The Canticle of Zechariah brings the season of Advent to a close with a resounding proclamation of praise to God. May these words ring out in our hearts!
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 4th Week of Advent
***************
Tag Archives: Blessing
Daily Mass: What are you thankful for today?
On this Thanksgiving Day we pause to count our blessings as we cultivate gratitude for the gift of life.
Mass Readings – Thanksgiving Day
***************
St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, pray for us!
Share this:
Daily Mass: Much will be required of the person entrusted with much. Catholic Inspiration
The end of this passage of Luke’s Gospel is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, even as it challenges me to the core. May we use wisely the gifts entrusted to us!
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 29th Week of the Year
***************
St. John Brefeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and companions, pray for us!
Share this:
Daily Mass: We are blessed with faith in Jesus Christ. Catholic Inspiration
The introduction to the Letter to the Ephesians reveals the source of our strength: God’s blessing to us through the coming of Jesus Christ!
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 28th Week of the Year
***************
Share this:
Study, Pray, Serve: 6th Sunday of the Year
Let’s examine some of the themes that surface in the readings for the 6th Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Jeremiah 17:5-8
- Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings.
- Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.
Psalm – 1:1-4,6
- “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”
- We are blessed when we avoid sin and cultivate a life of faith in God.
2nd Reading – 1st Corinthians 15:12,16-20
- Paul affirms the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is a central truth to our faith.
- Without the resurrection our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins.
Gospel – Luke 6:17,20-26
- This is the “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.)
- Note the contrast of the “blessings” and the “woes” in the teaching of Jesus.
Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year
***************
Share this:
Daily Mass: Be God’s blessing in the world. Catholic Inspiration
The Canticle of Zechariah – often called the Benedictus – proclaims God’s goodness and urges us to share this news of joyful hope with one another.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 4th Week of Advent
***************
Share this:
Daily Mass: We are blessed; now live the blessing! Catholic Inspiration
The Lord reveals to the disciples that they are blessed in what they have seen and heard. The same is true for us: we have been blessed with the gift of faith…now it’s up to us to live it.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 16th Week of the Year
Share this:
Daily Mass: What will we do with God’s gift of life? Catholic Inspiration
The Lord’s teaching in the Gospel of Luke can drive us to our knees as we count our blessings, and then lift us to new heights as we make something precious with what we’ve received. What will you do with your gift of life?
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 29th Week of the Year
***************
Share this:
6th Sunday of the Year: How does your faith help you face tough challenges? Catholic Inspiration
Living one’s life for the Lord does not mean it will be easy; rather, we face the struggles before us with God’s grace to carry out what must be done. A blessed life, then, is not about wealth, health, or earthly glory…it’s about being in right relationship with Jesus Christ.
Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year
***************
Share this:
6th Sunday of the Year: Blessings, Curses and Woes
Study: Consider when you were blessed with strength and guidance in a tough time. How did you experience this blessing?
Pray: We all know many people who are having a tough time right now. Ask the Lord to give them the courage and conviction to carry on.
Serve: Is there some way you can be a blessing to another? How might you use your gifts and talents to alleviate suffering today?
Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year
Let’s take a quick review of the readings:
- 1st Reading – Jeremiah speaks of blessings and curses in relationship to the Lord
- Psalm – “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”
- 2nd Reading – St. Paul preaches about the resurrection of Jesus Christ
- Gospel – Jesus offers a series of blessings and woes in Luke’s Gospel
There is a dangerous trap that Christians must always be alert to avoid. It runs like this:
- I follow Christ and carry out his commands.
- I strive to live a good and holy life.
- Therefore, because I am a “good” person, God will bless me with an easy life.
In other words, since I am doing what God commands, God owes me. We often find this thinking surfaces when something bad happens – and illness, death, reversal of fortune, pain, or any number of bad scenarios – and suddenly people start blaming God. “Why is God doing this to me? I’m a good person! I don’t deserve this!”
The trap misleads us into thinking that our faith is suppose to protect us from the unfortunate. If we buy into this concept, then we begin to treat our faith at best as a legal contract and at worst as a magical formula where we have power over God.
Life is hard. Life makes demands and challenges us with pain, discomfort, struggle and testing. While we might wish that all days were easy, we know that tough times come along.
And in the face all these obstacles God blesses us with grace, uniting us in our relationship with the Lord and one another. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are blessed when our lives are configured to God and cursed when we step away from the Lord. We can be tempted to trust more in fleeting things like wealth, power, good looks or fame, yet only God offers the enduring strength of love in this life and the next.
The next time something difficult happens, ask this one question: How does my faith in Jesus Christ help me right now? We are blessed when we experience God’s grace to face life’s obstacles. We are blessed when we allow the Lord to work through our lives – even when it’s hard. We are blessed when we receive God’s love with open and gentle hearts.
May God bless us all with exactly what we need to continue on our journey through life today.
***************
Three Great Things 