The Habit of the Heart

 

Readings

One of the great truths of the spiritual life is 

we become what we repeatedly practice. 

Habits are not formed in a day,

but over time, 

they shape the kind of people 

we are becoming. 

The generous person 

gives almost effortlessly 

because generosity 

has become a way of life. 

The dishonest person 

deceives without hesitation 

because dishonesty 

has become second nature. 

Habit makes goodness easier, 

but it can make sin easier too.

The same is true in our faith. 

Prayer, gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, 

and trust in God all grow stronger 

when they are practiced. 

Yet religion itself can become 

a habit in the wrong sense. 

The Pharisees kept the Sabbath perfectly, 

but failed to see the suffering man 

standing before them. 

When Jesus asked, 

“Is it lawful to heal?” 

their silence revealed hearts 

more attached to a habit of rules 

than to the practice of mercy.

Ask yourself: 

What am I practicing? 

What am I becoming? 

Saint Paul urges us to let our love

increase ever more and more 

in knowledge and insight, 

learning to discern what truly matters. 

When we practice 

love, mercy, prayer, and discernment, 

we are gradually filled 

with the fruit of righteousness

that comes through Jesus Christ, 

all for the glory and praise of God. 

The habits we form today

 help prepare us for the day 

we stand before Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

teach me to practice 

what leads me closer to You.
Form in me habits of 

prayer, mercy, generosity, and love.
Give me wisdom to discern 

what truly matters in Your sight.
May my life bear the fruit of righteousness 

for Your glory and praise. Amen.

Our Actions Reveal What is in Our Hearts

 

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Every action has a reason behind it.
We eat because our body needs food.
In the same way,
what we do
shows what is in our heart.

Jesus is at a banquet.
It sounds like a lesson in table manners.
But he is teaching something deeper.

He tells the guests,
don’t fight for the best seat.
Then he tells the host,
welcome people who can’t pay you back.
Both lessons say the same thing:
stop keeping score.
Live by grace.

Paul lived that way.
He wrote, “As long as Christ is being proclaimed,
I rejoice.”
Praised or ignored,
Paul only wanted Christ to be known.

Real faith can’t stay hidden.
When we truly know God,
it shows up as humility,
service,
kindness,
and joy.

We welcome the stranger.
We serve without needing credit.
We take the lower place, gladly.

Our actions say what we believe.
So let our lives
speak the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

free me from the need for recognition.
Teach me the humility that seeks You above all else.
May my actions reflect the faith I profess in prayer.
Let my life proclaim Your grace and glory each day. 

Amen.

Put On the Armor of God

 

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Not too long after I was ordained a Deacon, 

I was preparing the funeral service 

for my wife's great-aunt. 

A family members gave me the book 

Manual for Spiritual Warfare. 

Its opening words were simple and direct:

"Like it or not, we are at war."

Whether we recognize it or not, 

every Christian is engaged in a spiritual battle. 

St. Paul reminds us that our struggle 

is not against flesh and blood. 

The real battle is against 

the powers of darkness 

seeking to draw us away from God.

That is why Paul tells us, 

"Draw your strength from the Lord 

and from His mighty power. 

Put on the armor of God."

The Belt of Truth 

keeps us anchored in Christ. 

The Breastplate of Righteousness 

protects our hearts. 

The Shoes of the Gospel 

help us walk in peace 

and bring peace to others. 

The Shield of Faith 

extinguishes the lies and fears of the evil one. 

The Helmet of Salvation 

guards our minds against discouragement and despair. 

And the Sword of the Spirit, 

the Word of God, 

gives us the strength to stand firm.

But notice that Paul does not stop with the armor. 

He concludes by saying, 

"With all prayer and supplication, 

pray at every opportunity in the Spirit." 

Prayer is not just another piece of the armor. 

Prayer is what puts the armor on. 

Prayer is what strengthens it. 

Prayer is what keeps us connected 

to the One who has already won the victory.

So put on the armor of God. 

