Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time "The Steep and Thorny Road of Truth"

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I long to put you first in my life. It is easy to get caught up in daily activities. But you are not just another activity: you are my Lord and my God. I do believe in you, but I know that I need to believe in you more strongly. I do love you, but I must still strive to love you more than I love myself and my plans. I wish to offer you the best of myself right now in this time of conversation with you.

Petition:Lord, may I understand that you are the truth. May I love you as Truth-made-incarnate in my heart.

1. Truth and the Good Interwoven: “For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” In his encyclical The Splendor of Truth, Pope John Paul II reminded us of the necessary link between freedom, truth and the good. He went so far as to say that a correct understanding of this link is essential for the salvation of the world. Jesus taught with authority because he was both the Truth and the Good. Our freedom consists in recognizing this and living accordingly. Do I sincerely seek the truth in my life? Do I sincerely seek what is truly good, or am I conforming myself in some way to the hedonistic and self-seeking standards of the world?

2. Multiplying Our Good: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” When our freedom refuses to recognize that Jesus is the Truth and that our greatest good consists in loving and following him, we feel threatened. We try to hold on to the good we imagine that we have apart from him. He does not want to take away the good we have, but rather he wishes to increase and multiply it. But to do so we must allow lesser goods we now have to die so that greater goods might rise with strength. Unless the seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a seed. But if it dies it rises to new life (cf. John 12:24).

3. The Demands of Truth: “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority.’” Today we live in a relativistic world, where truth is whatever we want it to be. “Whatever makes you comfortable” is the motto of the day. We are amazed when Jesus breaks the mold of relativism, revealing the lie hidden within it and proclaims that he is the Truth. When the Gospel makes demands on my life, do I shift into relativism and believe that it makes no difference how or if I respond? If the Gospel makes me comfortable I will obey, but if not…. Truth can be demanding, but what a blessing it is that, in the person of Christ, truth is also love, mercy, goodness and joy. Do I love the truth and strive to live in the light?

Conversation with Christ:Lord, you know how easily I excuse myself from meeting your demands for my life. I do so even while knowing that when I fulfill them I always discover new strength, hidden energy and untapped resources of love within me. Help me to give myself to you in love, to meet your demands, and to experience the power of grace unleashed within me.

Resolution:Today I will offer Christ something that is good but not necessary. By doing this, I will show my love for him and grow in self-detachment, so I can be more open to the good that he wishes to give me. 

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time "A Humble and Contrite Heart"

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel." As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I thank you for this time to be with you. I don’t deserve your close friendship, and yet you offer me the intimacy of your heart. I trust in your goodness and hope in your infinite mercy. I love you and wish to give up anything that would keep me from you.

Petition:Lord, give me compunction of heart and the grace of a true conversion.

1. Prerequisite of the Kingdom: “The kingdom of God is at hand,” “The kingdom of God is within you,” and “You are not far from the kingdom,” are all expressions of Our Lord. He came to establish a kingdom, one that would begin here on earth and continue on into eternity. We build the kingdom within ourselves by practicing virtue; we allow God’s grace to purify us from selfishness and vice and to build us up in faith, hope and charity. There is, however, a pre-requisite for grace to begin and continue to work its ongoing miracle: acknowledgement of our failings and belief in Christ. We must “repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Am I aware of my constant need to turn to God and turn from my daily sins? Can I truly say that I’m striving to overcome my sins and faults so that I can be more like Christ and closer to him?

2. Interior Sackcloth and Ashes:  The type of penance that Jesus seeks must begin in our interior. When Peter becomes aware of who Christ is, he falls on his knees and exclaims, “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). “Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, ‘sackcloth and ashes,’ fasting and mortification, but at conversion of heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures and works of penance” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1420). The best “expression in visible signs” of conversion and penance is our imitation of Christ. The apostles “abandoned their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18).

3. Venues of Conversion: In Number 1434 of the Catechism we learn that conversion and penance are not things we embrace only once or only after serious sin, by going to confession and then leaving them aside. “The interior penance of a Christian,” rather, “can be expressed in many and various ways.” Fasting, prayer and almsgiving are mentioned as venues for expressing our ongoing conversion. Other more specific ways are “efforts at reconciliation with one’s neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one’s neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity ‘which covers a multitude of sins.’” Does my heart resonate with these ways, and if not, why not? What could be more important than an intimate friendship with my Lord and God, with whom I hope to spend all eternity?

