December 21, 2012

Read It:
Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

Reflect on It: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled". Mary believed what was spoken to her. In a few days, we will have the opportunity to believe that which is spoken to us. The birth of the Christ Child and the fact that this birth will change the world. The Lord is coming. Get ready.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, help me to be ready for your coming in just a few days. Help me to be a person that believes in your Word and let that word be good enough for me. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: What is something that the Lord has spoken to you? Do you believe it? Spend some time reflecting on this today.

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December 20, 2012

Sorry there have not been too many postings. My grandma died yesterday, so it's been a little slow. Please keep her in your prayers.

Read It:
In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Reflect on It:
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word. How often are we truly willing to pray that? I think that sometimes, I'm not always the most willing participant in the plans of the Lord. Mary's life sings a song of praise in the midst of craziness. Are we willing to say, "Lord, I wnat to do your will! Today, may we be handmaidens of the Lord.

Pray about It: May it be done to me according to your word. I want to do your will Lord. I love you! Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Ask the Lord what he wants for you to do.

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December 16, 2012: Gaudete Sunday!

Read It:

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
"What should we do?"
He said to them in reply,
"Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
"Teacher, what should we do?"
He answered them,
"Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him,
"And what is it that we should do?"
He told them,
"Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages."

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
"I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

 

Reflect on It: The people were filled with expectation. Today’s Gospel is one of great expectation, rejoicing. This Sunday we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. This Third Sunday of Advent is one of great joy. In the midst of our preparation for the coming of the Lord, this is the Sunday where our heart just bursts with love and anticipation of the King. John the Baptist had come to prepare the world for the coming of Christ and soon, he will be here. I think that as we look at the joy that comes today, we should check in with how our Advent is going. Are we truly bursting with a full heart for our Lord or for the gifts we’ll get? What if we had nothing at all on Christmas morning but the Christ child? Today is a day of joy, of anticipation of all the things that are true and beautiful and good. Christ is coming, are you readying your heart the way that we’ve readied our homes?

 

Pray about It: Emmanuel, you are God with us. We wait today with joyful hope for your coming, both at Christmas and in the second coming. Help my heart to be ready for you and the good news you bring. You are our life and fulfillment. I love you! Amen.

 

Live It! Challenge: Today, spread joy wherever you go. Be the bearer of the goodness of God!

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December 15, 2012

Read It:
As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Reflect on It: Will we recognize him when he comes? Are our hearts ready for that miracle that will happen in just a few days?

Pray About It: Sweet Jesus, help me to recongize you when you come in glory!

Live It! Challenge: what are some of the ways you recognize Jesus in your life already?

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December 14, 2012

Read It:
Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by her works."

Reflect on It: 
We're almost half way through Advent. How are you doing? Are you making space in your heart for Him? Does your heart beat with his? This is our greatest desire.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, let us be a generation that seeks your face and reflects your glory. I love you.
Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Pray that the manager of your heart is a place for the Lord.

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December 13, 2012

Read It:
Jesus said to the crowds:
"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."

Reflect on It:
Whoever has ears ought to hear. Many times, I think we don't hear the things that the Lord is calling us to. I know I tend to talk and talk, but fail to listen to what the Lord has to say. When I was younger, someone once told me we have two ears to hear and one mouth to speak. We should listen twice as much as we speak. For the girl that always talks, it was hard to take to heart. Today's gospel is really a call for us to build some silence into our lives. Silence is what allows us to hear the the things that God is asking of us, it's important that we build some into our lives, especially during Advent.

Pray about It: Lord, your words bring us ever lasting life! Help me to hear what it is that you are saying to me today so that I can believe in you and love you more daily. I love you!

Live It! Challenge: Today, spend 10 minutes in complete silence: no music, no texting, no facebook, silence and see what the Lord is saying to you!

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December 12, 2012

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Read It:

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

Reflect on It: The Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe is one of great importance. She's the patroness of the Americas and she's the most pro life image we have in the Church as she's pregnant in the image. Today, we see Mary traveling to see her cousin Elizabeth who is with child. Back then, they didn't have facebook or texting, so there was no way that Elizabeth would have known that Mary was pregnant. As soon as Mary and Elizabeth greeted each other, John the Baptist, leaped in Elizabeth's womb. He knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Mary was carrying our Lord. 

