Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, our God!

In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah has the following vision:  "I saw the Lord seated on  a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filing the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; reach of them  had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they  hovered aloft. They cried one to another, 'Holy, holy,  holy is the Lord of hosts!  all the earth is filled with  his glory!'"  Seeing this vision, Isaiah realized who he was and exclaimed: "'Woe is me, I am doomed!  For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!'  Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. he touched my mouth with it and said, 'See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness if removed, your sin purged.'"

At every Catholic Mass, we proclaim: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."  And shortly after that prayer, the Lord God does come down upon our altar in the consecration of the bread and wine into the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ when the priest ask the Spirit of God to transfigure the gifts into Christ Jesus. And God does just that through the consecrated hands of the priest, a gift of his ordination to the priesthood.

Holy, holy, holy" is our God. who, at every Catholic Mass,  stoops down from the heavens and, in Holy Communion, enters our bodies, minds, and souls, transforming us into Christ Jesus.  We are then sent out into the world to be the hands, the feet, the heart and minds of Christ to all we serve! And we are sent out, not alone, but with Christ living within us and working through us!

Reconciled by God in Christ's Body

In today's first reading, Colossians 1: 21-23, St. Paul reminds us that we "once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds." 

Notice that our being alienated from others or from our deepest self, where truth and peace reside, where the Trinity dwells, results from the evil we do or think, and not from God or others.  When we are feeling hostile towards ourselves or others, it is because of the choices we make to engage in  evil acts!  Hostility in ourselves feeds hostility in others. If we react with hostility then we are likely to receive such from the other person. On the other hand, if we return good for evil and peace for hostility, the reaction is different, because we, then, are cooperating with God's grace of reconciliation.

The grace to reconcile with others or with our true self is always offered to us by God, as St. Paul reminds us:  "God has now  reconciled you in the fleshly Body of Christ through is death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him [and before others], provided that [we] persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the Gospel..." which we hear at every Mass or Liturgy.  If we live the gospel, we will then be persevering in the faith and firmly grounded in our belief that God is calling us to be agents of reconciliation.

Lord, help us live our faith today, knowing that in every situation that we will face you will have prepared the way for us to be agents of reconciliation, ambassadors of peace, and instruments of Your love!

Holy, Holy, Holy

In today's first reading, Revelation 4: 1-11, John shares with us a vision he was given of heaven:  I John had a vision of an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpetlike voice that has spoken to me before, saying, 'Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.' At once I was caught up in spirit. A throne was there in heaven, and on the throne sat one whose appearance sparkled like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a hero as brilliant as an emerald. Surrounding  the throne I saw twenty-four other thrones on which twenty-four elders sat, dressed in white garments and with gold crowns on their heads....In the center and around the throne, there were four living creatures....Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.'"

That door to heaven opens at every Sacrifice of the Mass, a prayer of thanksgiving offered to God by all Catholics every single day.  During the Mass, memorializing Jesus' death and resurrection, the door to heaven opens and we acclaim with all the saints and angels in heaven: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!'  Shortly following that prayer, the priest consecrates the bread and wine, calling upon the Holy Spirit to come down from heaven, as the Spirit did upon Mary, and sanctify the ordinary bread and wine. Now present on the altar is Jesus in His body and blood, soul and divinity. Following Jesus' command to "do this in memorial of Him, we offer God the body and blood, the soul and divinity of His Son Jesus, as Jesus once offered His life for us on Calvary, showing us the length, the depth, the height and the breadth of God's love for us. With all the angels and saints of God present with us at this memorial of Jesus' death and resurrection, we acclaim: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty who was, and who is and who is to come!"

Can any greater prayer of thanksgiving be offered to our God!

Heavenly and Earthly Choirs Joining Together

In yesterday’s first reading, Revelation 4: 1-11, John  reminded us that the four living creatures around the throne of God never stop singing:  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is and who is to come.”  At every Holy Mass, during the liturgy of the Eucharist, we pray: "So with the Angels and all the Saints we declare your glory, as with one voice we acclaim: "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." We join the heavenly choir. Heaven comes down to earth on our very altars as the bread and wine are prepared for the consecration, when both are changed by the Holy Spirit, by the anointed hands of the priest,  into the body and blood of our Lord, poured out for our salvation.

How aware am I of this activity at every Holy Mass?  How focused am I on the altar where heaven and earth meet to give glory to the Trinity.

God's Infinite Patience, Forbearance, and Kindness

In today’s first reading, Romans 2: 1-11, St. Paul confronts us as follows: “You, O man [woman],  are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things.”  As I reflected upon that message in my morning’s meditation, I made a list of other people’s behaviors upon which  I have passed judgment.  Next to each behavior I could write: “I’ve done that sometimes, too.”  It was a sobering experience, as the list grew and so did my awareness of how those same behaviors/attitudes, from time to time--and sometimes frequently--are a part of my history. 

Paul then goes on to ask us whether or not we are aware of God’s infinite kindness, God’s patience with us, and His forbearance by which He invites us to repentance.  Are we aware of God’s unconditional love, a love manifested in Jesus taking our judgment upon Himself, becoming sin for us, on the cross.  St. Paul tells us  in Colossians 1:22:  “You were once estranged and of hostile intent through your evil behavior; now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body, to bring you before himself holy, faultless and irreproachable—as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourself drift away from the hope promised by the gospel….”  Repent and believe in the Gospel, we are told on Ash Wednesday when the priest signs us with ashes. May we repent of standing in judgment over others and realize that we, too, have sinned in whatever way we are complaining about our neighbor.