Why He came

Readings for Monday August 31, 2009

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96
Gospel: Luke 4:16-30



Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)

Why did He come down to earth? Why did He come down from His thrown, take on the flesh of a person and allow Himself to suffer and die? The answer, while simple, is quite profound ... He did it all for us. Out of sheer love, He came down from heaven to be with us and to save us. He came down to bring "glad tidings to the poor ... to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." He came to help us realize that true treasure and riches are found in the Lord and in heaven, not on material goods obtained here on earth. He shows us that freedom from the bondage of sin is found in Him and in His saving grace. Our vision has become distorted and dark, Christ comes to help restore our sight and to help us see our way more clearly. Because of Him, we are no longer in the dark, we have the light of Christ to illuminate our way.

By following His ways, we can live a life of freedom. We do not have to feel oppressed by sin or by those who seek to do us harm. We must remember that this life is just a temporary residence and that we should not fear death, for death is not the end, but it is rather the beginning of a new life ... an eternity with our Lord and Savior in paradise. Saint Paul tells us today in his letter to the Thessalonians: "We do not want to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with Him those who have fallen asleep ... console one another with these words."

If we always keep in our hearts and our minds the reason why He came, then we will always have hope, and we will live a life of purpose and joy.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, we love you and thank you for your sacrifice and for the great gift of our lives. Lord, help us to not waste it and to always seek your will in our lives. Lord, you alone are good in this world and you know what is best for us. Lord help us to sacrifice for you as you have sacrificed for us. We pray for all those who are in need of conversion and for all those who have lost their hope, may they find it in you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

One shot

Readings for Friday, August 28, 2009

Memorial of Saint Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 97
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13


Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ (Matt. 25:7-12)

Ask yourself this question: How many lives do each of us get to make it to heaven?

If your answer was one, then you are absolutely correct. The fact is that we only get one shot, only one life to live (sorry for the cheesy soap opera reference). What we do with each of our lives actually matters in respect to our eternity after our life on earth. We need to make sure that no matter where we are at in life, whether it is turned towards or away from the Lord, that we spend the rest of our days living for Him. It is never to late to turn towards God, but we must make that decision today, for we do not know when our time will be over. Saint Augustine is a great example of how God's grace can help us turn away from a worldly life and turn towards God. Saint Augustine shows us that it is never too late to turn away from sin and make the most of the rest of our life.

We must always keep in mind that while our lives are a true blessing, they are not meant to be our permanent home. This life is just a temporary residence and it is our one shot, our one chance to make it in to heaven. I pray that none of us waste this precious window of opportunity.

Saint Augustine, pray for us.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are so good to us and so merciful, much more than we deserve, and we thank you with all of our hearts for your generosity. Lord, we pray for all those in need of conversion, and for all of our constant conversions. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Not if, but when

Readings for Thursday August 27, 2009

Memorial of Saint Monica

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51


Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. (Matt. 24:42-44)

I remember as a kid, I would often be told to go and clean my room. However, upon checking in on my progress, my mom would often find me not doing what I was originally told to do, but rather playing with my toys instead. It wasn't that I didn't start off trying to clean, it was just that I got distracted. Those toys on the floor just looked too tempting, like they were just begging to be played with. Now as you can guess, my mom was not too happy each time she found me like this. This is understandable that she was mad, it was because I was not doing the job that I had originally been given to do, I wasn't keeping focused on the task at hand.

In today's gospel, Jesus also warns us of being prepared for the time when He comes back. Of course we do not know this time, for if we did then we would all be prepared for this. The fact is that we do not know when He is coming back, and until He does we each have a purpose and a job to do while here on earth. We are each here to know, love, and serve God and to try and get to heaven. What we do here on earth matters, and we need to be constantly asking God for direction and guidance in our lives. We need to always be seeking His will, instead of our own will. If we are always doing this and standing strong in the faith, then we will be prepared for the time when Jesus comes back to judge the living and the dead.

We must remember it is not a question of if Jesus is coming back or not, but rather a question of when. When Christ comes, what will He find you doing?

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord help us to stand strong in our faith and to follow you without hesitation. Lord, you alone know the true purpose of each of our lives and you are the way to eternal life in heaven, help us to open ourselves to your will and your way. Lord we pray for all of our priests, deacons, and religious, that they may remain strong in their ministries and in their vows. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

At work in us

Readings for Wednesday August 26, 2009

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139
Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32


And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe. (1 Thess. 2:13)

In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul addresses the people by telling them of the example him and the others gave to the people there. He makes it clear that the word that they received was not from men, but rather the word of God. He reveals to them that this word is already at work in the ones who believe, and for their great thanks to God.

The word of God can also be at work in each of us, if we are willing to have faith and believe. If we are willing to believe in our heavenly Father who knows what is best for us and who's will is perfect. His word can be at work in us who believe in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the only son of God. His word can be at work in us if we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life who wishes to give us great gifts and blessings from God. If we are truly to allow God to work in us, then we must know who He is and recognize and surrender to His will.

