May 24 - Pentecost Sunday, Year A

June 2 - Tuesday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Pt.3:12-15,17-18; Ps.90:2-4,10,14,16; Mk.12:13-17) "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's but give to God what is God's." "Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent after Jesus to catch Him in His speech." These "two groups" seem to come one from God and the other from Caesar. But their devious plotting shows the only party present of God is Jesus Himself. And to whom do we belong? Peter makes it abundantly clear in his letter today where our allegiance should lie. He exhorts us to "look for the coming of the day of God and try to hasten it!" We must not set our hearts on things below but on things above, where God dwells; for "the heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt away in a blaze." It is "new heavens and a new earth" we must await, where "the justice of God will reside." What is of Caesar will return to the earth, just as God "turn[s] man back to dust, saying, 'Return, O children of men.'" (For where is Caesar today? And where is the coin that was in their hands?) But the Lord is "from everlasting to everlasting"; "a thousand years in [His] sight are as yesterday… or as a watch of the night." For He exists "before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth." These indeed He created; and these are destroyed by His hand. Brothers and sisters, as our years "pass quickly and we drift away," let us listen to Jesus, who indeed "teach[es] God's way of life sincerely." Let us listen to His servant Peter, who tells us, "Be on your guard lest you be led astray by the error of the wicked." The wicked surround us here on this earth, but even here our hearts must be set on God and we must "be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in His sight." Here we must pray that the Lord will "fill us at daybreak with [His] kindness," that when He comes we shall know His glory… but also that even in these decaying earthen vessels we shall find His grace and see His work accomplished. "Glory be to Him now and to the day of eternity!" May He make us His own. ******* O LORD, let your eternal kingdom dawn upon us, even as the kingdom of this world passes away. YHWH, make us your own; let us come into your kingdom. On this barren earth let us not make our home, in princes and kings let us never trust – to you alone may we give our allegiance, waiting ever for your Day. O LORD, our lives are but passing on this plane, but you are everlasting. Though we wither and die, though all we see shall be consumed by fire, with you we shall live, and rejoice eternally. And so, let us not set our hearts on the riches and glory this world holds in its grasping hands; let us give all over to you with praise. The Day draws near, O LORD, we know, when your Son will return and bring with Him new heavens and a new earth. O let us hasten this Day by our prayers, let us prepare for it by our actions… let us never fear His coming because of our attachment to sin but give up all the darkness, the evil surrounding us and inviting us in, and wait in purity with our eyes to the heavens for our salvation to be fulfilled. Come, Lord Jesus, and draw us into the Father's kingdom.

June 1 - Prayer to St. Justin

O prophet of the Lord who spoke in His defense even before the bench of death, who professed the wisdom of the Cross over the intelligence of our race and all the ideas it could conceive, who chose true worship of the One God even over life itself and taught us also His way in His Church – pray we shall merit with you the name of Christian, the name above every other name, upon our lips and hearts, that we shall follow in His steps seeking always the truth and His love; pray we shall worship Him who deserves all worship and praise and serve Him and His Church even with our last breath on this earth.

June 1 - Monday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Pt.1:2-7; Ps.91:1-2,14-16; Mk.12:1-12) "I will deliver him and glorify him; with length of life I will gratify him and will show him my salvation." So the Lord speaks of us through prophecy of His only Son. So the Lord seeks to accomplish in everyone who "acknowledges [His] name." So indeed He has sent "the Son whom He loved" for our salvation. So He prays with Peter, the Rock of His Church, "May grace be yours and peace in abundance through your knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord." For "by His own glory and power… He has bestowed on us the great and precious things He promised, so that through these [we] who have fled a world corrupted by lust might become sharers of the divine nature." Brothers and sisters, "that divine power of His has freely bestowed on us everything necessary for a life of genuine piety through knowledge of Him." He has come into this world, He has entered the vineyard despite the threat of death, and has indeed been "beat[en]," "treated shamefully," and "killed," all that He might found His Church among us; and His grace is for us "marvelous to behold." Should we not then "make every effort" to employ the gifts He provides by the Holy Spirit and the Church He has made? Should gift not build upon gift so that in this house of ours we grow from the foundation of faith unto the divine love of all? Let us not be like those tenant farmers who acted out of jealousy, who could only say of the Son: "Here is the one who will inherit everything. Come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance will be ours." For the Lord has indeed "come and destroy[ed]" these faithless servants "and turn[ed] His vineyard over to others." We are those others. And we "inherit everything" with the Son if we "say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Yes, brothers and sisters, it is we who "dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Let us be most conscientious in our work in His name; let us be ever ready to provide Him "His share of produce from the vineyard." For the vineyard is all His, and we are all His, and He is with all of us and with all we do and are – and He will deliver us and glorify us in the eternal life to which He has come to lead us. In His Son is our salvation. ******* O LORD, on your Son we find our blessed foundation; in Him let us grow to perfection, to union with you. YHWH, your Son who was rejected by man, who was despised and put to shame and to a painful death, be the foundation of our lives – let our hearts be set upon Him alone that we might become sharers of His divine nature, as is your will. Let us build our house on faith in you, O LORD, and grow in every virtue by increasing knowledge of your power and participation in your great love, till we come to rest with you in your eternal kingdom. That kingdom you build upon this earth this day, both in the hearts of all believers and in the Church you ordain to bear your NAME, to produce fruit by your grace. Let us remain ever in this House, in this vineyard you plant, that our houses may be like your own. O LORD, take our souls unto yourself as we give all things over to you who are the source and deserving recipient of all good things… O let us dwell in your holy House in your surpassing peace all the days of our poor lives, and so become holy as you.

