Tenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Holy is the Lord our God. Extol the LORD, our God, and worship at his footstool; holy is he!

Holy is our God, the font of all holiness. If we want to be worthy of heaven, then we have to take the time to drink in His holiness through reading the Scriptures, prayer, mortification, almsgiving, and works of charity and mercy. We worship God best when we are doing good and avoiding evil. God loves it when we listen to Him, but He loves it even more when we take His Divine Word and live it out with faithfulness.

Are we living holy lives? What can we do to grow in holiness? How can we pour that holiness into the world so those around us can grow in holiness, too?

O Lord, you are holy and we worship at your footstool.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

God is our Shepherd and Guide. He calls out to us for our own protection and to lead us to greener pastures. He wants us to grow in faith, hope, and love so we might become good and faithful children and produce good for all. When we are weak, He will carry us. When we are confused, He will call out to us. When we are lost, He will seek us out. He will never abandon us, He will always do everything in His power to lead us safely home to Him and Heaven. So, the least we can do is to listen for His voice in our hearts and do whatever He tells us.

Are our hearts hardened by the world or open to the inspirations of our Heavenly Father? Do we bow down and worship God as He deserves? Do we thank Him for shepherding us and guiding us to life everlasting?

O Lord, keep our hearts from being hardened by the world and our own weaknesses.

Amen.

First Monday in Ordinary Time

Let all his angels worship him. The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. 

The Lord is our King and like the angels we were made to worship him. We were made to know Him through the Scriptures and through the traditions of the Church. We were made to love Him through prayer, alms, and mortification. We were made to serve Him and all His children through acts of charity and mercy. We were made to rejoice in Him and be glad. We were made to be founded on justice and wise judgment so we might be instruments of His grace to the world around us and proclaim the Good News to all whom we meet each day.

How do we worship God? What do we do to bring joy and gladness to the world and good tidings to all? Are our lives founded on justice and wisdom?

O Lord, we worship you as our King and Savior.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.

Every Christian has entered into an agreement with God through our baptism. We have promised to worship Him and Him alone, to walk in His ways, obey his commandments, and listen to His inspirations. In return, God promises to hold a special place for us as His people. He will guide us through life, raise us from the dead, and grant us eternal life with Him in Heaven. All we have to do is live out our baptismal promises, doing His Will in all things by our own choice.

Are we living up to our agreement with God? Have we been harkening to His voice and following His commandments? Do we realize how blessed we are to be His people?

O Lord, help us to live up to our calling to be a sacred people dedicated to you.

Amen.

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing their fasting and prayer, they laid hands on them and sent them off. So they, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.  When they arrived in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. 

Worship, fasting, prayer, and proclaiming the Word of God. All of these actions played pivotal roles in the success of the early Church and they can make a world of difference in our own lives, too. First, worshiping together as a community unites us in Christ through shared prayer and the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. Fasting cleanses us from our attachments to worldly things and helps to disciple our passions so that we can put heavenly things before all else. Prayer opens our hearts and minds to God and allows us to enter into a dialogue with our Heavenly Father. And silent prayer helps us to let go of our worries and fears and let God speak to us in the solitude of our thoughts. Worship, fasting, and prayer help prepare us to proclaim the Gospel through our words and our works. They give us the graces we need to manifest God’s Love and Mercy and find fulfillment as disciples of Christ.

Do we make the most of the time we spend with God in worship and prayer? How can we make fasting a central part of living out our faith? In what ways do we proclaim the Word of God?

O Lord, set us apart and send us to where we need to be.

Amen.