Seventh Tuesday of Easter

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; Your flock settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

We are all needy in some way. We are imperfect and lacking. We are sinners, who are struggling to do right and avoid evil. We think wrongly. We say things that are hurtful. We don’t succeed at everything we do. We are failures in so many ways. But God loves us and because of His Love, we are given opportunities to fill our needs, be restored from our brokenness, fix our imperfections, and succeed in the most important things in life, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and His children.

What are our areas of need in mind, body, and spirit? How can we allow God into these places so He can amend our lives to be more perfectly aligned with His Will? What can we do to be better receptors of God’s Love and Saving Grace?

O Lord, provide for our neediness.

Amen.

Thursday in the Octave of Easter

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth! O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth! What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?

It can be humbling to think about how much God cares for us. He created us out of pure love. He gave us His Beloved Son as a teacher and as a sacrifice for our sins. He sent his Holy Spirit into the world to be our constant guide and inspirer. He treats each and every one of us as if we are the center of His Universe. He is always with us no matter what and provides for our every spiritual need. He is a devoted Father to us all. We can only hope to imitate Him to the best of our abilities and be good and faithful servants to His Will.

How can we become more mindful of God? What can we do to help ourselves and others to appreciate Him for all He has done for us? How can we care for God’s children as much as He does?

O Lord, give us the grace to be as caring as you are.

Amen.

Second Tuesday of Easter

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.

The early Christian community was a model of unity and charity. They shared their goods with each other and helped each other out to the best of their abilities. They bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord by proclaiming the Good News and helping the needy among them. They were more than willing to give up worldly goods in order to feed, clothe, and shelter the least of God’s children. We can learn a lot from this early community of believers and should imitate them as best we can. We might not have church houses anymore, but we can certainly make each of our homes into spiritual churches that nourish body, mind, and spirit.

How can we cultivate a spirit of detachment from our worldly things so that we can share them when needed? How can we bear witness to the resurrection as the early disciples did? What can we do to make our houses into domestic churches?

O Lord, make us one in heart and mind with you and all your holy ones.

Amen.

Wednesday within the Octave of Easter

Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk." Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Sometimes we ask for one thing and get another. This isn’t always a bad thing because we don’t always know what is best for us. We don’t always recognize the opportunities that present themselves to us. However, God will offer us the best thing. It is up to us to leap up, take it, and praise God for His Goodness. Other times, people ask us for things. In a similar way, we should consider what the person really needs and not just what they are asking for. Perhaps we see someone begging, but instead of giving them a few dollars... maybe we can keep them in our prayers and ask for God’s Help for them, too. Or see if we can’t help them in some other way. It takes a lot more effort, but it might lead to a greater good. Yes, there is risk involved, but our faith is built upon a risk-taker... Jesus, who didn’t shrink from going among sinners and doing God’s Will because that was where He was most needed.

What are we asking God for? Will we respond with thanks even if our prayers aren’t answered how we wish? In what ways can we bring the Good News to others as Peter did?

O Lord, grant us what we truly need and not just what we ask for.

Amen.

First Sunday of Lent

“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

The devil tempted Jesus in many ways. First, he tempted Jesus with the bodily need of hunger. Then, he tempted Jesus with worldly glory and power. Finally, he tempted Jesus with abusing his relationship with God. However, Jesus doesn’t fall for any of these temptations. Yes, he can turn stones into bread, rule over all the earth, and call angels to his aid, but he does not do so because these acts are not what he has come to earth for. He is not here simply to meet the physical needs of others, rule over them as a worldly king, or work miracles for personal gain. He has come into the world to convert sinners and save souls. And so he denies the Devil’s temptations because he knows that he has a greater calling than simple survival, worldly authority, or displays of divine power. He has a message of faith, hope and love that he wishes to impart to the world. We can only hope to imitate him in this dedication to helping others at the sacrifice of himself as ultimately expressed on the cross.

Are we able to overcome our bodily and spiritual temptations? Do we do the right thing for the right reasons or the wrong ones? Are we willing to answer our higher calling no matter the cost?