May 31 - Prayer on The Visitation

O Mother of our Lord, who are we that you should visit us? Over hills you came to see your cousin Elizabeth and the child she conceived so miraculously; to her you brought the Child who brings us all salvation. Yes, to us all you bring Jesus… all holy souls you visit with His grace. John the Baptist proclaims this Savior whom he has known first in your voice, and all hearts leap up at your approach; for the Lord is with you, even in your blessed womb: how blessed is this fruit you bear! Visit us this day, dear Mother, with Jesus our Redeemer, that even this day we may rejoice in His Name.

May 31 - Most Holy Trinity Sunday, Year A

(Ex.34:4b-6,8-9; Dn.3:52-56; 2Cor.13:11-13; Jn.3:16-18) "The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; and blessed is your holy and glorious name." Brothers and sisters, let us praise God this holy day; let us rejoice in His love. Let us be as Moses, who upon hearing the NAME of the Lord spoken in his hearing, upon having the Lord's presence revealed to him, "at once bowed down to the ground in worship." He did not fail to bless God "in the temple of [His] holy glory," but as the Lord "look[ed] into the depths from His throne upon the cherubim" – as He who transcends all made Himself known to His servant upon the earth – cried aloud to God for His protection, for the protection that the three holy men (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) knew by the Hand of God, by His blessed angel, when saved from the flames in the fiery furnace. And though "exalted above all forever," the Lord hears and answers His children. God is three and God is love. The One God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is made known in His love. Both the unity of God and His gracious and merciful love are evident today in John's famous quote: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life." They are, of course, Jesus' words whispered to Nicodemus in his night of doubt and question, and they should fall deeply into our own ears and speak clearly to our hearts of the intimacy of Father and Son and the love one holds and the other carries, a love which is in essence the working of the Spirit. It is this love and union with these to which we are all called, and which we all find by believing "in the name of the only Son of God." Brothers and sisters, the presence of God is among us always; the Son has come to save our race, and has thus made all things holy. What Moses knew on Mount Sinai with the "two stone tablets" in his hands, we should know simply by opening our eyes – for His NAME should be written on our hearts. And so always we should be in prayer and praise of the majesty of God. With the living creatures and the elders in heaven we should continually bow down before Him and stand to shout of His glory. Open your hearts to Him who is all in all. On this Trinity Sunday I will leave you with Paul's parting words to the Corinthians: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you." Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Speaking of God" (first part) from The Whole Whale, eighth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, may we believe in the only Son whom you have sent that we might have eternal life in the Spirit. YHWH, you indeed are merciful, and so you send your only Son to us to save us from the condemnation upon our souls because of our sin against you. From your throne in Heaven send your Spirit forth to carry the salvation wrought by your Son to the very ends of the earth, that all might be one in you and live in your eternal peace. O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to us you make yourself known, coming into our midst to dwell among us. And so we know your merciful love; and so we are drawn into your presence. Father in Heaven, speak your NAME into our hearts that in wonder we may stand before you, that with great love we might worship you, and come even to share your divine nature through the sacrifice of your Son and the power of the Spirit upon us this day. You alone are God, and we are your children – write your NAME upon our souls that we might dwell with you in the Temple of your holy glory.