Pray about It: Mama Mary, Help us always to be the bearers of Christ in this world and to bring praise and Glory to God the way you did!

Live It! Challenge: Today, bring the good news of Jesus Christ to someone at your school etc :)

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December 11, 2012

Read It:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."

Reflect on It: God never leaves us! Let me say that again: The Father NEVER leaves us! He will always go in search of us when we go astray and when we come back, there's rejoicing. We have a great opportunity in Advent to come back to the Lord. While it's not a penitential season per say, it does give us the chance to receive God's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. One of the surest ways back to him when we stray is through this great healing sacrament. Make it a point to go during advent. Almost all parishes have added times to their confession schedules.

Pray about It: God our Father, you never give up on me. Help me to search for you as fervently as you search for me when I stray from you. I love you Lord!

Live It! Challenge: Go to confession today or find some time this week to go!

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December 10, 2012

Read It:
One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven."

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
"Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
"What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk?'
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins?"
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."

He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
"We have seen incredible things today."

Reflect on It: "We have seen incredible things today!" In today's gospel, we hear about a paralyzed man who was healed by Jesus. What is incredible about this is that the healing comes because of the faith of others. Unable to reach Jesus himself, the paralyzed man was lowered through a roof and placed in front of Jesus. These men stopped at nothing in order to bring the man to him. In turn, Jesus saw their faith and it is their faith that saved the man. I think that this gospel shows us the importance of having people around us who are full of faith. One translation calls the men "friends". Would the faith of your friends save you? I think we have to ask ourselves that? During Advent, we should look to see if our friends would love us enough to bring us to the King for healing and if we would do the same for them.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, you are the king of my heart. Help me to surround myself with people who give you the glory and who can bring me most fully to you. I love you. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Today, pray for a specific friend of yours and intercede on their behalf.

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Second Sunday of Advent: December 9, 2012: Prepare!

Read It:
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Reflect on It:
Prepare the Way of the Lord! In the Annunciation, we hear the angel tell Mary that not only will she conceive a child in her womb, but that her cousin, Elizabeth, who is considered barren will give birth to a son. That son is John the Baptist. John the Baptist's whole role in life was to Prepare the way of the Lord. John was so holy and his life was so directed to the Lord, that people mistook him for the Messiah. John the Baptist wasn't worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals and neither are we, but God is good and numbers us amongst his flock. At this mid way point of Advent, we see we too can prepare the way of the Lord. The world is crying out right now for this redemption. In the midst of Christmas crazy, may we be men and women who prepare the way of the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, as John the Baptist was decreased so that Christ could increase, I pray that you help me to do that as well. Help me to understand that you are coming and that we must prepare the world for your coming. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: How are you preparing the way of the Lord? Take some time today to figure out how you can better be Christ like for others.

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Solemnity of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception: December 8

Read It:

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Reflect on It:

The YOUCAT (the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church...check it out if you haven't already) #83 says: The Church believes that "the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin". This means that in order to say yes to God, Mary had to be preserved from sin for all time. It's a bit difficult to carry perfection in your womb if you yourself are all about sin.

This Immaculate Conception is what is important in Mary being able to say yes. In the Gospel, we see that Mary, who's "full of Grace" would conceive and bear a son and her answer was not just a yes, but a RESOUNDING yes. Today, Mary is our model of saying yes. This yes if often called a fiat. What's the yes the Lord is asking you today? How does he want you to say yes this Advent?

Pray About It: Lord, help me to say yes to you today. Help me to be like Mary and to make my heart ready for what you have in store for me. Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Today is a Holy Day of Obligation, which means that the Church believes the day to be so important they require you to go to Mass. Make sure you go today and thank the Lord for the gift of Mary.

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December 7, 2012

Read It:
As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
"Son of David, have pity on us!"
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
"Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"Let it be done for you according to your faith."
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
"See that no one knows about this."
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

Reflect on It:
Today, we see that the blind men believed they could be healed. They believed it and it was so. I think sometimes, we limit what we believe God can do. We think that he can help us with the small things, but never the big things. Today, let's pray for big things and pray to be healed of the things that hold us back from loving the Lord.

