Tag: Jesus

“Your Father knows what you need.” | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. From all their distress God rescues the just.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (6:7-15, today’s readings)

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer. Today’s Gospel follows Jesus’ teaching about almsgiving, in which, he says, “And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” In teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to take God the Father as our own in the certainty that he knows what we need before we ask him. After he prays with the disciples, he commands them to forgive others’ transgressions just as our heavenly Father forgives them. Forgiving others does not mean being a doormat or accepting continual mistreatment; instead, it is direct participation in the Father who forgives our sins and in Jesus Christ his Son, who said while hanging on the cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

God, help me be at peace today in knowing you take care of my needs even as I ask for what I do not need. Help me understand that you know me better than I know myself and that I can trust you without limitations. In praying, give me the grace to recognize when I ask for something out of fear or discomfort, assured that you hear my cry. Guide me in faith to be a bearer of your limitless love. During the Mass, after the Lord’s Prayer, the priest prays for what you desire for us, that we are “free from sin and safe from all distress.” From all their distress God rescues the just. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I was hungry and you gave me food.” | Monday of the First Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (25:31-46, today’s readings)

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'”

Jesus describes when he will come again in glory, accompanied by angels, in the final judgment. Separating people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats, Jesus will place the righteous on his right but the unrighteous on his left. Actions in this life matter now and in the second coming of Christ. More specifically, in performing corporal works of mercy in this life, what is held in the balance are life and death. Jesus says of the unrighteous “these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” To feed the hungry goes beyond simply providing physical sustenance. Jesus calls us to true mercy, which addresses the whole person. By contrast, to withhold food from “one of these least ones,” is to do the same to Jesus, to gravely wound the Body of Christ. As he speaks to the disciples, Jesus speaks to all of us, inviting us into the Spirit and life of compassion and service to others.

God, help me hear and respond to you. “The law of the LORD is perfect,” the psalmist writes. And you say through Moses, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Give me the grace to recognize the corporal works of mercy as gifts first given by you to give away to others in need. Today I won’t likely clothe the naked or visit prisoners, but I am free to take your gift of mercy and bestow it on someone who feels vulnerable or ashamed. I can freely choose to receive your mercy and give it to others who are bound by circumstances they do not choose and can’t control. Let me remember, Lord, the final judgment. Let me be able to answer that whatever I did for one of these least brothers of mine, I did for you. Help me recognize my own dignity and worth in your eyes so that I can extend that same recognition to others.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Him alone shall you serve.” | First Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (4:1-13, today’s readings)

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returns from his baptism by John in the Jordan River. Fasting and being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus responds to each temptation with the truth of scripture. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answers “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” The devil goes on to offer Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the world and then urges him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple so that angels catch and protect him. Luke tells us that the devil departs from Jesus for a time, only to return until the moment of his death. Jesus’ power over the devil in the face of temptation is made powerless through the word of God and through the Holy Spirit. The devil’s futile tests only serve to identify Jesus as the Son of God, allowing him to fulfill his mission.

God, let me consider how Jesus repelled the devil’s temptations and then do as Jesus did when tempted. The temptation to satisfy cravings and physical pleasure, to pursue wealth and power and worldly achievements, and to demand proof all have at root the desire to obtain security. To each of these, Jesus quotes scripture to reaffirm where true security lies, by whose will “we live and move and have our being.” Help me see, Lord, the example Jesus sets out of love to go into battle fully armed with the power of the Holy Spirit to face the deceits of the devil. When temptation comes again, give me the grace to go straight to your divine Word for strength, authority, and wisdom. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” | Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him, For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:13-16, today’s readings)

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

In the first reading, we hear Sirach say that God says to his people, “Avoid all evil.” He created us to live in wisdom and understanding through his covenant with his chosen people, Israel. Similarly, Jesus tells us in the Gospel to welcome in the kingdom of God as he receives the children who come to him. As the children come to Jesus, he embraces and blesses them. Through wisdom, we choose freely to be God’s children and receive his gift. Mary, full of grace, lived by saying yes to everything God asked of her. In her Magnificat, she proclaims, “the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” As Saint John Paul II said of Mary accepting God’s gift within herself: “This Wisdom is Jesus Christ himself, the Eternal Word of God, who perfectly reveals and accomplishes the will of the Father.” Mary invites everyone to accept this gift of Wisdom.” 

Father in heaven, make clear to me as you would make clear to a child what your will is for me today. If I miss what you make clear, again let me see what I didn’t see the first time. The psalmist contemplates the shortness of life. “Man’s days are like those of grass.” Yet, “the kindness of the LORD is from eternity.” I will make many decisions today, small ones and big ones. Give me the grace, Lord, to use your gift of wisdom and choose what is pleasing to you; even more, strengthen my desire that you might embrace and bless me. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother.” | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (10:1-12, today’s readings)

But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

As Jesus teaches the crowds, some Pharisees approach him and ask, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They are testing him with this question. He responds by asking, “What does Moses command you?” They answer, “Moses permits a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” Jesus explains that because of stubbornness, Moses allowed divorce but that from the beginning, God created humans as male and female, intending for a man to leave his parents and become one with his wife. In responding this way, Jesus calls us to a deeper understanding of marital commitment, fidelity, and the need for grace in overcoming the challenges that couples may face in every marriage. As Sirach says in the first reading, “A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds.”