O Lord, give us the grace to overcome the temptations of the Devil and answer your summons to a life of sacrificial faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha and Mary welcome Jesus in different ways; Martha welcomes Jesus physically into her home, while Mary welcomes him spiritually into her heart. Martha tends to the outward needs of Jesus, while Mary opens her heart to be tended to by Jesus. Sometimes we can be so focused on serving others and providing for their physical well-being that we forget what really needs tending: the person’s spirit. If we feed a person’s body, but not their soul they may survive, but they will not thrive or truly live. It is good for us to take care of the needs of the poor and needy, but it is better to love God and to pay Him the attention He deserves. Of course, if we love God properly, then we will naturally come to know, love, and serve His children, but not with a focus only on the physical, but rather a focus on the entire person's body, mind, and soul.

Are we focused on material or spiritual things? How can we better concentrate on God and the spiritual needs of His children? Do we spend time each day listening at the feet of our Lord as Mary did?

O Lord, give us the patience to listen to your gospel and live it out.

Amen.

Fifteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

We all need rest from time to time. Our bodies can’t keep going at top speed every hour of the day. We need to take breaks, naps, and get a good night’s sleep to help us rejuvenate. However, many of us do not do this for our spirits, which are in just as much need of rest. Our thoughts and emotions can take a lot out of us and we need to remember to rest our minds and hearts in God. Only He can renew our spirits when they labor with unanswered questions or are heavy with sorrows. Our passions, including our sensible devotion to God, wax and wane over the course of our lives. This is natural and we should not worry about the dry spells in our spiritual life. Sometimes God wants us simply to rest in Him and trust that He will provide for our spirits the energy we need at the time it is needed. There are many ways for us to rest our spirits. We can pray simply, listen in silence to God, or even spend time sitting quietly in the presence of the Lord during Adoration or after Mass.

What do we do to rest in the Lord? Do we come to Jesus when we are laboring or being burdened? How do we handle spiritual dryness?

O Lord, give us rest from our labors and burdens.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Lent

Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Like the woman at the well, we are thirsty for more than just water. We thirst for eternal life too. We have physical and spiritual needs in our lives and if we tend to one and not the other problems arise. If we satisfy our bodies, but not our spirits, we become empty husks with no life in us. Sure we survive, we might even appear healthy, but everything we have lacks meaning. On the other hand, if we tend to our spirits, but not the flesh and blood God gave us, our bodies wither and die. If we are mystics graced with the ability to subsist on the Bread of Life alone, then this is a great grace, but most of us need to take care of the temples God has given us. By taking care of our bodies we are better able to know, love, and serve God and his children.

Are we thirsty for eternal life? What are we doing to ensure we satisfy not only our physical needs, but our spiritual ones? How are we a spring of eternal life for others?

O Lord, lead us to your spring of eternal life.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.

Jesus continually shows his compassion for others throughout the gospels. He cares about both their physical and spiritual well-being because he knows he needs to address both our body and a soul through his words and works. He marries his preaching to his actions and cares for the entire person.

In what ways are we compassionate toward others? How do we anticipate and address their needs? What can we do to feed our own bodies and souls?

O Lord, take pity on us and feed us with your Bread of Life.

Amen.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

What are you looking for?

God asks this question of all of us and it is up to us to give him the answer. Some of us may be looking for forgiveness, others for help with our troubles, but deep down all of us are looking for true love. This is what Jesus offers His disciples and us. This is why he gave himself over to death, death on a cross, because He loved us enough to sacrifice himself for us even though we are sinners.

So what are we looking for? How can we express our gratitude to God for what He has done, is doing, and will do for us? How do we live our lives as an expression of God's love?

O Lord, we are looking for your Love in our lives, open our eyes so we can see it.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.  I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.

Jesus recognizes the spiritual and physical needs of his flock. Like a good Physician He knows you must treat both body and spirit in order to heal someone completely. He also wants us to have the strength to carry His message into the world and do onto others as He has done for us. Just as He provides for our well being, He also asks us to do the same for our family, friends, and neighbors.

Do we care for the physical and spiritual needs of those around us as Jesus has taught us to do in His Holy Life? How often do we fail to live out the Gospel message He has given us and become the Living Bread of God for those around us? What do we do after Mass to express our gratitude for God’s gracious gift of His Word and Flesh?

O Lord, you have fed our spirits with your Word and our bodies with your Body and Blood. Help us to become a Eucharistic people proclaiming your Gospel through word and deed.

Amen.