The Resurrection of the Lord the Mass of Easter Sunday

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.”

Let us give thanks for the present of Easter, the gift of salvation, and the reward of eternal life. The Lord made the Sabbath for us. He prepared for it from the beginning of time and carried through on the promises He made to our ancestors. He gave His Beloved Son to the cross in order to cleanse our sins through His Body and Blood. He showed us mercy in spite of our sins, our failings, our faults, our doubts, our anxieties, our fears, and our indifferences. Imagine sacrificing ourselves for people who give us nothing but apathy, mockery, and evil. Could we give up our lives for such as these? God tells us, “Yes!” and so, we should make ourselves into living sacrifices... no matter the cost.

How will we celebrate this Easter season? How can we give thanks to God for all the good He has done for us? How can we show mercy to others?

O Lord, your mercy endures forever.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

My beloved ones, avoid idolatry. I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one Body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

The Devil will try to lead us astray in many ways. He will seek to distract us from what is good through temptation, fears, doubts, and worldly things. He will try to turn our minds and hearts toward false idols. He will seek to do everything He can to deny us a share in everlasting life and communion with God. He will especially try to keep us away from the mass and the Blessed Sacrament, which armors us against his wickedness. This is why it’s so important to keep holy the Sabbath Day. It is in the mass that our spirits are fed on the Word and the Eucharist and given the strength and graces we need to resist temptation and be united to the Body and Blood of Christ.

Have we let the Devil lead us astray in some way? How can we guard against false idols? What can we do to prepare ourselves to worthily receive the Body and Blood of Christ and all that it signifies?

O Lord, we, though many, are one Body in and through you.

Amen.

Holy Thursday

I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” These words are repeated for both the Body and Blood of Christ and are a commandment we keep as dearly as the ten commandments of Moses and the golden commandments to love God and neighbor. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is foreshadowed by the Lord’s Supper. Through the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we fully participate in the Passion and Death of Christ. We make present Jesus’ sacrifice for us through the sacrifice on the altar. We proclaim the death of the Lord each time we partake in the Blessed Sacrament, but we also anticipate the Resurrection and the Second Coming in the same act. Jesus died for our sins and through his death we have been granted the saving grace we need to heal our souls.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath day? In what ways can we prepare ourselves to fully participate in the Lord’s Supper each week? How can we make the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross more meaningful to us so we might receive it more respectfully and worthily?

O Lord, we celebrate your sacrifice on the cross with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD's holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice. Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Making holy the sabbath day can be difficult for us, especially in a world that tries to demand our attention every moment of our waking lives. We are constantly tempted to watch TV, play games, and do everything but make time for God. And yet, the sabbath day is meant to be a day of rest, a day to spend with God in prayer, reflection, and meditation. We cannot do any of those if we are constantly distracted by other things. We need to show God He comes first every week and the only way to do that is to hold back from our own pursuits on Sundays and to delight in the time we spend with God not only at Mass but in prayer as well. If we honor God by keeping holy His day, then He shall give us every opportunity to flourish during the rest of the week in what is best for us. He will nourish us with grace and consolations and lead us to peaceful and fruitful lives.

Are we keeping holy the sabbath? How can we make more time for prayer to, meditation on, and contemplation of God? What are worldly things we can cut out of our Sunday routines?

O Lord, help us to pursue you always and especially on the sabbath.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice. Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The Sabbath, our Sunday, is meant to be kept holy. It is meant to be a time for giving glory to God and resting ourselves by spending time with Him at Mass and in other spiritual pursuits. It is a day when we are asked to hold back from our own pursuits, from unnecessary work. It is supposed to be a delight for us to honor the Lord’s Day. We can’t do this if we let worldly things take over the day. If all we do is waste it on selfish pursuits, then we lose out on the spiritual profit that can be gained by being in the presence of God and allowing Him to speak to us through the sacraments, reading the Scriptures, doing charitable works, and personal prayer time. It is not enough to go through the motions of going to Mass, we are asked to go forth and spread the Good News with delight. If we do so, then our spirits will be nourished and we shall be worthy of the heritage that comes from being a child of God.

