Twenty-Seventh Friday in Ordinary Time

The Lord will judge the world with justice. You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever. The nations are sunk in the pit they have made; in the snare they set, their foot is caught.

God rebukes the wicked. He will not remember them if they do not amend their lives. He will forget them and blot them out forever when the time of final judgment comes. And He will do this not out of hatred, but out of disappointment with them. Those who have sunk into the pit of sin and apathy will be discarded like chaff and destroyed. Those who are evil and set snares for others will be punished for their crimes and caught in their own webs. They shall die irrevocable deaths, forgotten, just as they forgot about their duties to God and His children. So, let us pray we will always remember our calling to be Christ-like and to do all things in accordance with God’s Will. Let us hope we will not disappoint God so much that He no longer wishes to see us with Him in Heaven. Let us be humble, contrite, and merciful so He will see us as His beloved children and allow us to one day join Him in Paradise.

Do we reject sin and evil? Are we willing to rebuke wickedness when we see it, even when speaking up might cost us dearly? How can we be more courageous and just in all our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, help us to reject wickedness and live just lives.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Lent

Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.

The desire for evil things can seep into our lives and ruin the foundations of our faith. It can wear away the solid rock beneath us and cause us to fall. Sin, grumbling, indifference... all of these things tear down our spiritual lives. And we cannot say God did not warn us against these worldly vices. He has shown us again and again how wickedness leads to destruction. None of us should be so prideful as to feel secure in our salvation. It is only by the Grace and Mercy of God that we have any hope of eternal life despite how often we displease Him with acts of selfishness and sin.

How can we rid ourselves of the desire for evil? What can we do to amend our lives so we might avoid sin, grumbling, and other temptations? How can we do a better job of seeking our salvation rather than our self-satisfaction?

O Lord, help us to be more pleasing to you.

Amen.

Second Wednesday of Lent

Save me, O Lord, in your kindness. You will free me from the snare they set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

The wickedness and snares of the Devil are all around us. We see it in the world, in people, in places, and in things. We are constantly tempted by evil or tormented by those who see good and want to tear it down. God is our only refuge in this dark valley. He is our light, leading us to safety. He is our shelter, protecting us from the storm. He is our help, freeing us from the snares. If we want to have any hope of reaching Heaven, then we must commend our spirits to Him and allow Him to shepherd us to the Promised Land along the Way He has prepared for us.

Do we pray for God’s Help in overcoming the wickedness and snares of the Devil? Do we turn to Him in our times of need and commend our spirits to Him? How can we train ourselves to seek His Grace, follow His Light, and walk His Way?

O Lord, save us in your kindness.

Amen.

Seventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Not so, the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.

We are relentlessly tempted to wickedness by the world. The world tells us to do what feels good, when what it really is saying is do what is wrong and forget what is right. Worldly people do not care about giving glory to God or doing good for others. They are only concerned with themselves and what benefit they can get from doing this and that. Yes, they might be charitable, but for all the wrong reasons. They might be helpful, but only when they see gain for themselves. As Christians, we are called to do what is right and good no matter the cost to ourselves. We must be willing to carry our crosses in this world and suffer greatly. We must be willing to be mocked and persecuted for our beliefs. We must be willing to be rejected by everyone around us. God’s Will is not the will of the world. It is a harder road, but one worth traveling because the wide road of wickedness leads to destruction.

How can we resist the temptations of the world? What can we do to rid ourselves of all wickedness? Are we willing to suffer in order to do what is right and good?

O Lord, watch over us and lead us to live just and hopeful lives.

Amen.

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Revelation reminds us we are not alone in our fight against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. We have Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael to help us. We would do well to pray for their intercession in our lives. Michael as our protector, Gabriel as a guide, and Raphael as a healer of our souls. With them on guard against the Devil, we can be confident we shall not be dragged into sin and destruction by the Evil One. With them, we can fight back against our spiritual enemies and remain in the good graces of God, our Heavenly Father. With them, we can conquer death and have eternal life with Jesus Christ. With them, we can fulfill the purpose the Holy Spirit has given each and every one of us.

How can we be on better guard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil? Do we pray for the intercession of Saint Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael? If not, then how can we make it a habit in our lives to do so?

O Lord, thank you for the gift of your archangels.

Amen.

Fourteenth Thursday in Ordinary Time

My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.

