Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Psalm 80:2-3,15-16, 18-19, Mark 13:33-37

1ST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Psalm 80:2-3,15-16, 18-19,
 Mark 13:33-37

Isaiah 63:16-17, 64:1, 3-8

Abba, this is the Name that Jesus Your Son revealed to us and invited us as Your children to address You so - as our Daddy God.  Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your only Son  to redeem us for You saw how helpless we were to save ourselves and all the while we kept drifting further and further away from You.
This was not Your plan - You created us to know and love You and to rejoice in our knowledge of You.  Unfortunately, we sinned and strayed. Thank You for rending the heavens, for piercing time and space and sending Jesus to us born as a poor, little Baby helpless and weak so He could identify with us in every way and understanding our weakness would desire Himself to save us from our inequity, cleanse us from our sins and restore what we had lost forever.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

My Beloved, grace is mine and peace is Your gift to me.  You make grace available to me each day and I am permitted to drink at the never drying fountain of Your love always. You have saved me and You are pleased because even though I am a sinner I strive with Your help to be pleasing to God our Father and to You.
You have given me the treasure of Your Word and the gift of knowledge of You through Your Holy Spirit who has given me every good and perfect gift to help me overcome temptation and my weaknesses which are legion.  You keep me safe in Your Word, You feed me with Your Body, You cleanse me with Your Blood and You fellowship with me through Your Holy Spirit - Thank You!

Psalm 80:2-3,15-16, 18-19

Abba, Father, You saw our need for a Savior and You sent us Your Son to be our hope and our light.  Thank You for saving us. Thank You for our redemption.  Thank You for restoring to us through Your Son Jesus all we had lost through sin.

Mark 13:33-37

My Beloved, this Advent help me to be more vigilant and watchful than ever.  Guard me against the snares of the devil.  Evil lurks on all sides and if I am not careful, my own weaknesses will lead to my destruction and my headlong fall from grace.

Preserve me Lord! Keep me as the apple of Your eye.  Strengthen me with Your grace and place Your angels around me to guard and protect me and all whom I love and pray for.   

Thank You!

Revelations 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3 & 9, Psalm 100:1-5, Luke 21:20-28

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelations 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3 & 9,  Psalm 100:1-5, 

Luke 21:20-28

Revelations 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3 & 9

My Beloved, the world and all in it belongs to You attempts have been made through the ages to wrest from You what is Yours alone.  This is true of the powerful and the rich who use their wealth accumulated without conscience by any means available fair and foul and have used it to propagate evil rather than good.

We are created for God to love Him with our whole heart, mind, soul, body and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.  This is no longer true for we grow increasingly selfish and worship several gods rather than the one true God.  We are selfish and self-indulgent and discipline of any kind is anathema to us.  We have given ourselves over to the culture of death prevalent in the world and You warn us that a terrible judgement awaits those who continue to wallow in sin.  The lusts of the flesh will consume all that is good in us as we give ourselves over to the material world.

It is not too late my Lord and as long as we are alive it is never too late.  You have won the victory.  You are triumphant. The wicked will be punished but the faithful rejoice for we are invited to the Wedding of the Lamb.

Psalm 100:1-5

My Beloved, those who serve You must do so joyfully and generously not smugly and self-righteously. We must not get stuck in the rut of habit and custom.  We belong to You and all we do for each other is possible because we know that in loving and serving our brothers and sisters we love and serve You.

We have a future and a hope that compels us to sing songs of thanksgiving and praise.  Our life is in You, we are Yours now and eternally.  We live in the world but we are not of it we belong to God who is our Father and Provider and His love is everlasting.  It is no wonder that we are invited to rejoice always.

Luke 21:20-28

My Beloved, You foretold the fall of Jerusalem and the world as the Jews knew it then.  Rome went on a rampage and destroyed the Temple razing it to the ground just as You prophesied.  So will it be, Lord, if the world continues to give itself over to godlessness or to making idols and worshipping anything and everything but You.  The Good News has been preached to all the corners of the world and Your faithful continue to spread it even in very hostile environments.

The time will come when history must end and Your triumphant reign will begin.  You will gather to Yourself those who have remained faithful, the sheep of Your flock.  No matter how terrible the times we live in, You urge us to be strong and unafraid but to look with confidence and trust to You who will come to rule the world.
MARANATHA!  LORD JESUS - MARANATHA!

Revelation 15:1-4, Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9, Luke 21:12-19

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelation 15:1-4, Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9, Luke 21:12-19

Revelation 15:1-4

My Beloved, the wages for living a life steeped in sin is death but those who live guided by our Truth ad Your Law of Love will inherit the Kingdom - the same Kingdom that is Yours before the foundations of the world.  To You  is given dominion, power, might and authority.  You have crushed the head of Satan and You have taken away the sting of death.

Your Name is above every other and we give glory and honor to Your holy Name.  The Father has handed over the judgment of the world to You; for You are the worthy Lamb of God that was slain in order to deliver a fallen world.

