Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Free Will

Today's Readings:
Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23
Ps 88:2-8
Lk 9:51-56

In our Gospel today, we hear Jesus rebuking the apostles for their desire to "call down fire from heaven" upon those who did not receive Jesus. The choice to believe is just that, a choice each of us has to make. We have be given free will by God and have the ability in that free will to turn towards or away from him. Jesus offers each of us the invitation to come and accept him in our lives, but he will never force us to do this. This day let us allow Christ to come to us and invite us to himself, and when (not if, but when) he does, let freely give ourselves to him and know he truly is all we need in this life. He gave himself on the cross for us, let us now return that love in our giving ourselves to him. Have a great day and God Bless.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabrriel and Raphael

Today's Readings:
Rev 12:7-12
Ps 138:1-5
Jn 1:47-51

In the Creed we say every Sunday we start with "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth; of that is seen and unseen..." Today we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabrriel, & Raphael; later this week we will also celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Though we do not think about it often, these spiritual beings whom we do not see are created by God and are sent to watch over us in this life. They are here to help us hear the voice of God and protect us on our journey towards our Heavenly homeland. This day let us go to these angels and ask that they continue to helps us grow closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; and that they lead us safely to him in Heaven. Have a great day and God Bless


Angel of God, My Guardian Dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and to guard, to rule and guide.Amen.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

God's Providence

Today's Readings:
Prv 30:5-9
Ps 119
Lk 9:1-6

In the Gospel today, Jesus sends out his apostles telling them to take nothing with them as they go from town to town, proclaiming God's Kingdom and healing the sick. They trusted in the Lord and knew God would provide for them. Could we do the same? In a world of instant messaging and where all we want is at our fingertips, could we take the chance and trust that God will provide for us if we let him? Do we believe in Christ's promise that he will take care of us if we trust in his Word? Today let us place our trust, not in material things, but rather place that trust in Christ, knowing he is always watching over and providing for us; knowing his love is all we truly need. Have a great day and God Bless.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Family of Christ

Today's Readings:
Prv 21:1-6, 10-13
Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44
Lk 8:19-21

Today Jesus reminds us that any who hear and act on the Word of God are his mother and siblings. We see through our baptism that we truly are brothers and sisters in Christ and who make up the Mystical Body of Christ, yet we are also called to be the mother of Christ. Though this sounds strange, by that same baptism we receive the name Christian which means "Christ bearer," so in that we are to bear and bring our Lord to all we encounter. This relationship with our Lord is a blessing and one which we should hold in great esteem. Today let us truly hear and act on the Word sent to us by the Father so that we may also be Christ bearers and bring the good news of our Lord to all we meet. May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Reflecting Christ

Today's Readings:
Prov 3: 27-34
Ps 15:2-5
Lk 8:16-18

Our Lord reminds us today in the Gospel that no one lights a lamp and then hides it under a bed, so we are called to not hide our gifts that we have received from the Lord. We are called to let our love for God shine in all that we do and be examples of Christ to all those we meet. This day let us not hide our zeal for God and allow him to work through us so that we truly may be lamps reflecting the light and beauty of Christ. Have a great day and God Bless.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Jesus Calls All People To Folow Him

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 15:12-20
Ps 17:1, 6-8, 15
Lk 8:1-3

Our Gospel today may seem simple, but in fact tells us a lot about our Lord. Luke mentions that not only did the disciples follow Jesus, but there were also women in his company. In Jesus' day this would have been unheard of since women were not to be out in public unless with their husbands. Jesus shows that he came not for only a few, but for all; he wants all people to follow him no matter what gender, race, nationality, etc...He came into this world to save all who would accept him and believe in him. This morning let us reaffirm our belief and conviction to follow the Lord and truly become a help to others seeking out Christ in their life so all may come to see and believe. May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Loving as God Loves

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 12:31-13:13
Ps 33:2-5, 12, 22
Lk 7:31-35

Today St. Paul reminds us that whatever we do, we must do it with love. In today's world, the word 'love' is thrown around so easily, but as Christians we know that true love is from God since God is himself Love. All of our actions, all of our words are simply "clashing cymbals" if they are not filled with the love that comes from Christ himself. Let us allow true love to dwell within us and share it with all those we meet by following in the footsteps of Christ; loving the unloved, healing those who are hurting, and calling back those who have strayed from the right path. On the cross, Jesus showed the depth of that love for each one of us, today let us reveal that same love in all that we do and say. May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The One Body of Christ

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31
Ps 100
Lk 7:11-17

Today St. Paul reminds us that though there are many parts to the body, they all make up one body; so to with us, though we are many, we all make up the one Body of Christ. We all have special gifts and all are important members of the one body, we can not dismiss the gifts of others or say 'my gift is more important' since we all combine our gifts for the one glory of God. Today let us see and use our gifts together so that we can truly show the world that united in love and through Christ's peace, we are apart of the one Body of Christ. Have a great day and God Bless.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 11:17-26, 33
Ps 40:8-10, 17
Lk 2:33-35

