Deuteronomy 26:18-19, Genesis 16:6-12, 15-16, Matthew 7:21-29, Psalm 106:1-5

Daily Meditation:  Deuteronomy 26:18-19

Deuteronomy 26:18-19

18 Today the Lord has declared that you will be his very own people even as he had promised you, and you must obey all his commandments. 19 He, for his part, will give you honor, renown and glory, and set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will become a nation consecrated to God, your God, as he has declared.

My Beloved, every baptized Catholic is privileged to belong to the Church You have established with Peter as its head.  This Church is Your Bride and You are her Bridegroom.  To  her, You are pledged, with her You  have forged a holy Covenant to  be her Protector, her Redeemer, her strength, her joy and her Deliverer.  She in turn, will offer You her undivided heart, all her love and loyalty and complete obedience to Your commandment of love to God and neighbor.  And You my Beloved, will set her as a radiant jewel in Your crown and give her a share in Your glory.  You will set her as a light on top of the mountain, as a beacon to the nations and all who come to her will find in her endless treasures and perfect joy.

Daily Mass Readings:  Genesis 16:6-12, 15-16, Matthew 7:21-29, 

                                Psalm 106:1-5

Genesis 16:6-12, 15-16

The descendants of Ismael are also our brothers - hard to love because of their violent nature and unrestrained, volatile, emotional temperament. Difficult to the point of being boorish and not much that can be perceived in their way  of thought and belief that can be called divine.  Yet, You have permitted it.  There is a greater purpose and we must trust You.  Your ways are often inscrutable but You are all wise,  all knowing and above all loving.

Matthew 7:21-29

The word 'authority' sticks in the throat of 21st century man.  They prefer a relative truth to an absolute truth.  Many Christians give the appearance of living model lives but God who sees the  heart often perceives them to be whited sepulchers.  The one who builds his life on the firm foundation of the Rock of Peter and the Cornerstone which is Christ, one whose food and drink is obedience to Christ and His Church, one whose life is ruled by love for God and the One whom He sent as well as love for neighbor, such a person will never be uprooted, shaken or destroyed for He is firmly planted in the Lord.

Psalm 106:4

4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; rescue me when you deliver them.