“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (MT 5: 11-12)
All blessings change our perspective: from thinking about prosperity on Earth to looking for eternal friendship with God. The more we are like Our Lord, and the more we imitate His life, the more we “will be great in heaven.” And the true reward, the real reason to “rejoice and be glad,” is to be in Heaven with Him.
“Rejoice and be glad; for your reward will be great in heaven. (Gospel Acclamation)
“… how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.” (HEB 9: 14)
Created by God the Father, redeemed by God the Son and sanctified by God the Holy Spirit, we are unconditionally loved by the Holy Trinity. We respond to it by “worshiping the living God” and respecting the Body and Blood of Christ “who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God.” Today our cities and towns are decorated for Him to welcome Him into our lives and to invite Him to stay with us. Our Lord’s Body and Blood not only redeemed us and gave us new lives but also nourishes us through Holy Communion. When we follow Him in the Procession after the Blessed Sacrament, we worship Him and commit to loving Him more and more.
Him more and more.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life.” (TB 12: 8-9)
We used to think about prayer, fasting and almsgiving as special gestures of Lent. But we should pray regularly, not only in Lent; fasting is requested by Our Lady as a basic remedy for the sins of this world, and “those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life” and “expiate every sin.” Almsgiving opens our eyes to others, like prayer helps us to be connected with God, and fasting takes care of us. “Better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me.” (TB 11: 14-15)
The Book of Tobit says more about angels than any other one. Tobias’ life shows how present the Angels are in our lives, what important missions they have and how we can ask them for help. Especially our Guardian Angels are assigned to protect us and to lead us. And when we pray together with them, our prayer brings more fruit.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (MK 12: 29-31)
In any conflict situation, when we have several options, these are our signposts to show which road should be used. St. John Paul II wrote in Centesimus Annus: “It follows that the Church cannot abandon man, and that ‘this man is the primary route that the Church must travel in fulfilling her mission … the way traced out by Christ himself, the way that leads invariably through the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption’” (CC, 53). The love for God and the love for our neighbors can direct us to the right choices.
“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light to through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God. So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the cataracts from Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see God’s sunlight; and to marry Raguel’s daughter Sarah to Tobit’s son Tobiah, and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.” (TB 3: 16-17)
“So Raphael was sent to heal them both” because God had a much bigger plan for them, and His answer was not for what they asked but for what they really needed. The same thing happens with us. When we ask, we see our situation only from our perspective, but our prayer is “heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God” and fortunately for us from a totally different perspective.
“I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will never die.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They replied to him, ‘Caesar’s.’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’ They were utterly amazed at him.” (MK 12: 16-17)
At the beginning was a plan to “to ensnare him in his speech,” and they got trapped into their own trap. Fortunately, they found Our Lord’s answer remarkable, and they were “amazed at him.” This should be our daily reaction to His word–He is the Word.
“May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.” (MK 12: 6-8)
Our Father never tires of sending us guides and leaders. In the end “He had one other to send, a beloved son.” And He was killed. This action, which looks like the end of everything, was the beginning of our redemption and a new life. When we live close to God, we can expect in our lives only happy endings because He is the most protective Father who loves us always and is never tired of taking care of us.
“Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness, the first born of the dead; you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (MT 28: 18-20)
We were baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity. From this moment, our hearts became the sanctuary of God’s presence within us “until the end of the age.” As happy children of God, we are sent to share our joy with others and “make disciples of all nations.” In every baptized person, we can recognize the same presence of the Holy Trinity.
“Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; to God who is, who was, and who is to come.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom openly in my prayer. I prayed for her before the temple, and I will seek her until the end, and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.” (SIR 51: 13-15)
This most unique gift, the first and the highest gift of the Holy Spirit, is so important for us. It gives us an intimate relationship and understanding of God’s word and His commandments. Wisdom helps us to love properly with all respect to God and His creatures.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Gospel Acclamation)
