Thursday 21st. Week of Ordinary Time

 

Be Redy! Mt. 24:42-51

This world does not belong to us.

It belongs to God.

He made it!

He owns!

And He is coming back for it.

And He will ask us what we have done with it.

We may not have much control over what happens across the planet.

But God will want to know what we have done with our little corner of it.

Wednesday 21st Week of Ordinary Time

 Working for the Gospel. 1Thes. 2:9-13

Most people work day and night to make a dollar;

Or to get ahead;

And how is that working for them.

A dollar buys less today than it did yesterday

And no one really gets ahead.

So most people live lives like a rat on a wheel.

Chasing something and getting nowhere.

St. Paul however worked day and night proclaiming the Gospel.

Maybe if more people worked day and night proclaiming the Gospel;

There would be real change in the world.

And in people’s lives.

Tuesday 21st. Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist

Herod was attracted to John,

Much like a moth to a flame.

But at the same time he rejected John,

Because he did not want to hear the Truth;

The Truth that he cannot marry his brother’s wife.

And eventually Herod silenced the Truth,

By having John beheaded.

Or so he thought.

The life and message of St. John the Baptist lives on,

While Herod fades away.

This is how it is with Truth.

People are attracted to it.

But often reject it because it convicts them of the falsehood of their opinions and desires.

Jesus was crucified by public opinion as the crowd cried crucify him crucify him.

Truth is Always being crucified on the altar of public opinion.

If the polls say it’s true then it must be true.

We may be Put on trial in the court of public opinion as was Jesus and Saint John the Baptist.

And Like Jesus and Saint John the Baptist,

We too may be crucified in one form or another, for holding onto the Truth.

But it is better to die a martyr for the Truth live as a slave to Public opinion.

Monday 21st. Week of Ordinary Time

 

St. Augustine

It Is Never Too Late

In the story Alice in Wonderland, the white rabbit goes around saying, "I'm  late,I'm late for a very important date. 

St. Augustine prayed "Too late have I loved you O Lord, too late have  I loved you"

He had spent so much of his life on false philosophies and false religions and loose living.

Are there times in our lives when we are afraid it is too late?

Too late to say I am sorry?

Too late to forgive?

Too late to start over?  

No matter how old we are or what we are doing.  

It is never too late for the Lord.

21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

It’s a Mystery Rom. 11:33-36

“Colonel Mustard did it in the Conservatory with a revolver!”

Do you remember the board game Clue?

They even made a movie about it because everyone loves a good mystery.

And with every mystery, things are not always evident

And so you have to be like Sherlock Holmes.

And go in search of the answers.

At every Mass we begin by preparing ourselves to enter into “These Sacred Mysteries.”

The early Christians called their Faith, Sacred Mysteries

because it was a mystery !

A Mystery How God became human?

A Mystery Why Jesus had to die on a cross?

A Mystery How Jesus rose from the dead?

And when He will come again?

So Christians have always been searching for answers and meaning to these Sacred Mysteries.

For As God asked Job,

“Were you there when I created the Heavens?

Were you my advisers on where to put the stars and the planets?

Where were you when I carved out the oceans

And built up the mountains?”

The ways of God are unsearchable at times!

His choices and decisions impossible to understand.

There are mysteries Science still cannot explain and our minds cannot understand.

At those times all we have is our Faith!

So We come here every week with Faith.

To delve into the Mysteries of God.

The mysteries of Life and death.

The mysteries of why we do the things we do.

And Jesus offers us the “Clues”

In the Scriptures and the Breaking of the Bread.

For it was in these that He revealed the Mysteries to His disciples.

But we have to search for these Mysteries.

Like a Merchant in search of fine pearls.

Like a woman who searches for lost a coin;

Or a Shepherd who searches for his lost sheep.

For those who ask will be given;

Those who seek will find;

And Those who knock;

The Sacred Mysteries will be revealed.

Saturday 20th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Morning Offering of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

My God, I offer You all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

     I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest words and works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits. I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its merciful love. 

     My God, I ask of You, for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Your holy Will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all eternity. Amen.

     Merciful Lord, You are never weary of speaking to my poor heart. Grant me grace that, if today I hear Your voice, my heart may not be hardened.

     Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may say my prayers devoutly. Most Holy Trinity, I adore You with childlike reverence and love. 

     I praise and thank You for the great love and fatherly kindness in which You have created, redeemed, and sanctified me. With my whole heart I thank You for having preserved me during the past .

     Amen

Friday 20th week of Ordinary Time

 Ruth

Ruth was a Faithful woman. 

She was from Moab,

But when her mother in law, Naomi,

Moved back to Bethlehem 

Ruth stayed with her and said,

“Wherever you go, I will go.”