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows where we honor, in a special way the Virgin Mary's struggles and triumphs. In today's Gospel Reading we see Simeon blessing Jesus' parents after they brought him to the temple as an infant. Simeon tells Mary that a sword shall pierce her heart "so that the thought of many hearts may be revealed." From the beginning of Jesus' life, Mary new her role was not going to be an easy one, and with this prophecy she only begins to see what lays ahead. Yet she faithfully trusted that God would protect her, and she continued to follow the Lord. At the cross her heart was pierced with the lance of sorrow as she watched her son and her Lord die on the cross, but she did not give up hope. Through that hope and through her pierced heart, she now looks into the hearts of all her children who have accepted Christ as their brother, and intercedes for them with the Father continuously. Let us follow the example of the Blessed Virgin, under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows, and truly place all our hope in the Lord, knowing he will always lead us to life everlasting. May God Bless you all and may Our Lady of Sorrows continue to pray for us all, have a great day.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Recongnizing Our Own Sinfulness

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-27
Ps 84:3-6, 12
Lk 6:39-42

Today Jesus reminds us that before we judge others, we must first look into the mirror and see our own sinfulness. How can we see other's faults if we can not even see our own? St. Paul uses the example of an athlete's discipline in training to show that we are called to train constantly in our spiritual life so that we may grow in it. Recognizing our faults and our sinfulness helps to show us what we need to work on in our lives so that we may train harder so that we too may win the crown of imperishable life. This morning let promise our Lord that we will worry less about other's faults and first work on our own so that when he does come again, we may be found ready to greet him with open hearts. May God bless you all and have a great day.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Called To Follow the Lord

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 6:1-11
Ps 149:1-6, 9
Lk 6:12-19

In today's readings Paul reminds the Corinthians that true judgment can only come from God and that no matter our past, we are now called by God. In the Gospel we also see the calling of the 12 apostles and the crowds that followed Christ. Today let us remember that we too have been called by Christ to follow after him; let us not allow our past to hold us from him or fear of the future intimidate us, rather let us courageously follow the Lord. There is a saying: "all saints have a past and all sinners have a future," and St. Paul goes on to say "now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." Let us this day build that future by living out the here and now to the best of our ability, knowing that God uses the smallest of things to create great miracles. May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today's Readings:
Rom 8:28-30
Ps 13:6
Mt 1:18-23

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; in the entire liturgical calendar, we only celebrate 3 birthdays, that of Christ, John the Baptist, and of the Virgin Mary. We celebrate Christ because he was both God and man and came to bring salvation to us through his passion and death, John's we celebrate since he was Christ's herald, and Mary since she is the one through whom God was born into the world as a man. Mary truly was Christ's first disciple and a the ultimate example of what it means to be his follower. Today let us go to Mary in prayer and ask that she continues to pray for us and to guide us closer to the Sacred Heart of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Have a great day and may God continue to Bless us all.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Psalm 37

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 4:1-5
Ps 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40
Lk 5:33-39

Psalm 37 is one of my favorite psalms and truly reminds us as to what the Christian life is all about; commiting ourselves to the Lord, trusting in God and his plans for us, turning away from evil to do good, and finding that are refuge truly is in the Lord. Today let take time to review this psalm and see how it can guide us towards being better Christians; as well as better sons and daughters of the Father, brothers and sisters of Christ, and sharers of the Holy Spirit. May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Be not afraid

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 3:18-23
Ps 24:1-6
Lk 5:1-11

In today's Gospel we see Peter telling the Lord to depart from him because he (Peter) is "a sinful man." Jesus in turn reassures Peter telling him to not be afraid, that from now on, he will be catching people instead of fish. I am sure we all can relate to Peter's confession to the Lord, but we must also remember that Jesus' response was not to Peter alone, but also to each one of us. We all have our struggles we must deal with, vices we must overcome, but Jesus reassures each of us that not only does he wish to remain with us, but that he wishes us to be a part of his plan of salvation. This day let us recognize our sinfulness, ask the Lord's help with it, and be consoled by his words in the Gospel this morning - "Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men." May God Bless you all and have a great day.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Let us serve the Lord

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 3:1-9
Ps 33:12-15, 20-21
Lk 4:38-44

In our Gospel today we see Jesus healing Simon's mother-in-law, and once she is healed, she then proceeds to serve the Lord. We also see the crowds, amazed at all Jesus has done, trying to prevent him from leaving to other towns and Jesus replies that: "to other towns also I must proclaim the good new of the Kingdom of God..." When we see Christ work in our lives today, which example do we follow? Do we attempt to keep Christ and his gifts to ourselves, or do we get up and serve the Lord so that he may be made known to all and all may receive the good news of the Kingdom of God? Today let us vow to the Lord and to ourselves that, not only will we allow Christ to heal us, but once he does, that we then in turn will follow and serve him so that he may be made known to all we encounter. Have a great day and God Bless.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Spirit of God

Today's Readings:
1 Cor 2:10-16
Ps 145:8-14
Lk 4:31-37

In our 1st reading today, St. Paul reminds us that we have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is from God. And if we have received the Spirit that is from God, than all our words and actions should reflect that Spirit. We do not know what today has in store for us, but we do know that with the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. Today let us give thanks to the Spirit that is within us that is from God and trust that God will carry us through not only today, but all of our life. May God Bless you all and have a wonderful day.