God, thank you for the gift of marriage, a sacred covenant you established by your divine will. What you have joined together, no one should separate. Jesus’ teaching reminds spouses of the commitment they make to each other and the importance of working through challenges. Give me the grace to understand that marriage is a reflection of your love for the Church as married couples embody patience, kindness, and humility in a union that gives all glory to you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

To be salted with fire. | Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:41-50, today’s readings)

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

Jesus continues to speak to the disciples, answering their questions and teaching them. From the same chapter in Mark, in the home of one of his followers, Jesus takes a child in his arms and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” Shortly after, Jesus says: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” He tells them it is better to lose a limb or an eye if they cause you to sin and enter Gehenna, a place of unquenchable fire. It is ours to own when God holds us accountable for our actions as natural consequences follow. By being “salted with fire,” a means to purification in this life’s trials and in purgatory, Jesus encourages us in his mercy to be accountable for the faith and charity we show even as the Holy Spirit refines us in true faith and charity.

God, help me take to heart the words of Sirach in the first reading, who urges me to keep from the error of relying on my own strength and presuming your mercy. “Say not, Sirach writes, ‘Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive.'” As Jesus makes clear to the disciples, make clear to me that I am responsible for the words and actions I choose through your gift of free will, ardent in my faith and trusting in your mercy and justice through Jesus Christ your Son. Lord, make me know your ways; teach me your paths.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“For whoever is not against us is for us.” | Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:38-40, today’s readings)

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

By trying to prevent someone from driving out demons in the name of Jesus, John attempts to be protective of the mission of Jesus. It is from a viewpoint that keeps the power of Christ contained and undivided. John, who refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” seems to have the best interest of Jesus in his heart when he expresses this. Yet, the love of God manifested in the flesh and blood of Jesus cannot be divided without multiplying it. That is why Jesus expresses the truth of his person as the embodiment of indivisible truth that no one who performs a miracle in his name can degrade or diminish him. The first reading from Sirach expresses this in relation to service to the wisdom of God: “Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the LORD loves.”

Father in heaven, deepen my understanding of the exchange of love between you and the Son through the unity of the Holy Spirit. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, the living access to the Father. Give me the grace to call on you, Lord, as I witness to your undivided power in bringing mercy wherever there are stumbling blocks, to whatever prevents access to the way and the truth and the life in the person of Christ. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” | Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:30-37, today’s readings)

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

As Jesus travels with the disciples through Galilee, he tells them about his coming passion, death, and resurrection. Unable to understand him, they ask no questions but on the way to Capernaum discuss who among the disciples is the greatest. Once inside the house where they would stay, Jesus shares with them what true greatness means as his disciples: the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. The child from within the house that Jesus places before them is somehow closely related to the disciples, possibly a son or daughter or nephew or niece of one of the disciples. In receiving the child, Jesus teaches us what the love of a father for his children looks like as he speaks of his own Father and ours as the “One who sent me.”

Father in heaven, teach me to put myself last of all today. In doing what is necessary today, help me look first to the needs of others even as I accomplish my tasks. Nothing extraordinary is likely to happen today as I try to act on being “the last of all and the servant of all.” Yet, let me receive the gifts you give me today and not take my own agendas so seriously that I forget you, the giver of all that is good. The psalmist’s prayer is to “trust in the LORD and do good.” Give me the grace to take to heart this seemingly simple task today for the sake of your glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Everything is possible to one who has faith.” | Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (9:14-29, today’s readings)

Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

Taking place immediately after the Transfiguration as Jesus comes down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and meets the other disciples, today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ encounter with a man whose son is possessed. In an argument with some scribes after attempting to drive out the demon, the disciples face the lack of faith of the father and the scribes. That is why Jesus says to them, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?” Jesus then asks them to bring the boy to him, whose spirit throws him to the ground in convulsions. The father asks for Jesus compassion and help, saying “if you can do anything.” Jesus redirects the father’s attention to everything that is possible through faith in God. In response, his profession of faith is a prayer for all who have faith in the Lord: “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

God, help me trust that you can do the impossible, especially in circumstances that appear to have no solution. Just as the father asks for help on behalf of the son, let me come to you with firm conviction in faith that you alone can restore us to your image. Daily life seems to produce abundant barriers to the realization of hope sought through continual prayer. Yet, through Jesus Christ your Son, you transfigure human dignity in a way that accomplishes your plan for salvation while respecting free will. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,” you say through Isaiah, “neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” Lord, strengthen my faith!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Expect nothing back. | Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. The Lord is kind and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (6:27-38, today’s readings)

“But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

In these words, Jesus might seem to impose a standard that is too high for anyone who has received mistreatment from others. In cases of abuse, turning the other cheek is not about passively accepting it but instead refusing to engage in cycles of mistreatment and a commitment to breaking the patterns of aggression, degradation, and manipulation that inherently assault one’s human dignity. Even so, the forgiveness that Jesus calls us to is not of earthly origin; it comes from the Father, and we receive it as his children. As Saint Paul writes, we have borne the image of the earthly man, Adam, we will also bear the image of the heavenly one, “As a father has compassion on his children,” the psalmist says, “so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” With the love of the Father—the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ—who first loved us, we are to love our enemies and expect nothing in return.

Father in heaven, teach me to forgive; show me how to be merciful as you are merciful. Help me always to forgive no matter what and to reconcile with others whenever possible. Give me all the grace needed to continue to forgive when mistreated and to know that it is not meant for me to hold as your child but is for the sake of your Son’s passion and death and for him to bear. When reconciliation is for the moment out of reach, teach me in that moment to forgive as best as I am able as I receive and give away your mercy for the sake of your glory. The Lord is kind and merciful. Jesus, I trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.