Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

In today’s short Gospel passage, Jesus promises us something that sounds almost too good to be true.  We are labored and burdened by many things, work, homework, music and sports, there are so many things competing for our time.

But Jesus is saying, if you come and follow me, putting that at the center of your life, I will give you rest.  He is calling them to discipleship.  He is asking them to learn from Him, that is essentially what a disciple is.

A disciple learns from the master.  He or she puts themselves in the care of the master, puts their trust in them, and they set about to learn all that they can from them.

You all have learned and will learn much more about the Catholic Christian faith, but being a disciple doesn’t just require head knowledge, it requires prayer.

Prayer is daunting for many people, so I’d like to offer you the easiest method I know, simple prayer that can be done everyday, it can be remembered with the acronym ACTS. A-C-T-S

First is A for Adoration.  This can also be thought of as Praise, but both are essentially giving glory to God.  There are lots of ways to do this, I often think of a song, a praise and worship song, but it could also be to read the Psalms, which were actually written as songs.

Adoration and Praise is a simple recognition that God is God, we are not, and we thank Him for creating us and loving us here.  So that is the first, A is for Adoration.

C is for Contrition.  You can kind of think of it like Mass, we start with a song of adoration and praise, and then basically the first thing we do is to make an Act of Contrition.  We call to mind our sins.  We think of how we failed and we ask God to help us do better.

We know we aren’t perfect, but we are trying to be, at least trying to be better, so we show our sorrow, we reveal what is on our contrite hearts. So that is the second letter, C is for Contrition. 

T is for Thanksgiving.  This is something we often forget to do.  If we recognize that all good things come from God, then this should be easy for us.  We think through our week, or our day, or even the last hour and we can think of things to be thankful for if we try.

I heard it said recently that people who are thankful are 10% happier than everyone else.  If I told you I had a drug that would make you 10% happier every day, I bet most people would take it.  Well, here is that drug, Be Thankful to God, it is free and doesn’t have any negative side effects!

T is for Thanksgiving.

Last letter, S is for Supplication. This can also be called prayers of petition, but it is asking for the things we want and need.  Most people get this wrong because they put this first. Or they make it the only thing. But we should put this last in our prayers.

Have you ever known someone that only talked to you only when they needed something?  I hesitate to even call them a friend, because that is not what a real friend does.  So why would we treat God like that?  

God loves us and He wants to give us good gifts.  He wants to give us what we need.  When we don’t get something, we shouldn’t give up. If it is truly something good for us, God will give it to us, but if it isn’t good for us, He won’t.  He is like a parent that truly loves you and has your best interest in mind.  

I think about my niece Karolina, she has a huge sweet tooth and always wants candy.  But my sister, her mom says no, many times, not because she doesn’t love her, but precisely because she does love her.  

So don’t give up if you don’t get what you want the first time, God is listening, He just loves us too much to give us something that might be ultimately harmful for us.

So S is for Supplication. Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication.  I have found that acronym to be very helpful in my life as a disciple, and I hope you do too.  

Interestingly, we can see all of these things in the Mass, we do them all, so that should be a sign to us that this is a good thing.  Also, we can see them all in the Our Father prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him to pray.  

Living as a disciple is a relationship of love.  Now nobody ever fell in love with their husband or wife by spending one hour or less talking to them each week.

Growing in love as a disciple takes time, lots of time, little interactions daily, outside of Mass, and our prayer life is exactly that, getting to know God, and showing our hope in Him.

Our first reading said, “They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings;”

This is God protecting those who hope in Him, who spend time in prayer, who learn from Him as His disciples, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  

So remember ACTS (Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving, Supplication) and I pray that you are blessed and find rest for yourselves through yoking yourselves with Jesus Christ.