Thirtieth Monday in Ordinary Time

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

We should seek to be imitators of God in all things, especially in the way we know, love, and serve others. We should be compassionate, merciful, and forgiving. We should be kind and good and seek to do what is right. We should offer ourselves as living sacrifices for the glory of God and the good of others. We must strive to live in love as Christ loved us. This requires a willingness to sacrifice ourselves for what is right and to suffer for God. It means living a life that mirrors Jesus' life from beginning to end. This isn't always easy, but it is a lighter yoke than the chains of sin and will lead us to everlasting life if we are willing to follow in Christ's footsteps.

How can we become more like Christ in our every thought, word, and work? How can we live in love? In what ways can we become more compassionate and forgiving?

O Lord, help us to become good and faithful imitators of you in all things.

Amen.

Twelfth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD that they would follow him and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in this book. And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

We are all part of the New Covenant. We all know what our responsibilities are. We are asked by God to know, love, and serve Him with our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. We are called to know, love, and serve our neighbors as He loves them. Every day of our lives we either choose to renew our baptismal promises or reject them. We either follow God and His teachings or we turn our backs on them and worship false gods.  There is no middle ground. We either choose to live for God or for ourselves. If we choose ourselves, then we shouldn’t be surprised if we are unhappy and empty of consolations. If we choose God, then we shall have an inner happiness and peace that cannot be upset by any suffering.

Have we taken the time to read Scriptures? What can we do to make the scriptures into a daily part of our faith lives? How can we renew our baptismal promises to know, love, and serve God and all His children?

O Lord, we will follow you and all your teachings.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

The end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.

As Christians, we should treat every day as if it will be the end of all things. We do not know the hour when our lives or the world will end. And so, we should do everything we can to fill our days with faith, hope, and love. We are all called to think the thoughts of God, to speak His words, and to do His good works. This requires us to be serious and sober-minded in our prayer lives and making sure we put aside some quiet time for God each and every day. It also asks us to be intense in our love and mercy so we can serve God and His children more perfectly. This isn’t always easy with all the distractions the world waves in front of us, but if we are to go to our ends with peaceful hearts, then we must die to ourselves and live through, for, with, and in Jesus Christ.

Do we treat each day we are given with the thanks we should? Are we serious about our prayers? How can we love God and others with more intensity?

O Lord, you are our beginning, middle, and end.

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.

We all are shepherds in some way. We might have children of our own to lead and guide through their lives. We might have jobs that require us to tend to others through service. There might be some other duty we are bound to which gives us responsibilities and duties towards others. No matter what position of power we are in, we should make sure to do not lord it over others, but rather lead by good and loving example. In this way, we can imitate Jesus, who was a good and faithful servant of all in spite of being the most powerful man to ever walk the earth.

How can we be better shepherds? Who are the people who are in our care? What can we do to guide them to better, holier, and love-filled lives?

O Lord, inspire your shepherds to lead your flock closer to you in all things.

Amen.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Becoming fruitful followers of Christ requires us to do three things: know, love, and serve God and His children. In order to know God, we have to be open to the commandments of the Father, the teachings of the Son, and the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. In order to know God’s children, we have to listen to them and empathize with them. In order to love and serve God and others properly, we need to understand the Word of God and what it is asking of us as followers of Christ. Our knowledge and understanding of the Good News shows us the Way to live Christ-like lives and helps us to bear good fruits through our thoughts, words, and works.

Are we open to listening to the Word of God, even in the midst of our busy lives? What can we do to help ourselves to understand the Word of God? How can we know, love, and serve God and His children in fruitful ways?

O Lord, grant us the graces we need to be fertile soil for your Divine Word.

Amen.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

“Then he removed him and raised up David as their king; of him he testified, I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish. From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. 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.’”

Paul makes a clear connection between God’s promises to the Israelites and the fulfillment of those promises in the person of Christ and the Church founded on Jesus’ teachings. Although we might not realize it, we too have been given promises by God through the New Covenant. He has promised to always be with us, to give us the graces we need to become good and faithful servants, and to save us from sin and death. In return for these things, He asks us to put our faith and trust in Him, to place our hopes in the gifts He has given us, to and to repent of our sins and do penance so that we can be as loving and merciful as God is to us.

Do we trust that God will provide and protect us? Do we place our hope in Him? Are we ready to amend out lives so that we can come to know, love, and serve God and His children to the best of our abilities?

O Lord, we want to be people after your own heart and to carry out your every wish.

Amen.

Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

We can’t do everything. This is something we need to remember when we are trying to do God’s Will. Although it is good to do as much as we can, we also have to realize the limitations we have on our time, talents, and treasures. Some of us may be best suited to preaching, evangelizing, and proclaiming the Good News through words. Others may be better at serving others through acts of charity and mercy, ministering to the sick, the needy, and the imprisoned, and expressing the Gospels through good deeds. No matter which of these callings is for us, we need to be devoted to the tasks before us and live lives worthy of our vocation.

Are we being called to minister to others through word, deed, or both? How do our lives proclaim the Good News? How do we manifest the Word of God through our actions?

O Lord, lead us to the ministries that will fulfill your Divine Plan.

Amen.