Conversation with Christ:Jesus, my days are booked up with so much activity and noise that it’s extremely hard for me even to reflect about my need for conversion of heart. Please help me to turn away from my sins and bad habits by turning to you and imitating you. Wash me of my sins, and draw me close to you.

Resolution:I will meekly apologize for having offended someone without touching on anything negative about that person.

The Baptism of the Lord "Jesus’ Humility"

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to be with you. I believe in you. I believe that you are here with me and that you want to speak with me today. I wish to open my heart to hear your word and put it into practice out of love for you.

Petition:Lord, help me to grow in the virtue of humility.

1. Jesus Lines up with Sinners: John was preaching a baptism of repentance, and large numbers of people were coming to John to repent of their sins. They wanted to change the direction of their lives and be reconciled with God. Jesus came along with the crowd. Even though he is the sinless one, he numbered himself among the others and proceeded to the Jordan as if he, too, were a sinner like them. To appreciate this gesture, we need only to recall how much we resent it when we are perceived as guilty for something we didn’t do. It’s even costly to have our real faults pointed out to others. Yet here, even when he is so far from the slightest stain of guilt, Jesus peacefully and humbly accepts being labeled a sinner like everyone else. He does this for our sake. Am I overly concerned about how I appear to others so that this negatively affects my good deeds?  

2. A Humility that Bows to the Father’s Will: John did not want to baptize Jesus, because he knew that Jesus was not like the others. Yet Jesus made it clear that this was part of the Father’s plan, and this plan was the driving force in his life. Pride did not get in the way of Jesus’ obedience. Rather, his Father’s will was the food that fed and nourished his life. “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work” (John 4:34). What does my own heart “feed on”? If it is not fed on the Father’s will, then could pride be subtly at work turning me into my own highest purpose?

3. A Father’s Blessing:Heaven responded to Christ’s obedience. This moment foreshadows the definitive opening of heaven to mankind’s salvation, accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. The heart of sacrifice is obedience, and obedience is not possible without humility. Jesus humbled himself before John the Baptist. The Father saw his obedience and was pleased, praising him out loud: “This is my beloved Son.” To listen to him is to follow his example.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for the gift of yourself. Teach me to be humble. It is hard for me to put others ahead of myself, to take second place, to let others win the praise and glory I crave for myself. Help me to be humble and to seek repentance from all sin in my life. I need your help to do your will. Strengthen and guide me in your service.

Resolution: I will do a hidden act of charity for someone. 

Saturday After Epiphany "Where Less is More"

Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him." John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom´s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, in spite of so many efforts, my self-love and vanity cloud my intentions, reducing the merit of my labors for you. Therefore I come before you empty-handed. Nevertheless, I’m confident in your forgiveness, knowing that you are pleased to refresh and renew me as often as I turn back to you with hope. I love you ardently, good Jesus, and long to love you ever more.

Petition:Lord, help me to practice true humility.

1. “He Must Increase; I Must Decrease”: This is the petition that must burn in the heart of every authentic apostle and leader in the faith. Often we seek ourselves in our vocation, in our apostolate, in our service to the Church. Some offer themselves only when the work to be done brings them honor or enhances their self-importance. We claim to serve Christ, but if we have our status compromised by criticism or see someone less capable moved ahead of us in rank, our heart crumbles in discouragement and our commitment wanes. In moments when humility is asked of us, may we pass the test that John passes in today’s Gospel. Every day we must look into our hearts to see if they are mirrors reflecting back only self-centered motivations, or if they are windows to the heart of Christ in the world, centered only on humble service. Mirrors weaken the mission; windows empower it.

2. “Rejoices Greatly at the Bridegroom´s Voice”: Breaking the grip of self-love is eminently positive work. We can let go of a lesser love only for a greater one. Everyday John’s heart had set its aspiration and love on the Messiah to come. All his ministerial action and spiritual ideals were centered on Christ. His solitude in the desert permitted this love to grow without distraction, communicated as it was in prayer and contemplation. As John states, all he has received he received from heaven—from the supernatural life given by contemplation and grace. Love for Christ was no overnight endeavor, but was the work of years of prayer, self-conquest and fidelity to the life of conversion he was to preach.

