Jeremiah 31:16, Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 2:22-40

Jeremiah 31:16

16 Yahweh says this to her:

“Weep no more and wipe the tears of your eyes;

your sorrow will have redress.

They will come back from the enemy’s land.

These verses give me new hope and encourage me to continue to pray fervently for the many who have left the sheepfold and have wanted to other pastures.  I have been praying for the return of so many souls for years my Beloved and until now have had only one call Your Name at the end of his earthly existence.  But I believe that every prayer I have prayed and every tear I have shed for them to come home has found a place of refuge in our Heart.

Malachi 3:1-4

These verses are a wake up call to Your people.  

The gift of being baptized into Your Body is not given to all and yet a vast majority have rejected this gift.  They have deliberately cut themselves out of You and they do not realize they are dying a slow but sure spiritual death.  In the end they will be fit for nothing but to be thrown into the fire.  But You will hear the prayers of Your faithful and  have mercy Lord, for the price paid for the redemption of man is too great for it to be in vain for even one soul.  Have mercy on your priests, especially those who do not take the celebration of the Liturgy seriously and present the sacred mysteries carelessly, without  proper reverence.

Luke 2:22-40

Today the Church celebrates the Presentation in the Lord in the temple and we hear about the prophecy of Simeon.

Beloved, You have  been a sign of contradiction ever since You were born.  Simeon took You in His arms and praised God.  Many just turn their eyes away from You.  The Light hurts and they prefer the blindness of the night. Verses 34-35 are a powerful prophecy and multitudes continue to rise and fall either to their salvation or to their final destruction.