Pentecost Sunday

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in his works! Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the LORD.

The Holy Spirit comes into our lives in many ways. He comes in our moment of conception. He comes in our living. He comes in our loving. He comes in our holy thoughts. He comes in our words of peace and compassion. He comes in our works of charity and mercy. He comes to renew our faith in every prayer we pray and every mass we attend. He comes to us through the Blessed Sacrament. He also goes forth with us into the world. He goes forth with us to proclaim the Good News. He goes forth with us to be our companion along the Way. He goes forth with us to guide us to the Truth. He goes forth into our daily world to show us how to live the Life of Christ. He goes for with us to show us how to make our every moment into a good work that brings gladness to God and others.

Are our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies open to the Holy Spirit? What can we do to bring the Holy Spirit into every facet of our lives? How can we embody the gifts of the Holy Spirit and magnify God through our thoughts, words, and works?

O Lord, send your Spirit to us so we might be able to go forth into the world and bear your Good News to all your people.

Amen.

Seventh Saturday of Easter

The just will gaze on your face, O Lord. The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his searching glance is on mankind.

We can scarcely imagine what it will be like to gaze on the face of God. What will we see? What will we feel? Will we find God smiling at or frowning upon us? Will He be happy or sad? What we will see is probably beyond our ability to envision, but one thing is for certain, God will look upon us lovingly as a Father, a Brother, and an Advocate. He will not excuse or overlook our failings, but He will temper His Justice with Divine Love and Mercy. He will look into us and search our minds, hearts, and souls for the truth. If He finds the Good News within us, He will rejoice at our coming and bring us into Heaven. If He finds imperfections within us, but hearts that strived to be good, He will send us to the purifying fires of Purgatory until we are truly ready for Paradise. If, however, He finds us empty of good words and works, then He will cast us away, not because He wants to, but because we chose to deny Him in our actions. So, let us hope God will find us to be good and faithful servants so we might come into His Holy Temple and see His Divine Face.

When God looks at us at this moment, what does he see? How can we show Him a better version of ourselves? What can we do to help others to be filled with love, mercy, and grace?

O Lord, make us just so we might gaze upon your face.

Amen.

Seventh Friday of Easter

The Lord has established his throne in heaven. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.

God’s kindness toward us is beyond anything we can imagine. He is loving and merciful toward us in spite of our sinfulness, our indifference, and our failings. He is good to us even though we take Him for granted, abuse His trust, and desert Him. He is willing to forgive us no matter what we have done. Can we say the same in our dealings with others? Are we as kind? As loving? As merciful? Not even close, and yet, God doesn’t abandon us. He remains with us and does everything in His Divine Power to protect us from evil, guide us to better lives, and help us to be holy.

How can we be as kind and merciful as God is toward us? What can we do to make the world a more loving place? How can we help others to grow in goodness?

O Lord, help us to imitate your kindness, love, and mercy.

Amen.

Seventh Thursday of Easter

Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Keeping God in mind can be difficult in a world that begs us for our undivided attention, but it is necessary if we want to have inner peace. Anchoring our lives to God will give us the stability we need to resist temptations, worries, doubts, and all those things that try to weaken our devotion to God and our love of others. We need God to be at the center of our lives so we can more easily hear Him above the constant noise of the world around us. We need to take time out of each day and simply listen to Him as He exhorts us to do good and avoid evil. If we do this, then we will be kept safe from evil and given hope in a better life with God in heaven.

How can we be better listeners to the Lord? What can we do to keep our hearts and minds open to His holy counsels and inspirations? Are we willing to make space for God in our lives so He can be at our right hand?

O Lord, counsel and exhort us to goodness and holiness.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. Show forth, O God, your power, the power, O God, with which you took our part; For your temple in Jerusalem let the kings bring you gifts.

We all have gifts we should bring to God. Some of us have gifts of the body. Others gifts of the mind. Many of us have gifts of the spirit. No matter what these gifts are, we, like the Three Wise Kings, are called to bear them to God. We are to offer the gold of our good works to Him. We are asked to pay homage to Him through the frankincense of our prayers. We are meant to give him the myrrh of our acts of mercy. The wondrous thing about giving all our goods and gifts to God is He always returns them to us... magnified and glorified. He makes our poor offerings rich. So, we should be not afraid to offer up our little things to Him because He sees not that they are small, but that they are given to Him with great love.

What gifts and goods do we have that we can offer to God? How can we bring God into our daily actions both great and small? What can we do to prepare our gifts so they are given in the most humble and loving way?

O Lord, we bring you our gifts.

Amen.

Seventh Tuesday of Easter

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance; you restored the land when it languished; Your flock settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

We are all needy in some way. We are imperfect and lacking. We are sinners, who are struggling to do right and avoid evil. We think wrongly. We say things that are hurtful. We don’t succeed at everything we do. We are failures in so many ways. But God loves us and because of His Love, we are given opportunities to fill our needs, be restored from our brokenness, fix our imperfections, and succeed in the most important things in life, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and His children.

What are our areas of need in mind, body, and spirit? How can we allow God into these places so He can amend our lives to be more perfectly aligned with His Will? What can we do to be better receptors of God’s Love and Saving Grace?

O Lord, provide for our neediness.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire. 

The enemies of God will never truly triumph. They might win battles here and there, but they are doomed. One day, they will be scattered and flee before Him. They will be driven away to the abyss and melt before the fire of His Divine Power. Whenever we are tempted to despair or worry or lose hope, we should recall this truth. We should arm ourselves with trust in God and shield ourselves with hope in Him for He will never abandon us to our enemies. He will always free us if we ask Him to release us. He will always drive away darkness and raise up the hopeful banner of the cross.

Who are the enemies of God in our lives? How can we trust God will overcome them? What can we do to show them the love of God and offer them a chance to enter into God’s good graces?

O Lord, we trust in your protection.

Amen.