Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran

“In the building of the Church, there must also be an altar. I think that if those of you, disposed & eager for prayer, offer petitions and prayers of supplication to God day & night, you will become the living stones for the altar which Jesus is building.
Consider what praise is ascribed to these stones which make up the altar. The lawgiver Moses said that the altar was to be made of stones, uncovered by iron. What are these stones? Perhaps those uncut & undefiled stones are the holy apostles, all making a single altar, because of their unity of mind and heart. For it was known that with one accord they opened their lips to pray: You Lord, know the hearts of all…
Let us strive to agree among ourselves and to have one mind and voice. May we never quarrel or act from vainglory. But may we remain united in belief and purpose. Then even we may hope to become stones fit for the altar.”
--Homily on Joshua by Origen, priest

Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
~Psalm 27:14

The psalmist tells us to wait with courage, implying that there will be things which we will fear during our wait. Surely this is not a surprise to any of us; every day seems to bring with it some frustration, some worry. Yet what is our attitude towards these trials? What is our response? Let us ask the Lord for the resolve to continue on our way towards Heaven.

Be Prepared

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them."
--Lk 12:35-37

Jesus cautions us to be ready to serve the Lord at any moment, for He will come when we least expect it. How easy it is to grow weary of serving the Christ in those we come into contact every day, especially when they continue to annoy or frustrate us. Yet it is likely that the Lord will come knocking not in the grandiose and extraordinary. Are we looking for opportunities to serve Him in those we meet, particularly when it seems troublesome or inconvenient for us? Do we ignore the soft knock of Christ on the door of our hearts, waiting instead for a trumpet fanfare to call us into action?

Give thanks through all generations

Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
—Psalm 100:4b-5

When we ponder the stories of the Old Testament, like the stories of Abraham and Isaac, we can see what they cannot see. Because we know what is to come later, we can see God’s Providence at work in their lives. We can give thanks to the Lord for testing Abraham in asking him to sacrifice his only son because we know that Abraham’s faithfulness would lead to a new covenant, a promise of faithfulness to all his descendants.

In our lives, it is difficult to see the work of God when it seems like we go from one deadline to the next. Particularly in our daily struggles, it may seem that the road we’re traveling is leading nowhere. Yet when we view our lives in hindsight, whether it be a week or several years later, we see God’s Providence at work to lead us to something far better than what we may have imagined. The covenant God made with Abraham is very much with us today. May we continue to praise Him for His goodness to us!

Blessed be God

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In Christ we have redemption by his Blood, the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
--Eph 1:3-10

We are all made to be with God. It is from Him that we have our being and it is to Him to whom we long to return at the end of our lives. The path that we travel to return to God is marked out for us by Christ, who is not only our guide but also our companion on the journey. This is the Truth of who we are, which St. Paul captures in his letter to the Ephesians. How do we acknowledge this Truth in every aspect of our lives?

Feast of St. Luke

Canticle of Simeon, from the Gospel of Luke

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine Secundum verbum tuum in pace: Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum: Lumen ad revelationem gentium, Et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, in peace, according to Thy word: For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light to reveal Thee to the nations and the glory of Thy people Israel.