Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 85:9-14, Luke 5:17-26

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.

Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 85:9-14, Luke 5:17-26

Isaiah 35:1-10

My soul's beloved, how good and comforting it is to know that the Father loves us so much and desires nothing more than that His children know You His First Born Son and in knowing You will inherit every good and perfect gift. The prophet writes about a time that has yet to come and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit prophesies about the all that God will accomplish  for those who believe. God created the world in love for us but we spurned His love. Death and destruction was surely what we deserved but our Father is a God of love and life. He could not go against His nature which is love and so the prophets were given foreknowledge of all that He would accomplish when He sent You into the world to reconcile every human being through You to Him. The whole world erupted in jubilation when God was born of a Virgin. All that was dead was given new life; an opportunity to bud, bloom and be fruitful.

Heaven descended on earth as God walked once again as He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. For thirty three years You sanctified the earth with Your Presence as You revealed to us, Your sister and brothers, the Face of God made visible in You. You taught us that we have an eternal destination that has been prepared for us even before we were born. You invited us to life a life of grace in the Holy Spirit so we can have a foretaste of heaven while still on earth. You became a Sign of Contradiction in a world of sin, death, and evil and You showed us that love always has the final world as You were stretched on the Cross until Your bruised, torn, battered, bleeding body and Your anguished soul and spirit restored what we had lost when You finally gave up Your Soul to Your Father.

Thank You for giving us strength through Your Word and through the Sacraments. Thank You for taking away our fear and filling us with hope and confidence. Thank You for giving us new sight, for opening our ears, for loosening our tongues to all the goodness that surrounds us, for all that the Father has done for us, to the lengths that He went to save us even to the giving up of His only beloved Son. 

Thank You for the streams of life giving water that flow from the Sacraments and quench our thirst. Thank You for Your Saving Blood that protects us for the malignant Enemy. Thank You for ransoming us and granting us love, joy, peace and every virtue here on earth and the fullness of joy in heaven where there will be no more tears, no mourning, no death but blissful union with You forever.

Psalm 85:9-14

My soul's beloved, You are the God who came into the world to save all who believe in You. You came to give us peace. You came to restore what our first parents lost through disobedience. You have given us hope of eternal joy.

You showed us that the Heart of the Father is mercy, tender compassion, and infinite love. You taught us to walk in the way of Truth and not to be afraid of the consequences.You make available to us every grace and blessing so we can walk in freedom as children of God. Thank You for saving us.

Luke 5:17-26

My soul's beloved, the paralyzed man who was lowered from the roof by his friends had faith that You could heal him. There is always room if we truly desire to it no matter how crowded our lives and hearts may be. There was no way they could have squeezed their way in along with the man's stretcher but that did not deter them.  They did not think it unwise or foolish to rip open a part of the roof of someone else's home they were intent on getting their friend healed, nothing else mattered. Too often we are concerned with being politically correct, we are over fastidious and caught up with the small stuff it was not so with these men. Their faith was rewarded, but not quite in the way they had imagined.

First You forgave the man's sins for You saw that he was more in need of spiritual healing. The weight of sin can paralyze us and render us helpless to do anything pleasing to God. However, those who pressed around You that day were secretly judging You in their minds and condemning You for blasphemy. To You the healing of the whole person is important You did not care to impress those around You however, You set them straight in their thinking. You showed them that You did have the power of God  to forgive sins and You demonstrated that power by commanding the paralytic to rise up, pick up his bed and go home. And this he did immediately to the astonishment and awe of all present.

We encounter You in so many ways each day. Help us become aware of Your blessings and pause to glorify You and praise You for the numerous blessings You grant us.