Living Sacrifice

Even the natural world anticipates the coming of Christ.  When God becomes man, we are also reawakened to the beauty of creation and to the God who reveals Himself to us in the Eucharist.   

The Church's vision for peace entails more than the absence of war and the absence of conflict.  Peace is an "active and demanding gift" (Pope Leo XIV).  St. Augustine defines peace as "tranquillitas ordinis", the tranquility of order.  Christ comes to bring us that peace.

God calls us to watch and wait for the coming of Christ.

Christ, our King, reigns from the cross and in the Eucharist.  He comes in poverty and humility to win our hearts and make us His bride, the Church.  

In the fires of adversity, God teaches us to live well the Catholic faith, to be purified so as to be available for others, and to persevere.  

We celebrate this weekend the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us as the Temple of God.  Just as Christ was pierced with a lance and out flowed blood and water, even so the Church is nourished by this saving stream and equipped to bring the healing power of Christ to the world.

Every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a remembrance, a memorial of the passion and death of the Lord Jesus that is offered anew to the Father.  We remember all the faithful departed in this Holy Sacrifice and pray that they may rise to new life with Him.

Sirach teaches us that "The prayer of the lowly pierces the crowds," and Jesus says that "all who humble themselves will be exalted."  God listens to our prayers when we approach Him with a humble and contrite heart.

Prayer and growth in the spiritual life is a battle, a daily struggle.  How can we surrender ourselves more completely to Christ so that He can win the victory in us?

God greatly desires a deep, personal relationship with each one of us.  When we approach Him with humility, gratitude and worship we come to realize that "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power" (Psalm 98).

Jesus calls us to trust and have faith that He will provide for us and care for all our needs.  Having faith, we grow in virtue and in integrity.   As God speaks through the prophet Habakkuk: "The rash man has no integrity, but the just one, because of his faith, shall live."

The Christian life involves avoiding evil and  practicing the virtues as disciples of Christ.  This weekend's readings allow us to reflect on two of the Cardinal Virtues: Justice and Prudence.  How are we allowing the life of virtue to be formed in us as we embrace the Kingdom of God and eternal life?

Christ has been "lifted up" on the cross to change and transform us in the Christian life.  The cross is the exalted love of God through which we are redeemed and become new creatures in Christ.  

The way to heaven is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit and by the wisdom that God imparts.  Jesus, this weekend, reveals that path as the way of discipleship.  We must count the cost and see if we are ready to be disciples of the Lord, and we ask for the grace to follow Christ to eternal life.  

Humility, the great spiritual masters teach us, is the foundation for prayer and Christian life.  The Book of Sirach invites us to embrace that virtue and Christ challenges us to take the lowest place so that we can be exalted by God.

The Fathers of the Church define the Christian life as a "status viatoris," the "state of being on the way" to eternal life with God.  We are invited by God this weekend to join that pilgrimage and the be prepared for the final destination, the wedding banquet of the Lamb.

God gives us His favor, unmerited help, to cooperate with His call and to become His children and partakers of the divine nature.  This is grace.   Are we open to this remarkable gift that allows us to share in God's own life?

We are called to be watchful and ready for the encounter with Christ.  We do this by being attentive to Christ in our daily lives and practice of our faith, in our Christian service and in the Sacred Liturgy.

Jesus gives us Himself as a remedy for greed and selfishness.  With Him living in us we can overcome and live the generosity of the cross at every moment.

God invites us into an intimate conversation and experience of grace in Christian prayer.  We ask for the grace to open the door to this experience, to "take the better part" and to allow our contemplation to be transformed into active service in the Lord.

God draws intimately close to us in the person of Christ.  He cares for us and heals our wounds by His compassion and mercy.  We are called to do the same and recognize that if God is near, our neighbor is also near.  

In the Liturgy this weekend we pray, "O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised a fallen world . . ."  It is through the mystery of the cross that God redeems the world.  How are we called to unite ourselves to that cross and participate in His work of redeeming the world? 

Saints Peter and Paul are the Patrons of the Diocese of Providence.  They watch over and care for our Church by their prayers, their witness and their teaching.  May we also acknowledge God's providence in our lives and offer witness to our Catholic faith in words and in deeds.

The Corpus Christi or Body of Christ, the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, is the "source and summit" of the entire Christian life (Lumen Gentium, Ecclesia de Eucharistia).  Jesus offers Himself for the salvation of the world, but He also invited us to offer ourselves in union with Him.  We pray for the grace to make that offering and to be more united to Christ in our daily lives, bearing great fruit for the Kingdom of God.

God's innermost secret is that He is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and He has now destined us to share in that exchange (CCC, #221).

The Gospel of St. John is a story of the re-creation, a recapitulation of Genesis in which the Evangelist is showing us the healing work of God in restoring the brokenness of creation.  The high point is Christ breathing on the disciples in the upper room and saying "Receive the Holy Spirit."  We pray, "Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth." 

Christ calls us to be one, as He and the Father are one.  This unity participates in the creative and redemptive work of God.

The Church is Apostolic in her origin, in her teaching and in her structure.  God guides and directs the Church in every age and sends us out to make Him known in the world we live in.

