Eighteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” 

After Jesus tells Peter to come to him, the disciple walks upon the water, but soon he becomes frightened and loses faith. In the same way, many of us call out to Jesus, but when he answers us and asks us to come to him, we hesitate. We let all our worldly worries weigh us down until we sink into a sea of anxiety and sin. However, just like Peter, Jesus always stretches his arm out to us to catch us when we fall. All we have to do is accept his help and let him help us up again. Then, we can begin to rebuild our faith and reaffirm our belief in Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior. If we do this, then we will be given the graces we need to proclaim Jesus to the world, to help the sick, and be healed in body, mind, and spirit.

Do we trust Jesus enough to come to him when he calls? How do we respond to Jesus’ offer of help when our faith fails us? How can we express our belief that Jesus is the Son of God in such a way to bring others to belief in him and to strengthen our own calling?

O Lord, heal us of our indecision, worries, and all those things that keep us from following you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living.

Sometimes we do not entirely understand one of God’s teachings and are misled by our own intellect to believe we know better. We can claim to have more insight into the faith than two thousand years of accumulated knowledge. We can claim that “times have changed” or Jesus was confined by his times. However, if we want to be Christians, then we need to trust not in our wisdom and cleverness, but rather in God’s eternal truth. This is especially necessary for those issues or teachings which we do not understand. In a world which tells us that truth is relative and changeable, it can be hard for us to accept that the Scriptures present an immutable reality, a Divine Truth, which we cannot argue or compromise with. This requires a great deal of trust on our part and a firm belief in Jesus’ gospel message and the power of God.

Do we know the Scriptures and trust their teachings? Do we recognize the power of God? Are we willing to sacrifice our own intellectual doubts and choose instead to believe in spite of our unbelief?

O Lord, we trust in your word and power.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

“Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

We can harden our hearts in many different ways. We can do so by becoming cynical. We can do it through pride. We can even do it out of what we believe is right. Adam and Eve hardened their hearts when they ate of the apple. They decided for themselves what was right and wrong, denying God His place as Eternal Judge. There may be things we don't understand about our faith, but that is why we should constantly pray, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Today's gospel is a hard teaching for many people. This is understandable. We all know there are good reasons to leave a marriage: abuse, infidelity, etc. However, the Church follows the words of Christ in this and makes clear that civil divorce does not break the bonds of marriage. There is a permanence to the vows of marriage that not even the Church can break. Yes, there is annulment, but it requires proof that the marriage was never valid because the bride or groom did not enter the marriage with full consent, maturity, faithfulness, or intent of having children. These aren't easy to prove in many cases, which is why the Church encourages people to go through marriage preparation before saying their vows. This is to drive home the fact that both parties need to take their vows seriously and not enter the union lightly.

Have we hardened our hearts to any truths of the gospels? Are we tempted to decide what is right and wrong rather than letting God be the Divine Judge? Do we respect the fact that we will not always understand the teachings of Christ, but that it is okay to believe in spite of our doubts?

O Lord, soften our hearts and help us believe in your good news.

Amen.

Seventh Monday of Ordinary Time

“How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Directly after his Transfiguration, Jesus is confronted with three things: arguing, the failure of his disciples, and doubt. These are common even now among those who follow Jesus. We continue to argue with those who doubt Jesus. We continue to fail him in many ways just as the disciples did. We sometimes doubt him ourselves. But this is why Jesus rebukes the mute boy's father when he says, "if you can." There is no "if" for Jesus. There is or isn't. He does not live his life in half-measures. He gives everything he has without holding back. Sometimes "if" slips into our faith lives. We pray to God with "if you'll do this, I'll do that." We convince ourselves, "if God loves us, then why is this happening to us?" If should not be in our vocabulary with God because it is a word full of doubts. Instead, we should echo the boy's father and say, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"

Do we believe God can do anything? Or have we let "ifs" slip into our faith? How can we be as faithful as we should be?

O Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.

The Fourth Tuesday of Easter

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”

Jesus has told all of us that He is the Christ, not only through his words, but his works as well. Now it is up to us to listen to his voice and believe. It might be difficult for us to accept some of Jesus’ teachings, but part of being Christian is putting our faith in the Gospel messages and the teachings and traditions of the Church. This is why it is so important to remember to pray to God, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.” We all have our doubts, fears, and anxieties, but how we handle them determines whether we grow in faith or falter. When we place our trust in God’s Plan and follow the commandments to love God and our neighbors, then we shall have a firm foundation to seek the truth in all we do.

Do we believe in the teachings of Christ in spite of our doubts?  Are we listening for his voice in our lives? Are we willing to trust in God’s Divine Plan?

O Lord, give us eternal rest and never let us perish.

Amen.

The Third Saturday of Easter

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

Believing in the gospel message is hard, but this shouldn’t shock us. Jesus’ teachings challenge us to live spiritual lives rather than worldly ones and because of this our more selfish instincts can rebel against the idea. We wonder why we cannot have it all and still remain a follower of Christ. However, God wants all of us, our hearts, souls, minds, and bodies. He doesn’t want a divided heart. He gave himself completely for us and if we really want to be his disciples, then we must be willing to give up our lives for him, too.

What is the hardest thing about believing? How can we do a better job of trusting God in spite of our doubts and difficulties with our faith? Are we truly willing to give up the world in order to gain heaven?

O Lord, give us your Spirit so that we might live forever with you.

