1 Samuel 16:7, Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59, Psalm 117:1-2

Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 16:7

1 Samuel 16:7

And the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not judge by his looks or his stature for I have rejected him, for the Lord does not judge as man judges, humans see with the eyes: the Lord sees the heart.

My Beloved, I know that I am guilty of making hasty judgements by looking on the outside.  The world too is constantly doing this.  They set the criteria for what is acceptable and everyone struggles to fit the mold in matters of clothes, weight, figure, fashion, make-up etc.  Often this is carried to the point of depression and loss of health.

Each of us is created unique and unrepeatable.  Each has intrinsic value.  Each is precious in Your sight.  How often I have felt disappointed when I realized that I was being judged not for who I am but what I looked like or how I dressed.  It is only after my personal encounter with You that I have become comfortable with who I am on the outside because of who I am on the inside.  My knowledge of You has greatly increased my confidence in who I am because of the great love You have for me.  You love me regardless of what I look like.  May I always look beyond the external to the person inside just as You do.  Quite often a beautiful exterior is no guarantee of a beautiful interior.

Daily Mass Reading:  Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59, Psalm 117:1-2

Acts 9:1-20

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you".  Beloved let us contrast this with the actions of Saul in the 1st verse of today's reading, "1Meanwhile Saul considered nothing but violence and death for the disciples of the Lord."  He was a pious Jew, knowledgeable in Scripture and the law.  What follows is a narrative of the most famous conversion in salvation history.  In many countries today governments too are involved in the persecution of Christians.  Overt and covert help is provided to those who are blinded by fanaticism and hate and even women and children are not spared.  All are brutally destroyed.  They think nothing of wiping scores of people at a time in a bloody and brutal manner, all in the name of a god whose true name is Evil.

When Saul encounters You my Lord, he becomes on the outside what he was on the inside all this time.  He is now physically blind  while he waits patiently and prayerfully  for the next phase in his conversion to begin., It was a time of reflection and repentance.  Ananias like many had heard of Saul's reputation and judged him by his past deeds.  We too lay the burden of past sins on people and refuse to accept that they may have changed.  Once Ananias understood Your will he was obedient.  He went to Saul, laid hands on him and Saul was healed.  The spiritual healing had already begun, the physical healing was an outward manifestation of what had already taken place in his soul.

Beloved sometimes I too drag my feet when it comes to obeying You, when I do, let me stop to hear Your voice and should I hear You say to me, "Go," let me trust You.  A personal encounter with You must lead to repentance and conversion from which must flow a missionary zeal to witness to all, what You have done for me.

John 6:52-59

Beloved, the same argument continues to this day.  Many who are already in the Church leave because they simply cannot comprehend the greatness of Your love that makes the Eucharist possible.  They cannot wrap their minds around this mystery. Being unable to make sense of it they reject it entirely.

Here again You speak simply, clearly and plainly.  The meaning of Your words cannot be misunderstood.  Each word has to be understood literally.  Why is it so difficult?  

Beloved, those who refuse to take You at Your word, are doomed to keep fragmenting because they do not have the food of divine love that keeps them united to Your Body.  Without unity there is continuous division and all manner of sins are accepted and tolerated; causing further division and destruction.  They love Scripture passionately but their failing is that they only accept Scripture as the sole basis and foundation of their faith.  Strange, because they pick and choose whether something is meant to be taken literally or not and the whole of John 6, the chapter on the Eucharist is read with scales in their eyes.  Someday Beloved the scales will fall and they will see.  Someday Your prayer for unity will be answered and we will all worship You with one mind, one heart and one spirit.

Psalm 117:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations;

all you peoples, praise him.

How great is his love for us!

His faithfulness lasts forever.