Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, 'What do you suppose that I am' I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet."

Just like John the Baptist, we are all called to proclaim a life of repentance to all of God’s children. We are asked to be prophets of the God News spreading God’s Word to all those whom we meet each day. No, we are not Jesus or John... and perhaps we are not worthy to unfasten the sandals of either man’s feet, but we have the same mission as both of them... the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. It is a vocation all Christians have and we must do our best to prepare the way of our Lord and God... for He is coming again and when he does we want to be able to stand before him and say, “We did our best to bring you into the world and bring others into your Way, Truth, and Life.”

Are we fulfilling our calling to be prophets of God’s Good News? How can we spread the Word of God to the world around us? In what ways can we prepare the way of the Lord?

O Lord, we are not worthy to unfasten your sandals, but with your heavenly aid, we shall unfasten the hearts of others so your Love, Mercy, and Grace can enter into them more fully.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest

"My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today. And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude.

We all go through periods of feeling unworthy or shame because of what we do or fail to do. When we sin, our consciences prick us with a sense of guilt which prods us toward confession of our sins and reconciliation with God. Our guilt is not meant to drive us away from God, but rather to drive us to Him. He wants us to cleanse ourselves of sin and return to Him. He wants to brighten our eyes and give us relief from sin’s chains.

Are we in a state of sin? If so, are we making every effort to confess our sins, do penance, resist temptations, and avoid the evil inclinations that can sometimes plague us? How can we keep ourselves clean in conscience?

O Lord, remove the scales of sin from our eyes and brighten them with the light of your love.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions

That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

God asks us to follow His Will in everything we say and do. Sometimes this means that we have to sacrifice our own ambitions, desires, and plans and instead focus on what He is calling us to do. Some of us may be intimidated by what we think God is calling us to do. Others may think they are unworthy. Still more may ask God to postpone their vocation so that they can do something they would rather do. And more than a few don't really know what God is inviting them to do because they are too busy and too distracted to hear His call. No matter the reason, we must make every attempt to listen for God's appeal to us and keep our hearts open to His Will above all. If we do this, then not only will we grow in faith, hope, and love, but God will entrust us with more responsibilities and the graces to fulfill them and we shall become more and more like Christ.

Do we know what God is calling us to do but are too afraid or selfish to do it? Do we take time out of each day to listen to God with open minds and hearts? Are we willing to be entrusted with fulfilling the demands of God's Will?

O Lord, we want to be your entrusted servants.

Amen.

Twenty-Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time

"Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

None of us are worthy to have Jesus come under the roofs of our hearts. However, Jesus is not concerned with whether we are worthy or not, but rather whether we are contrite in seeking him out or not. If we are contrite and seek his healing for us or another, then he shall come to us and give us every grace we need to overcome our trials in this life. Contrition, obedience, and love are needed for us to be saved from eternal death. We cannot be contrite if we do not truly hope to amend our lives and follow God. We cannot be obedient if we do not have faith in and fidelity to God. We cannot love if we are not willing to do as God tells us through our consciences. All three are needed, faith, hope, and love and the greatest is love.

Even though we are unworthy of God's Love, are we open to its coming into our lives? Do we recognize God's authority over our thoughts, words, and works? Do we love others enough to seek God's help for them just as the centurion sought help for his servant?

O Lord, we are unworthy, but only say the word and we shall be healed.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Thursday of Ordinary Time

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Sometimes when God inspires us to do something, we can feel unworthy. We see our sinfulness and wonder how God could want someone like us to take on a new responsibility, to champion a cause, or take a leap of faith in our lives. However, God does not dwell upon our failures, sins, or imperfections. Instead He focuses on our potential for good. We can learn a lot from seeing ourselves through God's eyes and believing that although unworthy by ourselves, we are made worthy by the grace of God. It is for this reason that we should not be afraid to follow Christ and become fishers of men. Of course, this holy confidence also requires action and sometimes that action will involve giving up what's comfortable and familiar in life, to leave everything behind. This is perhaps most difficult when what we give up is good and joyful. However, we should be willing to take the next step upon the path to salvation even if it means detaching ourselves from good things and people because in the end everything good we give up for God will be repaid a thousand times over in Heaven.

What is God calling us to do? What is keeping us from doing His Will? How can we gain holy confidence in God's Will and following our calling?

