Baruch 5:1-2, Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45, Psalm 130:1-8

Daily Inspiration 

Baruch 5:1-2,

1 Jerusalem, put off your garment of mourning and unhappiness, put on the splendor and glory of God forever.

2 Wrap yourself in the mantle of holiness that comes from God, put on your head the crown of glory of the Eternal One.

 
Beloved, in You and with You is joy everlasting.  Yes my Lord, it is time to cast off what weighs me down and it is time to realize all that is possible united to You.  in You I am called to a life of joy, peace and happiness.  When I wrap myself in You and Your Holy Spirit, I wrap around myself Your mantle of holiness - the holiness that comes from the Triune God bathes me in God's own glory and beauty

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Daily Mass Readings:

Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45, Psalm 130:1-8

Romans 8:9-11

9 Yet your existence is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, because the Spirit of God is within you. If you did not have the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to him. 10 But Christ is within you; though the body is branded by death as a consequence of sin, the spirit is life and holiness. 11And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is within you, He who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies. Yes, he will do it through his Spirit who dwells within you.

Beloved, a life led by Your Holy Spirit is a life that is pleasing to You.  The flesh of itself can only bring death, but the flesh ruled by Your Spirit can accomplish great things.  Thank You for Your Spirit that lives in me and makes it possible for me to please You.  Because Your Spirit lives and reigns in me I have hope for today, tomorrow and for eternity

John 11:1-45

• 1 There was a sick man named Lazarus who was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the same Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was sick.3 So the sisters sent this message to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 On hearing this Jesus said, “This illness will not end in death; rather it is for God’s glory and the Son of God will be glorified through it.”

Every sinner is sick and so every sinner can find great comfort and hope in this verse, "Lord, the one Your love is sick."  Every repentant sinner receives life anew and gives glory to God.

5 It is a fact that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus; 6 yet, after he heard of the illness of Lazarus, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Another comforting verse, "It is a fact that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." And yet we are told that Jesus did not hurry along to visit his friend.

Sometimes we worry about a delay in answer to our  prayer verse 5 is comforting and points to us the fruit of waiting patiently for God to act in His perfect time.

7 Only then did he say to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” 8 They replied, “Master, recently the Jews wanted to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus said to them, “Are not twelve working hours needed to complete a day? Those who walk in the daytime shall not stumble, for they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night stumble, for there is no light in them.”

If we walk in Your light we need never be afraid.  Even if it is night, with You beside us and confident of Your love, we can walk boldly with the light of hope. We are a people of hope because our  hope rests in You who are the resurrection and the life.  Death no longer holds any fear for it does have the last word.

Verse 27  “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”  I pray that all of humanity in all the four corners of the world will echo Martha's'  words.

28 After that Martha went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The Master is here and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as Mary heard this, she rose and went to him. 

When You call Beloved, may I leave whatever it is I may be doing and hurry to meet You.

Quite often we come to You with preconceived ideas and often they are foolish when compared with what You want to give us.  You are so closely involved in lives and You identify with it fully.  Nothing is outside Your ability to understand for You are one like us in all things save sin.  35 And Je­sus wept.  You continue to weep for us and with us.

37 But some of them said, “If he could open the eyes of the blind man, could he not have kept this man from dying?”

There will always be skeptics but You will always silence them.  

40 Jesus replied, “Have I not told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  

How often I too have to be reminded of who You are - the Son of the all holy, all powerful everliving God.

 41 So they re­moved the stone.  Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for you have heard me. 42 I knew that you hear me always; but my prayer was for the sake of these people, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When Jesus had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

May I imitate You when I pray acknowledging who You are, giving You thanks for having already heard me even before I make my petition, and with confidence that I will receive all I have asked for and more.

This miracle concludes with this verse,   45 Many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw what he did.   It does not say 'all' of those present who had witnessed this miracle believed in You.  This unbelief continues to this day and age.  For some even a miracle such as this will not lead them to believing in You.