Conversation with Christ:Lord, I hear now what John heard: your beautiful voice summoning union with your beloved, the Church. No greater honor and love can I have than to ensure this union happens continuously, perfectly and selflessly. May I learn to accept humiliation and forget myself a thousand times over, so that the needs of your Mystical Body may be brokered over my humble service and self-effacing manner. I pray that my ignoble need to be praised and appreciated apart from your glory never becomes the reason to find you separated from your spouse.

Resolution:I will pray a litany of humility with great fervor today before I go to bed. 

Friday after Epiphany "When God So Wills"

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do will it. Be made clean." And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but "Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I approach you today with a heart as humble as this leper’s, who can claim no beauty apart from what you can give him. My willful defects have disfigured your plan for me, and I seek from you today the power to make all my works and words clean. I hope in you and trust in your infinite mercy.

Petition:Lord, grant me an unshakeable confidence in your infinite mercy.

1. "Lord, If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean": If God so wills.... This marks a disposition of soul that says the leper wants God more than he wants his cure. By demonstrating patience and acceptance, he shows he is ready to live his cross according to God’s plan for him. Being self-absorbed and not accepting problems and defects is, in itself, an obstacle to being cured of them. Some lose patience in the fight because they want the cure more than they want the one who cures. Such cures may heal the body, but leave the soul diseased and unattractive to God. Openness to God’s time, detachment from an easy life, and total abandonment into Our Lord hands permits illness to cure the soul long before it is freed from the body. How beautiful the soul of this humble leper was in Christ’s eyes! May I let this prayer today open my heart to accept all trials of the moment with humility and love for the God who guides me.

2. "I Do Will It. Be Made Clean": The disfigurement of leprosy becomes a symbol for the soul of a sinner in need of redemption. Suffering the miserable and disfiguring effects of sin provokes man to begin the path to conversion and change. There is something of disbelief in a new life for those who still feel the sting of a grievous sin of their past. They work to draw close to God, but find it hard to believe he would ever want to be close to them. The intervention of God––definitive, eternal, absolute––moves Christ’s hand, which reaches out to touch the leper saying, “I do will it!” From his flesh to his soul––God’s will to forgive and heal surpasses our human comprehension! When we stop measuring our failures from wounded self-love and accept with living faith the decisive will of the redemptive God, we will find ourselves fully immersed in the life of the new man in Christ, dead to sin and dead to the world.

3. Then He Ordered Him Not to Tell Anyone: Our Lord imposes silence. Not all that is known needs to be said, and prudence is demanded from a disciple of Christ. How often do we slow down God’s work by speaking too much, manifesting too much of our knowledge for vanity’s sake? Christ is secure in himself because he lives his mission face-to-face with his Father, and the time and place of his formal manifestation to the Jews will come at his bidding. Discretion, as a virtue, is a self-giving work, not in the least self-serving. We speak so as to maximize the good we wish to do for others. Our Lord’s discretion proves such a posture. When will his identity be formerly declared? “When I am raised up, then I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Only in his passion, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, will he fully show his hand. May I communicate my experience of Christ, my knowledge of him, with the humility, charity and restraint that prudence imposes, so that I may maximize the effect of Christ’s truth in the world.

Conversation with Christ:Lord, I see your hand moving from the leper to my soul, showing its power to transform. No sin should ever break my fighting spirit; no longtime defect should ever weaken my hope in victory. Your hand but moves and all is cured, forgiven, and redeemed. Today I anchor my program of holiness with confidence in your grace and unconditional love.

Resolution:I will entrust someone I know to be living a bad life to the power of Our Lord’s mercy.

Thursday after Epiphany "The Awesome Presence"

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, welcome into the temple of my soul. I know that you will root up and tear down, heal and sanctify, making there a holy and righteous place that has always been intended for you. Only you have the power to unlock the sanctuary of my heart; only you build what will last forever. I trustfully open my entire self to you now, so that your words can shape my thoughts, so that your love can penetrate my heart, so that no disorder of soul may remain in me.

Petition: Lord, grant me a greater reverence for you.

1. He Returned in the Power of the Spirit: The Spirit appears in the world to unite heaven’s plan to that of earth, and it does so here with every move of Christ. Christ’s whole mission is nothing other than the fulfillment of the passage he reads. Our vocation in life is nothing other than fulfilling our baptismal commission by the Holy Spirit. Our Lord shows himself, therefore, to be no one-man show. He, the Son, is sent and works in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and from here all his fruitfulness and power flows. Our mission must truly make us feel “sent.” It compels us to bear fruit through acts of obedience and love. Heaven seeks to deliver its plan to me in this prayer. May I be attentive to all that the Holy Spirit prompts me to do.