The fact is that God wants to work in each of us, but sadly many of us are just not willing to let Him in. Brothers and sisters, we must open our hearts and minds to the Lord, to let Him in and to allow His great works to be performed through us. We must also pray for all those who are closed off to the Lord and in need of conversion, so that He may work through them as well.

Let us also not forget to give thanks to God unceasingly!

Father above, we give thanks and praise for the gift of this day. Lord, help to increase out faith so that we may always believe and trust in you without hesitation. Lord, we pray for all of us to have open hearts to your love and mercy. We pray for all those in need of conversion. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pleasing to God

Readings for Tuesday August 25, 2009

First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 139
Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26


But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts. (1 Thes 2:4)

As I was reading this passage from 1 Thessalonians, I began asking myself a very important question: how many times in my life am I doing this in order to please either someone else or myself? I may not be doing this purposefully all of the time and at times there may be the direct intention of trying to bring joy to someone's life. But overall how many times do we try and please ourselves and other people. Think about all the times that we have tried to please teachers, bosses, significant others, family, etc. How many times do we go out and intentionally try and please God in all of the things that we are doing?

I believe that we all need to change direction a little bit. I believe that we all need to be trying to please God and glorifying Him each day of our lives. If we go to work or school and seek to do a good job, it should be for God's glory, not that of the company or supervisors. If we are trying to be good husbands and wives, then we should be doing it for God's glory, not for what we may get out of it. If we are trying to be good family members, then it should be for God's glory, not for personal gain. We should strive and stain each day to bring glory to God and to always do what is pleasing to our Creator.

Saint Paul makes it very clear to the Thessalonians, that they should not do what is pleasing to other people, they should do what is pleasing to God. We too must not worry about doing what is pleasing to others, but rather seek first to please God, for it is He who judges our hearts and knows our true intentions.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are so rich in mercy and love, for which we are do thankful. Lord we know that you are the way to eternal life, help us to follow you more closely in this life and give us the strength to be your good and faithful servants. Lord, thank you for creating us and for giving us the lives that you call us to. We praise you for all that we are, for all that we can do, and for all that we will be. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The best is yet to come

Readings for Monday August 24, 2009

Feast of Saint Bartholomew, apostle

First Reading: Revelation 21:9-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145
Gospel: John 1:45-51


Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:48-51)

If there is one thing that my family has taught me, it is that the best is always yet to come. I remember after first meeting my wife, there were certain things that happened that I just thought that things couldn't get any better than this; the first kiss, proposing to her, our wedding, finding out we were pregnant. When our daughter was first born, once again I couldn't imagine things getting any better, but once again the best was (and still is) yet to come. While she is only five months old, I am still amazed at the changes that have taken place. She has gone from a newborn who really just ate, slept and looked precious all day to a five month old who smiles, laughs, reaches for everything to go into her mouth, and rolls around. I know that the best is certainly still yet to come in both my marriage and in my family.

And so this idea that the best is yet to come also holds true in our faith lives as well. In today's gospel, Nathanael tells Jesus that he believes that He is the true Son of God and that Jesus is the King of Israel. Jesus response is basically, "oh you believe this because I said I saw you under the tree? Oh just wait, you haven't seen anything yet!" Jesus tells Nathanael that the best is yet to come, and that there is so much in store for him in the future. We also read of the Saint John's vision of the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, revealing to us all that God has much more in store for us in the future.

But of course if the best is yet to come, and if we do want to be made worthy of the promises of Christ, then we must be willing to follow Him in this life. We must be willing to sacrifice for Him who sacrificed for us. We must be willing to let go of the things of this world and cling to Christ and His ways. If we truly live a life of faith and a life devoted to our Lord then the best really is yet to come.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for the opportunity to go out to love, serve and honor you in all that we do Lord. Jesus, we know that you come to offer us life and that you always keep your promises, help us to follow you more closely. We pray for all of our priests, that they may be strengthened in their vows and in their ministries. We pray for all those discerning religious life, that your will may be made clear to them. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The greatest commandmet

Readings for Friday August 21, 2009

Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope

First Reading: Ruth 1:1,3-6,14-16,22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40


When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:34-40)

The greatest commandment; "Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This means that no other commandment is greater that this. This is first and foremost among the commandments. It seems as though this commandment needs to be given the highest priority. Now why do you think that is? Why not, thou shalt not steal? Or why not the warnings against adultery and fornication? Why love the Lord with all that we are? Because, unless we are willing to love God with all that we are, how else would we be able to follow the rest of His commandments? Think about it, if you truly love someone, then you are willing to do anything for them, no matter the sacrifice or inconvenience. If we love God with all that we are, and do not hold anything back from Him, then we will be able to do anything else that He asks. We will be able to follow Him where ever He leads us, because we love Him.

Today, we need to ask ourselves two questions: 1) Am I loving God first in my life, and building my life around this love of God? 2) What can I do differently in my life that can help me love and sacrifice more for Him?

The Lord loves us without holding back, shouldn't we show that same type of love?
Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are our one true and loving God. Help us to follow you where ever you lead us to. Lord, help increase our faith, so that we can follow you without hesitation and without any doubt. God, we thank you for your love and mercy, and we pray for the strength to let go of the things of this world. We thank you and give you praise for all that we have and all that we are. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.