Living Sacrifice: Growing in Faith Through Scripture and the Mass

God raises up the fallen world we live in by the abasement of Christ and His willingness to embrace the humiliation of the cross.  In St. Matthew's Gospel this weekend Jesus invites us to come to Him and be yoked to Him, so that we can learn that same humility and meekness as a path to renewal.

Jesus reveals to us the Father, who is always faithful and always cares fro us as we live the Christian life.  The God who was with Jeremiah, and the Twelve Apostles, will also remain at our side to care and protect us always.

Jesus consecrates us and calls us to share in the royal dignity of the Kingdom of Heaven.  At our baptism we are anointed with sacred chrism and share in the life of Christ, priest, prophet and king.  Like the Apostles in the Gospel this weekend, we are called to proclaim to all that "the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."

God accompanies us on our pilgrimage home to eternal life.  He provides for us, protects us and helps us to cooperate with Him so that we can persevere on our way home to Him.  

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, God who reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the history of our salvation is identical with the way and the means that God reveals Himself.  We seek to embrace that revelation and live out our salvation fully in Christ.

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  We see this outpouring in the Acts of the Apostles, in St. John's Gospel, and in a multitude of remarkable ways in the New Testament and in the life of the Church.  May we be receptive to this awesome gift of God's own life, welcome it and put into practice the inspirations that God gives to u...

Jesus reveals to us, in the Gospel of St. John, what eternal life consist of: "Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."

God, in an amazing way, dwells among His people in the person of Jesus Christ.  His Apostles and disciples listened to His voice and were strengthened and encouraged by Him in a deeply personal way.  When He ascends to the Father, He promises the gift of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will not only be with them, but will now dwell IN them.  We ask for the grace to live in communion with Go...

Jesus goes to the Father's house, heaven, to prepare a place for us.  It is He who is "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), who even now gives us new life in Baptism and the Eucharist.  God dwells among us even now, and prepares our hearts for eternal life in the Father's house.

The risen Christ, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, opens the Scriptures to us and reveals Himself in the breaking of the bread.  May the encounter with Christ in the Mass open for us a "new horizon" and a move us on to a "decisive direction" as we follow Him.  

Divine Mercy comes to us through the wounds of Christ, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Jesus appears to the disciples in the Upper Room and entrusts them with this ministry of mercy when He gives the Apostles the power to forgive sins.  We are called to receive the mercy of God and to trust in God's mercy, and then to go out in to the world and celebrate it with deeds of...

Christ rises from the dead on the "first day of the week" or the "eighth day."  God writes a whole new beginning into the story of humanity and invites us to enter into the death and resurrection of Christ through Baptism.  

Christ dies in the Passion as a culmination of a life entirely poured out in love for the salvation of the world.  He teaches us, in His gift of Himself in the Eucharist at the Last Supper, in His surrender to the will of the Father in Gethsemane, and in His sacrifice on the cross, that we can live our lives entirely for God.

In Baptism, Jesus raises to new life all who believe in Him and gives us new and everlasting life.  He establishes a friendship in which we can believe and trust in Him, spend intimate time with Him and share in union with Him the in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Baptism is the gateway to life in the Holy Spirit, the door through which we enter to encounter the sacramental life and all that God has in store for us.  The healing of the man born blind is an image for us, anointed and washed, and growing in a deeper relationship with Christ on the way towards Easter. 

Jesus encounters the woman at the well, seeking her and the Samaritans.  He unites us to Himself and calls us to fulfill our responsibilities as His Bride, the Church.  He gives us His body and blood to united Himself to us, now and in eternity.

The Father speaks to us in Sacred Scripture, announcing "The is my beloved Son, in who I am well pleased; listen to Him".  We can listen to the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, in our suffering, in silence and in His sacrifice.  

Through the transgression of the Divine Law, Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world.  Through His gracious act of love, Jesus has brought life and salvation to us.  This Lent we seek to allow Christ to live and move in us as we face temptations and trials. 

Over 1,000 times in Sacred Scripture, the heart is named as the place of encounter between God and humanity.  Christ desires to change our hearts and to prepare them for that encounter with Him that will enable us to live the Christian life with faithfulness and joy.  

The Church is called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, preserving the culture from corruption and illumining God's plan for all humanity.  Jesus challenges us this weekend, because "a city on a mountain cannot be hidden."

God sees our suffering and looks upon us with great compassion.   But He sees much more than just suffering; He sees the blessed life that we are being called to and already gives us a share in that beatitude, right here, right now.  

Jesus, the Lamb of God, offers Himself as a sacrifice of love on the altar of the cross.  Uniting ourselves to His sacrifice in the Eucharist, we can make an offering of ourselves as a sacrifice to God.

Christ came to "save his people from their sins" (MT 1:21).  In the Baptism of the Lord, He teaches us how He will accomplish that salvation.  Christ descends in to our humanity and raises us up to new and everlasting life.  

The Light of Christ which illumines all Israel now shines out to all the nations, represented by the three Magi.  We are called to follow the star and arrive at the place they did, adoring our Lord and being totally transformed by Him.

St. Joseph teaches us the virtues of family life.  He is attentive to the voice of God, even in his sleep; he promptly obeys what God reveals; he tenderly and devoutly cares for the child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We seek to imitate him as we follow Christ.