Twelfth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

Jesus sees Peter’s mother-in-law is ill and heals her, then goes on to heal many others who are brought to him. We can learn a lot about what it means to love by reading the scriptures and then imitating Jesus’ actions. When we see someone in need, we should have the same response as Jesus does. We should seek to comfort the afflicted and do everything we can to help them heal. So too, we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves to help them as best we can. Jesus did not turn people away because he was too busy, too tired, or needed a break. He did everything he could to help those in need and so should we.

Who are the people in our lives who are most in need? How can we know, love, and serve them? What are we willing to sacrifice for their benefit?

O Lord, you have taken away our infirmities. Help us to do the same for others.

Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves."

Sometimes when we are faced with a daunting task, whether it's spiritual or not, we can be tempted to run away from it or try to push it off onto someone else. However, this is not what we should do when we are faced with people in need. Instead, we should take whatever resources we have on hand and do our best with them. This requires a great deal of trust in God and ourselves, but with God all things are possible. Might we fail? Yes, but at least we will have tried our best. This is what God wants from us, a willingness to do His Will no matter what obstacles stand in our way. He does not want us to turn our backs on others because we feel we have nothing to offer. We always have something to offer: ourselves, our lives, and our love.

Are we willing to risk failure in order to serve God and His children? How do we respond to those in need? Are we willing to place our faith in God, hand over everything we have, and trust that He will multiply our acts of charity and mercy to feed the hearts, minds, spirits and bodies of those around us?

O Lord, let us never turn away from those in need and always give of ourselves.

Amen.

Seventh Wednesday of Ordinary Time

“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

Why do the disciples try to prevent someone from driving out demons in Jesus' name? Maybe it is because they were jealous of the person. After all, a few short paragraphs before, they had failed to exorcise a mute demon because of their lack of prayer. Maybe they thought this new exorcist was seeking to take their place among the disciples. After all, they had just debated about who was the greatest among them and been rebuked about how the first must be a servant of all. Here is a new exorcist who is driving out demons and serving others… an ideal disciple and yet not one of them. And so once again Jesus rebukes his own followers, reminding them that jealousy has no place in his Kingdom. We would do well to remember that the next time we feel envious of others. We should be happy at the success of others and spurred on to do better ourselves. After all, it is a far better use of our time and energy than stewing in the sin of jealousy.

Who are we jealous of? How can we let go of these feelings of envy? How can we use the success of others as inspiration to do better?

O Lord, rid us of all our jealousy.

Amen.

The Fourth Thursday of Easter

Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.

None of us is greater than Jesus. Our passions, wants, and goals come in a distant second to the Will of God and the gospel teachings of Christ. It is when our passions, wants, and goals are aligned with these things that we fulfill our purpose on earth and become true messengers of the Lord. We should dedicate ourselves to knowing, loving, and serving God and His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. It is for this that we came into the world and it how we should spend our lives from beginning to end. We are most blessed by God when we give ourselves over to His Divine Plan and think, speak, and do everything in His Holy Name, just as Jesus did in his life.

Are we truly dedicated to knowing, loving, and serving God? How can we cleanse ourselves of the sin of pride and become more humble in spirit? What can we do to become better messengers of Christ?

O Lord, bless us and make us your humble messengers.

Amen.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

Like Mary, our souls should proclaim the greatness of the Lord and our spirits should rejoice in God our savior. Our every thought, word, and work should declare that we are good disciples of Christ. Our faith should guide us through our daily lives. Our hope should sustain us through our trials and tribulations. Our love should be poured out to God and His children. In this way, we will imitate Jesus and Mary in their complete surrender to God’s Will. At the same time, we should be joyful servants no matter what obstacles get in our way or what sufferings we must undergo to do God’s Will. In this way, we imitate and unite ourselves to the passion, crucifixion, and death of Christ, which is the source of our salvation.

Do our words and works proclaim the greatness of the Lord? Do we rejoice in Jesus, Our Savior? How can we learn to be a good and faithful servant like Mary?

O Lord, help us to be more like Mary and live lives that proclaim your greatness.

Amen.

The Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"  Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here."  So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Jesus’ kingdom does not belong to this world and if we want to be part of it, then we cannot belong to this world either. We must foster within our souls a holy detachment from worldly things and people. Our trust should be in God and our energies should be focused on knowing, loving, and serving God and His children to the best of our abilities. We are also called to listen to God’s voice within our hearts and testify to the truth even if doing so causes us to be persecuted or undergo other troubles in our lives. It is far more important to suffer temporary trials and tribulations and become a child of God’s heavenly kingdom, then to be worldly creatures and suffer eternal separation from God because of our selfishness. As followers of Christ, we should always choose life with God over death in sin.

Do we believe Jesus is our King and Savior? How do we make our beliefs known through our thoughts, words, and works? Have we formed a spirit of holy detachment from the things and people of this world?

O Lord, you are our King and we belong to you.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

What we believe about Jesus matters greatly in our lives. If we believe Jesus came down from heaven to be a model for us and to sacrifice himself to save us, then this belief demands we come to know, love, and serve God and His children as best as we can just as Jesus did. He reveals to us how to live our lives and if we do not put his words into action, then we are hollow inside and not hallowed. Who we believe Jesus to be makes all the difference in how we treat others and relate with God. His very incarnation challenges us to become manifestations of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace to others.

So who do we say Jesus is? Is he our God-man Savior or just a man? Do we follow the teachings of Christ and put his words into action?

O Lord, you are the Christ, let our every action proclaim this truth.

Amen.