We come before You my Beloved and we prostrate ourselves before You and give You the worship and honor that is due to You my Lord and my God.

Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9

My Beloved, Your Vicar on earth Saint Pope John Paul II said that we are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.  It is a new song A song of triumphant praise to our God who delivered us mightily from the power of sin, death  and evil.  The world, the flesh and the Devil lay snares before us tirelessly hoping to bring us down and rob us of the inheritance that You have won for us.

You opened the gates of heaven and we will enter triumphantly as we sing Your praises to the Father for all You have done for us. All creation will sing this glorious song of redemption, renewal and new life in You.

Luke 21:12-19

My Beloved, perseverance in the face of persecution is hard but You promise to grant us all we need to persevere till the end. If we face up to the the world that bullies us, scorns us, challenges us and even kills us because we believe in You, if we uphold Your teaching and live by Your Word You will grant us an unshakable faith.

You do not promise us happiness in this life.  Those who hate us do so for all the reasons that they hated You.  You revealed the sins of the wicked and exposed their hypocrisies and they hated You with such a diabolic hatred that they would not rest until they killed You.

If we call ourselves Your disciples we can expect no less.  But You promise to give us Your own Holy Spirit who will grant us unmatched wisdom.  We see how Christians are being slaughtered, persecuted, robbed of their rights and their dignity. They are brutally crushed but they refuse to deny You. They show us that it is possible to stand up to the wicked and when we do we do not stand alone You stand with us and  victory is already won.

Revelation 14:1-5, Psalm 24:1-6, Luke 21:1-4

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelation 14:1-5, Psalm 24:1-6, Luke 21:1-4

Revelation 14:1-5

My Beloved, You are with Your Church from the moment it was formed on the Cross, born at Pentecost and You will remain with her until Your Second Coming in glory when You will claim her and take her to Yourself.

There are those who have given You love for love as Verse 5 says, "No deceit has been found in them; they are faultless." They live out their faith and their mission and to them belongs the crown of everlasting glory.

Every Christian is given grace upon grace so they can strive with Your help to reach the goal for which we were all created - eternal joy in the Presence of God.

Psalm 24:1-6

My Beloved, the world and all in it was created to give glory to God.  When He created us, He desired us to have a share in His love and  gave us a perfect world to live in.  He founded it on the ocean of His mercy and after our fall from grace You redeemed it according to His plan of salvation - Your Passion, Death and glorious Resurrection. We are saved through the waters of Baptism.

You made it possible for us to receive the inheritance lost by our sin and now through the grace of the Sacraments, we can ascend Mount Zion, the place where You dwell.  Here we receive every blessing.  Those who strive to live in grace and love will receive their reward from You.  The inheritance prepared for us awaits us when You take us home to Yourself.

Luke 21:1-4
 
My Beloved, in the narration of this incident about the poor widow who gave her mite to God, You reveal to us that the measure of our giving is in direct proportion to our faith and our love.

It is easy to give out of our surplus. Only after careful calculation, ensuring we have enough put aside for ourselves, are we prepared to give and our giving does not hurt.

It take greater faith, greater trust and a greatness of heart and generosity of spirit to give all we have.  Moved by love we do not stop to count the cost but empty ourselves without a thought about tomorrow safe in the perfect peace and sure knowledge that we need not be anxious.  The one who clothes the lilies of the field, feeds the birds in the air and has counted every hair on our head, who is aware when a sparrow falls to the ground, can most assuredly be trusted to take care of all our tomorrows.
Beloved, grant me such a faith!

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, Psalm 23:1-6, Matthew 25:31-46

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28, 

Psalm 23:1-6, Matthew 25:31-46

Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17

My Beloved, we worry terribly about family members who have strayed from the fold and are gone far from the arms of Holy Mother Church.  Thank You for the consolation that You will seek the lost and the scattered and bring them home.You Yourself will feed us and watch over us.  You will take care of those who suffer and You will ensure justice is received by all.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28

My Beloved, we died in Adam and we are raised to new life in You.  In Your life we have life.

The Father desires that all authority rule power and kingship belong to You.  Your Kingdom is established by those we who serve You and work in Your vineyard from age to age, from generation to generation. When the time of the rule of the the wicked ends Your reign will begin; it will be a rule of love and will last eternally.  You will be our King and we, the people You redeemed and saved, will offer You everlasting worship, praise and honor. 

Revelations 11:14-12, Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10, Luke 20:27-40

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelations 11:14-12, Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10, Luke 20:27-40

Revelations 11:14-12

The Church and her members may be persecuted because she torments the conscience of the world and stands as a bulwark against the wicked and those who plot and execute evil.  But she is invincible fore her God is true to His promises and remains in her and with her till the end of the age.

Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10

Armed with the gift of faith and strengthened by Your Word my Beloved which provides help and light in the dark we are invincible. You have revealed Yourself to us in verse 2 as, "My loving God, my fortress; my protector and deliverer, my shield where I take refuge, who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule." 

