WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 31 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

It is a blessing for you
when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ,
for the Spirit of God rests on you. 1PET 4:14

PHILIPPIANS 2:12-18

My Soul's Beloved,

Your Sacrifice saves us all but St. Paul reminds us most solemnly, 'to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.' The deceiver has not rested since he brought about the fall of our first parents and he and his minions will not rest until he snatches as many sheep as he can from the Shepherd. St. Peter reminds us that the Enemy is prowling around the world seeking to deceive, to destroy, and to murder and many have chosen to follow the broad and easy path that leads to eternal destruction. 

Beloved, it is so easy to lose heart and confidence when our prayers remain unanswered and we see no light of hope. As those we love continue to live as strangers who once knew You but have allowed themselves to be lured away from the path of righteousness, our hearts grow heavier, sorrow and sadness crush our spirit, and regret and guilt overwhelm us.

Every Apostle, every great saint, every holy man, woman, and child is a mirror reflection of You, Lord. Each in different measure is You, O Lord. They understood what it means to be a disciple and to take the commission You give to all the baptized, seriously. They laid down their lives for Your sake and for the sake of the Gospel. Many have shed their blood and their blood mingles with Yours, Lord and it will not be in vain. I desire to be like You with my whole being and the Holy Spirit will provide the grace and the will to make me like You.

It is God, for his own loving purpose, who puts both the will and the action into you. Do all that has to be done without complaining or arguing and then you will be innocent and genuine, perfect children of God among a deceitful and underhand brood, and you will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life. This would give me something to be proud of for the Day of Christ, and would mean that I had not run in the race and exhausted myself for nothing. And then, if my blood has to be shed as part of your own sacrifice and offering – which is your faith – I shall still be happy and rejoice with all of you, and you must be just as happy and rejoice with me.

PSALM 26(27):1,4,13-14

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

LUKE 14:25-33

My Soul's Beloved,

The way is narrow, the road is hard, the cross we are called to carry is heavy, and it is very possible for us to get frustrated, to give up, to grumble, and complain, and to give in to the temptation to take the easier road. But there is no easy road, Lord. The Cross is laid on us when we are born and we must carry it all the way to Golgotha. Unless we are prepared to die like You we cannot expect a share in Your resurrection. There is no gain without first losing our life to receive it anew from You.

When we refuse to give You the place of primacy in our hearts and lives we will become idolaters. Empty lives feverishly and futilely attempt to fill it with the things that perish and ultimately they destroy themselves because nothing and no one can satisfy us as the love of God. We were created by God for God. Created in His image and likeness we can find fulfillment in nothing other than Him. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to make us in Your image and likeness the happier we will be.

Help me Lord, to be like You. I place all my hope in You.

Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple
Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

.....none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

TUESDAY OF WEEK 31 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. MT 11:28

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

My Soul's Beloved,

We were created to be holy and perfect as God, our Creator is holy and perfect. We were blessed with the wonderful gift of free will so we could freely choose to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. God did not create automatons, love is not love if it does not choose to love without being coerced to do so. This is why Your Word tells us that there is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. 

Beloved, God stoops. God is humble. The almighty, all-powerful, God for whom nothing is impossible loves us as a Father loves His children. It is a tender, merciful, and compassionate love. God woos us as a lover. God who is sufficient unto Himself and needs nothing desires that we love Him and to live with Him in eternal bliss in His Kingdom. Humility and love are hallmarks of God and envy and pride are hallmarks of Lucifer. If we desire to be as God intended us to be then we must imitate You, His Son. 

St. Paul's sublime hymn of praise exulting in Your humility teaches us that God crushes the proud but pours out His grace on the lowly. If we desire to be like You, Lord, then we must grow in the sweet virtue of humility.

In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:
His state was divine,
yet he did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave,
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens,
on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

PSALM 21(22):26-32

You are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.

My vows I will pay before those who fear the Lord.
The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the Lord, those who seek him.
May their hearts live for ever and ever!

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,

all families of the nations worship before him;
for the kingdom is the Lord’s, he is ruler of the nations.
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth.

And my soul shall live for him, my children serve him.

They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
‘These things the Lord has done.’

You are my praise, O Lord, in the great assembly.

LUKE 14:15-24

My Soul's Beloved,

Post the pandemic we see how souls have been sifted revealing those whose faith remained steadfast and returned to the Church and the Sacraments gladly. They knew that they needed Holy Mother Church if they were to be nourished, thrive and grow.  Tragically it has also revealed that for so many their faith was like the seeds that fell on the path and the birds ate it. They never knew what they possessed and ignorant of the value of the faith they lost the pearl of great price, the great treasure in the field. 

What would the world be like today if the Church refused to shut its doors to the faithful when the powers of the world demanded that all places of worship should be closed? What if the Church truly acted as the Mother she is and did not abandon her children, did not deny them the nourishment of the Sacraments so necessary for our soul? Would our young people have been able to withstand the death prevalent in the world today? 

Ignorant, half-baked Catholics continue to take the easy path, they still watch Holy Mass online and think they have fulfilled the Sunday obligation when in fact they are violating the fourth commandment - Keep holy the Sabbath day. 

The faithful are praying and fasting Lord. In Your mercy hear our prayers and grant our petition. Bring about a new dawn, a new Pentecost, and renew the Church and the face of the world lest the whole world perish like Sodom and Gomorrah.

One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, ‘Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!’ But he said to him, ‘There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along: everything is ready now.” But all alike started to make excuses. The first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies.” Yet another said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come.”

‘The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” “Sir” said the servant “your orders have been carried out and there is still room.” Then the master said to his servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet.”’