I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZK 33:11
ISAIAH 58:9-14
My Soul's Beloved,
You promise springs of living water to gush forth from those who belong to You, grafted to You, obey Your Word, keep Your commandments, and live a life filled with Your Holy Spirit. It is not easy, Lord. The world, the flesh, and the devil are constantly at war with us, and it is relentless. We are weak, frail, and we fall often. Have pity on us, O Lord, help us. We are buffeted on every side, and we are afraid we will fall by the wayside, be trampled upon, and destroyed. Take pity on us, Lord. Stay with us. Hold us up. Strengthen us. Keep our hand firmly in Your own. Keep us faithful to Your Word, Your Church, Your teachings, and we will be safe.
Thank You for Your Mother, all the angels and saints who make constant intercession for us. Hear our prayers as well for our own salvation and the salvation of all the members of our family. We are living in demonic times, Beloved, and we may be lost if You do not come to our aid and help us in our weakness. Stay with us, Lord, lest if left alone, we succumb to temptation and be lost forever.
Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’
The Lord says this:
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
build up on the old foundations.
You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,
‘Restorer of ruined houses.’
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
PSALM 85(86):1-6
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
You will rebuild the ancient ruins,
build up on the old foundations.
You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,
‘Restorer of ruined houses.’
If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,
and doing business on the holy day,
if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,
and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel,
from doing business and from gossip,
then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
PSALM 85(86):1-6
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.
You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.
Show me, Lord, your way so that I may walk in your truth.
LUKE 5:27-32
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
I am sick, the world is sick, and the Church You founded is full of sick people. We need You, Lord. I want to remind You today that it is You who said that it is the sick who need a physician, not those who are well. You came for me, You came for the world where almost all of us, O Lord, need You. Minister to us, Lord. Heal us in every way that we need healing in heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit, according to Your most holy and perfect will.
Lord, invite us, as You invited Matthew, a public sinner, to follow You as one of the Twelve, grant us the grace to leave all that is a hindrance to our discipleship, and follow You closely all the days that are allotted to us.
Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’