We disappoint God in many ways, through our failures to do good and our sins against Him and others. We turn our backs on Him in wickedness, indifference, and weakness. We fail Him when we let our fears, doubts, passions, and selfishness keep us from doing His Will. Thankfully, God is loving and forgiving. He is willing to look past our faults and give us many opportunities to confess our sins, do penance, choose what is right, and sin no more. He has pity on us and puts aside His righteous anger. As our Heavenly Father, he does not wish us to perish and so He opens His arms to us and says, "Come to me." It is up to us to accept this invitation and become faithful children.

In what ways are we disappointing God? How can we rid ourselves of those things that keep us from doing God's Will? What can we do to give thanks to God for His Divine Mercy?

O Lord, look past our faults and failings and help us to grow in grace and love.

Amen.

Fourth Friday of Lent

“With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” These were their thoughts, but they erred; for their wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the hidden counsels of God; neither did they count on a recompense of holiness nor discern the innocent souls' reward.

In the end, we are either counted among the innocent or the wicked. We either revile and torture God and others in thought, words, and deeds, or we love and serve Him and His children with all our beings. We either put God to the test and try His patience or trust in Him completely. We either put God to death through lives of sin and indifference or we become living tabernacles where He can dwell forever and ever. We either rely on ourselves or we depend upon God and have faith that He will take care of us. We either a blinded by selfishness or we are aware of our God-given role in this life and embrace it wholeheartedly.

What areas of our lives are leading us to wickedness? How can we turn our backs on these evils and follow the light? What can we do to increase in virtue and innocence?

O Lord, lead us away from wickedness and into holiness.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“If I find favor with you, O LORD, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

We are a stiff-necked people, too. We have imperfections that we do not seek to rid ourselves of. We have wickedness and sins we constantly fall into. We fail to do good when opportunities present themselves. We fall short in our faith. We falter in our hope. We lack in our love of God and others. And yet, God is still with us, He still loves us, He is willing to pardon our wickedness and receive us as His Own Children. He wants to be our Heavenly Father, Beloved Brother, and Holy Spirit, writing His commandments, teachings, and inspirations upon our hearts. All we have to do is accept Him into our lives by bending our stiff necks and dying to our sinful selves so we can rise as holy and unique incarnations of Christ.

 What are the imperfections, wickedness, and sins we need to be pardoned for? How can we rid ourselves of these failings and become more perfect children of God? What can we do to ensure that God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations stay with us always?

O Lord, come along in our company and receive us as your own.

Amen.

Seventeenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

We are either good or bad fish. Righteous or wicked. This is the judgement that is awaiting us at the end of our lives. We will either be gathered into God's Kingdom and enjoy the Heavenly Banquet or we will be thrown into the fires of Hell. We will be judged by our actions. Our good deeds and our wicked ones. We will come face-to-face with our true selves and in the end we will know exactly why we were sorted to Heaven or Hell. We can only hope that our faith and love are true and holy and not misguided and corrupted by personal desires. So let us make every effort now… this day… to know, love, and serve God and our neighbors to the best of our abilities so that when the day comes and we are judged by God he shall see that we reflected His Goodness in the world and not our own selfishness.

Are we acting like good or bad fish? How can we grow in righteousness and rid ourselves of wickedness? Are we reflecting God's Goodness in our lives?

O Lord, help us to be good fish in the sea of your love and mercy.

Amen.

Sixteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

"The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

The world is a place full of earthly wickedness and heavenly goodness. The question is which side we align ourselves with: the weeds or the wheat. We cannot be both. We cannot serve two masters. We either love the world more than God or we love God more than the world. This isn’t to say we cannot enjoy our lives, but rather if we have the choice between enjoying our lives and serving God, then we will choose God every time. This detachment from the world is necessary if we are to bear the good fruits of self-sacrifice instead of the bad fruits of selfishness. Because we grow up among the weeds, we might sometimes wonder why they seem to be thriving when we are suffering, physically, mentally, or spiritually. However, as long as we are willing to weather the bad times, we will eventually be rewarded by being lifted up to heaven and avoid the fires of Hell.

What can we do to make sure we are the wheat and not weeds of the world? How can we overcome the temptations that seek to entangle and strangle us? What good fruits are we bearing for God and His children?

O Lord, gather us into your heavenly kingdom.

Amen.