Fourth Monday of Advent

Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand. Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.

Humility is a virtue we have to constantly work at. Pride has a way of slipping into our lives in various ways. It tries to convince us we are better than others. It proclaims we are holier, morally superior, and better than those around us. It wants us to believe we know best and our way is the only one. It tells us our time, talents, and treasures are more important than anyone else’s. It tempts us to be impatient with those who ask us for something. It tempts us to grumble and complain about others. It tempts us to make ourselves into God by encouraging us to be judges. Humility is the only cure for such temptations to pride and it must be swallowed every day. If we want to be truly upright and not like the Pharisees and Sadducees, then we must be humble and just in all things. Following not our way, but the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ, who humbly built other people up in faith, hope, and love.

Are we cultivating a sense of humility or pride? How can we become humbler in thought, word, and work? What can we do to foster humility not only in ourselves, but others, too?

O Lord, teach us to be humble.

Amen.

Sixteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. “Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?”

Sometimes we fail to offer God a sacrifice of praise. This happens when selfishness enters into our thoughts, words, and works. We might do the “right” thing, but for the wrong reasons. Our just and merciful actions might be tainted by self-righteousness and unforgiveness. We might put on a mask of goodness, but without addressing the evil within our hearts. We talk a good game about being followers of Christ, but in truth we fail to follow through on our talk and make it our reality, too. However, with God’s Grace all things are possible… even changing our fake praise and “good” works with the real things. We just have to let go of our selfish desires and grudges and let God step into these areas and purify them and make them holy.

Why are we selfish, self-righteous, and unforgiving? How can we rid ourselves of these things and become more faithful to the New Covenant? In what ways can we be more faithful in our praising of God?

O Lord, make us into truly just and merciful people, who praise you in through, word, and work.

Amen.

Thirty-Third Monday in Ordinary Time

I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first.

We can do everything right in our lives, but if we do them without love, then we will have much to answer for on the Day of Judgment. Just because we keep the commandments doesn't make us sinless. Just because we suffer for God or others and cannot tolerate the wicked doesn't mean we ourselves are pure of heart. We can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. We can be tripped up by self-righteous pride. Our good words and works might be tainted by selfish interests and a lack of love. We can be faithful and hopeful, but without love our faith and hope are empty and meaningless. When we let our love of self or of worldly things overrule our love of God and neighbor, we fail to live up to our callings as Christians. It is only when we do what is right out of love that we gain any merit. Our hearts need to be in the right place so our thoughts, words, and works will be good, faithful, and fruitful.

Is love at the heart of our every action? How can we make love of God and others more central to all our decisions? How can we rid ourselves of all those selfish inclinations that interfere with what is right and good?

O Lord, we repent for our failure to love properly and pray that you will give us loving hearts.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Our faith expresses itself through our acts of love and mercy. If we are not charitable and merciful, then where is our faith? If we follow all the rules of our faith, but don't love, then our actions ring hollow. Our only hope to become humbly righteous and not self-righteously prideful is to remember we must become Christ-like in our every thought, word, and work. Jesus did not do what was good to prove he was holier than us, but because he truly wanted to know, love, and serve his Heavenly Father and all his brothers and sisters. In the same way, we are called to live our lives through the Holy Spirit Christ left behind for us, full of love and mercy.

In what ways are we expressing our faith through acts of love and mercy? How can we become more righteous without becoming prideful? What can we do to live out the spirit of faith working through love?

O Lord, grant us your Spirit so we might become more righteous, loving, and merciful.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Tuesday in Ordinary Time

All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the LORD who proves hearts. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

We are not perfect and because of this sometimes we mistake evil for good. We may indeed be righteous in our own eyes and yet evil in the eyes of God. We might do the right things for the wrong reasons. We might allow the distractions and anxieties of the world keep us from doing the good works God is calling us to do. We might believe our hearts are in the right place, but they are not. Thankfully, God does not demand perfection from us. Instead, He demands we strive to do what is right and just. He asks us to sacrifice our time, talents, and treasures in order to do His Will to the best of our abilities. He wants us to prove our hearts are His and only His, which requires a willingness to be humble and sacrifice ourselves for Him and His children.

