which you shall proclaim

Friday, July 31, 2009 St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37 Psalm 81:3-6, 10-11 Matthew 13:54-58

Leviticus 23:37  "These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD offerings by fire, burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day;

It is interesting that there is such a disdain for religion among the Evangelical Christians.  This is especially surprising in light of the fact that it was God that taught us to follow these rituals and rules.  God hears those who do his will.  If he wants us to give offerings and sacrifices and blow trumpets then I think we should.  Now I realize that much of the old testament rituals were fulfilled in Christ.  But he gave us some new ones, especially baptism and Eucharist.  I wouldn’t be so worried about a little ritual in our worship as I would be the passionate protest against it.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to be tolerant of those who have a sincere heart for worshiping you, and help me to have a sincere heart as well.

Amen

Why are you afraid

Thursday, July 30, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12 Matthew 8:23-27

Matthew 8:26  And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

If God is with us, who can be against us?  That is the question that we must take seriously.  God, has all power and is the creator and sustainer of all things.  If he says that he will always be with us and will never forsake us, then what more could we possibly need or want?  The question is do we really believe in the miracle power of God?  Do we really believe the Bible and we we willing to live as though it is true?

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly believe and never doubt or be afraid.

Amen

Holy is he!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 St. Martha (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99:5-7, 9 Matthew 13:44-46

Psalms 99:5  Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!

Today it is quite normal to talk about having a “personal” relationship with God.  That is fine, but if we are not careful that can lead to a disordered familiarity.  God is to be worshiped and there should be sacredness. We should relate to God differently than we do to our everyday friends.  We can still have a personal relationship, as did Moses, but he went into the tent and took off the veil.  His relationship with God was different than it was with the others.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to never forget that you are God, creator and sustainer of all.  Help me to have a personal, but reverent and sacred relationship with you.

Amen

God merciful and gracious

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9, 28 Psalm 103:6-13 Matthew 13:36-43

Exodus 34:6  The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

There are some Bible verses that we see echoed throughout the entire Bible.  They seem to be like a chorus that we sing and a form of praise and worship to God.  This is one of those verses.  I think that it is significant that it is like a chorus.  I think that means it demands extra thoughts and meditation on these verses to get a more perfect image of God.  We must remember that he is merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.  With those thoughts on our hearts as we go out into our day we should be comforted by the living God.

Father, I thank you for your steadfast love and I keep your mercy and faithfulness in my heart.

Amen

They forgot God

Monday, July 27, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34 Psalm 106:19-23 Matthew 13:31-35

Psalms 106:21  They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,

We are very ready to cry to God when things are going tough, but we quickly forget the tings that He has done for us when we are either doing well or things have become very hard and we lose hope.  We must always remember what God ahs done.  This is the value of religion.  We recount what God has done for us so that we do not forget and turn to other gods.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to remember you in all things, that everything comes from you and without you I am nothing.

Amen

people's heart has grown dull

Thursday, July 23, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20 Daniel 3:52-56 Matthew 13:10-17

Matthew 13:15  For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'

This sounds like the people of today.  People have grown tired and dull towards God.  They have turned to the earthly ways to such an extent that it is even hard to reason with them anymore.  In the USA we have grown away from our God, the God that blessed this nation and gave it such a rich life.  Now we just demand more and more and give no thanks or offering to the one that gave it to us.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to never grow dull to the gifts and blessing that you give.  Help me to truly desire to follow you.

Amen

preaching the gospel

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Wisdom 8:9-16 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 Psalm 67:2-5, 7-8 Luke 9:1-6

Luke 9:6  And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

I find this interesting.  They went out preaching the Gospel.  My recollection is that they didn’t quite get the Christ dying for our sins thing just yet.  So, what is the Gospel that these men could preach it before Christ had died and rose from the dead?  I think that God’s grace and his love for us is the good news.  I think that is where we have to start.  If we don’t get that part the cross will not do us any good.  The good news is that God has visited us out of his love for us and he has promised to be with us.

