Holy Week

"He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend." - Philippians 2:8-10

When we were younger, we attended Mass during Holy Week and it was an obligation. The dressing up, the sitting and standing, and the long readings were tedious. This week, as we begin to observe Holy Week, we must recognize that we are no longer children, and approach the upcoming days with reverence and adult faith. This week, we meditate on the fact that being God, Christ chose to lay down His life for our sins. This isn't just a story or something that happened a very long time ago, but it's the very core of our lives and our salvation. If as an adult, you have decided that you believe in Jesus Christ, then observe this week in respect and reverence. God always extends an invitation to follow Him, but use this week to meditate on our own lives, our own sinfulness and the way Jesus came to Earth to serve us. Don't go through this week following the routine, but ask the Lord to let this week come alive for you. Think about the way the Human Jesus must have felt entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, knowing He would be put to death. His peers were about to condemn Him and His friends about to betray Him. And at the end of all this, He would resurrect, breaking the hold death had on us for so long. For the price Jesus paid, we no longer need to fear dying because He gained for us a much bigger reward with the Father in Heaven.

As adults, I ask all of you to please let your faith come alive this week. Attend the Masses, go to confession and reconcile with God, read the bible, meditate on Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. We are no longer children, but adults that should know that our salvation is a very personal matter. It is our duty to make the time to show respect to the Lord who has given us life.

Today's Prayer:
My God, in the Name of Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, I ask You to reveal Yourself to us during this Holy Week. Let those most in need of Your mercy come to reverence the passion, death, and resurrection of Your son, so that we may never die. In Your Name we pray, amen.

God Is a Funny Dude!

"For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways." - Psalm 91:11

I left work today laughing to myself when I realized how God helped me out.

This morning everyone in my office ordered breakfast. I asked for a bagel with cream cheese and since I'm not a coffee drinker, I ordered the bagel with my usual hot chocolate. When the delivery came, every order was correct, except that I was missing my hot chocolate. I shrugged it off and ate my bagel anyway because I wasn't going to complain about a small hot chocolate, although I was pretty upset.

Fast forward to the end of the day when I was leaving work and thinking about what dessert to have with dinner. I thought about chocolate and what I could have in its place since it's what I have given up for Lent… and that's when it hit me - I ordered hot chocolate out of habit, forgetting I wasn't supposed to have any chocolate, but God took care of me and out of all the other orders that were delivered, my hot chocolate was the only thing missing. Some might call this a coincidence, but I know it's not. This is how God works in even the smallest things to help us along. When I realized what He did today, I started laughing. I thanked Him and said, "good one!" He's a really funny guy… ask Him to show you that side of Him.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank You so much for looking out for me in small ways. It's in these details that You show me how much attention You give me. Open my eyes so that I can see Your work in all areas of my life. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Don't Go For Just The Surface

"Yahweh says, 'Yet even now, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. Rend your heart, not your garment.'" - Joel 12:12-13

We're all thinking about Lent and these sacrifices we're making but it's important that each of us understands what this time is really about. This is a call for us to realize that we need God and work on letting Him in to change our lives for the better. The fasting, the weeping, the mourning described are all outward signs of what's going on inside of us and that's why what God says here is so important. Don't let this time be only about what's on the outside, what you're doing out of routine. God doesn't want us to rend our garments, what's on the outside. He wants us to rend our hearts, seek a true conversion from within. He wants to see a real desire in you to follow Him. What you do on the outside for Lent, going through the motions, does not count for anything if the change isn't going on in your mind, heart, and soul. Don't give up soda, candy, smoking, or anything else you can think of if these Lenten sacrifices aren't practiced out of a sincere desire to seek God's will for your life.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to the things I do only in a superficial manner. Help me to put value on what You really want out of me. Help me discover what in me needs to change so that I can be a much better person in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Time for Confession!

"Again Jesus said to them, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' After saying this He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.'" - John 20:21-23

Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, that means that there are a few things you need to be doing in the next 40 days. The first is to go get your ashes, the second is choose something to give up for Lent, and the third is to go to confession. I know that's a really hard one. Before, I had gone years without confessing and I know some of you have too. It's hard to go tell a priest all the bad things we've done, things we don't even want to remember, or things we might brag to our friends about but never ever tell a priest. But you need to go. Little by little, as the days pass by, you've become dirty. All those little sins add up until your soul becomes sick, making you a target for the enemy and falling into something deeper and something much worse. Attached to our soul are all those things you've done to hurt others, things you're ashamed of… things that you can clean yourself of. It's really intimidating to walk into a church and tell a priest all of your sins because he gets to hear the worst of you, but in His mercy, Jesus, through the priest, plans to bring out the best in you and free you from all the filth you've picked up along the way. There isn't a better feeling than hearing that in Jesus' Name all of your sins have been forgiven. Can you imagine how good it will feel to walk out of there knowing that you are now clean and pure before God?

Most churches offer the sacrament of reconciliation every Saturday afternoon. You should look on your parish bulletin for details, or call the rectory and ask to make an appointment with a priest. Please know that they will not judge you. They're human just like you and I'm sure they've heard it all. You can also ask them anything you want and they will direct you on what to do after confession. If you have sins that are weighing on your heart and you're repented of them, then it's time to go and receive Jesus' forgiveness. Don't let shame or embarrassment rob you of feeling forgiven and pure. And if you feel a nudging at your heart as you read this, it's a sign you better make it to confession asap!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You because You have left us the sacrament of reconciliation so that we can cleanse our souls of all the sins we have committed along the way. Take away from us any trace of embarrassment so that we can go and receive Your forgiveness. In Your Name we pray, amen.