Third Friday of Advent

Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

We are all temples to the Lord. We are all made to be His dwelling place. Our hearts are meant to be tabernacles to our Lord, allowing Him to rest in and work through us. We should strive to be open to our Heavenly Father. We should accept the teachings and wisdom of the Son. We should seek to fulfill the Will of the Holy Spirit and become saintly people. This is the only way we can become who we are meant to be... children of God, who reflect the face of God in our own faces and pass on His blessings through our own thoughts, words, and works. So, let us manifest the Lord to the best of our abilities and allow Him to live and speak and work through us in all things.

Do we let God enter into the temples of our souls? Are we accepting of the blessings and graces He gives us? Do we seek for Him in all things?

O Lord, we seek your face.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Thursday in Ordinary Time

And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Our Heavenly Father is waiting for us. He wants us to ask for His Presence in our lives so He can give us all the graces and blessings He has prepared for us. He wants us to seek Him out along the narrow Way to salvation and to walk beside Him. He wants us to knock on the gates of Paradise and ask for entrance so He can welcome us into His Holy City. He is always within reach through our prayers and petitions and will never abandon us. And even when we abandon Him, He offers us a way back into His Good Graces through contrition, confession, and penance.

Do we ask God for what we need? Do we seek Him out in all we think, say, and do? Do we knock at the doors of Heaven and ask for them to be open to us?

O Lord, open the doors of Heaven to us, your humble servants.

Amen.

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory.

Sometimes our hearts can become mountains. They can become piled up with all sorts of doubts, worries, anxieties, and worldly cares. These can become so heavy within us that it is hard to do anything. However, God is willing to melt these things away and free us from our burdens. All we have to do is seek God in prayer and in the sacraments of His Holy Church and ask for the graces and blessings we need to leave behind all our worldly concerns. Then, we can focus on what is truly important, proclaiming God’s Goodness, Mercy, and Love to all the nations. And being charitable and just in our words and actions so all peoples can see God’s Glory through us.

What is weighing on our minds and hearts? How can we let go of these burdens and allow God to lift them away from us? What can we do to help lift other people’s burdens?

O Lord, melt our worries away with your love and mercy.

Amen.

Twelfth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly.

Serving God constantly isn’t easy. We are constantly bombarded by distractions and temptations that can take us away from God. Even when we are doing what is right, we can lose sight of why we do it. Sometimes in the busyness of everyday life we can forget to pay attention to God. It is easy to become so caught up in the daily grind that we let our spiritual lives suffer. We don’t remember to offer up our works. We eat and drink and don’t think of saying grace. We buzz here and there and forget where our priorities should be. We take time to enjoy ourselves, but don’t set aside time to be with God in prayer or meditation. Because of how absorbing the world can be, we have to be extra sensitive to God’s Divine Presence in our lives and allow Him to help us through our days. By doing this, we can find ways to make our daily works into holy ones that bring us closer to God and fulfill our calling as Christians of the New Covenant.

When others see us, do they know we are Christians? How can we become better servants to the Lord? What can we do to remind ourselves to be more aware of God in our lives?

O Lord, we seek to serve you constantly.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Easter

Athirst is my soul for the living God. As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?

This Easter season is a constant reminder that our souls should be athirst for God. We should long to be with God in prayer, in communion, and through acts of charity and mercy. We should seek to behold the face of God through meditation on the mysteries of our faith, through visitation of our Lord at mass and in adoration, and through being good and faithful servants to His children. When given the choice between chasing after worldly things and heavenly ones, our first instinct should be to follow Christ. This requires each of us to cultivate a spirit of longing for God within us and then do everything in our power to seek God out in our daily lives.

Are our souls athirst for the living God? How can we use our longing to make better decisions in our lives? What can we do to prepare ourselves to go and behold the face of God?

O Lord, we athirst for you.

Amen.

Wednesday in the Octave of Easter

Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord. Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

There are many things in this world that can distract us from seeking the Lord. Pride can keep us from doing God’s Will above our own. Envy can poison our relationships with others. Anger can cause us to seek revenge instead of mercy and forgiveness. Greed can distract us from spiritual goods in favor of material ones. Lust can lead us to abuse and use ourselves and others for pleasure. Gluttony can cause us to gorge ourselves on things that are not of God. Sloth can lure us into a spiritual sleep where indifference and apathy overcome our call to service to others. With all these vices constantly calling out to us, it can be hard to hear the voice of the Lord. However, if we seek Him out each day in prayer and meditation upon the mysteries of our faith, then we will know God and be able to proclaim His wondrous deeds to all the nations.

Do we spend our days seeking the Lord or worldly things? Are we living our lives in such a way as to give thanks to God? How do we proclaim His wondrous deeds among the nations?

O Lord, help our hearts to always seek you.

Amen.

Fifth Thursday of Lent

The Lord remembers his covenant forever. Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.

