Hebrews 10:19-25, Psalm 24:1-4ab, 5-6, Mark 4:21-25

Psalm 98:3

My Beloved has not forgotten His love or His faithfulness to me and He never will.

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

 

Hebrews 10:19-25, Psalm 24:1-4ab, 5-6, Mark 4:21-25

Hebrews 10:19-25

The greater the relief in which we see You beloved Lord Jesus, we will know how powerfully Your Holy Spirit is at work in us through His abiding Presence in us.  The more clearly we see You the better we understand You, the more we desire and long for You, the greater the ardor of our love, in like measure we can know the power of God the Holy Spirit who is working in us to reveal to us the glory and splendor of the Son, our Lord.

Through our participation and through our entering into the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with our whole being with an ever growing faith in what God has done for us through You Lord who won the victory and redeemed us, we will be in awe of the glorious mystery of the Sacrifice  that the celebrant at the altar re-presents with us to the Father.  You are the the High Priest that descends from heaven and together we offer the same sacrifice in an unbloody manner to the Father.  You invite us to unite our own lives  - our joys, sorrows, hopes, prayers, worship – the good and the bad with Your perfect offering and thus You make our sacrifice too acceptable to God our Father.

The Day of the Lord is coming and we need to be ready and awake or else that day will come upon us like a thief in the night and we will be unprepared like the wedding guest who did not possess a wedding garment and like him we will have no plea to offer in our defense.

 Psalm 24:1-4ab, 5-6

My Beloved, it is imperative that we approach You with clean hands and a pure heart.  All our desires must be holy or else our presence at the Holy Mass and our offerings will be like that of Cain’s which was neither pleasing nor acceptable to God.

We must be truly sorry, we must repent, we must have a humble contrite heart and a contrite spirit , we must go and confess our sins to the Priest if we are aware of any serious sins only then can we bring our Gifts to the Altar.

 

Mark 4:21-25

In Baptism we receive Your Light.  In Confirmation we are strengthened by Your Holy Spirit so that we have the courage and the desire to allow the Light in us to become visible through all we are and do.

In the Light of Your Truth and Your Word, everything becomes visible.  Your Light sheds its brightness and reveals all that is hidden which is either to Your glory or to our shame.

Verse 24  advises us, “Pay attention to what you hear.”  We are called to listen and understand Your will for us only then can we know Your will and do it.  The paradoxical principle of the Kingdom of God is that the more we give the more we will receive.  If what we give is pleasing and in accordance with Your will, we will produce fruit that is pleasing to You, if not, all the priceless gifts given to us since our baptism will be lost.  Help us Lord, we place our hope in You.

Hebrews10:11-18, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 4:1-20

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A FORESHADOW OF THE SACRED LITURGY

SIRACH 47:8-10

8 In all that he did he gave thanks to the Most High, and showed his love for his Maker by singing with all his heart.

9 He placed singers accompanied by harps before the altar to make beautiful music; 10 he gave splendor to feasts and even greater mag­nificence to the more solemn occasions, exalting the holy Name of the Lord and having the sanctuary ring with his praises from early morning.

http://www.bibleclaret.org/bibles/english.htm

Hebrews10:11-18, Psalm 110:1-4, Mark 4:1-20

Hebrews10:11-18

The Holy Mass is a Sacrifice of Love. It is a memorial where we re-present to God the one, holy and perfect sacrifice offered by His only begotten Son in expiation for the sins of all mankind.  The Lamb without spot or blemish offers Himself to be slain and His Blood is sprinkled on all who are present.  He made a once for all total atonement for the sins of all men.  No longer do we need to slaughter animals as a sacrifice for sin - they do nothing to take away our sins, guilt and shame. In the Old Testament such imperfect sacrifices had only the form where the shedding of blood was a ritual and had neither substance nor power.  All it did was to serve as a reminder to the people of the need for atonement for offences against God until His Son offered to become a Man like us, and being without sin, to die in our place so that we could then enter into His Sacrifice every time and through His merits be cleansed of our guilt and shame.  The sinner enters into the sacrifice of the Sinless One and He who became like us now transforms us into Himself.  Bathed in His Blood we receive His Life of grace and we too become acceptable and pleasing to God.

Every Holy Eucharist possesses the power to transform us and as we become more like Him, his Law of Love is etched in our hearts and minds and His grace is channelled into us through this Sacrament.

Psalm 110:1-4

My Beloved, You do rule in the midst of Your enemies in majesty and splendor.  Those who believe and are baptized are saved.  But there are many who continue to hate You and all who are called by Your Name with a murderous hatred. The blood of martyrs continues to flow as those who believe lay down their life for Your sake and that of the Gospel.  Your rule is established and Your reign has already begun.  The enemy is crushed and the devourer will slowly slink away in defeat as more and more are drawn back to You.  Having tasted the world to its bitter dregs, they know that it has nothing of offer that can truly satisfy.

All will return who desire to be ruled by Love and not by the selfish desires of the flesh which will eventually decay.

Mark 4:1-20

Verse 11 “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables."

The mystery of the Kingdom of God is given to all who believe and are baptized into the Body of Christ.  We receive the Word into hearts that are prepared by the Holy Spirit.  There they put down roots that go deep into Christ.  We draw from His Life the Sap of Grace through frequent reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We allow His Word to bear fruit and that fruit in turn bring the Life of Christ to all who taste us.  We become the means through which others are attracted to Jesus because He who lives in us draws them too to Himself.

