Wow! It's been three whole years since I started this spiritual reflection blog. According to my stats' button, this site has had over 11,000 visits. To all of you who have taken a few minutes out of your day to read some of my reflections... Thank you!
I look forward to reflecting on the daily Old Testament readings (since we've read all the daily gospels over the course of the past three years) and Sunday gospels from Mark with you in the coming year.*
Lastly, I hope you will continue to walk with me on this journey and explore the wonderful readings the Catholic Church.
*For those who don't know, each year's Sunday readings focus on a particular gospel: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John is used for special occasions, such as the Easter season. This way Catholics who do the daily readings read a good amount of the Old Testament and most of the New Testament every three years!
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
As Christians, we are called to profess our faith through our words and works. The people who hear and see us should know without a doubt we are Christians by our expressions and acts of love and mercy. And if we do these things, we will never be put to shame. No persecution, mocking, failure, disrespect, or other suffering will be able to touch us because our hearts will be protected as long as they remain true to God and believe in the promise of eternal life. It is this belief in the resurrection that sparks us to action and to sacrifice for God and for others.
Do we confess Jesus is Lord through word and deed? Do we believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead? Do we trust no matter what might happen to us God will never allow us to be put to shame?
O Lord, we believe in you with our whole hearts.
Amen.
As Christians, we are called to profess our faith through our words and works. The people who hear and see us should know without a doubt we are Christians by our expressions and acts of love and mercy. And if we do these things, we will never be put to shame. No persecution, mocking, failure, disrespect, or other suffering will be able to touch us because our hearts will be protected as long as they remain true to God and believe in the promise of eternal life. It is this belief in the resurrection that sparks us to action and to sacrifice for God and for others.
Do we confess Jesus is Lord through word and deed? Do we believe in our hearts God raised him from the dead? Do we trust no matter what might happen to us God will never allow us to be put to shame?
O Lord, we believe in you with our whole hearts.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Thirty-Fourth Wednesday of Ordinary Time
But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down. "This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words mean: MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
We should all hope we don’t suffer the same fate as King Belshazzar. However, there are times in our lives when we are tempted to act like him. We fall into deadly sins and instead of our thoughts, words, and works giving glory to God, we take the glory for ourselves. We let our pride and selfishness blind us from giving God the credit for our successes. He is the source of all Good and deserves all glory, praise, and thanksgiving. If we fail to amend our lives, then like King Belshazzar, we shall find our days numbered, our souls found wanting, and our possessions divided. However, if we give our lives over to God completely, then He shall find us worthy to stay with Him in Heaven, give us spiritual treasures beyond counting, and provide us endless days.
Are we allowing our pride and selfishness to keep us from living in accordance with God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations? In what ways are we giving glory to God? Do we recognize God as the source of all Good, the center of our lives, and the summit of our faith?
O Lord, we give you all glory, praise, and thanksgiving.
Amen.
We should all hope we don’t suffer the same fate as King Belshazzar. However, there are times in our lives when we are tempted to act like him. We fall into deadly sins and instead of our thoughts, words, and works giving glory to God, we take the glory for ourselves. We let our pride and selfishness blind us from giving God the credit for our successes. He is the source of all Good and deserves all glory, praise, and thanksgiving. If we fail to amend our lives, then like King Belshazzar, we shall find our days numbered, our souls found wanting, and our possessions divided. However, if we give our lives over to God completely, then He shall find us worthy to stay with Him in Heaven, give us spiritual treasures beyond counting, and provide us endless days.
Are we allowing our pride and selfishness to keep us from living in accordance with God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations? In what ways are we giving glory to God? Do we recognize God as the source of all Good, the center of our lives, and the summit of our faith?
O Lord, we give you all glory, praise, and thanksgiving.
Amen.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Thirty-Fourth Tuesday of Ordinary Time
In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
Everything man-made has a beginning and an end. Only God is eternal. Wealth, power, possessions and other worldly things will eventually fail us, crumbling to dust. Our bodies will fail, our minds weaken, and death will overtake us. However, if we found ourselves upon the rock of Christ and live in accordance with God’s commandments, Jesus’ teachings, and the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, then we shall have a solid foundation which will resist all trials and sufferings. If we choose to model ourselves on Christ, then we might die, but we shall be given eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
Are our lives founded on worldly or heavenly things? Have we modeled our lives on the Life of Christ? How can we build our thoughts, words, and works upon the solid rock of faith in God?
O Lord, make our hearts into mountains dedicated to you.
Amen.
Everything man-made has a beginning and an end. Only God is eternal. Wealth, power, possessions and other worldly things will eventually fail us, crumbling to dust. Our bodies will fail, our minds weaken, and death will overtake us. However, if we found ourselves upon the rock of Christ and live in accordance with God’s commandments, Jesus’ teachings, and the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, then we shall have a solid foundation which will resist all trials and sufferings. If we choose to model ourselves on Christ, then we might die, but we shall be given eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
Are our lives founded on worldly or heavenly things? Have we modeled our lives on the Life of Christ? How can we build our thoughts, words, and works upon the solid rock of faith in God?
O Lord, make our hearts into mountains dedicated to you.
Amen.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Thirty-Fourth Monday of Ordinary Time
Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal table, and treat your servants according to what you see." He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days; after ten days they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah trusted that as long as they sought to remain pure and undefiled God would provide them with the sustenance they would need to survive and even thrive. They chose to risk their lives in order to live out their faith. They chose to fast for their Lord and God instead of feast on worldly pleasures. Because of their faith, they grew in wisdom and prudence and found favor with the king. Their trust was rewarded just as our trust in God is rewarded today. We might not be taken captive and asked to eat unclean foods, but we are tempted and the world asks us to partake in lives of sin. This is why it is so important for us to place our faith in God and trust He will deliver us from all evil. He may let us suffer setbacks in this life, but they are only meant to strengthen our beliefs and prove our love for Him above all. It is not an easy path to keep ourselves clean from sin, but it is necessary if we want to have a place in the everlasting feast.
