Thirty-Third Monday in Ordinary Time

Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Indignation seizes me because of the wicked who forsake your law.

The unfair treatment of others should fill us with indignation. It should light a fire within us. One that inspires us to bring love, mercy, and justice to the world around us. When we see wickedness, we should oppose it and try to show people there is another way. We cannot force goodness on others, but we can proclaim the Good News and show what it means to be Christians by living our lives in accordance with Scriptures. Most importantly, although we might hate the sins, we must also love the sinner. We must be able to separate the two from each other so we can treat people well no matter how ugly their actions are. God is the only judge and no matter how much we might be tempted to condemn another, we must only condemn their actions, not the person.

How are we fighting against the unfair treatment of others? How can we learn to love those whom we find most repugnant? What do we do to keep ourselves from being judgmental?

O Lord, help us to fight against the unfair treatment of others.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Saturday in Ordinary Time

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to the promise.

As Paul said, through our baptism we were clothed with Christ. We are meant to make his virtues our virtues. His goodness, our goodness. His mercy, our mercy. His compassion, our compassion. We are to see with his eyes, hear with his ears, love with his heart, work with his hands, and walk wherever his feet will take us. We are to treat others as he treated them. Not according to their outward appearances, their social status, or their gender, but according to their human dignity. We are to know, love, and serve everyone as he knows, loves, and serves us.

How can we better cloth ourselves in Christ? What can we do to help others feel as if they belong to Christ, too? How can we make ourselves more Christ-like in the way we treat others?

O Lord, clothe us in your love, mercy, and virtues.

Amen.

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here, please, " while you say to the poor one, "Stand there, " or "Sit at my feet, " have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?

The world will try to impress us in many ways. It will try to convince us we can treat people differently depending on their status. It will tell us we should show preference for one type of person over another. However, this is not what Jesus did in his life. He treated everyone the same, sinners and holy people, good and evil, rich and poor, male and female. He judged them not by their outward appearances, but by their inner spirit. He even went so far as to tell his disciples they needed to humble themselves and become servants if they wanted to follow in his footsteps. Jesus loved everyone he met completely and totally and we are all called to the same love, even of our enemies.

Have we let the world convince us some people are more or less worthy of our love? How can we become more Christ-like in how we treat others? What can we do to avoid becoming judgmental?

O Lord, you are the one and only judge.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.

We will be judged by how we do God’s Will and treat others. We are all called to be prophets of the truth, to be righteous in word and deed, and to give to those in need. Likewise, we should recognize others who do these things and do everything we can to encourage and support them. When we welcome them into our lives, we also welcome all the goods they do. It doesn’t matter how little or great our acts of charity or mercy might be, God sees the love behind the actions and gives us a share in the rewards. Love multiplies no matter how much we give away. We can never run out of it as long as we continue to offer it to others.

How do we receive others? Do we treat them with respect, love, and mercy? What do we do to support those who do the right thing in their lives?

O Lord, we promise to welcome your children into our hearts and with them, you.

Amen.

The First Thursday of Lent

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”

God offers us good things throughout our lives and it is up to us to accept them and imitate His generosity through our own thoughts, words, and works. He will not force us to take His gifts. If we want them, then all we have to do is have open hearts and a willingness to pass along our gifts to others just as God has done for us. This is why it is so important for us to follow Jesus’ example and do onto others as he did onto the people he met. When we do this, we manifest God’s Divine Grace to others and if their hearts are open, then they too will become more Christ-like. In this way, we weave a web of grace and support that can catch us when we fall and help us rise again.

What good things has God given us? Do we treat others as Jesus would? How do we follow Jesus’ example of giving of ourselves for the betterment of others?

O Lord, thank you for all the good things you have given us and help us to offer the goods of our lives to others in need.

Amen.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus is our Heavenly Physician and the message of the gospels is our prescription. Through the words and works depicted in the scriptures, we are given an example of how to live our lives so that we are spiritually healthy. Jesus shows us how to give up our unhealthy attachments and harmful habits and follow him upon the narrow path to Heaven. He also gives us a model of how we are supposed to treat others, especially those whom we find disagreeable. Instead of excluding or ignoring them, we are called to minister to them and help them to lead healthier lives both physically and spiritually.

Do we follow the prescriptions of the gospel? Have we made a concerted effort to excise our unhealthy attachments and harmful habits? Do we treat others with the respect that Jesus would if they were before him?

O Lord, you are our physician, heal us of our afflictions.

Amen.