The road to heaven is difficult, described by Jesus as a way that is narrow and hard.  Along this road Jesus accompanies us and, even now, gives us a glimpse of His glory.  

The road to heaven is difficult, described by Jesus as a way that is narrow and hard.  Along this road Jesus accompanies us and, even now, gives us a glimpse of His glory.  

Jesus is the lamb that shepherds us to the source of life-giving waters.   His sacrifice on the cross is precisely what guides and directs our should to new and everlasting life.  He is the Lamb of Sacrifice and the Good Shepherd.

In the Apostle's Creed we profess that we believe in the "Communion of Saints."  The Communion of Saints consists in the Church on earth or the Church Militant, the Church Suffering and the Church Triumphant.  God calls us strive and cooperate with His grace here on earth so that we can be with Him forever in heaven.  

St. Paul tells us that "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Divine Mercy is living proof that God exists and that He has given us grace, forgiveness and a new beginning.  

The empty tomb sets everything in motion as we see Christ risen from the dead.  God moves us to love Him and our neighbor like never before.  In the Easter Season we embrace the movement of God in our lives and in our world. 

Christ came on the ultimate journey from heaven to earth to grant us forgiveness and renewal of life.  St. Paul tells us how "God greatly exalted him," and He now invites us to join Christ on this journey towards Easter and to everlasting life. 

Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.  God invites us to leave the past behind and to begin a new life with Christ in freedom, grace and love.  

St. Paul tells us that "Whoever is in Christ is a new creation."  God reconciles us in Christ and restores us once again to new and everlasting life.

In the mystery of suffering, and in our deepest needs, God comes down to us to bring us a new beginning and eternal life.  

God shines His divine light into our lives and gives us hope.  We remember that God will never fail or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and with hearts filled with living faith, we follow Him.

Jesus appears on Mount Tabor and is Transfigured before the Apostles Peter, James and John.  Moses and Elijah appear to Him and St. Luke says they spoke about "the exodus" He was to accomplish in Jerusalem.  Jesus leads us through a new exodus, from this life to eternal life with God.

Christ takes our human nature and enters into the desert to combat Satan and overcome temptation.  He teaches us how to give ourselves entirely to God.

God calls each of us to love and this weekend challenges us to love even our enemies.  By Christ living and loving in us we can hope follow this great commandment and truly be His disciples. 

God calls us to follow that path that leads to new and eternal life.  Practicing the presence of God allows us to find that path and to stay on it.

God calls us to a particular vocation and He also calls each of us to holiness of life.  Discovering His amazing grace, we are often overwhelmed by our own unworthiness, yet He purifies us and sends us out on mission!

Desire is an essential component in the Christians life.  We seek God, desire Him and allow Him to become the great end for which we live.

God gives us His word so that we can be strengthened and inspired to grow in life with Him and those around us.  How can we make the word of God the foundation of our spiritual lives and become more fruitful as His disciples?

Jesus is our Divine Bridegroom who comes to die for us and brings us new and everlasting life.  How can we unite ourselves more deeply to Him and bear fruit that will last?

Isaiah describes the Messiah as one who is gentle among us: "A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench."  Jesus is that wounded healer who was "wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5).

God is made manifest to all the nations of the world, represented by the Magi.  They adore Him and give him gifts because He alone is king and ruler of all.  

Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and humanity, yet God delights in the mediation of angels, men and women in His plan of salvation.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, as Mediatrix, plays a special role in bringing the grace of God into our lives. 

We are called to imitate the Holy Family in the virtues of family life.  The virtue of obedience helps us to listen to the word of God and submit freely to it as we bear great fruit in Christ.

In the Incarnation God tears open the veil and reveals the unseen world.  May we worship and adore Him, and then make Him known to all who long to see Him.

In the smallest things of life we often find great value.  Jesus comes to the Little Town of Bethlehem, and is found in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  May we find Him in the small things, and then, simply find Him everywhere.

God calls us to rejoice and even sing because Christmas is near.  Even in the darkest moments of life, we can find God drawing near and giving us hope and healing.  "Rejoice in the Lord always," says St. Paul, "I shall say it again: Rejoice!"

Growth in the spiritual life requires an engagement and a struggle in which God gains the victory for us and brings us great freedom and joy.  We receive the peace of Christ in Christmas when we strive for holiness in the Advent Season.

Advent is Latin for coming or arrival.  Jesus comes to us in the past in Bethlehem, in the future at His Second Coming, and He also comes to us each day in many different and amazing ways.  Are we ready for His coming?

Jesus Christ is Lord, King of the Universe.  Is He also your king?

God reveals to us the great truth that He is an eternal exchange of love, and that He is calling each and every one of us to share in His divine life. 

"Attention" writes Simone Weil, "is the rarest and purest form of generosity."  Our readings this weekend focus on the attention that leads to the generosity of love, what we are called to emulate as we follow Christ.

God creates us with the capacity to know and welcome Him into our lives.  When He commands us to love Him and our neighbor it is because He desires to be in communion with us and makes us capable of doing so.

No matter what our physical or outside constraints may be, God is able to set us free inside through faith, hope and love.  These Theological Virtues help us to live and love in God.

