Fourth Thursday of Easter

“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

Pride is one of the deadliest and subtle of sins because it is so difficult for us to know when we are wrong about something or someone. Once we have an opinion, we often find it difficult to change it even in light of the arguments of others. However, we are not greater than the Son of God and by extension we should not consider ourselves better than our brothers and sisters who bear the image of God within their souls. Jesus came into the world to save souls, not condemn them. It was the sins he condemned, not the sinners. We should remember this model the next time we think we are better than someone else or desire to point out someone else’s failings. Most of the time, Jesus rebuked peoples' sins in a loving and mild way, we need to do the same. And if we have nagged or berated someone we should apologize for it and pray to be better instruments of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace.

What acts of pride have we committed? Did we attempt to make amends for them? How can we do a better job of being meek and mild like Jesus?

O Lord, we are not greater than you. We are merely children in need of your loving example of forgiveness.

Amen.

Fourth Wednesday of Easter

“Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.”

If we believe in a loving God, then why do we so often fail to be loving? Sometimes we allow the darkness in our lives to overwhelm us with doubt and fear or deter us from doing the right and good thing. We need to remember that Jesus came into the world as light for us when things are at their darkest. No sin is too much for him to forgive if we will but believe in him and trust in his promise to protect us from evil and raise us out of sin.

How do we express our belief in Jesus? Do we try to see him in all the people around us? What do we do to allow the light of Christ to shine through us and into the world?

O Lord, be our light.

Amen.

Fourth Tuesday of Easter

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.

What a blessing and a grace to be in Jesus’ hand! While we are in his gentle hands, nothing can take us away from him. He teaches us His Truth. He leads us by His Way. He gives us His Life. How can we ever repay him for what he has done for us? Perhaps we can start by opening our ears and listening to his voice, by following in his footsteps, and accepting the eternal life he offers us so that we might never perish. When we do these things we become more Christ-like and begin to understand what it means to make our lives into a living sacrifice as Jesus did for us.

Do we listen for and to the God’s voice in our lives? Do we follow in Christ’s footsteps or do we make our own way? Have we truly accepted eternal life or have we settled for the worldly one we are living?

O Lord, keep us in the palm of your hand.

Amen.

Fourth Monday of Easter

“Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Jesus came to give us abundant life and it is up to us to follow him through his open gateway or to let ourselves be stolen and slaughtered by the thief. So how do we enter into the abundant life Jesus promises us? We do so by imitating Christ and becoming meek and mild like the lamb in his parable. When we humble ourselves and follow Jesus’ lead, we are protected and provided for by God. We are saved and our souls grow in faith and when the time of harvest comes we yield much to the shearer’s blade.

How can we do a better job of following Christ? What can we do to keep the thief of souls away from us? Are we as meek, mild and humble as we should be?

O Lord, lead us through your gate to abundant life.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Jesus is our good shepherd and throughout the Gospels he constantly shows us what it means to lay down our lives for others. He protects us from those things which would kill us, not just physically, but spiritually. The only time we lose that protection is when we wander off on our own sinful ways and refuse to let him help us. Even then, he does not stop searching for and calling out to us. We can learn a lot about how to be good shepherds of men by emulating Jesus in our daily lives and laying down our life for our fellow children of God.

What do we do each day to imitate the Good Shepherd? Who do we lay our lives down for and how? What makes us afraid to risk ourselves for others?

O Lord, you are the good shepherd. Show us how to lay down our lives for others.

Amen.

Third Saturday of Easter

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?”

The way of our salvation can be hard and difficult for us to accept at times. We might be overcome with fears, doubts, and anxieties in regards to what Jesus is asking us to do on a daily basis. However, we should not be shocked by this. Christ gives us the perfect model for what it means to follow him when he makes his life a living sacrifice for our sins through his Passion and Death. What should be shocking to us is how we react to this sacrifice. It’s not always at the forefront of our minds. Sometimes we go long periods of time without giving it a thought, and yet his unblemished sacrifice is ever present to us through the outpouring of his love, mercy, and grace. Yes, the way of the cross is hard and difficult to accept, but Jesus accepted it for us, so why can’t we accept his offer to share his easy yoke?

What are the difficulties we expect to face while doing God’s Will? What hardships have come into our lives as the result of doing the right and good thing? What graces have we received because we decided to do the right and hard things in our lives?

O Lord, your way is hard to accept, but we want to walk with you now and forevermore.

Amen.

Third Friday of Easter

“For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.”

By Jesus’ own words he explains that he is truly present in the bread and wine we receive at Mass. He gives himself completely to us—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. When we partake in the Blessed Sacrament, we welcome him into our hearts and allow him to dwell their as he dwelt with his Mother in the manger and throughout his childhood. Similarly, he remains within us as he did with his disciples as he preached the gospel and revealed to them the mystery of his Most Holy Sacrifice of the Altar. When we consume his Body and Blood, we are consumed by him and the Holy Spirit. And when we partake in him, we become true Godbearers of the Divine Word.

Have we taken the time to appreciate the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Body and Blood we receive at the Mass? What do we do to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ? How do we reflect the graces we receive through the Blessed Sacrament in our lives outside of Church?

O Lord, let us eat your Flesh and drink your Blood and remain with you forever.

Amen.