Father, help me by our Holy Spirit to always remember that you love me and that I can trust in your mercy and grace.

Amen

let us serve the Egyptians

Monday, July 20, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 14:5-18 Exodus 15:1-6 Matthew 12:38-42

Exodus 14:12  Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, `Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

They say it is always darkest right before the dawn.  That means it is the scariest right before God saves us, but in this time we are tested.  This is when we need faith.  This is when we see miracles.  When times seem hopeless, we must put our hope in God and not turn on those who are our advocates.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always trust you no matter how dark it gets.

Amen

what this means

Friday, July 17, 2009 Votive Mass of the Precious Blood

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 11:10 -- 12:14 Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18 Matthew 12:1-8

Matthew 12:7  And if you had known what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.

There comes a point when we have to have a sense of reality and not hold on to our own interpretations of the law.  Mercy is what Christ is all about, and that is what the temple was all about.  We want to make God’s mercy into our own laws to justify our own desires and power.  Mercy is necessary because none of us are without sin, and if condemn others, then we too are condemned. But Jesus still retained a sense of guiltless in his words.  There are those who, though they sin, are still guiltless and there are those who’s guilt remains.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to desire to show mercy as much as I want it for myself.

Amen

a mighty hand

Thursday, July 16, 2009 Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Optional Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 3:13-20 Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27 Matthew 11:28-30

Exodus 3:19  I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.

We like to think that we can reason with evil.  We like to think we are more enlightened and developed if we just talk with the.  Funny, the God of the universe, the creator of all things, knows that sometimes it takes a mighty hand.  Point being, evil isn’t going to give up it’s hold on us just because we want it to.  We must fight and we must be willing to see it destroyed.  A soldier who is afraid to kill his enemy will see his own family killed by that same enemy.  Sin is an enemy that is relentless.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to not give in to the lies and the false promises that are rooted in man’s pride.  Help me to always fight the good fight.

Amen

give glory to your Father

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
St. Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Isaiah 1:10-17 or 1 Corinthians 2:6-13 Psalm 16:5-9, 11 Matthew 5:13-19

Matthew 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We often hear that we can not, nor need we do good works to achieve salvation.  But the problem with this view is that is is self centered.  The good works are not for our benefit alone, but for the glory of God.  That should be our goal and mission.  Not just our own personal salvation, but the glory of God.  And you have to ask yourself, if we don’t want to give glory to God, then why do we want to be saved at all?  After all, that is what we will be doing for eternity.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek to give you the glory and to do good works for your glory.

Amen

Do you mean to kill

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 2:1-15 Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34 Matthew 11:20-24

Exodus 2:14  He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."

It is interesting that the Hebrew slaves were questioning the character and intentions of Moses.  But, Moses was God’s chosen vessel to deliver them from slavery.

We all too often replace God’s sovereign will with our own sense of right and wrong.  In a world were there is sin and violence, we can’t pretend to be exempt from it.  The question is weather or not we are doing God’s will.  Moses would deliver the people, even though he had a bit of a temper.  Later we find Paul, and Peter and James and John the sons of thunder, who are also followers of Christ and have tempers as well.  The question is not always what you do, but sometimes it is why you do it.  For Moses, his crime led to the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek to do you will and not to be afraid or intimidated by peoples ideas of right and wrong, but by your will.

Amen

but a sword

Monday, July 13, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Exodus 1:8-14, 22 Psalm 124:1-8 Matthew 10:34 -- 11:1

Matthew 10:34  "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

This doesn’t mean that Jesus wants us to fight.  It means that he wants us to stand up for what is right, and if that means we have to fight, then so be it.  We think that non-violence is peace, but it isn’t. There can be peaceful oppression.  There was peace in Egypt when the Jews were slaves.  To have peace we must do what is right and stand up against injustice.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to stand up for what is right and against injustice.

