The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.  There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

The foolishness of the rich man is not so much in the building of bigger barns to store his excess grain, but rather on the reason he builds the bigger barns. He does not build them because we wants to avoid wasting his good harvest, but rather he decides to build them because he wants to “rest, eat, drink, and be merry.” Instead of using the bountiful harvest to better himself, his lands, or his workers, he plans to use it on selfish pursuits and as an excuse to be lazy. God doesn’t give us gifts and talents to hoard them or use them to make our lives easier. He gives them to us to multiply them, to share with others, and thereby give glory to Him. We cannot do that if we store up our gifts and only use them for our personal enjoyment.

Are we storing up treasures for ourselves on earth? Or are we doing everything we can to multiply the bountiful harvests of graces that God has given us? How can we become rich in what matters, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and His children?

O Lord, inspire us to use the graces you’ve given us to store up heavenly merits rather than earthly treasures.

Amen.

Seventeenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, "This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him."

Our words and works determine who we will be compared with in our lives. Jesus was compared with St. John the Baptist during his life and although we know Jesus is greater than him many of his contemporaries didn’t recognize this. In a similar way, we are all called to remind others of Jesus during our lives. Instead of being prophets of his first coming, as John was, we are the prophets of his second coming. Whenever we speak or act like Christ, we proclaim the Good News and the promise of Jesus’ return, a return we should be anticipating and preparing ourselves for. The greatest compliment anyone could give us during our lives on earth would be, “This man (or woman) is Jesus. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him (or her).”

Do our words echo the words of Jesus? Do our works mirror the works of Jesus? How can we make ourselves living reminders of Christ, our Savior King?

O Lord, may your mighty powers work through us.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Martha

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

How far Martha has come! We first met her when she is burdened with worldly cares and unable to understand her sister’s desire to sit at the foot of Jesus. However, she has grown as a disciple since then and now expresses a faith we should all seek to imitate. It can be difficult for us to accept sufferings, especially the deaths of our loved ones. But rather than focus on our loss, we should focus on trusting in the mercy of God and the promise of eternal life. Jesus might not raise our loved ones from the dead in the same way as he did Lazarus, but he can and will raise them up to heaven to be with him as long as they have led a good life. We can take comfort in this truth and in the knowledge that all of God’s faithful children will be resurrected. No one who believes in God will ever truly die. Jesus died once, for all. He died to cleanse us of our sins and to bathe us in his mercy so that we could partake in his heavenly feast forever and ever.

Do we trust that whatever goods we ask God for will be given to us in His own way and time? Do we believe that our loved ones (and we) will rise again in the resurrection on the last day? Do we believe in Jesus and his Gospel message?

O Lord, we have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who brings everlasting life to your disciples.

Amen.

Seventeenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

We are either good or bad fish. Righteous or wicked. This is the judgement that is awaiting us at the end of our lives. We will either be gathered into God's Kingdom and enjoy the Heavenly Banquet or we will be thrown into the fires of Hell. We will be judged by our actions. Our good deeds and our wicked ones. We will come face-to-face with our true selves and in the end we will know exactly why we were sorted to Heaven or Hell. We can only hope that our faith and love are true and holy and not misguided and corrupted by personal desires. So let us make every effort now… this day… to know, love, and serve God and our neighbors to the best of our abilities so that when the day comes and we are judged by God he shall see that we reflected His Goodness in the world and not our own selfishness.

Are we acting like good or bad fish? How can we grow in righteousness and rid ourselves of wickedness? Are we reflecting God's Goodness in our lives?

O Lord, help us to be good fish in the sea of your love and mercy.

Amen.

Seventeenth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

 Before a treasure can be found it must be placed where someone can find it and someone must search for it. God is the one who places the Kingdom of Heaven within our reach. He did this through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. All we need to do is seek it out. Then, once we find it, we must be willing to sacrifice everything we have. Once we are divested and detached ourselves from the world, we will be given the treasure beyond any price. It is the treasure of saving grace that leads to our salvation and life everlasting with God.

What are we searching for in our lives? What are we willing to sell everything for? Do we treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above worldly riches?

O Lord, we would sell everything for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

We are all called to be good seeds in the world and bear fruit for God and His children. However, we will not be unopposed. The weeds of the wicked will seek to strangle us and keep us from being spiritually fruitful, but we must resist their persecutions and temptations. We will have no one to blame if we fall into sin and fail to produce good fruit. It is up to us to open our hearts to the Sun of Truth and allow the cleansing rains of God’s Divine Mercy to nourish us with grace.

What can we do to keep ourselves from becoming weeds? How can we grow in faith, hope, and love?  What can we do to bear good fruits in our lives?

O Lord, let our righteousness shine like the sun.

Amen.

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

“What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

There are many wishes we can have in life. We can wish for health and happiness. We can wish for peace and goodness. We can wish for heavenly things or earthly ones. We can wish for God to protect us and our loved ones from harm. However, we need to remember that although we might feel entitled to these things, we won't always get them. We do not know what we are asking for. We do not see God's entire Divine Plan and how everything interconnects from our highest highs to our lowest lows. In the face of the difficulties which will inevitably enter into our lives, the only thing we can do is trust in God. Believe that no matter what happens on earth we will find happiness in heaven if we are willing to drink the chalice God has prepared for us.

What do we wish for? Do we truly trust in God? Can we drink the chalice He has prepared for us?

O Lord, we wish only to stay by your side always.

Amen.