The suffering of Christ went far beyond what He endured physically. Uncharitable and angry words can inflict immense damage. The rash judgments of others toward Our Lord certainly caused wounds in His heart. Without evidence or good reason, He was subjected repeatedly to accusations that were ultimately untrue. In our own lives, we must think about the power our words have to hurt others and the depth of injury they cause.

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Christ is the light entering the world. Although we normally celebrate this momentous event on Christmas, in reality we celebrate it today when Our Lady receives Our Lord into her womb through accepting the miraculous calling of God. And in this great miracle, we have an opportunity to reflect on the work of the Holy Ghost in the creation of the world and the coming of Jesus, Who became Incarnate to save this very world.

The institution of the Holy Eucharist is one of Our Lord’s greatest miracles. It is the seed of eternal life. For it to be spiritually beneficial we must receive worthily, with faith, fear, and love. These terms may seem easy and casual, but it we must have a profound commitment to God and with the right intention to receive Him.

Almost everyone is overstressed with daily duties in these modern times. It can be crushing and unhealthy. But with St. Joseph and his amazing example, he can help us carry our daily crosses and have faith.

The screen often becomes an addiction. It is not just the Church that makes this declaration, but the behavioral sciences also confirm this. Screens are an escape from reality in the same way alcohol and drugs pretend to offer. While we may want to frame it as a moral issue, this pitfall is so much more complex because it rewires your brain. And it targets everyone.

The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is recorded by all four evangelists. He did not use it as a moment of self aggrandizement, but rather to prepare the way for the greater miracle of the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord is demonstrating through this miracle that He can not only fulfill us physically by addressing our hunger, but He is the there to fulfill us spiritually through the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

A specific type of foolish speech that deters progress in the spiritual life is complaining. The act of complaining makes it almost impossible to cooperate with God’s grace, for it locks us into ourselves and away from reality. Thus, it removes us from God. Complaining is not the same as making a negative judgment, for sometimes those judgments are necessary. When bitterness and resentment enter into the frame, this is where we begin to poison our spiritual lives by shifting judgment into complaining.

Considering the metaphor of cleaning the house, making a good confession immediately comes to mind. Confession, like cleaning, does not begin randomly; first we must assess where to begin and what efforts are required. In the context of confession, this is undertaken through a thorough examination of conscience. This preliminary step is indispensable because it reveals not only those sins we need to confess but also the sometimes radical steps we must take to keep our souls free of filth going forward.

We must always desire to become saints. At first blush, this directive may fill us with fear and discouragement. Is this not too much to ask? Are we not encouraged to focus on the little things, like being true to our respective stations in life? These little things are indeed good—so long as they arise from a supernatural motive. But without an ultimate desire for sanctity, how supernatural can our motives truly be?

One of the great errors the Church has faced over the centuries is the temptation to avoid the Cross. The Church faces this same problem today. Some argue that the traditional Mass focuses too much on Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. We find this mentality expressed in the Novus Ordo Missae or New Mass. This liturgy avoids the concept of sacrifice, replacing it with the idea that the Mass is nothing more than a communal meal.