The Psalm response stirs our hearts to offer our lives each and every day in service to God. May we call upon the Lord’s grace to journey through life with open eyes as we say, “Here am I, Lord!”
The Church celebrates the martyrdom of St. Stephen immediately after Christmas, in no small way to remind us that the child we worship in the manger will grow to offer his life for the salvation of the world. May Stephen’s example inspire us today to live our lives for the Lord.
The Lord exhorts his disciples to take up their Crosses and follow him. Crosses come in all sizes; may the Crosses we carry become a worthy offering to the Lord as we put his example into daily practice.
We recall the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross so that we never take for granted the Lord’s saving gift as we are inspired to grow in faith, hope and love.
Jesus comments on the humble yet extravagant offering of the poor widow. She gives all that she has…and inspires us to consider how we will offer our lives for the Lord today.
The two widows in the readings today make great sacrifices from the little they possess. Their example invites us to consider what sacrifices are we willing to make in our lives today.
My photo of the 11th Station at Chiesa Nuova in Rome.
In this 5th installment of the Lent Retreat, Fr. Andrew talks about the sacrificial offering of Christ on the Cross…inspiring us to recognize the Crosses in our lives and carry them with the hope we have in the Lord’s triumph.