Amen.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

We all have doubts. However, we are all called to believe in spite of our unbelief. Part of faith is choosing to trust in God in spite of our uncertainty. Unlike the disciples, we cannot see the glorified body of Christ and draw upon that experience to sustain us. But we do have the Body and Blood of Jesus which is present to us during every mass. We are very blessed to be able to celebrate the Eucharist with our fellow believers. All of us will struggle with our belief to one degree or another. The important thing is to be able to believe without hesitation that God loves us, sent His Beloved Son to die for us, and is willing to forgive our sins if we accept His mercy with humble and contrite hearts.

What doubts are we experiencing? How can we learn to trust in God's Divine Plan? Are we allowing God's Peace to be upon us through the frequent reception of the Eucharist?

O Lord, we believe, help us overcome our unbelief.

Amen.

Saturday in the Octave of Easter

But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

The disciples do not believe Mary Magdalene or the two companions in the countryside. It isn’t until Jesus appears to them in person that the disciples finally accept the resurrection as truth. This unbelief and hardness of heart is something Jesus is trying to root out of his disciples. He wants them to believe in His message and in each other. After all, if the community of the faithful is to last we need to trust in God and each other. When we do these things, then we can go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature without being afraid that we are alone and have no support. God and our fellow Christians will be there to encourage and strengthen us so we can become better bearers of God’s Good News to all the nations.

How can we do a better job of trusting God and the messengers He sends to us throughout our lives? Are we willing to toss aside our unbelief and hardness of heart and believe in God’s Divine Plan? Are we willing to become Godbearers in all that we do?

O Lord, give us the graces we need to go into the world and proclaim your Gospel to every creature.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”

Herod is perplexed by Jesus because he has deafened himself to the truth. He no longer hears it and so he is confused. Temptation distracts him, sin consumes him, and so he cannot find his bearings. We must work constantly to listen to the truth, keep our steps upon the narrow path, and live our lives according to God’s Will. Our lives should proclaim the truth through our every thought, word, and work. So instead of being perplexed, perhaps it is better for us to simply trust in God and believe His Gospel in spite of our doubts.

Are we willing to listen to the Lord? Do our lives proclaim the gospel? Do we believe in God and His message in spite of our doubts?

O Lord, we believe help our unbelief.

Amen.

Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.

Sometimes people tell us things and we just don’t understand what they are trying to say. However, if we don’t seek to clarify, then we remain in the dark. We should never be afraid to question and to seek to understand our faith. This is not to say that we should not believe something because we do not understand, far from it! Rather we should choose to believe while we seek to understand. We need this fidelity to Christ’s message even more when we are faced with trials and tribulations that tempt us to doubt our faith. We will never have a full and faultless knowledge of the Gospels, but what we can do is try to live out the spirit of the good news God has given us through the Scriptures and His Holy Church. There are times when the truth requires us to make a leap of faith in the face of our personal doubts.

Do we constantly seek to understand our faith? What questions do we have about our faith? Have we done everything possible to reconcile our doubts with the Scriptures and the traditions of the Church?

O Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

God can only help us if we are willing to believe in Him and allow ourselves to be helped. Without the assent of faith, He will not perform mighty deeds for us. It is not that He does not want to help or heal us, but rather that we will not allow him to do so. God will not force us to know, love, or serve Him. We must choose to do these things ourselves and if we don’t, then we like the people of Nazareth will not have any share in His love, mercy, or grace.

Do we believe that God will help us physically, spiritually, or emotionally? Do we allow God to work His mighty deeds in our lives or do we try to fix everything ourselves? When we have trouble understanding God’s Will, do we pray for the humility to accept His Plan for us?

O Lord, if our faith is lacking, then help us build it up through trusting in you no matter our anxieties or doubts.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Sometimes we can be as doubting as Thomas. We want to see God in action in our lives, otherwise we start to wonder if He’s really here with us. Our prayers become more demanding as things get worse for us. Can we imagine how bad things were for Thomas at the moment he utters these words? Jesus has just been crucified and all hope is lost. Then, the other disciples of Christ tell him they’ve seen Jesus and received the Holy Spirit from him. This is too much for Thomas to take in and he doesn’t believe them. Perhaps he wondered why Jesus would show himself to them and not to him. Whatever the reason, we sometimes act like Thomas. We don’t believe others, we don’t think God is still with us, and so we doubt. But we, like Thomas, need to remember the promises of Christ and realize he will never leave us alone. The nailmarks in his hands and the wound in his side show us this truth. Through them, he poured out his love, mercy, and grace upon all his brothers and sisters. We do not need to see signs or miracles to believe, we have only to believe so that we might see the signs and miracles that are already present in our lives.

What doubts do we have about God’s love for us? Why do we have them? How can we do a better job of opening our eyes to the God-instances (not coincidences) around us?

O Lord, help us to believe so we might better see your presence in our lives.

Amen.

Eighth Saturday of Ordinary Time

“By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”– they feared the crowd, for they all thought John really was a prophet. So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”

We cannot hedge our bets when it comes to God. We either believe or don’t. We might have doubts, but in the end we either choose to let God help our unbelief and allow ourselves to believe… or we turn our backs on God. Each of us must answer this question for ourselves: Was Jesus’ teachings and baptism of heavenly or human origin? If we believe the latter, then we set aside God and simply see Jesus as at best a decent man or at worst a charlatan. If, however, we choose to believe Jesus came down from Heaven, then we must also accept his teachings whether we agree with them or not. There is no cafeteria in Heaven where we can pick and choose our beliefs, there is only one banquet that everyone partakes from… made up of the fruits of the Truth, the Way, and the Life. We might not understand or like the taste of some of these fruits, but they are given to us out of love and we would do well to accept them because they come from God, Who loves us.

By what authority did Jesus live his life? What do we truly believe about the origins of his power? How can we show God that we believe in Him, even if there are certain aspects of the faith we have difficulties accepting?

O Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.

Amen.