Have we examined our lives and asked if we are living rightly and well? How can we align our minds and hearts with the Will of God? What can we do to make our lives into an acceptable sacrifice for the love of God and the good of others?

O Lord, prove our hearts are true to you.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Lent

What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away. For this reason I smote them through the prophets, I slew them by the words of my mouth; For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

If we are not careful our piety can disappear like the morning dew. If our faith is founded on pride or selfishness, we can do all the right things for all the wrong reasons. Our religious observations can be done not for the glory of God, but out of an empty self-righteousness. We can think we are pious and good, but in truth we are acting like self-righteous hypocrites, who believe they are better than everyone else. Our prayers can be self-serving and our actions can bear no good fruits. However, if our lives are founded on knowing, loving, and serving God with all our being, then we shall be truly faithful to our calling to be disciples of Christ in all things.

What is our faith life founded on? How can we resist the temptations to misuse our faith? How can we become good, faithful, and loving servants to God and all His children?

O Lord, we want only to know and love you more perfectly in all things.

Amen.

Ninth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

I called to my wife and said: “Where did this goat come from? Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners; we have no right to eat stolen food!” She said to me, “It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages.” Yet I would not believe her, and told her to give it back to its owners. I became very angry with her over this.  So she retorted: “Where are your charitable deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your true character is finally showing itself!”

How quickly we can fall from grace! Tobit, who does so much good for others goes blind and spends years being taken care of by others. Just as he was charitable, so others are treating him with charity. And yet, he becomes suspicious of his wife and instead of dwelling on all the good she has done him, he casts doubt upon her character. He has become like those who mocked him, but worse. He has moved past indifference to envy and self-righteousness. How many of us fall into the same traps and temptations. We see evils in other’s charitable deeds. We see what others have and think they have no right to it. We can build up a treasure house of good works, but spoil them all by casting dispersions on others or not trusting them when they have give us reason to trust.

Have we ever blamed someone for something or thought ill of them and been proven wrong? Have we blinded ourselves with envy and pride? How can we cure our blindness and see others through loving eyes?

O Lord, open our eyes so that we might be charitable in thought, word, and deed.

Amen.

Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, “Men, why are you doing this?  We are of the same nature as you, human beings.  We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.”

It is important for us to remember that all the good we do is from God. We are not the source, center, or summit of Goodness, God is. As people of faith, we can be tempted to feel like we are better than others and lord it over those whom we see as unfaithful. However, God does not call us to become modern day Pharisees. Instead, He calls us to do His Will with humble hearts, without expectation of return or seeking worldly glory or consolations. There may be some whom we help who might want to treat us like saviors, but there is only One Savior and he is Jesus Christ. Every good we do is an imitation of God and a fulfillment of the vocation to love that God has given all of us. Though we are called to be saints, we should remember that we are all human. We all have strengths and weaknesses and should not seek to make ourselves into false idols. We are called to sanctity, not to proclaim ourselves as good, but to proclaim God’s Good News... that all of us have a chance to be holy if we will confess our sins, amend our lives, and love God and neighbor with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Have we made ourselves into false idols through the sins of pride and self-righteousness? Do we give all the glory for our good deeds and successes to God or claim it for ourselves? How can we become more humble servants of God, magnifying Him and not ourselves?

O Lord, remind us that part of becoming saints is learning to be humble of heart.

Amen.

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Although these words are directed at the leaders of the Christian community, they have meaning for all Christians. We should do everything in our power to help our Church leaders to tend to the flock of God. If we have time to give in volunteer work, then we should give it. If we have talents we can share, then we should share them. If we have treasures we can offer up for the good of others, then we should offer them. And we should do these things eagerly out of love for God and His children. We should be examples to others of what it means to be Christians and share our faith, hope, and love with all our strength. If we do these things, then we shall receive a crown of glory crafted out of good and merciful deeds.

