1 Peter 1:3-9, Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, Mark 10:17-27

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:  1 Peter 1:3-9, Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10, Mark 10:17-27

1 Peter 1:3-9

Verse  8  "You have not yet seen him and yet you love him; even without seeing him, you believe in him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words."

No my Beloved, my physical eyes have not seen You but I have seen You with the eyes of faith, I have heard You, I have experienced Your Presence in my soul. I have tasted the sweet honey of Your goodness and I love You with all that I am.  In Verse 9 St. Peter tells me the goal of faith is the salvation of the soul.  Yes, I believe and

in believing I am saved.  I love You Lord.

Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10

Verses 2

 2 The works of the Lord are great

and pondered by all who delight in them.

My Beloved, I delight in Your creation for it reminds me of Your love for me.  All the beauty in the world is only a reflection of You who are True Beauty.  The power of the elements of nature are but a revelation of Your awesome power.  All human beings image You and the more we allow Your Holy Spirit access to shape and mold us, the greater will we resemble You.  Have Your way with me my Lord and do exactly as You will with my life.

Verse 10

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

prudent are those who live by his precepts.

To him belongs everlasting praise.

The more I  know You the greater will be my love of You and the more I love You the greater will be my fear of displeasing You who are all good and deserving of all my love and of all that I am capable of giving.  I am all Yours just as surely and certainly as You my beloved are mine,  all mine.

Mark 10:17-27

My Love, the rich man in today's Gospel passage represents so many Christians or maybe even non Christians who hear of You and are so attracted to You that their spirit not only perceives but longs for more of You and so they desire to make a greater committment.  But true discipleship calls for the laying down of one's life.  It means taking up the cross, it may mean persecution, hardship and death to self daily.  To be a disciple calls for disciplining the senses and the flesh.  It requires walking the narrow, rocky road where often there is only light sufficient to take one step forward, trusting in faith that You are accompanying us the entire way although we cannot see.

When You remind the rich man that only God is good, You wish to point out to him first of all that no human being is all good because the rich man sees You only as a man.  You want him to know that only God is truly good.  When he confesses that he has kept all the commandments, You know he speaks the truth.  He is like many Christians who observe all that You require, they know that there is more and they believe that they are ready for a deeper level of committmentm but once You reveal to them the true cost of discipleship, then many often pull back.  They are not prepared to submit completely by giving up all earthly security and trusting You implicitly to provide for all their spiritual and temporal needs.

It is easy to make a superficial check-list and tick all the appropriate boxes and feel self-righteous but there is a giving that hurts, that costs, that leads to the laying down of one's life for Your sake and for the sake of the Gospel and there are very few who are prepared to go all the way.  Truly, my Beloved, many are called but few have what it takes to be among the chosen.  We cling to the earth and to its fleeting fancies and amusements and we convince ourselves that we cannot give up our tawdry baubles.  But if we trusted and did give up everything for Your sake, we would discover what the saints discovered.  When we willingly and joyfully deny ourselves and deliberately pick up the cross and follow You we will receive far more than we gave up in embracing You wholeheartedly for we cannot outdo You either in generosity or love.