Christ allows us to unite our sufferings to His passion so that we can cooperate with His work of redeeming the world and share in the glory of God.

Jesus looks upon us with love and mercy and allows us to respond to His grace as disciples and to bear fruit.

In St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body we discover the "nuptial meaning of the body," that we were created for communion and in that beautiful reality we image the blessed Trinity.

God gathers us together to fill us with His Spirit and sends us out to gather the scattered children of God.

Christ calls St. Peter, and all of us, to see the cross from God's perspective.  

Jesus, the Messiah, comes to restore and renew us in His divine love and grace.  

The heart is the place of encounter between God and humanity.  Christ calls us to purify our hearts and to always be ready for the encounter with God.

"The flesh is the very condition on which our salvation hinges" (Tertullian).

"Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

Jesus gives us His own body and blood as food for the journey on our pilgrimage home to God.

We are called to a dialogue with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and we should be ready to listen to what He has to say.

In the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus anticipates the future institution of the Eucharist, roots the Eucharist in the past and gives us grace in the present moment.  

Jesus, our true Shepherd, leads us through the dark valley to find new and eternal life in God.

Jesus gives us the paradigm for a truly missionary Church this weekend: a Church called and sent, a Church dependent totally upon Him, and a Church that imitates His call to repentance and new life.  

Each baptized Christian is called to share in the prophetic ministry of Jesus Christ. We do so with receptivity, knowledge that we may be rejected, and ultimately with a spirit of renewal.   

The created world listens to the voice of its Creator.  When we listen to the voice of God we find that peace we long for, even in the midst of the storms of life.

The parables of Jesus about the Kingdom of God require that we have humility and faith, and that we become men and women of prayer.  Jesus wants us to enter fully into the Kingdom of God and to bear great fruit!

God calls us to much more than return to Paradise.  He calls us to share in His own Divine life and to share in the glory of the risen Christ.  He heals us of the wound of original sin and calls us to build up those around us.

Jesus fulfills the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant by sharing in our life, offering His body and Blood on the cross, and giving us Himself as a meal in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.

God has revealed Himself as an eternal exchange of love, Father Son and holy Spirit, and has invited us to share in that exchange. 

God wants to pour  the Holy Spirit into our hearts like honey, His sweetness and gentle new life.  Through prayer we expand our hearts and purify them to receive this great gift.

Jesus teaches us that we do not belong to the world anymore than He does, but also that "God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."  Christians are called to live differently than the world, but to also bring the message of the Gospel to the world that desperately needs to hear it.

God's love is unconditional, but to be friends with God necessitates that we love.  By loving those around us enough to share Christ with them, we truly fulfill the commandment of love.

Creation and the redemption are the fruits of the communion of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus, in His image of the vine and the branches, invites us to likewise bear fruit in communion with Him.  The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Jesus' body and blood that allows us to remain in Him, and He in us, and to bear great fruit.

Are you saved?  In the Catholic vision of salvation, we are touched by Christ personally and socially, spiritually and physically, historically and in a transcendent way.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, comes to us to bring us this salvation.

The kerygma or core Gospel message has the power to change and transform the world.  How are we receiving it and is it changing our lives in this Easter season?

The Divine Mercy comes to us from the pierced side of Christ.  Out of His side flows blood and water, washing away our sins in the waters of baptism and strengthening us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  Thus God provides for us all that we need to make a free and generous return to Him.

Easter is about rediscovering our story-our life in Christ-and announcing it to God in worship and the world in evangelization.

The Church is called, in Holy Week, to accompany Christ on the road to calvary and the Resurrection.  

St. Paul urges us to "put on the whole armor of God."  When we do so we can win the battle for virtue, the battle for prayer and the battle against spiritual apathy.

Christ, in our Gospel this weekend, introduces us to the paradox of the cross.  It is the seed that dies and is buried in the ground that bears much fruit.  How are we called to unite ourselves more completely to His cross and so share in the fullness of His resurrection?

God calls us to a covenant relationship in Christ, giving us His own body and blood in the Eucharist and offering Himself as the new and eternal covenant.   

Jesus Christ gives us Himself in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  As a meal and a sacrifice, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian faith.

The Church celebrates the Paschal Mystery-the suffering and death and the resurrection of Christ-as a single and life-giving event.  Wherever we are experiencing the cross in our lives at this time, God is drawing us ever more deeply into the glory of Easter.  

God calls us because He loves us, and by His grace He helps us to become holy. 

God's answer to a broken world is . . . water!  In the waters of Baptism we are regenerated and with Christ living in us we can change the world.

God calls us to an intimate, loving relationship with Him in Christ.   We are invited into friendship with God.   When we strain or even break that friendship, Jesus Christ can restore it and heal us by His mercy and grace.  What a gift, to have friendship with God!

God's response to human misery is to send Jesus Christ, His Son, as the remedy.  Christ founds the Church to continue that healing mission.

In the Gospel this weekend Jesus teaches with great authority and by His own power casts out the unclean spirit.  Christ gives His authority to the Church to teach and drive away evil.  How are we able to grow and thrive in our Christian life through and because of that authority?