Zechariah 8:1-8, Psalm 102:16-23 & 29, Luke 9:46-50

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

 

Zechariah 8:1-8, Psalm 102:16-23 & 29, Luke 9:46-50

 

Zechariah 8:1-8

My Beloved, over and over in sacred Scripture God makes the most amazing promises to us sinners.  We are wicked, wayward and weak but He never forgets we belong to Him.  He never forgets the price You paid for our salvation.  He never forgets that we are bathed in the Blood of the Lamb through Your Bloody sacrifice on the Cross.

Every time we stray, He comes looking for us like the Father in the Prodigal Son, like the Good Samaritan, like the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep behind and comes in search of the one that is lost.

He will gather His people who bear Your Name, who have been redeemed and restored to the family of God through Your obedience even unto death on the Cross and together with You and the Holy Spirit will welcome us as Your Bride.  Justice and truth will prevail because God stoops low and deigns to live among us.

Psalm 102:16-23 & 29

My Beloved, how far away the world seems from the promises You make to us in these verses.  Yet we know that You never make empty promises.  Your Word is true and every promise will be realized in time.  You bend Your ear to the cry of the oppressed and the needy.  You will hasten to judge in favor of Your own.  We have been formed by You to praise You and so we will my Lord, Your praise will be always on our lips and we bow down in reverence before You.  You are our God and we are the people ransomed by Your love.  You promise that our descendants too will continue to live in safety under Your protection and enjoy Your unending grace and help.

Luke 9:46-50

My Beloved, if only we were as generous as You in our thoughts about others.  We are forever compartmentalizing and pigeon holing people and constricting them with our narrow mindedness.  All of us are children of God and enjoy equal dignity in His sight. 

Little children have never been as abused as they are in the present age.  They are unwelcome in our lives because selfishness rules our lives and we are consumed with materialism.  We restrict the number of children we have, the gender we prefer and even while the baby is in utero he or she is in danger of being annihilated at any stage in its growth.  Today You remind us that in welcoming children we welcome You and in welcoming You we welcome the Father who sent You.

Humility is a virtue and an attribute of God yet it is one that is least  appreciated or desired by the world. 

We continue to make divisions among ourselves and ostracize those who appear different from us or think differently.  Your advice to us is brief and bears Remembering.  We all work for the same Master, the same Lord, the same God and we all labor for the coming of the Kingdom of God.