Thursday, April 14: by Christina M.

When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations. I will render you exceedingly fertile; I will make nations of you; kings shall stem from you. I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.” God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”

God promises to be faithful to Abraham and to honor the covenant he has made.  He promises to bless him in abundant ways.  However, in return he asks Abraham to keep his part of the deal.  It can often be hard to follow through with our commitments.  Whether it is finishing a task for our parents, completing our homework before we do other things, or even making sure we pray during the day, it sometimes seems like it's hard to be responsible.  Part of growing in holiness is being a man or woman of our word and following through with our commitments, no matter how small or large they may seem.  

Challenge:  Identify some of your commitments/responsibilities as a student, friend, and being part of a family.  Think of some of the promises you've made to people in the past that have been hard for you to keep.  Pick one and work on being faithful to that commitment for the next couple of days.  

Wednesday, April 13:by Brian

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”


“The truth will set you free.” What does it mean to be free? Is freedom the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want? How can sin be slavery if sin is always a free choice? When Jesus talks about the slavery of sin, is He just talking about major sins or just everybody else’s sins? The fact is that sin ALWAYS leads to slavery. We often commit sin thinking that it is just a one-time deal that we can just choose to commit once and then go on with our day. Think of one habitual sin that you regularly commit. Why do you keep choosing this sin over and over? Why haven’t you stopped already? Jesus offers us freedom, but we have to choose to be free.

CHALLENGE: Take a minute and think of one sin that you regularly commit; think of one that you keep coming back to over and over. Do you really want to be free? Ask God to bring you FREEDOM in that area of your life. Take a minute to imagine what it would be like to live in freedom without that sin. Ask God for the grace to be free from attachment to that sin. Thank God for coming to make us free.

Tuesday, April 12: by Sarah McM.

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

This passage is later interpreted in Wisdom where it explains that it was not the serpent who healed the people, but rather the mercy of God. The serpent was a sign of the salvation he offers to all people. The serpent was raised by Moses as a symbol of Christ who was to be risen on a cross for our salvation. When Christ is raised above all things he naturally becomes the focal point. Is this something you do in your own life?

CHALLENGE: Today I would challenge you to reflect on the position Christ holds in your life. Is he behind you? Is he next to you? Or is he raised up in front of you so that you and all those around you are drawn to him? If he isn't held in the highest place in your life what is one thing you can do to get him there?

Monday, April 11: by Gigi A.

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

John 8:7 "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"
Sometimes, conciously or unconciously, we are like the Scribes and the Pharisees who look down on others. Let us for a minute reflect on that. Do we throw big stones at others? Isn't the mere act of stoning uncharitable whether we do it inconspicuously or throw a small stone? Do we sugarcoat, justify or minimize our condemnations? What about our own sins? Do we continue to "beat ourselves up" after having received His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Jesus was very clear with His message. Show love and mercy. This is not easy and we can't do it with our own will and strength. Let us ask Him to give us the grace to detest the sin and to love the sinner.
 
Challenge: Today, let us be aware of one thought or act of condemnation and try to look at the person through Jesus' eyes. Oh! and try to go to Penance Service tonight at 7:30 in the Worship Center. He is awesome and merciful.
John 8:11 Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, from now on do not sin anymore."
 

Saturday, April 9: by Robyn H

I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me: “Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more.” But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!

Reflection:  This reading is from the prophet Jeremiah after the Lord has instructed to him to speak to Judah about their wrongdoings and how they've turned from the Lord. It can be daunting to stand up for what's right whether we're an Old Testament prophet or a high school student. But, when we pursue truth and goodness and place our trust in the Lord, He will not fail us. As David says in Pslam 27 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear?"
 
 
 
Challenge: Honestly ask yourself today "Do I trust in the Lord"?
If yes, tell Him: "Jesus, I trust in you."  If no, talk to Him about what's holding you back. The Lord is a great listener.
 

Friday, April 8: by Rebecca Black

Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret. Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, "Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from." So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, "You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me." So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.


Jesus must’ve seemed crazy. He went from being a humble carpenter to being a wanted man that had to sneak into Jerusalem. But once He rolls into town, He doesn’t hide out or keep quiet. He goes to the Temple, the center of the city, and CRIES OUT fearlessly. Why? Why didn’t He just lay low and wait till He was in a safer place or a town that appreciated Him more? He steps out and risks His life because He will stop at nothing to let people know what God is all about. He isn’t content with just preaching to people who admire Him, He is just as passionate about reaching those that want to take His life. He wants to cry out in Fairfax today, especially in those neighborhoods, homes, and hearts that most badly need to know who He is. And just like He was sent from the Father on a mission, so too are we sent out at the end of every mass. Do we really believe that we are sent, or do we just try to keep out of trouble from Sunday to Sunday?

CHALLENGE: Cry out once today. I don’t mean that you need to scream, but that would be cool I guess. Cry out by sharing the truth with one person today. Maybe that means you tell someone about your own faith even if it’s awkward and uncomfortable. Maybe it means that you let someone know that they are valuable even when everyone else seems to treat them otherwise. The time is now. After all, you’re on a mission.

Thursday, April 7: by MaryClaire G

“I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”


Keeping our faith and trust alive in God can be very difficult in the secular world we live in and many times, we feel as if He has abandoned us. However, as this passage tells, that is not the case. God always has a plan to each and every one of us. Even if you go through harsh situations and carry heavy burdens, believe and trust that God is and forever will be there for you. He does not put us through things without reason and He will always take care of us. I've personally been through low points of my life where I felt that what God put me through was completely unfair and unnecessary but now as I reflect back to those times, I realize why I had to have those experiences in order to made myself a better person. Unfortunately, we do experiences horrible things because sin exists in the world but keep in mind that God will never put us through things that we cannot handle. Remember that as the passage states, God's love is even stronger than that of a mother. He will never forget us or stop loving us.

Challenge:
Take time today to think about and reflect on what you think God is calling you to do. Pray about your worries and anxieties for the future and ask God to help you through them. If you are currently battling anything in your life and have a hard time seeing a good outcome, know that God is with you and understands what you are going through. Also, if you see anyone around you that has hit a low point, try to comfort them and let them know that God is with them and has not forgotten them.