 

We know from where we have come and we know our destiny and so we "Will sing a new song to you, O God, I will make music on the ten-stringed harp,  for you who give victory to kings and deliver David, your servant."

Luke 20:27-40

My Beloved, different faiths come up with different theories about what happens after death but You have revealed to us very clearly that we will share in Your resurrection and we will have glorified bodies.  Bodies no longer subject to weakness, sickness whether mental or physical and no longer subject to the appetites of the flesh. We will be raised to new life in You and will become truly one with You and with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  In heaven our infinite and never ending joy will be to worship and glorify God by singing His praises eternally.

Revelations 5:1-10, Psalm 149:1-6 & 9, Luke 19:41-44

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelations 5:1-10, Psalm 149:1-6 & 9, Luke 19:41-44

Revelations 5:1-10

The Gates open and we are given a glimpse of Your glory after Your Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.  We see You receiving from God the Father all honor, dominion, authority and power as One who was eternally equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, You now receive the Crown of Glory and Lordship over all creation for it is You who has saved and redeemed it with Your Blood and Your Life.   

It is only fitting and according the Father’s eternal plan that You receive for Your Own, the people who from every race, language and nation You purchased by Your Precious Blood and made for Yourself a Kingdom and priests for God.  Each in turn having completed their allotted time on earth will enter into Your glory and share Your inheritance as the adopted children of God having being grafted into Your Body through Baptism.

What a wonder hope and expectation is our Beloved in and through You.

Thank You!

Psalm 149:1-6 & 9

We will sing a new song in the assembly of all who have gone before us and together we will rejoice and give thanks to You my Beloved for all You have done for us wretched sinners.  You gave us Your Holy Spirit to live in us and help us.  Left to ourselves we would never have chosen the narrow gate and the cross which is the only way to God.

Thank You for choosing us, redeeming us, sanctifying us and sustaining us each and every day so we have an expectant faith and a joyful hope in seeing You and remaining with You forever.

Luke 19:41-44

My Beloved, our eyes are no longer held from seeing.  We are children of the Light all that the Father could do in making a way for His sinful creatures to return to Him He did in and through You so we may receive the inheritance He meant us to have when He created us.  Willful disobedience, wanton use of our free will and a lack of self-discipline and the lust of our eyes for material things keep us from receiving the fullness of joy and peace that You desire for us.

You pierced time and history.  You became like us, experiencing every aspect of our human condition.  You not only revealed to us the plan of God the Father You fulfilled it.  You gave us the Church, Your Word and Your Holy Spirit and we did not recognize the time and visitation of our Lord and our God.  We have no one to blame but ourselves for the miserable state the world is in today.  Yet, all is not lost my Beloved, all is never lost for we call Your Father our Father, Your Mama our Mama, we have Your Holy Spirit living in us, we have the Sacraments especially those of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist and with Your continued help and support, we will shine Your light and help our brothers and sister to know You and love You as we do.

Help us Lord!

Revelation 4:1-11, Psalm 15:1-6, Luke 19:11-28

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Revelation 4:1-11, Psalm 15:1-6, Luke 19:11-28

Revelation 4:1-11

My Beloved, what heaven is like we do not know.  Those to whom visions have been granted  are unable to describe what they saw; they use imagery and try to make comparisons with what we know but it is incomprehensible.  All we can gauge is that it is a place where God is and His beauty, power and glory are beyond description.We have to get to heaven in order to experience it ourselves.

Thank You for your assurance that You have gone before us to prepare a place for us so where You are my Beloved we too can be.

 Psalm 15:1-6
 

Alleluia!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in the vault of heaven.
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him for his own greatness.
Praise him with trumpet blast;
praise him with lyre and harp.
Praise him with dance and tambourines;
praise him with pipe and strings.
Praise him with clashing cymbals;
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praise to the Lord.
Alleluia!

 This is what we will be doing in heaven, exulting in our praises of the Living God and in this praise, worship and adoration we will live in perfect, eternal joy.

Luke 19:11-28

My Beloved,  there was an aura about You, a Presence, an authority, a palpable power emanating from You over everything.  When the people heard You they were aware that they were experiencing something extraordinary.  They were in the presence of God although they not did know it nor could they articulate it, yet they had a strong sense of a divine explosion that seemed imminent.  It is at this point that You tell them this extremely sobering parable of the talents.

Yes, You our King came 2000 years ago and You have left us with the treasures of our faith entrusting us to use it and multiply what we have been given.  The greater the returns on our initial investment, the greater will be our reward and in proportion to what we have gained through our faithfulness in the vineyard and the extent of our effort.  

To those who are indifferent, to those who knowingly refuse to accept the truth because they are aware that if they should they believe there has to be a complete metanoia.  Those who find it hard or impossible to discipline themselves or who they prefer to live a life of self-indulgence and hedonism will find that the same God of Love, Tenderness, Mercy and Compassion is also a Righteous Judge before whom they will have to stand someday and render an account of their stewardship.

Lord help me to do all that God desires and has planned for me to do in this live.  Amen!