Saturday after Ash Wednesday

He said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

Jesus also calls us to follow him and in order to do this we too must leave everything behind. We cannot let our personal desires keep us away from doing what we need to do as followers of Christ. He came to heal us and part of that process is cutting away all of those sins which keep us from following him perfectly. He comes to us as our Heavenly Physician and his prescription is for us to repent and accept the grace he offers us.

Are we really following in the footsteps of Jesus? Are we willing and able to leave everything behind? Is there anything we can give up in our lives to take that first step?

O Lord, help us to leave everything behind and follow you.

Amen.

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?

When we see someone else having an easier time of it then us, whether it be physically, financially, emotionally, or otherwise, we start to question God. We ask him, "Why do they have it better than us? Haven’t we done everything right? Don’t we deserve better?" However, these are selfish thoughts filled with pride and envy. They fail to recognize that every good we have comes from God and none of them can be earned through our actions. They are freely given gifts, which God can dispose of however he wants regardless of what we might think. We might pray for these things and hope for them, but we should never expect or demand them. Our God gives us exactly what we need to fulfill His Will and be good and faithful servants. We often focus our thanksgiving on what we have, but we should also be thankful for what we do not have because some things we wish we had would not make us better people. They might even lead us away from God. So the next time we see someone else getting ahead, especially if it is someone we dislike, we should not envy them, but rather be thankful for what we do have because often it is far more than we deserve and far more than many others have.

Who are the people in our lives whom we envy? How can we overcome this envy and be thankful for them and content with what we have? What are the things in our lives which we wanted, but never got and how did failing to receive them bring blessings into our lives?

O Lord, grant us what we need to do your Will and no more.

Amen.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?

The paradox of living a life of love is we must give ourselves away in order to increase in the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. We must risk losing everything for love of others, because those worldly things we cling to become anchors around our necks keeping us looking at the earth and not the heavens. We are not profited by those things which keep us from doing God’s Will with our whole hearts. We must be willing to lose our selfish lives and thereby win our place at the Heavenly Banquet. Jesus shows us throughout the Gospels how to sacrifice in great and small things and the least we can do is to repay Him by offering him everything we have.

Are there things in our lives which keep us from fixing our lives upon heavenly things? Are we willing to sacrifice everything we have for God, especially those things that do not lead us closer to Him? Are we willing to risk all we have to do God’s Will?

O Lord, help us to lose our lives for your sake.

Amen.

Ash Wednesday

Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.

Sometimes we are tempted to toot our own horn, to point out what we have done for others, and to ask to be recognized for it. However, this is not what Jesus would do, it is not what he wants from us. He does not need grandstanders or woe-to-me complainers. Our prayers, alms, and fasting should be done with as little fanfare as possible. Sure some people might notice what we are doing and if we are asked we should tell them the truth (and not lie out of some sense of false humility), but we don't need to draw attention to ourselves with outward displays of piety. People should know we are Christians by our love, not by how loud we make ourselves.

Do we do the right thing even when no one is there to see it? Are we willing to do it even if people might misunderstand or persecute us for practicing our faith? What was the last righteous deed we performed and were we content with no one knowing about it or did we point it out to others?

O Lord, we want to do righteous deeds not in order for others to see, but because we love you and all your children.

Amen.

Sixth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?

It is hard for some of us to admit when we do not know or understand something about the faith and so we start assuming. These assumptions get us into trouble because they are based off of our own flawed interpretations of the Gospel and not on those handed down to us through the collective wisdom of the Church. When Jesus makes his comment about the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, he is pointing out how they have puffed themselves up through their interpretations of the Law. Christ does not want his disciples to do the same thing. He is not preaching a holier-than-thou lifestyle, but rather one of trust in the Lord and service to others, as evidenced by his multiplication of the loaves.

Do we not yet understand this message? Are our hearts hardened to its demands on our lives? Do our eyes not see, our ears not hear God’s warning against prideful assumptions?

O Lord, grant us an understanding of your Words in the light of your life and the collective wisdom of our Church.

Amen.

Sixth Monday of Ordinary Time

Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.

Sometimes in our lives we ask God for signs to show us what to do, to bargain with him, or worst yet to test Him. However, signs are not what God wants us to be asking for in our lives. Even if He did answer us we would still have to interpret what a particular sign meant and might misunderstand it. Instead, we should focus on doing the right thing at all times and loving others as best as we can. If we do this then it should not matter whether we receive signs or not, we will know we are doing God’s Will and that is enough.

Do we look for signs in our lives or try to bargain with God through those signs? Are we willing to make blind leaps of faith without depending upon some false sign which might point us in the wrong direction? Can we set aside our prideful desire to interpret signs and simply love and do what God wills?

O Lord, give us no sign except for the cross.

Amen.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

We are lepers in some way or another whether it be our health, minds, or spirits which are afflicted. When we face our imperfections, sins, and even those trials from God which we do not understand, we should be like the leper and kneel down and beg God to cleanse us of our afflictions. He might not heal us in the manner we expect or within the time of our choosing, but moved with compassion He will answer our prayers according to His Will, which is always for our best.

When we are in need of help do we seek to solve the problem ourselves or do we turn to God for help? How do we treat others who are ill in body, mind, or spirit? Do we avoid them or mirror the compassionate presence of Christ?

O Lord, if you wish you can make us clean.

Amen.