 

2. “He Unrolled the Scroll…. ‘Today This Passage Is Fulfilled in Your Hearing’”: Man is given a response to the eternal question found in Revelation 5:2: "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Contemplate this solemn moment when the Word reveals himself among men: Many could read from the scroll, but only one was worthy to unlock its salvific power. Many could recite the texts, but only one could set them ablaze in their hearts. Many could preach with fascination, but only one could satisfy their hunger for the fullness of truth. Our words are an empty breath without Christ’s voice; our labors are to no end, if our actions are not Christ’s. Only one person by right can change the human heart, and we in truth can only be apostles when Christ is the one who moves our hand.

3. All Were Amazed at the Words That Came from His Mouth: The precise nature of these words is not revealed to us here, as if to mean that the person of Christ himself is the revelation. Christ, in the totality of his person, comes to lighten our burdens and lift our spirits in a way no teaching, no miraculous event, no cure left to itself ever could. Divine providence has secured for us many goods in life, but all goods fail us if they do not come with Christ in all the power and intimacy that is God-among-us.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I seek to revere you and honor you as the center of my life. I work now with a holy ambition to ensure your throne is firmly established in my heart. Teach me to let nothing usurp what belongs to you in my life. Let me not build a life of empty self-sufficiency, lest I lose the experiences of your power and grace I could have.

Resolution: I will visit our Lord in the Eucharist today for the sake of honoring him for his greatness and thanking him for his active presence in my life.

Wednesday After Epiphany "Walking with Christ"

After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I see in you how to live life with the Spirit as my foundation, as the rock that permits me to walk through any troubled moment with peace and joyful abandonment to your will. Gratefully I put all my trust in you and offer all my meager love in return.

Petition:Lord, grant me the grace not only to know, but to live your presence as the one and only foundation of my hope and happiness.

1. He Went off to the Mountain to Pray: Christ did not run his interior life on the thrill of immediate success. The core of what consoled and sustained his heart was not splendid results in the apostolate, but rather his prayerful union with his Father in heaven. Whether results for his mission were easy or hard to obtain, Christ was equally given and equally motivated. Constancy of spirit and firmness of will are founded not on momentary results, but on the peace and deep joy of living the Father’s will. Christ defends this sacred place in his heart with one key element: time. Making time for prayer builds the wall that defends God’s sanctuary in our soul. Time for him alone is what establishes a beachhead for the Kingdom in us, so that we can establish it around us. From there we see what is passing, superficial or vain. This leads us to embrace what is eternal, self-giving and perfect in love.

2. He Saw That They Were Tossed About While Rowing: Whenever the apostles pushed out on the water, it was a time to learn.

Water symbolizes life, and waves symbolize all the uncertainties of this life, all the trials and sufferings that seemingly labor to bring our world to a bad end. Christ consistently tests and forms more deeply those whom he loves. Troubles are not eliminated because we have found Christ. Rather, at times they may increase, for they are the training ground of a saint and an apostle. Christ saw the apostles in trouble, but they were never alone—the watchful gaze of Christ never left them, his care was never absent. Let my faith bring me to confidence in that gaze, the all-knowing presence of Christ, in all I do and suffer for him.

3. "Take Courage, It Is I, Do Not Be Afraid!": St. Augustine wrote of this passage, "He came treading the waves; and so he puts all the swelling tumults of life under his feet. Christians -- why be afraid?" Walking with Christ permits us to conquer the waves that wish to overwhelm us. Contact with him in prayer helps us to find solid ground in the midst of quicksand. The conquering Christ reminds us that no evil is stronger than he, that there is no sin or temptation that cannot be put behind us, and that there is no setback in health or business or disappointment in a loved one that cannot ultimately become a new good when we walk in cadence with Christ.

Conversation with Christ:Lord, at times I experience all my human successes and securities with such satisfaction that I forget that in a moment they could all be taken from me. In an instant, what was once stable could turn into a stormy sea. What are these comforts and goods to me, if from the beginning they have not been for you, have not honored you? Will I be able to cling to them in eternity? Forgive my superficiality in these moments. I seek now to ground myself more firmly in you, the true and eternal rock of my life.

Resolution:I will seek to remember the goals I have to achieve today for eternity: holiness of life, fulfillment of God’s will, and service of my neighbor.