The Boat represents the Church of Christ and all who hear the Word and keep it will enter the Boat and find that God provides everything that is needed for the journey to His Kingdom.  

Hebrews 10:1-10, Psalm 40:2, 4b, 7-8a, 10-11, Mark 3:31-35

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

http://www.bibleclaret.org/bibles/english.htm

Hebrews 10:1-10, Psalm 40:2, 4b, 7-8a, 10-11, Mark 3:31-35

Hebrews 10:1-10

My Beloved, how wonderfully consoling verse 10 is which says,  " Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified once and for all by the sacrifice of the body of Christ Jesus."  You offered to God the most pleasing and acceptable Sacrifice and the fragrant aroma of the laying down of Your Life in expiation for the sins of all men once and for all time, rise up eternally to the Holy of Holies.  No other is needed.  We each unite to Your Sacrifice the sacrifice and suffering of our own lives in order that they to become pleasing before God.

The Old Testament sacrifices and sin offerings of sheep, bulls and rams were only a shadow - they only possessed the form, it was just a pattern - until You said to Your Father, "These sacrifices are worthless; I will give You what You desire, the only acceptable and pleasing sacrifice to You.  I will take on the sins of all, I will become a willing Victim and I will lay down my life on the Altar of the Cross and redeem the world."  Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit for reconciling us all to God through Your Beloved Son Jesus Christ who is my Lord, my Savior, my Beloved, my Spouse my Love and my Life.

Psalm 40:2, 4b, 7-8a, 10-11

 Abba Father, when our first parents sinned and deliberately and wilfully disobeyed You, choosing rather to be taken in by the wiles of the Deceiver and the father of lies, You could have sworn in anger and wiped them off the face of the earth.  You do not need us.  But You are Love and You are a just God, You saw our potential. However the terrible consequences that the first sin brought into the world had to be atoned for and removed.  We who are sinners could not do it but it is precisely because we had sinned that only one like us but sinless could pay the ransom and redeem our souls so we could once more belong to You.  This is why Your Son, the Christ, said to You, "Here I come!.  You became the worthy Sacrifice that atoned for the sins of us all.  I will offer You a grateful and thankful heart with all the fervor of my poor little love all the days of my life my Beloved.

Mark 3:31-35

 My Beloved, humanly speaking it would seem that Your response to those who informed You that Your Mama and brothers/cousins were outside and wanted to see You was an affront to Your Mother and Your family.  Even now 2000 and more years later many wonder at this harsh response this is because they do not read the verses that follow and consequently the text is taken out of context.  They do not read this text in concert with the verses that follow and so put their own spin on the bond between You and Your Ma.  They denigrate her place as Your most beloved Mother and Your most perfect disciple.  

This was a teaching moment and You were not about to waste it since You are the best and most remarkable of teachers. You wished to tell us that every human relationship no matter how dear and close must take second place to our relationship with God. Your Mama too would have known that this was not about her at all.  She knew You better than anyone else - she did after all raise You from a Baby to Manhood.

And if we follow closely what You say in verses 34 and 35 we will see that Your Mother was a mother par excellence for no human being embraced the will of God more perfectly, obediently, completely, serenely, passionately, humbly and gladly than Your own Mother. To do God's will was her delight and her food and drink as well.

Let those who have eyes see and those who have ears hear.

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28, Psalm 98:1-6, Mark 3:22-30

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS:

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28, Psalm 98:1-6, Mark 3:22-30

Hebrews 9:15, 24-28

My Beloved, God has appointed You as the only Mediator between Him and us.  Only You can approach the Father and make intercession for us at the right hand from where You rule all creation.  Only You who robed Yourself in human flesh, becoming incarnate of the Virgin Mother Mary through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High God, can understand our weaknesses and so plead for mercy.  The New Covenant is a covenant of love sealed in Your Blood.  You have made perfect atonement for our sins and You make it possible for us to approach the Throne of Grace.  

Our inheritance is nothing less than the Kingdom of Heaven, for You make us co-heirs and adopted sons and daughters of the living God.  In baptism we plunge into death to sin and we rise to new life in You.

You died once and You took away the fear and sting of death.  When we stand before the righteous Judge, we will face You who took upon Yourself our sin, our guilt and our shame. You opened heaven for us and ensured our place which was prepared for us before time.

Thank You my Love and my own Beloved.

Psalm 98:1-6

Verse 3  You will never forget that You love me nor will You ever cease to be faithful to the Covenant of Love that You have made with me.

 

Mark 3:22-30

My Beloved, it is true that You are mercy and tender compassion and all Your judgments against our wanton disobedience and sinfulness are tempered with Your understanding that we are weak.  The Father is love.  It is He whose plan of salvation sent You into the world to become like us in order to ransom us, free us from eternal death and damnation, taking our place and dying for us by paying the price for our freedom with Your life.

However You tell us in verses 29-30 in no uncertain terms that slander against the Holy Spirit will be neither tolerated nor forgiven.  Anyone who dares to sin against the Holy Spirit is guilty and will be damned forever.

To slander the Holy Spirit is to deny all that God is.  It is to deny the Love of God and the Power of God.  The Father and the Son are poured out into the other in eternal agape love which is the Holy Spirit and that is why slander against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin.