First Week of Advent - A Spiritual Journey towards Christmas

Discovering the Presence of Christ - Daily Gospel Reflections

December 2, 2013

Gospel Reading:
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. - Matthew 8:5-8

Reflection: 
Discover Jesus in His word. Believe in the power of Jesus' word as did the centurion. Jesus speaks not only to him, but also to us. Do not allow fear or doubt to turn you away from hearing His voice. Place your trust in His healing words.

Action: 
Pray for someone who is need of healing today. Trust in Jesus' words, "I will come to cure him."

December 3, 2013

Gospel Reading:
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.” –Luke 10:23-24

Reflection: 
As Disciples of Christ we are privileged to be invited by Jesus to see and hear things differently. This invitation is not to deny the challenges that exist in this world, which is all too often full of chaos, violence, and fear. Rather, it is an invitation, in the midst of the challenges, to encounter the presence of Jesus. Jesus reminds us to discover meaning in the chaos, to seek peace amidst the violence, and to hold firmly to faith in the moments of fear. As disciples we choose to see Jesus’ presence of love, reconciliation and hope. And so when you are confronted with challenges don’t despair. Instead, stop, close your eyes, and take a breath. Then open your eyes to see God’s blessings and open your ears to Jesus’ voice calling on you to be His presence of love, reconciliation and hope in the world all around you.

Action: 
Take a quiet five-minute walk outside. Experience the sights and sounds around you. Name God’s blessings in your life. Then reflect on where Jesus is calling on you to be His presence of love, reconciliation or hope to another person or situation.

December 4, 2013

Gospel Reading:
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. –Matthew 15:32-39

Reflection: 
Discover Jesus in the other. Today Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd. In today’s world pity is often understood as “feeling sorry” for the other. For Jesus the word pity is much stronger. It is a strong feeling of sympathy for the other; it is having compassion, to suffer with the other. It is when we are weak Jesus looks to nourish us. As disciples we are invited to give what we have to Jesus. We can often find ourselves in what seems to be an impossible situation. Instead of “giving up” Jesus invites us to “give him” what we have. We must not be helpless or hopeless! We serve a God of miracles and Jesus proves to us time and time again he will not only satisfy us, He will go over and beyond to provide us an abundance! In response to our suffering and to the sufferings of others, we must be willing to give whatever we have to Jesus. And when we do, not only will we be satisfied, we will be able to go forth to share the blessings we have received with others.

Action: 
Be compassionate with someone else today. It may be a simple greeting, phone call or an invitation for a meal. Don’t forget to help those who cannot repay you. Perhaps you can prepare a sack lunch or buy a meal for someone homeless or on the street. When we give ourselves in service to others everyone receives.

December 5, 2013

Gospel Reading: 

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.” –Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Reflection: 

Jesus demands more of his disciples than merely words. Action is fundamental to the life of a Christian. It flows from one’s proclamation of faith, but it does not end there. At the same time discipleship is not about earning some type of credit for any given action. Neither will respond to Jesus’ demand. Disciples must first seek to do the will of the Father. This necessitates listening and discerning in prayer. After prayer we are then sent forth to act in a manner that responds to the will of the Father, which is always to build the Kingdom of Heaven. And so responding to Jesus’ demand requires faith, prayer and action. All three movements must be carried out and be built upon a strong foundation. A foundation that will stand despite the rain, flood and wind that will no doubt come. That foundation is Christ, who perfectly fulfills the will of the Father. Therefore, are you wise enough to heed the words of Jesus and to act on them? If so, you are you building your house on rock. If not, it is time to make some changes by ending the madness of building your house on sand.

Action: 

Build your house on rock! Spend a short time in prayer. After your time in prayer, go forth to do a concrete act that reflects the life of Jesus Christ.

December 6, 2013

Gospel Reading:

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. –Matthew 9:27-31

Reflection: 

At every moment of every day Jesus “passes by” our lives. In fact, He is always there to respond to our needs. We can learn from the blind men in the Gospel today. Even though we can “see”, we are often blinded to the presence of Christ around us. We, at times, only see the wrong, the hurt, or the unanswered prayer. This blindness can lead us to feel abandoned, downhearted, unloved. Disciples may get discouraged, but must never give up! For as St. Paul reminds us, we live by faith not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). And so, as we journey in faith, before we try to figure it all out or give Jesus a laundry list of wants, let us first humbly acknowledge His presence. The two men in the Gospel give us an example as they first acknowledged the presence of Jesus by saying, “Son of David, have pity on us”. Their faith brought them to an encounter with Jesus. We must do the same and when we do, we too, will be in a place to hear the Lord say to us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” Our response should be, “Yes Lord”.

Action: 

Acknowledge Jesus’ presence with a heartfelt prayer. Then make a request to the Lord. After the request, hear him ask you, “Do you believe that I can do this?” Let your response be “Yes Lord!”

December 7, 2013

Gospel Reading:

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.  At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” –Matthew 9:35-38

Reflection: 

We hear in the Gospel that Jesus went around to all the towns and villages. Imagine for a moment Jesus walking around your life. Walking with you in your home, school, work or daily activities. As he goes about the day, what does He see? Does He find himself at the center of your day? Or does Jesus find himself in and out of the picture? Jesus is the Good Shepherd looking to care for His sheep. He walks around your life because it bothers Him to see when you are troubled or abandoned. He comes to teach, to proclaim joys of the Kingdom and to bring healing to your life. In the hustle and bustle of life, you need reminders of His presence. You need voices that point you to Him and that challenge you to keep Jesus at the center of your day. Jesus gives us a Church with pastors to be that voice. Recently Jesus’ Vicar on Earth, Pope Francis, reminded us, “To follow Jesus means putting him first, and stripping ourselves of all that oppresses our hearts.” Let us always make Jesus the center of our lives. Let Him teach us, proclaim to us the joys of His Kingdom and to heal us of all that burdens.

Action: 

Spend some quiet time reflecting on how you can make Jesus the center of your life. What is one concrete action you can do each day to ensure you keep Jesus at the center of your life?

Models in the Faith

"By your perseverance you will secure your lives." Luke 21:19

We are called to persevere to the end? In what or in who do we persevere? We are called to persevere in the Truth who is Jesus Christ. Jesus warns us that many will come in His name saying, "I am He" and the "Time has come," but Jesus encourages us not to follow them (Luke 21:8). This is very challenging in our world today because there are so many voices. Voices that call us to many different things. Voices that confuse and lead away from the Truth found in Christ. It takes attentiveness and prayer to identify the difference. We need not do it alone. Jesus promises to be with us, yet He requires of us to persevere until the end. Perseverance that will ultimately secure our lives.

To aid us in the journey of faith we must turn to models in the faith. We can turn to the saints in Christ who gave their life in service of the Truth. They remind us that we are not alone nor that we believe the task is in impossible. They are models for us to help and challenge us. They are members of the communion of saints, those who have gone before us and who truly preserved until the end. They guide us still by their story for they gave testimony to the Gospel through their words and actions.

Here are a few examples that model for us the living of the Gospel:


"We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: "I will pray, and then I will understand."  This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in others." - Saint Charles Borromeo

"For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more." - Saint Maximilian Kolbe

"Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven." - Saint Rose of Lima

"The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it." - Saint Vincent de Paul

"You cannot please both God and the world at the same time.  They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions." - Saint John Vianney


These individuals are models for us. We can learn from them and allow for them to help us discern the many voices we will hear. Voices that will try to subtly lead us away from the truth of Christ. There will be voices who invite us to water down the truth and to stray from our traditions. However, as followers of Christ we must remain faithful and to remember His promise, "By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Take A Stand

"It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."" -2 Maccabees 7:1-2

There are many people who state their willingness to die for a loved one or a friend. There are numerous brave men and women who die for our country and the freedoms we celebrate. But how many of us are willing to die for our faith in God? How many of us are willing to take a stand for God's law?

I am not speaking about standing up for simply our own opinion or personal preference in relation to God. I am speaking about the moral truths given to us by God through Divine Revelation and safeguarded by His Church. The challenge in our world today is that there seems to be a diminishing of moral truths and the laws of God. There is a preference for moral relativism, which allows for each person to be his or her own truth. There is a preference for that which no longer engages the mind and the heart but limits itself to emotion and convenience.

One day each of us will stand before God and the judgment seat to give an account for our beliefs and our actions. Will we honestly be able to tell God we struggled each day to give our life for Him and to uphold His teachings and law?

Take a stand today! Stand on the side of God and be willing to give up your popularity, desires, accolades and even your life for the ways of God.

"As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, 
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. 
I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. 
I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit 
that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. 
This I command you: love one another." -John 15:9-17

What is in it for me?

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” - Luke 14:12-14

Give freely not expecting anything in return! This is the message of the Gospel today. We often use as criteria for our decisions, "What is in it for me!" The Lord challenges us to think differently. We respond in faith because God first loved us! We are called to do what is right and just. We are called to act with charity and mercy. We cannot limits our actions to the belief, "What is in it for me!"

We do not earn God's love nor do we earn salvation by our works. In recognizing and accepting God's gift of love and grace, we make the conscious decision each day to live out our faith through our words and actions. Don't be a believer in name only. Don't simply give the Gospel lip service. If you really have faith and you are conscious of God's love, then with that same love, do the works of Christ.

Faith calls us to respond in works. 'I was hungry and you gave me food' (Matthew 25:35). In faith, we place our hope in the promise of the King, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world' (Matthew 25:34).

Don't be caught asking who, what, when, where, why, how! You might just hear the King say to you, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:46).

Video On Demand

Many of us have come to appreciate Video On Demand. Imagine all those movies just waiting for us to watch when we want and when it is convenient for us to do so! It's wonderful to have especially as life has become so busy. Sure its great for movies, but what happens when do the same with God? When we use God On Demand!

