Twenty-Seventh Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Lord, you are merciful and gracious. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

When we are faced with difficulties or sadness, we should turn to God for consolation. We should set our hearts on Him and remember all the wondrous deeds He has done for us. We should recall His Goodness and think upon all He will do for us in Heaven. Doing these things, should gladden our hearts and lift up our souls because we know God will grace us with blessings beyond anything we can imagine in this life. He will come to our aid when we call to Him and grant us graces more numerous than the stars. He has the ability to turn our sorrows to joys and our worries into confident trust in Him.

Are we merciful and gracious like our God? Do we call on Him in our times of need? How can we let Him lift our souls out of darkness, doubts, and worldly cares?

O Lord, we call to upon your mercy and grace all the day.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi

For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us. O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. They have given the corpses of your servants as food to the birds of heaven, the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.

We will not always be triumphant in this world. There will be times when we are defeated. We might fail in our personal lives. We might fail in our careers. We might fail in our finances. We might be besieged by worldly worries, concerns, doubts, fears, and anxieties. We might fail to be good and cave to temptations and sin. However, no matter what happens to us, if we trust in God, He will save us and raise us up again. He will give us the graces and blessings we need to rebuild ourselves and become living temples that give glory to God and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How do we deal with defeat in this world? Do we turn to God and ask for His help? What do we do to help others when they are overwhelmed by sufferings?

O Lord, deliver us from evil and build us into a good and faithful people.

Amen.

Fifteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live. I am sunk in the abysmal swamp where there is no foothold; I have reached the watery depths; the flood overwhelms me.

There are times in our lives when we feel helpless. We feel like we are sinking into an abyss and have no way to escape. We feel overwhelmed and lost. However, if we turn to the Lord in these times of trial, then He will help us. He will give us what we need to overcome our difficulties and triumph. He will help us to make it through the dark night to the dawn of hope. He will provide us with grace and goods that will nourish and support us. He will help us to live fruitful and meaningful lives.

Are there areas of our lives where we are sinking or in danger of sinking into darkness? What can we do to bring God into these areas to help us escape? How do we show our gratitude for all God has done to provide for our needs?

O Lord, we turn to you in our times of need.

Amen.

Fifth Saturday of Lent

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

Sometimes God allows us to be scattered. He allows trials and tribulations to enter our lives and turn them upside down. He doesn’t do this to torment or harm us. He does this because He wants to test our metal. He wants to know if we truly love and serve Him or if we are only giving Him lip service when everything is going our way. He allows our difficulties to reveal our hearts and minds and hopefully to strengthen our faith, hope, and charity. It is much easier to think and say we are Christians, but much more difficult to show we are Christians by our love. Thankfully, after we are scattered, God comes to gather us again, bringing peace and guarding us from harm. We have only to pass through these dark nights to see the rising Son of the Resurrection and life eternal.

Do we turn to God when we are scattered by fears, doubts, and worries? Do we welcome Him into our lives when He comes to gather us back into His flock? Are we willing to let Him lead us where we need to go?

O Lord, guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Amen.

First Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Eli said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." She replied, "Think kindly of your maidservant," and left. She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downcast. Early the next morning they worshiped before the LORD, and then returned to their home in Ramah.

In her time of trial, Hannah turned to God and poured out her troubles to the Lord. She didn’t let her sorrow or misery dishearten her to the point where she gave up. Instead, she sought God’s intercession in her life, trusting that He could answer her prayers. Often we are faced with difficult times that try our souls and we would do well to remember Hannah’s response and make it our own. When we are suffering trials, we should turn to God, ask for His intercession, and trust that everything will be made right in the end. We might have to suffer greatly in this life, but we should believe with our whole hearts, souls, and minds that God will never abandon us. He will always answer our prayers for our betterment... though not necessarily in the way we envisioned. If we are confident God will come to our assistance, then we will be able to go in peace, no longer downcast, but secure in the knowledge that God will grant us what is best for us.

Do we turn to God and pour out our troubled to the Lord on a daily basis? Are we confident God will come to our aid if we ask Him? How can we be more trusting of God’s role as our Intercessor and Advocate?

O Lord, grant us what we need to be at peace in you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other! By myself I swear, uttering my just decree and my unalterable word: To me every knee shall bend; by me every tongue shall swear, Saying, “Only in the LORD are just deeds and power. Before him in shame shall come all who vent their anger against him. In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory of all the descendants of Israel.”

God is the source of justice, good deeds, and power. As long as we turn to Him, we will be safe. However, there are many things in this world that will tempt us to be unjust, to sin, and to trust in our own power before God. All those who allow themselves to be lured away from God will have to answer for their wrongs, while those who stand fast with Him will be vindicated and witness the glory of the Beatific Vision. So let us bend our knee to God and proclaim His Goodness all the days of our lives. This is what it means to be a disciple: to take God as our beginning, middle, and end and no other.

Do we turn to God in our times of need? Do we bend our knees and proclaim the greatness of God? Do we recognize God as the source, center, and summit of all our good deeds?

O Lord, in you we shall find our vindication and glory.

Amen.

Wednesday after Epiphany

When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”

When we are in the midst of a storm of trials, beset upon by sin and imperfection, and floundering in our faith, we should take courage and be not afraid because Jesus is always with us in our times of need. We think he has abandoned us, we might not sense his presence with us, or even be terrified of what is going on around us, but if we look for him, he will give us the graces we need to survive any storm and to calm our hearts. Sometimes we are cast about with sorrows, sufferings, and sins, but as long as we keep the faith and do not harden our hearts, we will eventually make it through our tribulations and find the peace of doing God’s Will on the other side. This is why we should never give up on God, no matter what is going on in our lives, because He will never give up on us. He loves us more than we can ever appreciate and has sacrificed more for us than we can ever repay.

Do we turn to God when we are beset by the storms of life? Do we let Jesus calm our hearts when they are in turmoil? Do we trust that God will always be with us, no matter what?

O Lord, grant us the courage to be not afraid.

Amen.