Second Sunday of Advent

Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

Preparation is something we do each and every day of our lives. We prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We prepare for work and play. We prepare for family, friends, and neighbors. We prepare for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. However, in this daily preparation for things great and small we can often forget to prepare ourselves for the most important event in our existence: the second coming of Christ.

How often do we let our preparations for earthly things interfere with our preparations for the heavenly ones? Do we spend time each and every day preparing ourselves for the coming of our God? If the hour of His arrival came before this day was done would you be able to say to Him, I prepared your Way and made straight your Path, O Lord.

O Lord, grant us the grace to live our lives as John the Baptist and constantly prepare for your second coming by being good and faithful servants baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

First Saturday of Advent

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

Jesus says these words to his disciples right before giving them authority over unclean spirits and the ability to cure every disease and illness. They were called by the Divine Master to be the harvesters of souls, just as we today are asked to be co-workers in His vineyard. If we will but accept His commission of us we too will be able to go out to the lost sheep of this world and proclaim along side the disciples of old, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Are we willing to go out into the world and labor beside our Lord? Do we not only pray for our own deliverance into the Heavenly Harvest, but also seek to cultivate the souls of others to join us there? How do we proclaim the kingdom of heaven in our daily lives?

O Lord, help us to be laborers in your vineyard of souls and to work tirelessly for you and the sakes of those whom you have sent us to harvest into your Kingdom.

Amen.

First Friday of Advent

Do you believe that I can do this?

This is the question God asks us to answer every time we petition Him. Hopefully, we answer as the two blind men did, Yes, Lord. This simple affirmation of our faith opens our eyes to the Will of God in our lives and grants us the opportunity to spread the Word of God in thanksgiving for all He has done for us seen and unseen.

What is our first instinct when God asks us if we believe He can do this or that for us? How can we make ourselves into a living Yes to the Lord of Life? Can we trust in the love, mercy, and grace of God even when His answers to our petitions are not exactly what we wanted or expected?

O Lord, open our eyes to the faith we need to be bearers of your Holy Word in the world.

Amen.

First Thursday of Advent

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.

Jesus gives us a choice to make between living our lives according to His Word or according to our own. His Word offers us a firm foundation upon faith, hope, and love, while our words are changeable, unsteady, shifting with the winds and the rains that buffet us in life.

Do we build our lives upon the bedrock of the Word of God or upon our inconstant selves? How often do we mistake the quicksand of our selfishness for the bedrock of faith? When we hear the words of God do we act on them as Jesus asks us to do or do we follow our own good intentions off of the cliff of destruction?

O Lord, give us the wisdom to listen and act upon your words and to build the temple of our souls upon the bedrock of your Gospel. Let us not mistake our selfish desires for your Selfless Will.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.  I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.

Jesus recognizes the spiritual and physical needs of his flock. Like a good Physician He knows you must treat both body and spirit in order to heal someone completely. He also wants us to have the strength to carry His message into the world and do onto others as He has done for us. Just as He provides for our well being, He also asks us to do the same for our family, friends, and neighbors.

Do we care for the physical and spiritual needs of those around us as Jesus has taught us to do in His Holy Life? How often do we fail to live out the Gospel message He has given us and become the Living Bread of God for those around us? What do we do after Mass to express our gratitude for God’s gracious gift of His Word and Flesh?

O Lord, you have fed our spirits with your Word and our bodies with your Body and Blood. Help us to become a Eucharistic people proclaiming your Gospel through word and deed.

Amen.

First Tuesday of Advent

I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

There is a vast difference between being childish and childlike. When we let pride, envy, wrath, and the other deadly sins take over our thoughts, words, and works we are childish and self-centered. We place our trust in our own knowledge and wisdom and the hidden truths of the world, the ones which would lead us to the Truth remain lost in the darkness of our self-conceit. However, if we are childlike and place our faith in our Heavenly Father above all, then the Way, the Truth and the Life will be revealed to us. We shall be worthy of being called the sons and daughters of God and the true heirs to His Kingdom.

How often do we allow our childish self-interests get in the way of being a childlike follower of Christ? What truths have we blinded ourselves to by relying upon our reason alone and not faith and reason hand-in-hand? How can we reclaim our childlike simplicity and live a life of love in imitation of our Father?

O Lord, grant us a childlike confidence in you. Never let our childish impulses led us from your Pierced Side. Give us the strength to cling to you in a world where we are constantly encouraged to cling to ourselves.

Amen.

First Monday of Advent

Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.

Humility and faith flow out of the centurion as he recognizes the sacred presence and divine authority of Christ. Face-to-face with Jesus, he realizes his unworthiness, and yet instead of fleeing in fear, self-doubt, or desperation he places his trust in the Lord and pleads for the healing of his servant. He does not let his insecurities and imperfections keep him from petitioning Christ, nor does he require firsthand experience of the miraculous healing. His confidence in God gives him the strength of true humility and the conviction that if God wills it all will be healed.

How often do we allow a false sense of humility get in the way of faithfully petitioning the Lord in our prayer life? Why do we convince ourselves that the God of Love, Mercy, and Grace could not possibly love us enough to see past our sins and unworthiness and help us in our times of need? Why, when we do ask for His help, do we need to see the miracle with our own eyes to believe He has answered our prayer?

O Lord, we are unworthy, but you have spoken through your Living Word and offer each of us your Healing Truth. May we be humble enough to accept this gracious gift of redemption and open our hearts to the hope the Word Made Flesh contains.

Amen.