So they moved to Bethlehem 

Where Ruth married Boaz,

And they became the grandparents of David;

The King of Israel! 

Like Ruth, when we are Faithful and go wherever the Lord leads us

We too can do great things!

Unbeknownst to us at the time. 

Thursday 20th Week of Ordinary Time

 Feast of St. Bartholmew

Bartholmew was also known as Nathaniel. 

Before Nathaniel met Jesus, he had his doubts,

As he asked if “anything good can come from Nazareth.”

Bartholmew was from Cana, so obviously there was competition 

Between Cana and Nazareth. 

And this blinded Bartholmew from seeing Jesus for Who He was,

The Son of God. 

Does our competition or stereotypes of neighboring cities and states;

Ever Blind us from seeing Jesus in those people and places?

Wednesday 20th Week of Ordinary Time

Who will reign over us?  Judges 9:6-15

The Israelites were looking for a King to rule over them. 

Sadly they chose the wrong one!

They chose Abbimlech who murdered his own brothers in order to inherit the throne. 

And their lives were miserable. 

Who or what rules over us depends on the choices we make. 

If we make the wrong choice then oppression, sadness and misery will be our lot. 

If we choose Christ to rule over us,

Then Peace, Unity and Harmony will rule our hearts. 

And yet some people do not choose Christ,

And then they wonder why their lives are so miserable.

Tuesday 20th Week of Ordinary Time

 

The Queenship of Mary

How does one become a Queen?

Usually one is born into the royalty. 

But not when it comes to Jesus. 

One becomes brother, sister and mother to the Lord,

Not by blood but by doing the Will of God.

No one was more obedient to the Will of God

Than Mary whose motto was,

“Fiat!”

“Let it be done to me according to your word.”

If we follow her example and always seek to do God’s Will

Rather than our own,

Then we too will reign with her forever 

In the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Monday 20th Week of Ordinary Time

 Feast of Pope St. Pius X

The motto of the Papacy of Pope Pius X was

“To Restore all things in Christ!”

We must Restore ALL things, not just somethings. 

How can we restore ourselves?

How can we restore our families?

How can we restore our Church?

20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Are we Real?  Mt. 15:21-28

Most people do not like being “Played”

Or taken advantage of. 

It is no different with God!

God may be Love,

But we cannot take advantage of that Love. 

The Woman in the Gospel was not Jewish.

So she did not believe in the One True God. 

Being a Canaanite, she probably worshipped Baal

Or some other pagan god. 

So when she came to Jesus asking for her daughter to be healed. 

Jesus had to wonder if He was being “Played”

If she was going to take advantage of His healing power

And then walk away never to be heard from again. 

So He tested her sincerity. 

And told her that it is not right to take the food of the children 

and throw it to the dogs!

Jesus did not “Play” around!

He cut to the chase. 

And she responded not with anger;

Nor did she walk away in a huff;

But said humbly,

“Even the dogs eat the scraps from the Master’s table.”

And then Jesus knew she was for real. 

Her love for her daughter was real. 

Her Faith in Jesus was real

And that she was not just going to use Him and then never be heard from again. 

If God ever seems to hesitate to answer our prayers,

Maybe He is just waiting to see if we are “playing”Him

And taking advantage of Him. 

And once we get what we want,

Walk away and not darken the doors of the Church

Or pray until the next time we need something. 

God is no Fool!

He sees into the depths of our hearts;

And reads our true intentions. 

And He knows when we are “Playing” Him

And when we are Real!

Saturday 19th Week of Ordinary Time

 

To the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Anthony of Padua was a passionate devotee of Mary. In his sermons he expressed beautiful words of praise towards the Mother of the Lord.

To the Blessed Virgin Mary

We praise you, Our Lady,
Our hope:
You, star of the sea, enlighten your children
overwhelmed by this stormy sea of sin;
let us reach the safe haven of forgiveness,
and, grateful for your protection,
may we conclude our lives

with the help of the One you carried in your womb
and fed by your holy breast.
May honor and glory
be with Him for ever and ever.

Amen.

(St. Anthony of Padua)

Friday 19th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Remembering God’s Mercy. Joshua 24:1-13

Joshua reminded the tribes of Israel all that God had done for them.

How God brought Abraham from beyond the River.

How God led them out of Egypt.

How God has brought them to the Promised Land.

Joshua reminded Israel of all that God had done,

Because Israel kept forgetting.

Today stop and think of all that God has done for you.

Make a list.

And then keep coming back to Mass

Where you will be reminded over and over again

Of all that God has done for you,

In case you forget.