Nineteenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat he fills you. He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs his word!

Our hearts are like Jerusalem. They are cities made of virtues and vices. We have places of holiness and openness to God’s Will and we have our dark corners where it isn’t safe for us to go. But no matter what, we can be sure that like Jerusalem God will grant us peace in our borders if we have faith in Him, hope in His Goodness, and love as He loves us. He will wash away our iniquities and cleanse the places in our hearts that have grown dark from abuse and indifference. He will fill us up with His Grace and Mercy if we allow Him through our gates and welcome Him into our lives. He will bring great riches into us if we let Him. And He will dwell within us if we make ourselves into His living temples.

Are we willing to let God bring peace into our hearts? What dark places do we need to cleanse from our lives? How can we be more open to the spiritual food God offers us?

O Lord, grant us your peace and fill us with good fruits.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Lent

Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.

When we sin, our souls can be like the Dead Sea, where very few creatures can live. Our failings, imperfections, and wickedness can cause our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies to be barren of good works. However, through the sacrament of reconciliation, we can be refreshed and renewed. Our vices are washed away and our virtues multiplied. We bear good fruits of all kinds and grow in faith, hope, and love. We are watered by the love, mercy, and grace God has given us through the life, passion, and resurrection of Jesus. We become spiritual food and medicine to those in need of it just as Christ did in his holy life.

How can we refresh and renew our souls? Do we make regular use of the sacrament of reconciliation and the graces it grants us? How can we become spiritual food and medicine to the souls of those we meet each day?

O Lord, help us to be refreshed in spirit and bear good fruits all the days of our lives.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

We would all do well if we constantly asked ourselves, what we can do to accomplish the works of God. We do this best by believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ and living them out to the best of our abilities. We might not understand how to accomplish God’s Will or why He wishes us to undertake a certain task, but that is why we have faith He knows best and will always give us the graces we need to do His Works. We all have a choice in this life between surviving on the earthly things that perish or thriving on the heavenly things that endure forever. We will be constantly tempted to partake in vice and sin and to enslave ourselves to the world, but if we want to live free, then we need to believe in the Good News and proclaim it through our every thought, word, and work of this day and all our days.

Do we work for the worldly food that perishes or the heavenly food that endures? How can we accomplish God’s Will in our lives? Do we believe in Jesus and live according to his teachings?

O Lord, help us to thrive on heavenly things.

Amen.

Third Monday of Easter

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”

Jesus offers us the food of eternal life—himself. When we partake of him through the reception of His Body and Blood, we become sealed with the Holy Spirit. He gives us all the spiritual nourishment we need to endure to the end of our lives so that we can join him in the afterlife. We should try to remember this when we receive the gift of the Blessed Sacrament and do everything we can to prepare for Jesus coming into our hearts.

How do we prepare for the reception of the Eucharist? What can we do to make our hearts ready for Him? Do we reflect on the graces we gain through the reception of Him?

O Lord, give us the food of eternal life.

Amen.