Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

Everyone has parts of us that are earthly and that need to be put to death in order for us to live more fully as Christians. Some of us have immoralities and impurities, which have crept into and darkened our lives. Others have passions, evil desires, and greedy inclinations that lead us away from God’s Way, Truth, and Life. We have sins such as anger, fury, malice, slander, obscenity, and lying which harm ourselves and others in body, mind, and spirit. If we do not root out these evils from our souls, they will grow, choking our virtues and strangling our faith. This is why we must be constantly vigilant against the temptations of this world and instead focus our energies upon putting to death our sins so that we might put on our new selves. It is only when we do this that we are renewed and become more faithful images of our Creator.

What parts of us need to be put to death so that we might live in Christ? How can we cleanse ourselves of all those things that keep us from being remade in the image of God? How can we become more obedient to our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, help us to take off our old selves and put on you.

Amen.

Twenty-Second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober. For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.

Our faith is one built upon vigilance. Vigilance in awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. Vigilance in mastering our bodies and passions. Vigilance in doing good and avoiding evil. We can never let down our guard against temptation, sin, or selfishness. Our vigilance requires a great deal of self-disciple and grace from God. We gain these best through prayer, seeking guidance from trusted people, mortification, almsgiving, and all those spiritual practices that help us to be holy people and true followers of Christ.

Are we being vigilant in our faith lives? How can we improve our self-discipline? What can we do to encourage others to be vigilant in their lives, too?

O Lord, help us to stay alert and sober in our faith.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little. To him be dominion forever. Amen.

Our opponent is the Devil. He is always on the lookout for our weaknesses and constantly tempting us to sin. This is why it's so important to be sober and vigilant and resist him. At the same time, we should understand that everyone in the world is undergoing the same trials and as such we should have compassion and patience toward our family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. We need to imitate Jesus and be loving of all, even our enemies and pray that those around us do not fall prey to the Devil. We might indeed suffer for our faith and undergo many trials of our purity, hopefulness, and mercy, but we must make every effort to trust in God and allow Him to have dominion over us body, mind, and soul.

Are we resisting the Devil with all we have? How can we do a better job of allowing God's graces to support and sustain us through our trials? Are we allowing God to have dominion over us or are we seeking dominion over ourselves?

O Lord, make us sober, vigilant, and better able to resist temptations and imitate you.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.

Be vigilant at all times. This message is one we should take to heart. We are constantly tempted to lose our focus on what is important in life, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and others. Our good thoughts, words, and deeds can drown in the anxieties of daily life. Our sins can make us drowsy and cause us to fall spiritually asleep. However, the things of the world are passing, they can’t sustain our souls that yearn for the eternal life. Nor can they give us peace of mind or heart. The only one who can lead us to paradise is Jesus Christ, who gave us the roadmap to the narrow path to Heaven. Now it is up to us to be vigilant, pray for strength, and be willing to stand before God, trusting in His Divine Love, Justice, and Mercy.

Are we being vigilant in our spiritual lives? How can we overcome the traps of sin and anxieties? How often do we pray to God for the strength to do His Will not matter the cost?

O Lord, give us the grace to be vigilant at all times.

Amen.

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.

Just like the unclean spirit, our sins can return after a good confession and make our lives worse than before. Because of this, it is important for us to be vigilant and to never rest on our laurels. Just because we were able to overcome a temptation doesn't give us a reason to relax where our souls are concerned. Indeed, we must train ourselves to be ever watchful against the sins that always seem to crawl back into our lives. If we do this, we will build up a wall of good habits that will keep our bad ones away. God may be merciful and always willing to forgive us, but it is up to us to keep ourselves spiritually clean and do everything in our power to know, love, and serve God and His children faithfully. We cannot do that if we allow our sins to reenter our lives. But we can succeed with vigilance and dependence upon the aid of the Holy Spirit, who is always ready to provide us the graces we need to overcome any obstacle along our way to heaven.

What are the sins we need to kick out of our lives? What can we do to keep them away? How can we build up our good habits so that the bad ones have no place in our hearts?

O Lord, we want you to dwell within us and nothing else.

Amen.

Twenty-First Thursday of Ordinary Time

Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Part of being a follower of Christ is being vigilant not only in regards to guarding against sin, but also in regards to watching out for opportunities to do God's Will. These are the two tasks faithful and prudent servants will perform for their Divine Master. We cannot be faithful if we do not resist temptation and avoid sin. Neither can we be prudent if we do not distribute our good words and works at the proper times. To be Christian isn't just to strive to live without sin, but also to live lives of faith, hope, and love. By doing both we glorify God through our actions and reveal His Love, Mercy, and Grace to all whom we know, love, and serve.

Are we faithful and prudent? Are we doing what we are called to do as Christians? If we were to lose our lives today, would we be found doing God's Will or our own?

O Lord, give us the virtues we need to be faithful and prudent servants.

Amen.

Thirty-Forth Saturday of Ordinary Time

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

There are many ways in which we become drowsy of heart. We can become slothful through our choice of how we live our lives. Some of us carouse or drink, others are caught up in the anxieties of daily life. Many of us choose entertainment and worldly distractions over knowing, loving, and serving God and His children. It is so easy to waste our time on meaningless things and never realize how many opportunities to know, love, and serve God and others are lost because we were too preoccupied with our own pleasures. If we wish to follow Christ, then we must be vigilant in our faith and pray for the strength to do God’s Will in all things. We are on this earth because we are called to be Christ-like, but we cannot do that if we lose ourselves in the diversions of this world.

What are the things in our lives that distract us from doing God’s Will? How can we build up the habit of vigilance in our spiritual lives? Are we living our lives as if Jesus is before us?

O Lord, help us to be vigilant and to pray for your strength in the midst of out trials and temptations.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

“Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

None of us know when the end will come for us and as such we should be constantly vigilant against temptation and sin. We, like the master of the house, must prepare ourselves through building up virtuous habits and being focused on knowing, loving, and serving God with all our whole hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. We also should live our lives in the hope that God will find us ready when He comes for us either in the second coming or at the end of our lives.

Are we prepared against sin? What can we do to build up our virtues? If we were to die today, would we be able to honestly say we have been good and faithful servants?

O Lord, give us the graces we need to be vigilant against all temptation and sin.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”

We must be vigilant in awaiting the return of Christ. We do this by clothing ourselves in faith, lighting the lamps of hope within our souls, and being open to loving God and His children. When we do these things, we become good and faithful servants whom God will wait upon when the Day of Judgment arrives. This doesn’t mean we should expect to be given graces and gifts in this life, but rather when we pass onto the next life we will have the hope that our hearts will be filled to the brim with the love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So let us be prepared to receive Jesus into our hearts at every hour so that we might be blessed by the love, mercy, and grace of the Holy Trinity.

Are we girded in faith? Are our hearts lit with the light of hope? How do we keep vigilant in love in the face of our selfish temptations?

O Lord, give us the grace to be always on watch for you, in whomever we meet.

Amen.