May 25 - Monday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

June 22 - Monday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Kgs.17:5-8,13-15,18; Ps.60:3-5,7,12-13; Mt.7:1-5) "In His great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of His sight." Jesus instructs His disciples today, "If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment." In other words, "Judge not and you shall not be judged." Here is the prerequisite not only for avoiding judgment and condemnation at the hand of God, but also for assisting and healing others, as is our call. If we wish to serve as Christians and remove the speck of sin from others' eyes that they might see in the clear light of the Lord Jesus Christ, first it is certainly necessary that we ourselves see so clearly, that we come to the Lord and have our great sin removed from our souls. Otherwise our desire to help others in their frailty will indeed but turn to judgment of them; first we must recognize the great sinners we ourselves are – and so, that we cannot judge another – before we can find the grace from God to bring Jesus' mercy to others. God alone judges, brothers and sisters, for God alone is good, God alone is pure… the Lord Jesus alone is free from every speck of sin. And God will judge. Believe this. He will send His apostles and prophets forth to bring remission of sins – He has sent His Son to die on the cross that we might be cleansed in His blood – but failing the acceptance and embracing of the call of the Lord, indeed what hope have we of salvation? There is but His righteous judgment remaining for our souls; there is but His chastising Hand to be placed upon us. That God does judge, that He does cast sinful man from His sight, is made evident in exemplary fashion in the fate of our ancestors, the Israelites. "Because the Israelites sinned against the Lord, their God," He cast them into exile at the hand of their enemies. "The Lord warned Israel… by every prophet and seer, 'Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes'"; He sought to turn them from their sins by those whom He had touched, but "they did not listen… They rejected His statutes, the covenant which He had made with their fathers, and the warnings, which He had given them." And so, His pure eye unable to look upon them anymore, He removed them from before Himself. "O God, you have rejected us and broken down our defenses," David cries, and begs the Lord's return to the Israelites' ranks… And how often this must be our prayer because of our foolishness in the sight of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, we have a greater covenant now with the Lord than did the ancient Israelites, for we have a greater than David or Moses or Abraham with us now. And more demanding is He of our purity, of our virtue before Him. For what threatens us now is not mere exile, but the fires of hell; what awaits those who turn from Him now is eternal damnation, and so let us remain faithful to our God. Indeed let us remove the log from our eye that we "will see clearly to take the speck from [our] brother's eye" and so effect the building up of the kingdom of God. The time is now upon us; let us do all we can to remain in His sight. ******* O LORD, remove us not from your sight but remove the plank from our eye. YHWH, judgment is yours alone and it is eminently fair. Where we would condemn out of hand, you are merciful, and cast us from your sight only when we persist in our sin. Help us to see as you see, and to be as you are, that we might remain before you and help others to return to your presence. We are outcasts, LORD, for our sins against you, for our failure to heed your blessed commands. You would save us from such fate as would separate us from you, and so you tell us of the path to tread. But we do not listen. And so we invite your wrath upon our souls; and so, how can we help others? Save us this day, O LORD, from ourselves and from all our enemies. Let us listen to your voice and so enter into your love and the light of your presence. In your land let us dwell, in the land of Heaven, and there let us stay… and to this place let us draw others who seek you in the forgiveness of their transgressions and the following of your way. We have sinned against you, but gather us back into your arms, we pray.

June 21 - Prayer to St. Aloysius Gonzaga

O patron of youth whose innocence was unsurpassed, whose desire to give yourself to the Lord in poverty and purity led you to relinquish your wealth in this world at a tender age that you might embrace Jesus fully – pray for the youth of our day and the child in each of our souls, that all might turn away from the temptations which surround and threaten to enter and enslave; let all turn toward the love of the Lord and His heavenly call, a call to a kingdom that surpasses everything of this earth and brings the joy known only in breathing and speaking His holy Name.