There are many reasons to look at the Lord and seek to serve Him constantly. He is our Heavenly Father, who created us and now protects us for evil. He is our Beloved Brother, who showed us the Way, the Truth, and the Life and wants only to lead us to salvation. He is our Holy Advocate, who inspires us to do the right thing and helps us be the best versions of ourselves. He is true to His Word and has adopted us as His children. He loves us. He is merciful toward us. He pours out His graces upon us. He has wrought wondrous deeds for us, but He has also wrought small miracles in our lives that we won’t really know about until they are revealed in the next life. He has given us every guidance along the way so we might not be lost to the world, but walk the narrow path to heaven. Let us hope we will devotedly follow Him so that one day we will be called His good and faithful servants.

Are we serving God constantly in all our thoughts, our words, and our works? Do we seek Him as we ought? How can we recall and give thanks for all His wondrous deeds?

O Lord, we look to you in your strength and strive to serve you constantly.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Lent

Save me, O Lord, in your kindness. You will free me from the snare they set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

The wickedness and snares of the Devil are all around us. We see it in the world, in people, in places, and in things. We are constantly tempted by evil or tormented by those who see good and want to tear it down. God is our only refuge in this dark valley. He is our light, leading us to safety. He is our shelter, protecting us from the storm. He is our help, freeing us from the snares. If we want to have any hope of reaching Heaven, then we must commend our spirits to Him and allow Him to shepherd us to the Promised Land along the Way He has prepared for us.

Do we pray for God’s Help in overcoming the wickedness and snares of the Devil? Do we turn to Him in our times of need and commend our spirits to Him? How can we train ourselves to seek His Grace, follow His Light, and walk His Way?

O Lord, save us in your kindness.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart.

Seeking God with all our hearts isn’t easy. There are so many things in the world that demand our attention, drive us to distraction, and try to lead us astray. However, if we follow the commandments of God, then we will be able to follow God more perfectly and be blameless in His sight. If we strive to know, love, and serve God and His children, then we will be blessed. God pours out His Grace upon those who seek Him and do His Will with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. Yes, the way to salvation is narrow, but God’s arms are broad and He will draw us back to His path if we are humble enough to turn back to Him and take His Hand.

How can we become blameless in the sight of God? What can we do to become holier people? What changes is God asking us to make so we can walk in His Way, Truth, and Life?

O Lord, we seek you with all our hearts.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

They will praise you, Lord, who long for you. I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him. The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him: “May your hearts be ever merry!”

If we aren’t longing for the Lord, then we don’t have our priorities straight in this world. We should be living in constant anticipation of God’s coming into our lives, especially through the sacraments. We should be preparing ourselves for the Second Coming and the Day of Judgment. We should be striving to become holy people full of faith, hope, and love. We should strive to keep the vows of our baptism and to eat our fill of the Blessed Sacrament. We should be seeking God in every way possible from the beginning of each day to the end of each night. We should praise God with every ounce of our being. We should have merry hearts because when we long for God, we can be confident in His longing for us, too.

Do we long for God as we should? How can we cultivate a life of anticipation focused on being with God now and forever? How can we participate in the sacraments more fully and longingly?

O Lord, may our hearts long for you and be ever merry.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

"Hear, you neighbors of Zion! God has brought great mourning upon me, For I have seen the captivity that the Eternal God has brought upon my sons and daughters. With joy I fostered them; but with mourning and lament I let them go. Let no one gloat over me, a widow, bereft of many: For the sins of my children I am left desolate, because they turned from the law of God. Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought this upon you will remember you. As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him; For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy."

No matter how much we’ve sinned against God, let Him down, or turned away from what is right and good… we are still loved by God. Even in the midst of our sinful outbursts, He is constantly offering us salvation. He tells us to “Fear not!” He will remember us in our times of need. He will offer us every chance to return to Him and become ten times better seekers of His Way, Truth, and Life. Our sinful despondence will be replaced with joyful acceptance. Our evil ways will be amended to become charitable and merciful, reflecting the loving essence of our Heavenly Father. We have only to seek Him wholeheartedly with a firm intention to become His faithful servants now and forever.

What exiles are we suffering from due to our sins? How can we allow God to lead us to better places spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? Is there anything we can do to become better seekers of God’s Will?

O Lord, bring us back to your joy whenever and wherever we stray.

Amen.

Seventeenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD. When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become, they were afraid to come near him.

Although we might not have radiant faces after speaking to God in our prayers or when we celebrate the sacraments, we should have glowing minds and hearts. Our time spent in conversation with God should leave us with the commandments written upon the two tablets of our intellect and will. Our faith should radiate for all to see. Our hope should be a light for all to enjoy. Our love should shine on everyone we meet. We all have the choice to either know, love, and serve God and become a light for the whole world or serve ourselves and fall into darkness. It is up to us to make the right decision, God doesn’t force His graces on us, but if we accept them, we shall reap the rewards and grow in holiness.

Do we seek out God and converse with Him? How can we prepare our minds and hearts to receive His commandments and live them out faithfully? What can we do to radiate God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace for all to see?

O Lord, we wish to converse with you and radiate your goodness for all to see.

Amen.