Amen

he will repay every man

Friday, July 10, 2009 St. Veronica Giuliani, Virgin (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: 2 Corinthians 4:6-11, 16, 17 Psalm 59:2, 10, 17-18 Matthew 16:24-27

Matthew 16:27  For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.

I think that we often don’t get the meaning of repentance.  We tend to want God to accept us in our sinful state.  We want him to condone our sinful behavior, because deep down we have no real intention of giving it up.  The words today are sobering.  He will repay us for what we have done. There are many people that will deny this, but the scripture is clear.  We must take up our cross, not expect God to accept us in our sin.  Forgiveness is for us through Christ, but not without repentance.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly repent.  I am weak, help me to be strong.

Amen

the day of judgment

Thursday, July 9, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5 Psalm 105:16-21 Matthew 10:7-15

Matthew 10:15  Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomor'rah than for that town.

Today we are faced with all sorts of problems, real or imagined. But, we as a nation are being more and more transformed into a nation that does not call on God or even believe that God can deliver us.  So what happens is we become self fulfilling prophecies.  We predict doom and gloom, and without God that is what we will get.  The solution is not more taxes or a world government, but it is to turn back to God and be the nation that he blessed again, like when we led the world with God’s grace.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to come back to you and not to stubbornly hang on to earthly solutions that are doomed.

Amen

the counsel of the nations

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24 Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19 Matthew 10:1-7

Psalms 33:10  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nought; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

These days it is popular to seek the counsel of other nations.  We are on the verge of giving away all that makes America great. We sing that God blessed this country and we are now at a point where we are denying that and looking of acceptance of other nations to guide our policies.  God doesn’t work on majority rule, nor does he work according to the measured successes of this world.  He works according to his will.  If the rest of the world says kill babies, we must stand up and say that is not the will of God.  He will win in the end.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to always seek to do your will and not that of others who seek their own pleasures.  Help me to make the tough decisions.

Amen

and have prevailed

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Genesis 32:23-33 Psalm 17:1-3, 6-7, 8, 15 Matthew 9:32-38

Genesis 32:28  Then he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."

This verse has always troubled me.  What does it mean that Jacob prevailed against God, and is that a good thing?  I think that we often get too relative, or outcome based in our assessment of what is good and what is not.  We think that if people are better off according to the values of this world then that is better.  But God doesn’t always work according to the values of this world.  For example, it may appear a bad thing that Jesus was crucified.  Jacob striving with God may be a good thing because he did not give up.  We too must not give up on truth.  We must be careful not to get caught by lies, but we must prevail for truth.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to not give up,but to fight for truth and justice.

Amen

they laughed at him

Monday, July 6, 2009 St. Maria Goretti, Virgin, Martyr (Optional Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Genesis 28:10-22 Psalm 91:1-4, 14-15 Matthew 9:18-26

Matthew 9:24  he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.

Funny things about miracles, they are hard to believe in.  They don’t follow the rules that we have come to know.  They are not limited to our own sense of what is real and what is not.  We are unable to rationalize them.  When we see them our first instinct is to not believe, or to be suspicious that it is a trick.  But if we truly believe in miracles, then we can accept anything and our faith can heal us.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly believe in your power and presence and that you love me and are willing to do anything for me.

Amen

the foundation

Friday, July 3, 2009 St. Thomas, Apostle (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Ephesians 2:19-22 Psalm 117:1-2 John 20:24-29

Ephesians 2:20  built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

I know the Bible is very important and even necessary for us to know the revelation of God.  But, the church is build on the foundation of Apostles and Prophets.  It doesn’t say  on scripture. The Bible is a record of what the Apostles and prophets said and did, but if we understand that apostles and prophets still exist we must understand that they still speak and all of it isn’t in the Bible. We are people, not machines, and as such we interact as people.  The written word has it’s place but we must be willing to give the rightful authority to those chosen by God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to know and follow those whom you have given authority in your Church.

Amen