My dear brothers and sisters, as we begin the Catholic Church’s new year today, let us be attentive to the words of Jesus to us today in the gospel reading saying "Be prepared and stay awake, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Let us truly and sincerely prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ this Advent season through prayer, mortification and examination of conscience.
My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and as we come to the end of our liturgical year today, let us pray for the grace to continue to establish God’s kingdom in our world and society today by living out His gospel of love through the call to Service, Humility, Justice and Dedication.
My brothers and sisters, it is time to start preparing ourselves for the kingdom of heaven today because we do not know when our lives here would end or when the judgement day will come. So let us be encouraged by Jesus’s words to us in today’s gospel reading that ‘by our perseverance, we will secure our lives,’ and let us continue to answer His call to be His true disciples by accepting His gospel and by living it out in our world today.
So my sisters and brothers, since God’s presence in our soul in this life is an invitation to increase constantly the intensity of our personal closeness to the Him, let us come closer to Him today as we celebrate the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica by being reverent and respectful to Him when we enter a church, recognizing that He is present in the Tabernacle and that His Divine grace in us makes us His living temples.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate All Souls Day today, let us pray for our departed family members and friends that they may be purified of their sins and be united with God in heaven.
So my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us imitate the Pharisee’s good works by living out our faith in God, by being obedient to His Word, and by obeying His commandments and the teachings of the Church. And let us also imitate the tax collector’s spirit of humility by being remorseful, sorrowful and contrite for our sins and by asking God for mercy and forgiveness. Remember no true love of God can exist in a proud heart, but only in a humble and contrite heart.
Remember my dear brothers and sisters, Perseverance develops our trust and confidence in God, helping us realize how weak we are and how humble we need to be as children of God. And Prayer is key to making that hope, trust and confidence a reality in our relationship with God. So let us pray consistently that is, always, in every case or on every occasion and let us persevere persistently that is, continuously in a persistent manner in our spiritual lives - RevFICO
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the life we have today is not guaranteed because it is a gift from God, but our acts of kindness, compassion and goodness which are acts of gratitude, guarantees us a place in heaven. So let us strive to show gratitude to God always for all His blessings, gifts, talents, graces and mercies upon us in our love for our neighbors.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us increase our faith in God today by having a better relationship with Him through Prayer and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, then strive to always obey His commandments, accept His gospel and put His gospel into practice.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to be better disciples of Christ today by loving our neighbors and by being charitable to them because we are truly blessed and loved by God.
My brothers and sisters, it is time to choose to serve God only, with all our strength, power and might. Remember, we are not alone, God is with us to help us, to guide us and to assist us to serve Him well. Let us go and truly serve the Lord!
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it was our sins that crucified our Lord on the cross, but through the grace of God, it was that same cross that brought us salvation and new life. So, let us embrace the crosses that come our way daily; and let us firmly hope and trust in God, because in Him and with Him, all our sufferings here on earth will finally lead us to the glory of heaven.
If you want to be a true disciple of Christ today, detach yourself from the world or things of the world; carry and bear your cross daily then totally dedicate and commit yourself to God by being loyal to Him and by following Him.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time to conduct our affairs with humility, and we will be greater in heaven and find favor with God. So let us learn to be humble by depending solely on God through recognizing our own shortcomings and our limitations; by knowing more about ourselves through self- awareness and acknowledging our weaknesses. And lastly, by showing our love for God in our generosity and service to others.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to enter through the narrow gate to attain the kingdom of heaven as Jesus emphasized to us in today’s gospel reading by our fidelity to the word of God through prayer, patience and perseverance, so that we can be the last who will be first, rather than the first who will become the last.