What are we doing to support our Church leaders? How can we share our time, talents, and treasures with the Church? What can we think, say, and do to forge a life worthy of the crown of glory?

O Lord, help us to be examples to your flock.

Amen.

Thirtieth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Humility is something we all struggle with. Pride has a way of sneaking up on us and creeping into our lives. It starts out small, just like many other sins, and slowly grows until we think we're better than other people or place an inordinate amount of value on the things we think, say, or do. It also causes us to depend more and more upon ourselves and less and less on God. We start to believe that our reasoning is always correct and if we pray we praise ourselves more than God. Pride leads us to make ourselves into false idols and turn away from God. However, humility keeps us from making all these mistakes because it opens our eyes to our faults and constantly reminds us of our dependency upon God in all things. It also inspires us to give thanks to God because it is by His grace that we are exalted.

Do we exalt God or ourselves? How can we learn humility? What can we do to rid ourselves of sinful pride?

O Lord, make us your humble servants.

Amen.

The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

We should never allow ourselves to be convinced of our own righteousness. All of us are sinners is some shape, form, or fashion. So of us are prideful, others envious, still more wrathful. Some are lustful, greedy, slothful, or gluttonous. As such, we should never see ourselves as better than others. This does not mean condoning other people's sins, but rather to remember that we are all in need of God's Mercy and as such we should act compassionately toward each other. Part of acting compassionately is pointing out when someone is doing something wrong and trying to help them do what is right. It doesn't matter how many "good" works we do if we do not do them with loving hearts and for the right reasons. It should be our aim in life to recognize our sinfulness, humbly ask for God's Mercy, and then try to amend our faults, great and small, so we can do God's Will more faithfully.

Do we believe we are better than certain people? How can we learn to be more humble and to remember we are sinners, too? Do we call out for God's Mercy with humble and contrite hearts?

O Lord, be merciful to us sinners.

Amen.

Twenty-First Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

We are not called to appear to be righteous, but to be righteous. God knows our hearts and sees our every thought, word, and work in light of our true intentions. Even when we do good works, if we do them for the wrong reason they shall have no merit before God. He knows when we act out of virtue and when we act out of self-interest. He knows us better in that regard than we know ourselves. Sometimes we can fool ourselves into believing we are acting in accord with God's Will, but in truth we choose to blind ourselves to the reasons for our choices and do what we want regardless of what God might want from us. This is why we need to make a constant effort to understand ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can make a good examination of conscience and overcome our temptations, imperfections, and sins. If we do that, then even though we might fall once in a while, we will have the tools to recognize what lead us to fall, try to avoid it in the future, and seek to amend our lives.

Are we hypocrites? Do we act out of righteousness or selfishness? What can we do to avoid hypocrisy and evildoing?

O Lord, grant us the graces we need to overcome our temptations to hypocrisy and evil so that we can truly be righteous people.

Amen.

Seventh Saturday of Ordinary Time

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

Jesus makes it very clear that the Kingdom of God belongs to the child-like. He rebukes his disciples to make this point because they are acting like Jesus is their possession, instead of them being Jesus' disciples. Their possessiveness over Jesus isn't what Jesus wants from them. He wants them to be more like the children, who seek to touch him. It might not seem like much, but a child's touch shows trust and acceptance. Children don't touch things they don't like. Jesus knows this and he uses the children's actions to remind his disciples that they, too need to be child-like in their trust and acceptance of not only him, but other people. They should let everyone who wishes to take that leap of faith and believe come to Jesus. Lastly, Jesus embraces and blesses the children who come to him. It is the same for us, too. He wants to hold us in his arms and give us every spiritual blessing. All we have to do is approach him with child-like trust, reach out with acceptance, and receive his blessing in our lives.

