Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes" and "no." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.

Sometimes our plans change. Our honest “Yes!” to someone else’s request, might suddenly become an unintended “No.” The course of our lives is not always set by ourselves. There are times when God, outside forces, and even enemies pull us down a different path. This might cause others to be disappointed in us. We can even become disappointed in ourselves for not being able to fulfill a promise. However, no matter what happens in our lives, expected or unexpected, we need to recognize each situation as an opportunity to grow in the faith and become better servants to God and all His children. God will forgive us if our good-intentioned promises fall through as long as we tried our best to follow through on our word.

Do we try to follow through on our good promises? Do we realize how even the obstacles that pop up in life are opportunities to grow in faith, hope, and love? Are we trying our best in every good thing we do?

O Lord, let all our promises be founded upon bearing you into the world for all to see.

Amen.

Tenth Monday of Ordinary Time

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.

God is constantly compassionate towards us. He is always encouraging us in our good works and when we are undergoing afflictions. He is the perfect model for us on how to be compassionate and encouraging towards others. Just as He is charitable and merciful, so are we called to be the same though imitation of His Goodness. Jesus suffered and died for us so we could be encouraged in the midst of our trials, overcome our temptations, and live lives of love. The least we can do to repay him for all he has done for us is to follow his example and be compassionate and encouraging.

Are we compassionate toward others? How do we go about encouraging others in their lives? How can we better imitate the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son?

O Lord, make us compassionate and encouraging people.

Amen.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The Holy Trinity loves us. The Father loves us enough to create us in His Divine Image and give us His only Beloved Son so that we might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. The Beloved Son loves us enough to create the Church as his bride and give us the Good News and the Holy Spirit so that we might follow his Way, Truth, and Life. The Holy Spirit creates the traditions of the Church and gives us every grace and inspiration we need to know, love, and serve God and His children. God did not create us, provide for us, or send us forth into the world to be sinners or to be condemned. He created us, provided for us, and sent us forth to be saints and to have eternal life.

How do we respond to the love the Holy Trinity has shown us? What can we do with the gifts He has given us? How can we live our lives in imitation of the love the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have for each other and for us?

O Lord, we believe in you and the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Amen.

Ninth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them: "Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory. Before all the living, acknowledge the many good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Honor and proclaim God's deeds, and do not be slack in praising him. A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor. Do good, and evil will not find its way to you. Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life; but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.

When good things happen to us, our first response should not be to congratulate ourselves, but to thank God. After all, every good thing comes from Him. He is the Source, the Center, and the Summit of all that is good and holy. We should never slack in praising God or His deeds. In a similar vein, we should do everything we can to be people of almsgiving. Almsgiving is one of the many ways we can imitate Christ and reflect God’s Divine Image into the world. It is though our acts of charity and mercy that we bring God into the lives of others and leave them better off. So let us make sure we are not only prayerful and fasting, but almsgivers, too.

Do we thank God for all He has done for us? Do we recognize Him as the Source of all our goods? How can we better imitate Him through our almsgiving?

O Lord, make us gracious almsgivers.

Amen.

Ninth Friday of Ordinary Time

"Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me. Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!" Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice for everything that had happened. Tobiah told his father that the Lord God had granted him a successful journey; that he had brought back the money; and that he had married Raguel's daughter Sarah, who would arrive shortly, for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.

There is always the chance of redemption for us if we are willing to pray for and seek it out. No matter how much we’ve sinned in the past, are sinning now, and will sin in the future… The Lord, Our God is willing to be merciful to us. We have only to seek Him our sincerely and come to choose him over ourselves and our selfish vices. If we do this, then we, too will be saved by God’s Mercy and have a successful journey in this world… one that leads us to eternal happiness with God in Heaven.

What are the sins we are being scourged for? Are we sincerely seeking God’s Mercy and trying our best to amend our lives? Do we realize that the only way to have a safe journey on this earth is to live prayerful and faithful lives?

O Lord, praise be to your name and your mercy.

Amen.

Ninth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, "My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance." She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. And they began to say: "Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, praised be your name forever and ever. Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever. You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve to be his help and support; and from these two the human race descended. You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.' Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine not because of lust, but for a noble purpose. Call down your mercy on me and on her, and allow us to live together to a happy old age." They said together, "Amen, amen," and went to bed for the night.

Prayer is important to our faith lives. It sustains us in our trials, shows how much we trust in God, and gives us a chance to praise and glorify the Lord. Praying together with others is even more profound. Praying with our spouses, children, co-workers, neighbors, etc. helps us tremendously in growing into our vocation as good and faithful servants. The mere act of praying with others can help remind us that we are not alone on this spiritual journey toward heaven.

Is pray important to our lives? Are there people who we can pray with and grow with as Christians?Do we appreciate all that God has done for us?

O Lord, praised be your name forever and ever.
Amen.

Ninth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

"It is far better for me not to hang myself, but to beg the Lord to have me die, so that I need no longer live to hear such insults." At that time, then, she spread out her hands, and facing the window, poured out her prayer: "Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God, and blessed is your holy and honorable name. Blessed are you in all your works for ever!" At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God. So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the cataracts from Tobit's eyes, so that he might again see God's sunlight; and to marry Raguel's daughter Sarah to Tobit's son Tobiah, and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.

Both Tobit and Sarah pray for God to end their lives. They are suffering greatly and don’t feel like they can go on. Sometimes the difficulties we face are so overwhelming we might be tempted to make the same prayer. However, the end of Sarah’s prayer is the best way to petition God for help. We should bless God for all He has done for us and be thankful for the many miracles, great and small that He performs for us. If we do this, then we will receive help from Him through the Holy Spirit and his angels.

Do we turn to God when we are undergoing trials? Are we faithful in our prayer lives? How can we appreciate what God does for us on a daily basis?

O Lord, help us so we can see the light of your love and have our own devils driven away from us.

Amen.