Unfortunately, many times we can turn to God On Demand, only when we want and when it is convenient for us to do so! God help me here! God get me through this! God it would be great if you were here with me right now! We cannot turn to God On Demand. God is much more than a simple service provider!

God is a living and loving reality. God seeks a relationship with us at all times. I heard recently, do you know why God speaks to us very softly instead of yelling at us? The answer is because God is always close to us! God doesn't need to yell as if He was far away. No matter how far we may think we run away from God or our decisions keep us away from God, God is always there!

God is there because He desires, seeks, yearns to share His love, forgiveness, mercy, direction, and strength with us. God wants a relationship that is more than an On Demand service. So make a choice today. Focus on a relationship with God. A relationship that is more than On Demand, rather a relationship lived In Love!

Why do I do what I do?

"If there is no mercy in our hearts, if we do not experience the joy of forgiveness, we are not in communion with God, even if we observe all the commandments, because it is love that saves, not the simple observance of rules." -Pope Francis

I have tried to challenge people to reflect on the question, "Why do I do what I do?" Everyday we make decisions, take steps, and perform tasks. We do it with the family, at work, in school and within our walk with God. At times we make decisions with much thought and other moments with little or no thought at all. Certainly there are things in our daily life that do not need much reflection nor consultation before we make a decision or take a step. However, there are other things that desperately need us to take more time for discernment, reflection and then action.

When it comes to our walk with the Lord we must reflect more on the question, "Why do I do what I do?" If we allow our walk with the Lord to be routine, normal, expected and without thought, we can lose sight of what our relationship with God is truly all about. We can take the focus off things that matter more and simply become robotic or emotionless. We can even convince ourselves we are doing right and good because we are doing the things we are expected to do. 

As Pope Francis reminds us our walk with the Lord is more than a simple observance of rules. Yes, observance of rules is necessary and good, however, what is it that drives me in the observance of the rules? Is there love? Is there joy? Is there a true desire to be in communion with God? You see it is not one without the other. God is not calling us to throw out the rules and live the way we desire to live. At the same time God is challenging us not to simply observe commandments without knowing why and without love in our hearts! We need to seek balance. We need to understand why we do what we do.

One example:

Do I go to Church uninterested because it is only a commandment and I am expected to do so?

or

Do I not go to Church because it is only a rule and besides God loves me anyway?

or

Do I go to Church because God invites me into His presence and I do so with love and gratitude in my heart to worship and adore His presence?

And so when it comes to important things in your life like relationships, commitments, and sacrifices, take an extra moment before you act and ask yourself, why do I do what I do?

What if?

"At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it." -Hebrews 12:11

I often do not like to speak about the trials in our lives as a "test" given to us by God. Nor do I often share with others that they should see their challenges as God's discipline. For many the mere thought that God is testing or disciplining us in this life can give a wrong impression of our God. In our spiritual immaturity, we could get stuck on that wrong impression and thus not be able to overcome how a loving merciful God would care to test or discipline us. However, as I continued to reflect on this notion I was led to the thought, what if?

What if God is testing us? Does that mean God doesn't love us? What if God was challenging us in order to discipline us? Does that mean God has no concern for us? Should we get stuck and angry or should we accept and evaluate how we are enduring?

Do we have the faith and courage to see our obstacles, challenges and sufferings as an opportunity to put that same faith into practice? I am first to say that it is far easier to live out our faith in God when all is well. The faith journey is great when I have peace in my heart and I am experiencing so much love. My faith is so alive when things seem to be going my way and everything seems to be clear! However, what happens when the journey is not easy? What happens when I do not have peace in my heart and I am experiencing everything but love? How do I go forth when things are not going my way and I do not have clarity?

Is faith only for the joyous moments? How does my faith guide me when I'm lost or discouraged? Can I muster the faith to say "I do not understand, but Jesus I trust in you!"

Due to the presence of sin in our own life and in the lives of others there will be pain and sufferings. There will be moments to quit and run away. We will be tempted to get angry and get even. This is not the way! Sure it is easier, but deep down inside we know it is not the answer and it will not give us the peace that we seek.

Evaluation time!

So when difficulties come how do you respond? Do you get angry and look to run away? Do you blame your sufferings on God and others? Do you run away from God and shy away from Your faith? Do you fall into depression and drown in your sorrow? If you answered yes to any of those questions then you are not alone. It is a temptation of all of us to do the same. However, as people of faith we must respond differently. I challenge each of us to see our pains and sufferings not as misfortunes but as a test of faith! An opportunity to use our faith to see us through. Not a time to say why me, but to ask what now and where do we go from here! A moment not to question God's presence but to see where God is and reflecting on how God is calling you to act.

When God looks to us in the midst of our suffering, does He find an obedient, joyous, and faithful child awaiting His direction? Or does God encounter a disobedient, down trodden, unfaithful lost soul?

Strive as a child of God to grow in faith and have the courage despite the test to be an obedient, joyous and faithful child awaiting the counsel of our Lord!

Remember there is a TEST in every TESTimony!

Keep the faith! Keep going! Be not afraid!