Do we keep the Sabbath holy? What can we do to make the day even more delightful for ourselves and others? How can we nourish our spirits on the Sabbath so we can be stronger throughout the week?

O Lord, you have given us your Sabbath as a gift. Help us to use it to become better children.

Amen.

Fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

In a world where we are surrounded by distractions and diversions, it can be difficult to keep holy the Sabbath let alone any other day of the week. We are constantly bombarded by computers, TVs, and radios with images and sounds that lure our thoughts away from heavenly things and to earthly ones. In a world full of sights and sounds, it can be hard to hear God calling us and to see the opportunities for good that we are presented with each day. This is why it is so important to make our Sabbath days holy, restful, and renewing in spirit. If Sunday is just another day to surf the web, watch TV, or listen to music, then we lose out on the richness of our faith. Sunday needs to be the pivotal point in our week, replenishing our spirits and giving us the word to live by and the body and blood to sustain us throughout the week. And if we have a chance, we should seek to bring a little bit of the Sabbath into the rest of our days. We could all do with a little less action in our lives and a little more conversation with God.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath day? How is our celebration of Sunday stand out in regards to all the other days of the week? How can we bring the peace and quiet of the Sabbath into the rest of our lives?

O Lord, bless our every Sabbath and help us to keep them holy.

Amen.

First Friday of Ordinary Time

For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; and again, in the previously mentioned place, They shall not enter into my rest. Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience.

We are all called to rest in God. He is our seventh day, our Sabbath. It is in Him that we shall find eternal rest from the world. However, if we are disobedient and fail to live our lives according to His Good News, then we shall not enter into His Rest. In a world where we are constantly tempted to work toward earthly rewards, we can often lose sight of the need to rest our spirits and take time to simply be with God in prayer and solitude. But if we are always on the go and never reflect on our choices, successes, failures, joys, or sorrows, then how can we learn from them and grow in our faith?

Do we take time out of each day to rest with God? Do we keep holy the Sabbath Day? How can we make our lives more spiritually restful?

O Lord, we want only to rest in you forever.

Amen.

Thirtieth Monday of Ordinary Time

“Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

The best way to keep holy the Sabbath is not only going to Mass, but also doing good works. We should do good whenever the opportunity arises. This spirit of compassionate charity should be at the heart of our faith. Our religious observances shouldn't be the end of our faith, but only the starting point. Both faith and works are necessary for our salvation. Faith in God is founded on our trust that our Heavenly Father will provide us the graces we need to do good, avoid evil, and be saved. Acts of charity and mercy give God proof that our faith isn't just words or empty promises, but beliefs at the very core of our existence. In truth, every day should be a Sabbath day for us where we can rejoice in the Lord, proclaim our faith, and perform acts of almsgiving and prayer.

How do we celebrate the Sabbath? How do we express our faith beyond religious observances? How can we make charity the very heart of our Christian identity?

O Lord, may our lives be filled with acts of faith and love so that we can bring hope to all your children.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

We all need rest. We cannot work all the time. This is why God gave us the Sabbath as a feast day. We need it in order to reflect on our thoughts, words, and works each week. We also need time each day to do the same. Without rest and reflection, we can become overworked and lose sight of why we are here on earth. We forget that everything we think, say, and do should have its source, center, and summit in God. We cannot reflect on these things if we don’t set aside time to pray to God for guidance, meditate upon our actions, and evaluate the direction of our lives. We can become lost in our work, even good works, and become burned out if we do not take a break from time to time to recharge our spiritual batteries so that we can go back into the world as lights for all God’s children.

Do we rest and relax in the Lord when we are wary? Does our leisure time bring us closer to God or further away from Him? What can we do to keep holy the Sabbath day?