Pray about It:
Holy Spirit, help me to be a person who knows all of the good you can work in my life. Help me to never limit what you want to do in my life out of fear or belief that you can't do something. Be with me today. Amen!

Live it! Challenge: Today, ask God for the biggest and grandest desire of your heart.

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December 6, 2012

Read It:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

Reflect on It:
What is your house built on? Solid ground or sand? Advent is a good time to root yourself more fully into that which is solid, Jesus Christ. As we prepare for his coming, may we be more fully rooted in Him.

Pray about It: Sweet Jesus, I want for you to be the center of my heart and life. Help me to be firmed rooted in you.

Live It! Challenge: Today, go to confession to prepare the way of the Lord.

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December 5, 2012

Read It:

At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
"My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way."
The disciples said to him,
"Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?"
Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"
"Seven," they replied, "and a few fish."
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over--seven baskets full.

Reflect on It:
It always makes me laugh that the disciples doubt whether or not Jesus can feed everyone in the crowds. They constantly doubt and are unsure about what he can do. Jesus loves them and meets his disciples with care, basically showing them his love. I would get so frustrated. Good thing I am not God. Today, let's trust that Jesus is in control of all the things in our lives.

Pray about it:
Holy Spirit, help me to trust that you can do anything in me. Help me to be open to the ways you want to break through to me today. Help me to love you more deeply this Advent Season.

Live It! Challenge: Today, give God something you've been holding out on. Let him take care of it.

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December 4, 2012

Read It:

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

 Reflect on It:
We know of the goodness of God. Blessed are we to see Christ in the Eucharist, to hear his word. So many people desire that relationship with Christ, but don't have it. We are blessed to be those people. As we ponder Advent in our hearts, let's be people who desire a deeper, bigger, crazy awesome relationship with Christ.


Pray About It: God our Father, help me to have a better and deeper relationship with your son this Advent season. I love you Lord. Help me to desire you always.


Live it! Challenge: Spend five minutes today going to before the Lord in the Eucharist.

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Monday, December 3, 2012

Read It:

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."

Reflect on It:
In today's gospel, we see the very words that we pray at mass: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my soul shall be healed". We say this right before we receive the Eucharist. Recently updated in our the mass changes, we see how the Lord of the Universe is actually interested in entering under our roof. The centurion in the story knew that he wasn't worthy to have Sweet Jesus enter his home and was subject to Jesus' authority the way that his own servants were subject to him. Jesus was impressed by his faith. As we pray this prayer before we receive, I try to take an inventory of my heart and soul. I don't know that I'll ever be truly worth to have Sweet Jesus enter under my roof, into my body. But, I think it gives us a good challenge. Each one of us becomes a tabernacle, a walking living, breathing tabernacle in that moment and that's a challenge for each one of us. Are we truly ready for him to enter under our roof.

Pray about It: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. Jesus, I believe, help my unbelief". Amen.

Live It! Challenge: Today, attend mass and pray through it. Pray that you can become a tabernacle worthy for the Lord to enter into.

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Sunday, December 2: First Sunday of Advent

Happy Advent!!

Read It:

Jesus said to his disciples:
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man."

Reflect on It:

In this first Gospel reading of Advent, we see that we have to take care that our hearts do not become drowsy with things of this world. As we enter into Advent, the things of the world can continue to suck us in. It's hard with Christmas being right around the corner to not be sucked into all of the craziness that comes with the time of year. This Advent, be sober and alert. I know that sometimes, we really think that the second coming of our Savior won't happen for a long time, but what if it did? What if he came back tomorrow? Does your life show that you are ready? This advent, as we prepare for the tiny baby that would come to change our lives and our heart, let's prepare the way of the Lord.

Pray About It: Sweet Jesus, prepare my heart for your coming. I want this Advent to be different from all the others. Help me to be ready for your coming. Let my heart be different this year. I ask this in your name. Amen!

Live It! Challenge: As we prepare for the coming of Christ at Advent, come up with a list of 3 things you can do that will help your heart stay awake and be ready for him in just a few weeks.

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