Do we trust God will see us through every trial? How can we keep ourselves pure and undefiled? Are we willing to suffer and fast in this life in order to enjoy and celebrate the next one?
O Lord, see us through every test of our faith, hope, and love.
Amen.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah trusted that as long as they sought to remain pure and undefiled God would provide them with the sustenance they would need to survive and even thrive. They chose to risk their lives in order to live out their faith. They chose to fast for their Lord and God instead of feast on worldly pleasures. Because of their faith, they grew in wisdom and prudence and found favor with the king. Their trust was rewarded just as our trust in God is rewarded today. We might not be taken captive and asked to eat unclean foods, but we are tempted and the world asks us to partake in lives of sin. This is why it is so important for us to place our faith in God and trust He will deliver us from all evil. He may let us suffer setbacks in this life, but they are only meant to strengthen our beliefs and prove our love for Him above all. It is not an easy path to keep ourselves clean from sin, but it is necessary if we want to have a place in the everlasting feast.
Do we trust God will see us through every trial? How can we keep ourselves pure and undefiled? Are we willing to suffer and fast in this life in order to enjoy and celebrate the next one?
O Lord, see us through every test of our faith, hope, and love.
Amen.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
In the end, there are only two destinations for us: heaven or hell. Our thoughts, words, and works paired with our faith in the Holy Trinity determine where we go. If we know, love, and serve God and His children to the best of our abilities and with faithful and hopeful hearts, then we shall go to heaven. If we love ourselves more than God and choose worldly goods over heavenly ones, then we shall send ourselves to hell. If we are willing to suffer and sacrifice for the good of others and the glory of God, then we shall be rewarded with eternal life. If we sacrifice others for our own gain and seek only to exult ourselves, then we shall be humbled in infernal flames. If we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to where we need to be and what we need to do, then we shall find the narrow path to God and enter the Gates of Heaven. If we ignore our consciences and make our own way, then we shall wander the wide road to our own destruction. The choice is ours... either we bend the knee to our Lord and King or we enslave ourselves to sin and selfishness. Hopefully, we choose the former.
Are we acting like God’s sheep or the devil’s goats? Are we willing to let go and let God be Lord and King over our lives? How can we give Him glory, honor, and praise through our actions?
O Lord, we are your sheep... lead us to where we need to be and show us what we need to do.
Amen.
In the end, there are only two destinations for us: heaven or hell. Our thoughts, words, and works paired with our faith in the Holy Trinity determine where we go. If we know, love, and serve God and His children to the best of our abilities and with faithful and hopeful hearts, then we shall go to heaven. If we love ourselves more than God and choose worldly goods over heavenly ones, then we shall send ourselves to hell. If we are willing to suffer and sacrifice for the good of others and the glory of God, then we shall be rewarded with eternal life. If we sacrifice others for our own gain and seek only to exult ourselves, then we shall be humbled in infernal flames. If we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to where we need to be and what we need to do, then we shall find the narrow path to God and enter the Gates of Heaven. If we ignore our consciences and make our own way, then we shall wander the wide road to our own destruction. The choice is ours... either we bend the knee to our Lord and King or we enslave ourselves to sin and selfishness. Hopefully, we choose the former.
Are we acting like God’s sheep or the devil’s goats? Are we willing to let go and let God be Lord and King over our lives? How can we give Him glory, honor, and praise through our actions?
O Lord, we are your sheep... lead us to where we need to be and show us what we need to do.
Amen.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Thirty-Third Saturday of Ordinary Time
"Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule." But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land."
Sometimes we don’t realize the evils we’ve done to others. We are blinded by our sins, our selfishness, our goods, our fame, and all sorts of worldly things. We only see the terrible things we’ve done in hindsight. Our reaction to this revelation of our own misdeeds can either be like Antiochus where we blame all the evils that have befallen us on our sins or we can try to make amends for what we’ve done and failed to do. We can tell those we have wronged, especially God, we are truly sorry for our failures. We can make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts. We can accept absolution from our priests and do penance for our sins. We can firmly promise to avoid those temptations that lead us into evil. Knowing we have done wrong should not paralyze us, but rather it should lead us to renew ourselves through the sacrament of reconciliation.
What evil things have we done to others? Have we sought God’s forgiveness for these sins? Have we made amends for our failings with those we have harmed?
O Lord, help us to make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts.
Amen.
Sometimes we don’t realize the evils we’ve done to others. We are blinded by our sins, our selfishness, our goods, our fame, and all sorts of worldly things. We only see the terrible things we’ve done in hindsight. Our reaction to this revelation of our own misdeeds can either be like Antiochus where we blame all the evils that have befallen us on our sins or we can try to make amends for what we’ve done and failed to do. We can tell those we have wronged, especially God, we are truly sorry for our failures. We can make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts. We can accept absolution from our priests and do penance for our sins. We can firmly promise to avoid those temptations that lead us into evil. Knowing we have done wrong should not paralyze us, but rather it should lead us to renew ourselves through the sacrament of reconciliation.
What evil things have we done to others? Have we sought God’s forgiveness for these sins? Have we made amends for our failings with those we have harmed?
O Lord, help us to make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts.
Amen.
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