Do we act like the disciples, deciding who is worthy to approach God and who isn't? How can we be more child-like? What can we do to show God our trust and acceptance of Him?

O Lord, may we be child-like in our love and dependence upon you.

Amen.

The Third Saturday of Lent

Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Jesus warns his followers against becoming convinced of their righteousness and despising others. This is not to say that his followers shouldn’t be righteous, because we all should seek to do what is right, but rather they shouldn’t consider themselves holier-than-thou. Our piety is under constant attack by the Devil and one of his weapons is pride, which worms its way into our hearts by convincing us that we are better than others and encouraging us to despise them. However, the truly righteousness will never be convinced of their superiority, nor will they look down on others. Instead, they will do what God asks them to do and cultivate the virtues of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Most importantly, they will recognize themselves as sinners, seek God’s Mercy, and be compassionate toward their fellow sinners. When we live in such a way, we give glory to God and will be exalted before Him for being good and faithful servants.

Do we believe ourselves to be better than others or recognize we too are in constant need of God’s Mercy? What are we doing to ensure our piety is not corrupted by false pride? Are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving the pillars of our lives?

O Lord, be merciful to us sinners.

Amen.

Fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”  He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

Although we might not be Pharisees, sometimes we act like them in our dealings with others. We fall into the temptation to see only the faults in others, to notice the differences between us and them, and to even believe we are better than this person or that person. However, Jesus does not teach us to judge others. That is not what we are called to do in this world. Instead, God calls us to be bearers of His Love, Mercy, and Grace to our brothers and sisters. We are all flawed or broken by sin and so we should not be so quick to judge others. Rather, we should seek to know, love, and serve them as Jesus would if he was standing in our place.

Do we judge others? What can we do to remind ourselves that we are not called to be judges, but rather to be messengers of God’s Providence? Do we recognize our own faults so that we can more easily forgive those who trespass against us?

O Lord, bring our hearts closer to you.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

Bad things happen to good people, just as good things happen to bad people. God does not cause suffering, nor does He condone all our actions. We cause suffering by our sins and though we might not understand why some trial comes our way, we should not blame God for it. He not only lets us choose to love Him, but also allows us to deny Him, too. He loves us too much to force us to do anything. This is why there are times when we are tempted to take the easy way out. But there is always a cost to our actions. The question is whether we are sacrificing ourselves for others or others for ourselves. Hopefully, it is the former, but if we do fall into sin, we should always remember God loves us no matter how often we fail or how great our fall. All we have to do is return to Him with contrite hearts and do penance for our sins.

Do we think we are better than others? Do we realize that our trials and tribulations are not God’s fault, but rather the result of our sins and those of the rest of mankind? Are we ready to repent so we might live with God forever and ever?

O Lord, preserve us from sin and death.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Lent

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

One of the ways the Devil attacks pious people is by convincing them of their own righteousness. There is nothing wrong with being righteous in the sense of doing the right thing, but when we start pointing out to others how right we are, then there is a problem. When we exalt ourselves we set ourselves up for a fall. Instead, we should be humble like the tax collector and constantly asking mercy for our sins, which are more numerous than even we know.

Have we treated anyone else as if we were better than them? How do we humble ourselves each day? Do we constantly ask for mercy from our Father?

O Lord, we humble ourselves before you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.

We often talk a good game about doing God’s Will, but when it comes to actually doing the right thing we can sometimes convince ourselves to do the wrong thing because it seems more socially acceptable or avoids conflict with others. We can also convince ourselves we are morally superior to others and act holier-than-thou toward them because of their sinful lives. However, we must always keep in mind that we are sinners too and should not judge lest we be judged by the same measure.

Do we honor God with our lips only, or also with our hearts? Have we acted superior to others? If so, then how can we make amends to them and love them as Jesus loved the sinner, but hated the sin?

O Lord, help us to honor you with our hearts and seek not to judge others.

Amen.