Let us strive to know the Lord

March 14, 2015 7:00 am

“Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD; as certain as the dawn is his coming, and his judgment shines forth like the light of day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” (HOS 6: 3)

“To know the Lord” is only possible because He revealed Himself and His love to us: “He will come to us like the rain,” and His coming is “as certain as the dawn.” The more we know Him, the more we expect His coming; the more we expect His coming, the more our hearts are open to receive all His graces.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Take with you words

March 13, 2015 7:32 am

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD.” (HOS 14: 2-3)

Words in our lives can bring joy, appreciation and warmth or rejection, accusations and hate. The same words we can take with us to the Lord. Some of these words are able to help us “return to the Lord,” some not.

“Repent, says the Lord; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Their backs, not their faces

March 12, 2015 7:24 am

“…they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.” (JER 7: 24)

What sadness we can hear in the voice of God the Father.  God, who loves us, takes care of us and always communicates how important we are for Him, is confronted with “their backs, not their faces.” Even a short visit in the church ora few minutes of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, when we look at him and our hearts and faces are focused on Him, can bring consolation to God.

“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful.” (Gospel Acclamation)

So close

March 11, 2015 6:59 am

“For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” (DT 4: 7)

The most important information about being a great nation is that it has the God, who is so close to it and answers “whenever we call upon Him”–nothing about being a rich nation, having a good climate or mineral resources, only God, who listens and takes care.

“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.” (Gospel Acclamation)

How often?

March 10, 2015 6:53 am

“Peter approached Jesus and asked him, ‘Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.’” (Mt 18: 21-22)

It looks like this conversation was about forgiveness hidden in numbers: seven times or seventy-seven times? This is rather a lesson about sins and sinners and about God’s unlimited power to always forgive our sins when we ask Him. How often? Always, when He is asked!

“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.” (Gospel Acclamation)

To do something extraordinary?

March 9, 2015 7:00 am

“But his servants came up and reasoned with him. ‘My father,’ they said, ‘if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you,‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.’” (2 KGS 5: 13)

Because Naaman was asked to do something simple, he questioned it. He expected “to do something extraordinary.” Sometimes we are like Naaman, thinking about God’s expectations for us as difficult and time-consuming. “Wash and be clean” is simple: meet Him in the sacrament of penance–God’s redemption—then “be clean.” He takes care of us; He makes us clean; He sanctifies us and leads us. He is our Father who loves and cares.

“I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word; with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption.” (Gospel Acclamation)

He knew them all

March 8, 2015 9:02 am

“But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.” (J 2: 24-25)

We are known to Our Lord, and He knows our “human nature.” There is no need to apologize to Him because He is conscious about it, and “He himself understood it well.” He is our Hope; He is our Savior, and He is our Redeemer–God who knows us and loves us.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Our Lord will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins

March 7, 2015 9:12 am

“You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.” (MI 7: 19-20)

God is first in love, first in compassion and first in forgiveness. He is not afraid of our limits because His love is wider; He is not afraid of our weaknesses because His compassion is bigger; He is not afraid of our sins because His forgiveness is stronger. We can come to Him in all our circumstances, remembering His faithfulness not only to Jacob, Abraham and “our fathers from days of old,” but also to us.

“I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” (Gospel Verse)

Not even greet him

March 6, 2015 8:39 am

“Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.” (GN 37: 3-4)

Jealousy and hate go together. The beginning is so simple; it becomes hard to say a kind word or “even greet him,” and this attitude grows. But also respect and love go together, and their beginning is very simple too: be gentle and be respectful, and it also can grow. The destination for the first position is hell, and the destination for the second is heaven.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Trust in the LORD

March 5, 2015 7:00 am

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.” (Jer 17: 7-8)

In our busy, daily lives, it is so easy to forget the most important things in our lives: necessity replaces importance, and we have to do this or that. Importance is free from pressure, like love, friendship and prayer. When we remember the importance of relationship, when we “trust in the Lord” and when “our hope is the Lord,” we are able to draw from the source of divine wisdom, “like a tree planted beside the water.”

“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)