Pray always. 

Stand firm. 

And remember, the battle belongs to the Lord.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, clothe me today with Your armor 

and strengthen me with Your power. 

Fasten me with Your truth 

and guard my heart in Your righteousness.
Shield me with faith, 

renew my mind with the hope of salvation, 

and guide me by Your Word.
Teach me to pray always in the Spirit 

and to stand firm in every battle. 

Amen.

Living Stones

 

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I think of the Deacons in our Diocese,
and how different we are.
Married, single, widowed.
Professors, doctors, professionals, 

 retirees and working men.
Introverts and extroverts,
quiet men, and those of us, like me,
who are a little loud.

Yet this is how Jesus has always built His Church.

Before He called the Apostles,
He spent a whole night in prayer.
And out of that silent conversation with the Father,
He chose Simon the Zealot, a political radical,
and Jude Thaddeus, a quiet servant.

Not isolated superstars,
but ordinary, flawed men,
bound together on one capstone: Himself.

That is why St. Paul tells us today
that we are no longer strangers.
We are living stones,
built into God's own home.

Our gifts differ.
Our stories differ.
Our mission is one.

And when Christ holds us together,
our differences do not divide us.
They strengthen the temple.

Lord, hold us together. Amen.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

You call people 

of every story and season.
Build us together 

upon the firm foundation of Your love.
Use our different gifts 

for Your glory and Your mission.
Keep us united as living stones 

in Your holy temple. 

Amen.

The Love We Give Away

 

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We begin learning about love
at the very start of life.
It's the first thing we need,
and the last thing we lose.
But Christ shows us what kind of love it is.

Paul says,
"Be subordinate to one another
out of reverence for Christ."
Husbands, love your wives
"as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her."
That is not power over.
That is love poured out.

And how does this Kingdom grow?
Like a mustard seed,
planted quietly,
until it becomes a great bush.
Like yeast a woman mixed into flour,
hidden, humble,
until the whole batch rises.

No trumpets. No crowds.
Just small, quiet acts of love, repeated.
A word of patience.
A sacrifice no one sees.
A choice to put the other first.

That's how a marriage, a family,
a world is changed.

So give love away today,
in small ways, in hidden ways.
Because the love we give away
is the only love we keep,

Prayer

Lord Jesus,
Teach me to love

as You loved, 

with a heart willing to serve.
Make my small acts of kindness 

fruitful in Your Kingdom.
May the love I give away today 

draw others closer to You. 

Amen.

Locked In

 

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Last week at Mass, 

 the little ones went to children’s church.
They all came back… except Logan.
Five years old. Missing.

His mother and aunt noticed, 

 but figured he’d turn up.
Then the children’s leader came in, 

 spoke to an off duty police officer, 

 and both of them left.
Now it got serious.

Then here comes Logan, 

 crying his eyes out.
He’d gone to the restroom 

 and locked the door.
It was an old lock, 

 no pick hole, 

 and at five he couldn’t work it out.

An neither could anyone else.

 He thought he’d be trapped 

 in the bathroom at church 

 forever.

Now, Paul 

 says no silly talk, 

 no obscenity, no empty words, 

 but instead, thanksgiving.
So, is God telling me not to tell 

 a story like this?

No. Paul isn’t against laughter. 

 He’s against words 

 with no wisdom and no gratitude.

So where does this story end?
Not in foolishness. In thanksgiving.
A child was lost, 

 then found. 

 Locked in, 

 then let out.

Like the woman freed in Luke’s Gospel, 

when the whole crowd rejoiced.
And when we feel stuck, 

with no way out, 

we say:
“Hope in God. 

I will praise him still, 

my savior and my God.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

When we feel trapped 

and cannot see a way forward, 

remind us, You are always near.
When fear overwhelms us, 

fill our hearts with trust 

in Your saving love.
Turn our worries into praise 

and our confusion into gratitude.
You are our hope, 

our Savior, 

and our God. 

Amen.