O Lord, give us the grace to leave everything and follow you.

Amen.

The Third Wednesday of Easter

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.

Jesus will not reject anyone who comes to him. It is important for us to remember this because sometimes we will be tempted to feel like we are not worthy of God’s Love. However, when we suffer such thoughts we should remember that God willed that His Son atone for our sins and that through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection we are offered a chance to be cleansed of all our sins and imperfections. If we wish to be found by Jesus, he will find us and never lose us. Then, on the last day, he shall raise us up and we shall be with him forever and ever.

Are we doing God’s Will or our own? What can we do to overcome our feelings of unworthiness and trust in God’s Mercy? Do we seek to understand and believe in God so that we can live holy lives and have eternal life?

O Lord, we believe in you. Raise us on the last day.

Amen.

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.

Just like Peter, we can sometimes feel so unworthy of God’s Love and Mercy we can close ourselves off to Him. We can become afraid that we are too sinful for God to forgive, but His Divine Mercy is endless and nothing we think, say, or do is unforgivable if we seek God’s forgiveness with truly contrite hearts. And when we do seek God’s Mercy, we have nothing to be afraid of because God loves us all. He proved that by sending His Beloved Son to us as our Savior and our exemplar. The net of Jesus’ grace is always ready to catch us. We have only to allow ourselves to be caught by him. Then, just as Jesus fished us out of our sinful lives, so we can become fishers of men with him and allow him to use us as a net to save other souls.

What can we do to welcome Jesus into our lives? How can we cast off our feelings of sinfulness and fear and follow Jesus’ example of virtue and courage? Are we willing to leave everything behind and become fishers of men?

O Lord, make us good and faithful fishers of men.

Amen.

Fifth Monday of Easter

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

God wants to make our hearts His dwelling place. Just like the manger Jesus was born into, we are seemingly unworthy of such a great honor. However, as Jesus tells us when we keep his word we are beloved by God and it is that love which draws God to us and makes our humble hearts worthy to receive Him. It is a grace for us to be given the strength and perseverance to keep the Living Word of God alive within us. We should be ever grateful for this gift because without it we would be hollow people of the world rather than hallowed followers of Christ. So when we feel alone or unworthy, we should remember God is with us as long as we do the best we can to know, love, and serve Him and He makes us worthy through His Love, which more than makes up what is lacking in the imperfect mangers of our hearts.

In what ways do we keep God’s Word? In what ways do we fail to keep it? How do we prepare ourselves to be dwelling places for the Lord?

O Lord, we want to keep your word and become dwelling places for you.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Easter

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

God loves us so much He sacrificed his own Son for us in hopes that we would open ourselves to His Mercy and Grace. Whenever we feel unworthy or depressed, we should remember these words and the sacrifice Jesus made for us during his Passion and Death. We are loved. No matter how unloved or unappreciated we might feel at any single moment, God loves us and that makes us worthy of loving ourselves. If God sees the good in us in spite of the bad, then who are we to condemn ourselves and deny the forgiveness He offers us. In the end, it is our choice because although God loves us He will not force us to love Him, our neighbors, or even ourselves. He allows us make the choice to follow Him and be saved or to follow ourselves and be lost. Hopefully, we choose to welcome His Love with open arms.

Do we recognize on a daily basis that God loves us? What do we do to remind ourselves of His Love Mercy, and Grace? Do we love ourselves in a healthy way, not selfishly, but selflessly?

O Lord, send your Son to us so that we might not perish, but rather have eternal life in, with, and through you.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen

I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

We are all unworthy. This is a reality that we sometimes forget in the successes of our lives. We say good things and do good works, and a part of us believes these things make us worthy of God’s forgiveness. However, these things although often signs of grace and expressions of our love are not guarantees of our salvation. We can do all the right things for the wrong reasons. We can say yes to God with a part of our minds, but fail to will it with all our heart. In the end, God gives us forgiveness as a gratuitous gift and it is in our seeking this gift in contrition and accepting it in humility that we find our salvation.

Have we ever felt holier-than-thou towards anyone? If so, how can we make up for this transgression? If not, than how do we remind ourselves of our unworthiness without falling into despair?

O Lord, we are not worthy to receive you into our hearts, but you have said the Word through your Son Jesus Christ and we are made worthy through the healing power of your Love.

Amen.