirits of others and give glory to Him.

What sins must we overcome in order to renew our hearts? What can we do to prepare ourselves to be filled with the heavenly wine of God's Love and Mercy? How can we become better vessels of God's Will?

O Lord, make us fresh wineskins, continually pouring out your graces.

Amen.

Twelfth Thursday of Ordinary Time

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

Our faith isn't superficial. Sure, we can fool others and fake being good and faithful people, but the truth is seen by God. He knows when our seemingly good acts have evil or impure intentions. He knows when we are being truly faithful and when we are just going through the motions. He knows when we are doing good things, not for His sake, but for the praise of others. Nothing we do is secret from Him. This is why it is so important to be truly faithful in our souls and do the God's Will in everything. Yes, this requires a great deal of sacrifice from us. We have to give up our selfishness, our impure passions, and all those things that may tempt us to sin. However, this is a path that will lead us to life everlasting and graces beyond counting.

Are we being truly faithful or just faking it out of a sense of obligation or desire to be admired by others? Are we truly repentant of our sins and genuinely seeking to amend our ways? How can we become more faithful to God so that He will know us as His own?

O Lord, help us to be truly faithful to you in all things.

Amen.

The First Wednesday of Lent

This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.  Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

The signs of Jonah and the Son of Man are both calls for repentance. Jonah proclaimed the destruction of Nineveh and this lead to the repentance of others. Jesus, on the other hand, proclaimed the salvation of man through his own life, death, and resurrection, which lead to the conversion of sinners. In a way, each of us is also called to be a sign of repentance to the world and remind our family, friends, and neighbors of the need for contrite hearts. We are meant to be beacons of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace and we cannot do that if we let our pride blind us to our faults or our fears to keep us from seeking forgiveness.

What can we do to overcome our pride and fears and become models of God’s Divine Mercy? How can we cultivate contrite spirits and hearts within ourselves? How do our lives lead others to redemption?

O Lord, makes us into living signs of your mercy.

Amen.