The prophet Isaiah testifies to the one who will come, filled with the Spirit of the Lord. As we hear the words of this first reading, may we call upon God’s Spirit to dwell in us as we follow the Lord today.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent
***************
Study: Is there anything keeping you from God or another person right now? What steps do you need to take to make it right?
Pray: Call upon the Lord for the strength to repent and seek forgiveness. Remember – the harder it is the more powerful the healing!
Serve: Is there some way you can be an agent of forgiveness? How can you bring people closer to God and one another?
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
John the Baptist comes on the scene blazing like a torch as he exhorts the people to repent of their sins. He minces no words with the Pharisees and Sadduccees; rather, he makes it clear that the path to God leads through the good fruit of our actions.
John is blunt and direct. There is no spin in his message, no soft touch. He comes to us as a verbal bulldozer, seeking to carve out a direct route that leads to the Lord. I can only imagine what it was like to be in his presence, eager to hear his words yet feeling the sting of his speech. After all, repentance is a great thing to talk about…but often painful to put into practice.
And yet nothing brings about healing faster than forgiveness. When relationships are wounded and we find ourselves in a broken and fragile place, repentance clears the ground and allows us to rebuild our lives in an honest and direct fashion.
Repentance has some key components:
As we prepare in this Advent season for the birth of the Messiah, we have the opportunity to examine our hearts and consider what is not worthy of the Lord. Using a good examination of conscience or just the common sense in our souls we have the chance today to repent of our sins, seek forgiveness from God and one another, and live each day in the light and power of Christ.
John tells us that while he baptizes for repentance, the Lord will baptize us in Spirit and fire – allowing us to draw into the very heart of God’s love. Only through repentance will we be able to encounter the burning intensity of divine charity; for when we stand before the Lord whatever is not fitting will burn away. May we cast out whatever is not worthy, and prepare to welcome His holy fire with open hearts.
***************
***************
Note: This post was first published on November 28, 2016.
We begin the season of Advent with a message that is both joyful and sobering, hopeful and disciplined: The Lord, the just judge is coming into the world…so be prepared, awake and ready!
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Advent
***************
On this feast of St. Andrew, we hear in the Gospel how Jesus calls him and from the Letter to the Romans how God continues to call others to proclaim the Good News in the world. God keeps calling today; are we ready to respond?
Mass Readings – Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
***************
The Book of Daniel offers a vision of the awesome power of Christ. As Jesus prompts his disciples to be vigilant, we too, are invited to actively look for ways that we can respond to the Lord’s call as allow God’s grace to flow through our hearts.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 34th Week of the Year
***************
Thanksgiving Day offers a fantastic opportunity to stop, reflect and offer gratitude for the blessings God showers upon our lives. While life is filled with a mix of good and bad moments, being thankful offers us a powerful lens to make sense of it all as we keep our focus on Jesus Christ.
Mass Readings – Thanksgiving Day
***************
To my family…all my love on this Thanksgiving Day. This is photo is a personal favorite of mine!
Jesus makes it clear in the Gospel of Luke that we will face tough times because of his name, yet he also encourages us to persevere, trusting that he will give us exactly what we need to carry on.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 34th Week of the Year
***************
The Book of Daniel and the Gospel of Luke both illustrate the fact that life is filled with change. The one constant we can always count on is God’s grace in our lives.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 34th Week of the Year
***************
Study: Consider one thing you can do today to live your faith. What would it be?
Pray: Do you have any unfinished business that you need to complete? Ask the Lord for the strength and conviction to finish it.
Serve: Is there someone in your life who struggles with depression, fear, or doubt? How can you help them?
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Advent
We start a new liturgical year in the Church (that’s “Year A” if you need to use the Lectionary for Sunday readings and “Cycle I” for daily Mass) with a vision of the end of time when the Son of Man comes in glory.
Several key points emerge:
Advent gives us a rich – but very short – opportunity to prepare our hearts for Christmas. All of these points listed above serve as excellent reminders regarding how we live each day fully invested in the present moment. We live for the Lord, following his commands, so as to be ready whenever and wherever our lives will take the next turn in the road.
For when God calls us into eternity we hear that the unity, peace, and joy we glimpse in precious moments in this life will come to fulfillment. United in the Lord, we will join the heavenly host when this world passes away.
I invite us all to consider how we might do one thing better each day – to be more focused, more aware, more present – so that we can give glory and honor to Jesus Christ. We follow the Lord with all our hearts; may we make the most of every day to live our faith to the fullest.
May this Advent be a time of blessing for us all!
***************
***************
Note: This post was originally published on November 22, 2016.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our Savior, our Messiah, he is the one who knows our hearts and reaches out to us with Divine Mercy. And out of an unfathomable love Jesus offers his life on the Cross to free us from our sins and ransom us from death. May we drop to our knees today and honor Christ our King!
Mass Readings – The Solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe
****************
Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 