Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Lord, in your strength the king is glad. O LORD, in your strength the king is glad; in your victory how greatly he rejoices! You have granted him his heart’s desire; you refused not the wish of his lips.

We are reminded in today’s psalm that we should rejoice in God’s victories on this earth. Sure, we are more likely to recognize and celebrate our own triumphs, but it is even more important to rejoice in those victories that God wins in the world. These successes can be great or small. They can be simple or complex. They can be a single kind word or an elaborate act of charity. We can see these victories of faith, hope, and love all around us in our families, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. We can also participate in the triumph of good over evil by choosing to live holy and loving lives and fulfilling God’s Will.

Do we keep our eyes and ears open to God’s victories in this world? In what ways can we help God triumph? How can we help others to succeed in their good deeds?

O Lord, we rejoice in every victory that is won for and by you.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday in Ordinary Time

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

We all belong to God through Jesus Christ. If we have anything to boast about, it is not our successes, but God’s success through us. Everything good that comes from our thoughts, words, and works finds its source, center, and summit in our Heavenly Father. It is He who inspires, guides, and strengthens us, giving to each person the time, talents, and treasures they need to fulfill His Divine Will. Anything virtuous we accomplish is made possible by our faith in God, hope in His promises, and love of Him.

Do we boast of ourselves or of all God has done for us? How can we more faithfully belong to God through Jesus Christ? What can we do to accomplish the Will of God in our own lives?

O Lord, we belong to you.

Amen.

Sixth Thursday of Easter

When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

There is only so much we can do to spread the Word of God. We cannot force people to believe. Sometimes they are not ready to hear and forcing our faith on others could push them away from God. Instead, we should simply know, love, and serve God and others to the best of our abilities and trust that the graces from doing so will help bring others closer to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we have done our best and failed, then we will have done God's Will and do not have to worry about letting God or others down. Our attempts will not go in vain... although we might not see the fruits until after our death.

What can we do to spread the Word of God? Are we willing to trust God and let Him work in the hearts of others through us... even if we feel like failures? Are we willing to suffer the opposition of others in order to bring the Good News to those who need it?

O Lord, help us to occupy our days with preaching the word.

Amen.

Tuesday of Holy Week

Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, Yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. For now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, That Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Sometimes in life we feel like we aren’t making any progress. We feel like we are treading water or worse sinking. We wonder if we have toiled in vain, for nothing, spending our time, talents, and treasures on things that aren’t bearing fruit. However, God doesn’t judge us on the outcome of our endeavors. He judges us by the intentions and reasons behind our thoughts, words, and works. We might not experience worldly success in any of our endeavors and yet still be successful in the eyes of the Lord because we did the right thing or made God the center of our lives. We are all called to be lights to the nations and if we do God’s Will to the best of our abilities, then we shall succeed in the greatest task before us... being good and faithful servants to our Heavenly Father.

Are all our thoughts, words, and works grounded in our love of God? How can we make Him the source, center, and summit of our whole lives? What can we do to remain faithful and trusting in God even when our dreams, plans, and actions don’t come to fruition as we imagined?

O Lord, our recompense is with you and not in worldly success.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought: "They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me. All that remains for him is the kingship." And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.

Jealousy is a sin that creeps up on us, convincing us we are being denied what is rightfully ours by someone else’s success. It is an evil that preys upon our insecurities, fears, and anxieties just as the serpent played upon the insecurities and lack of confidence Eve had in God. It tries to convince us wrong is right and we are being robbed of what’s rightfully ours by someone else. It is a green-eyed monster who always sees the grass as being better on the other side of the fence. It wants to feed our anger and resentment of others and persuade us to take what isn’t ours. It wants us to deny the dignity of other people and lead us to sin against them in thought, word, and deed. Now, we are all tempted to jealousy from time to time, it isn’t the thought that counts, but rather whether we act on our envy. If we give into jealousy, then we sin. However, if we uproot the jealous thoughts and replace them with charitable ones, then we shall discover there is no reason to mourn the success of others. Instead, we should be happy for them and be at peace with them.

Are we jealous of someone? If so, then how can we rid ourselves of such thoughts and replace them with thoughts, words, and works of love? What can we do to celebrate the success of others?

O Lord, cast out the serpent of jealousy from our hearts so we might love more perfectly you and all of your children.

Amen.

Nineteenth Friday of Ordinary Time

“Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them (the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites) out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow. I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

God does so much for us every single day and all of it for our own good. He wants us to prosper and succeed, especially in our spiritual endeavors. He wants us to follow Him into the Promised Land and will do everything in His power to guide and protect us. However, we need to remember our accomplishments are not our own, they are God’s victories… triumphs He has won for us. Without Him we would be utter failures in all we think, say, and do. It is not our brains, tongues, or arms that lead to our good fruits, but rather the Wisdom, Word, and Strength of God made manifest through us.

How do we thank God for all He has, is, and will do for us? What can we do to keep ourselves humble when we do have success be it worldly or spiritual? In what ways can we prepare our bodies, minds, and hearts to be vessels for God’s Goodness?

O Lord, it is when we allow you to work in and through us that we are most successful.

Amen.

Thanksgiving

“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

There are so many things to be thankful for. We should be thankful for our lives. We should be thankful for friends and family. We should be thankful for the great things. And the little ones. We should be thankful for our health, if we have it, and for our suffering because it brings us closer to Christ. We should be thankful for the successes we have enjoyed, but also the failures we have learned from. Most of all, we should be thankful because we are children of a loving and merciful God. He is our Heavenly Father and will do everything in His power to cleanse and heal us, if only we will give Him a chance and trust in His Will.

What are we thankful for? Have we expressed this thanks to God? How can we led more thankful lives?

O Lord, thank you for everything you have done for us, great and small, noticed and unnoticed.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.”

David recognized the role God played in his success. He knew that without God, his enemies would triumph over him, but with God his enemies would be placed beneath his feet. We too should recognize the role that God places in our lives, both in the great things and the little ones. He is with us and He will never leave us alone. However, when we sin, we turn our backs on Him and walk away. So let us do penance, avoid temptations, and sin no more so that we can enjoy God’s presence, now and forever.

How do we recognize God’s role in our lives? Do we thank Him for all our successes and seek His help when we fail? Are we aware of His constant presence?

O Lord, inspire us to know you are always with us.

Amen.