Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!

God will not force Himself into our lives. He may be a king, but He will not break down the doors to our hearts if they are barred. Instead, He will camp just outside our gates and patiently wait for us for as long as it takes for us to either let Him in or for us to ruin ourselves utterly. He brings with Himself gifts and graces. He brings with Himself acts of charity and mercy. He brings with Himself faith, hope, and love. He wants to enter into us to bring blessings, tidings of joy, and salvation. It is up to us to unbar our gates and let Him in with open arms and voices raised in thanksgiving and praise.

Are our hearts open to God? Are we ready for Him to come into us and set up His Kingdom? How can we be more welcoming to Him and His Divine Will?

O Lord, you are our king enter into our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters, especially for strangers; they have testified to your love before the Church. Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey. For they have set out for the sake of the Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.

Hospitality and friendliness toward strangers are virtues we all should strive for in our lives. Jesus was kind and welcoming to all who came to him, even those whom others saw as unclean, evil, or beneath their notice. Jesus did not care who a person was, he only saw the image of God within others and sought to renew and magnify that image in each person by showing them love and compassion. He supported all who came to him to the best of his abilities. He cured the sick, the lame, the possessed. He forgave sins. He poured out his graces and powers to bring as many as he could to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we want to be true imitators of Jesus, then we must do the same for all whom we meet in this life. Willing to help the needy, comfort the sick and sorrowing, protect the weak, and be faithful witnesses to all who come to us for aid.

Are we hospitable and friendly even to those whom we do not know or like? How can transform our own hearts into the welcoming heart of Jesus? What can we do to magnify the Lord in ourselves and others?

O Lord, make us faithful in all we do for your brothers and sisters.

Amen.

Twenty-Sixth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to implore the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men of every nationality, speaking different tongues, shall take hold, yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

Our faith is one that embraces many cultures and races. We are open to welcoming anyone who is willing to profess our Creed and live according to the Word of God and the Traditions of the Church. Although many might accuse us of being unwelcoming or intolerant, this is not the case. We welcome all those who want to live the Christ-like life. We may not condone every lifestyle choice, but that doesn’t mean we condemn those who sin. Jesus didn’t condemn sinners, he loved them, cared for them, and did good things for them. All in the hope that they would see the truth of his words and sincerity of his actions and come to accept his Way, Truth, and Life. Similarly, we are called to greet sinners with open arms and hearts and be willing to treat them as Jesus did... with generosity and kindness.

Do we embrace the cultures and races around us? Do we love our neighbors even when they are living in sin? How can we learn to love those whom we do not agree with or find difficult to like?

O Lord, make us into one, united, welcoming people.

Amen.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"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 a righteous man 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 the little one is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

We should be more welcoming to God and others. We should welcome God into our minds, hearts, and spirits. We should welcome others into our homes and lives. We would all be better off if the world with a more hospitable place where everyone loved each other to the best of their abilities. We can love others best by knowing, loving, and serving God and His children with humble and caring attitudes. Preaching, praying, acting righteously, and being compassionate and merciful are all ways we can receive God and others into our lives and bear good fruit in our relationships with them.

Are we receptive to having God in our lives? Are we welcoming of others? How can we show our hospitality to everyone so they can in turn see how welcoming God is to all peoples?

O Lord, let us receive you into our hearts so we can better give you to others through our preaching, praying, and acts of charity and mercy.

Amen.

Thirty-First Monday of Ordinary Time

When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

We should make it a point to do everything we can for those who are in need. For the poor, we should enrich their lives with acts of mercy and love. For the crippled and lame, we should do what we can to help them succeed. We should give a hand to those who need it and go the extra mile for those who need someone to walk with them on their journeys. Our family and friends are important, but we should also remember that Jesus made others the focus of his life's mission and we are called to do the same.

In what ways are we enriching the lives of the poor and helping those in need? What can we do to invite others into our lives and help them? How can we make others the focus of our lives?

O Lord, may we always imitate you in how we treat others.

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.

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

When we choose to accept God into our lives, we welcome the Holy Trinity into our hearts. We say “Yes!” to God the Father’s Divine Plan. We incarnate Christ through our thoughts, words, and works. We allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to become holier people. When we do this, the Most High overshadows us and when others look upon us they will see God at work. By giving our will over to God like Mary did, we make Him present to others through our acts of charity and mercy. Most importantly, our fiat opens us up to risking ourselves for God and His children. We grow in faith, hope, and love and soon discover that anything is possible when we put our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies into a task for God.

Do we welcome God into our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies on a daily basis? How can we make ourselves more open to God’s Will? Are we willing to attempt the seemingly impossible out of love for God and our neighbors?

O Lord, Holy Spirit come upon us.

Amen.

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, “Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, “How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.’”

We don’t normally get our inheritances until after someone dies, but here the younger son demands the share that should come to him after his father’s death. By doing so, the younger son is essentially treating his father as if he is already dead. He breaks off all ties and sets off to do whatever he wants, squandering his inheritance on a life of decadence. When we choose sin over God we do the same thing, we treat God as if He is dead and go off on our own path. And in the end, like the younger son, we lose everything and find ourselves in dire straits. Our souls starve on the empty pleasures of the world and we hire ourselves out to uncaring masters. However, God is always willing to take us back. All we need to do is come to our senses, admit our sins, and be willing to do good works for our Heavenly Father in reparation for our transgressions. If we do these things, then God will welcome us back with open arms and celebrate our return with an everlasting feast.

In what ways are we like the younger son? Are we willing to admit our sins and return to God? How can we imitate the forgiveness of the Heavenly Father in regards to those who trespass against us?

O Lord, we have sinned against you. Forgive us and welcome us back into your heavenly kingdom with open arms.

Amen.

Twenty-Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha and Mary welcome Jesus in different ways; Martha welcomes Jesus physically into her home, while Mary welcomes him spiritually into her heart. Martha tends to the outward needs of Jesus, while Mary opens her heart to be tended to by Jesus. Sometimes we can be so focused on serving others and providing for their physical well-being that we forget what really needs tending: the person’s spirit. If we feed a person’s body, but not their soul they may survive, but they will not thrive or truly live. It is good for us to take care of the needs of the poor and needy, but it is better to love God and to pay Him the attention He deserves. Of course, if we love God properly, then we will naturally come to know, love, and serve His children, but not with a focus only on the physical, but rather a focus on the entire person's body, mind, and soul.

Are we focused on material or spiritual things? How can we better concentrate on God and the spiritual needs of His children? Do we spend time each day listening at the feet of our Lord as Mary did?

O Lord, give us the patience to listen to your gospel and live it out.

Amen.