O Lord, let us rest in you.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

In today’s gospel, we are reminded that the Sabbath was created for man, not the other way around. God wants us to take at least one day out of every week and make it holy. He also wants us to rest in His Love and Mercy on this day. This is why it is so important to celebrate the Sabbath. His Divine Presence at Mass renews us and gives us the graces we need to make it through the week. The spiritual food we receive through the liturgies of the Word and Eucharist, nourish our souls, make them stronger, help us lead healthier lives, and unite us in the spiritual body of Christ. If we do not take time for the Sabbath, we will go spiritually hungry, become too weak to do God’s Will, and wither away in sin and idleness. The Sabbath is a cornerstone of our faith and we should be perpetually thankful for the graces that flow from our participation in it every week.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath? Do we take time to rest in the Lord? Do we spend time not only receiving the God's Word and the Eucharist, but also make them part of our being?

O Lord, help us to keep holy your Sabbath.

Amen.

Thirtieth Friday of Ordinary Time

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

Jesus knew that healing the man with dropsy would be frowned on by the Pharisees, but did it anyway because he does not care about the opinions of men. The only one he sought approval from was God the Father. He chose to do the right and good thing rather than the popular one. We, too, should be willing to do the right, but unpopular thing. It is tempting for us to sin by taking the easy way out or choosing to do nothing when presented with an opportunity to do a good, but unpopular thing. However, this is not what Jesus modeled for us in his life and so we should do everything within our power to know, love, or serve God and our neighbors.

Do we seek approval from the world or from God? When presented with an opportunity to be charitable and merciful toward others do we take it? Are we willing to do the right, but unpopular thing?

O Lord, give us the strength to do your will even in the midst of opposition.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

We can all learn a lot about how to pray from Jesus. In a world where silence, rest, and praying are seen as wastes of time, we can forget that all these are necessary to be a true follower of Christ. When we pray we need silence, not just in the world around us, but also in our own minds. We need to push aside as many distractions as possible so that we can focus on God. This isn’t to say that we won’t have unbidden thoughts, but that when they do come we make every effort to ignore them and give ourselves completely to God in our prayer. Hand-in-hand with silence is the need for resting in the Lord. We need to slow things downs and take time to seek solace in God’s presence. We can’t do that if we are constantly busying ourselves with projects. Doing good works can be exhausting and at times we can forget to focus on why we are charitable and merciful toward others. When we lose sight of why we do the right thing, we fail to appreciate our participation in God’s Grace. This is why God gives us the concept of a Sabbath—a day of rest. We might not be able to take our rest on Sunday, but should make a point to rest with God at some point and time during the week. Once we have silence and rest, then our prayers will be more focused and fruitful. We will be able to pray to our Father in a more meaningful way, to partake in His Eucharist with more passion, and forgive others more readily.

Do we seek silence every day so that we can better focus on God? Do we make time to rest in God every day? How can we minimize the distractions that keep us from praying with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths?

O Lord, teach us how to pray.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?

The Pharisees and Herodians decide to put Jesus to death after he heals a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath. It can be difficult for us to understand how people could see someone doing a good deed and react in such a way. However, it might not be as difficult to think of people who misunderstand our words or actions and become angry at us. Sometimes we try to do the right thing, but someone else comes along and says, "Why’d you do that?" We should not expect to be loved for doing good or even recognized for doing so. We should instead do it because it is right no matter what problems might arise because of our actions.

How do we respond to others when they misunderstand or persecute us? Do we love them in spite of what they might say or do to us? How can we save lives through our words and works?

O Lord, help us to do good on the Sabbath and every other day of our lives.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.

The Sabbath was made for us. It is a day we should keep holy, but it is also a day for feasting and doing good works. Just as in the Mass we celebrate and feast with God, so too should we carry the sense of thanksgiving into our daily lives. We should spend time with family and friends, help those in need, and do all we can to proclaim the Gospel through our words and works.

How do we spend our Sabbath? In what ways can we celebrate it in a meaningful and spiritually rewarding way? How do we thank God for giving us the example of a day of rest?

O Lord, grant us the wisdom to enjoy the Sabbath with you.

Amen.