June 21 - Sunday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer.20:10-13; Ps.69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Rom.5:12-15; Mt.10:26-33) "For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face." Jeremiah "hear[s] the whisperings of many" who seek to "denounce him"; those who "watch for any misstep" plot his destruction: "Perhaps he will be trapped, then we can prevail, and take our revenge on him." Like David he has "become an outcast to [his] brothers, a stranger to [his] mother's children." And for what does he suffer such persecution but for speaking the truth of God's word to his fellow Israelites? As David declares to the Lord, "The insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me"; both the prophet and the king endure persecution for righteousness' sake. But both prophet and king declare victory in their struggle: "The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph." Through the power of God it is they who "will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion." The Lord hears their pleas for help, their prayers come before Him, "for the Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not." And so both king and prophet end in joy, in utter hope, as David proclaims, "Let the heavens and the earth praise Him, the seas and whatever moves in them"; and Jeremiah likewise calls all to honor our unfailing God: "Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked." And, brothers and sisters, in what greater way is this salvation from the grasp of evil better known, more fully realized, than in our Lord Jesus Christ? Paul tells us, "Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and this death came to all men." What greater persecutor have we than death itself? But now "the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many" – now all are saved by Him who has died, and has risen. Its clutches no longer hold dominion. So Jesus exhorts the Twelve, and all who would conquer death and all sin, to "fear no one": "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." What power has the prince of this world over our immortal souls now that Jesus has come? He can't touch us by his persecutions; and so now we are called to "proclaim on the housetops" what we "hear whispered" by the Lord in our hearts. Now with Jeremiah and David we must fearlessly "speak in the light," for the Lord has made us a promise, and His Word is true – "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father." But if we deny Him, He will deny us. Therefore, let us be heedless of the shame and the pain we share with our Savior and never fear to declare His truth in love to all. Nothing is greater than the power of His Word. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let us declare your glory, you who set us free from the bonds of sin and death – you who are our Savior! YHWH, you have raised us from the power of sin and death, from the strength of our persecutors which we could not match. In the bonds of Satan we have been, and under his threat we dwelt in fear. But your Son has come to set us free that we might walk in liberty with Him and proclaim your holy Name to all the earth. Praise you, LORD! Thank you for your goodness to us. Let us live in your light. O LORD, how hopeless we were, trapped in the bonds of death and sin. How could we hope when so oppressed that everywhere we looked we saw but emptiness and fear. But when we called out to you, you heard our plea… and your Son you sent into our midst to save us from all evil. Let us now with great zeal declare your glory, LORD, though it mean we must die for you. For in this death, this dying in your Name, indeed life comes to us once again. To you we entrust our cause, dear LORD, and you are ever faithful. Save all men from the evil one!

June 20 - Saturday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(2Chr.24:17-25; Ps.89:4-5,29-34; Mt.6:24-34) "Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has abandoned you." How quickly Joash the king of Judah, who so recently had restored true worship in the temple at Jerusalem, "transgress[es] the Lord's commands." After Jehoiada the priest died, the people "forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols." And so, "wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem." So great is their apostasy that not only would they "not listen to [the prophets'] warnings" when they were sent "to convert them to the Lord," but when Zechariah the son of Jehoiada stood up in their midst to call them back to the Lord, "they stoned him to death in the Lord's temple." And so the central place of worship becomes a place of murder. How truly Jesus speaks in today's gospel: "No man can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be attentive to one and despise the other." How clearly we see the hatred of God at work in Judah as she embraces false and empty gods. And so Judah becomes like her profligate sister in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. She who is set aside to preserve the temple and the holy city of Jerusalem, who is given yet a share in the inheritance promised David, turns boldly from her call and blessing to despise that which is most her own. And now does her hatred grow. And though she may escape the chastising hand of God a longer time than her sister, God's promise: "If [David's] sons forsake my law and walk not according to my ordinances, if they violate my statutes and keep not my commands, I will punish their crime with a rod and their guilt with stripes," will not be set aside forever, and they shall follow their sister into exile. Brothers and sisters, we must choose the master we shall serve: if the world and its spirit, then you court God's condemnation; if the Lord, then remain faithful with your whole heart and follow His Son unto heaven. It is to heaven He desires your soul to come, but you must trust in Him and remain faithful to His call. For if you leave Him, He cannot but leave you; but if you hold fast to His love, He can do nothing but bless you. Today Jesus, the Son of the Father in heaven, stands up to warn you against the traps of this world and call you into full, living worship of the One God. Will you enter into His love? ******* O LORD, in your House alone let us make our home, and so find your kingship over us, and so find your blessing forever. YHWH, how kind your words to us are; how reassuring you would be. But do we listen to you; indeed, can we hear you at all? O heavenly Father, you know all that we need, and so would provide for us all things if we but followed in your way – but who among us has any faith? O LORD, do we not rather fret over the passing things of this earth? Do our hearts not turn quickly to false gods, abandoning you and true worship to feed our bellies, to save the flesh? And what can we be but destroyed like the grass of the field if we have no more sense, no more faith, no more love for you than a lifeless statue? Woe to us as we turn from you, for you are our very life, and without your Spirit quickly we die… quickly we die. Let us seek holiness, LORD, let this be our goal, our call, our only desire. Let us hope for you alone and for your heavenly kingdom, and we shall be blessed, and we shall remain in your House forever.

June 19 - Prayer to St. Romuald

O sign of perfect solitude who heeded so well the Lord's command to enter into your closet in order to pray, whose great measure of self-denial led you to the peak of contemplation in God's holy presence, whose only desire was that souls might draw close to Him – pray all who seek the Lord may approach Him with a whole heart, a heart set on Him alone, that in such perfect devotion all might find Him present in their souls, in their spirits, and be elevated in their lowliness to His indescribable divine love, to His peace which passes all our understanding but draws us ever closer to His wounded side.