Jeremiah 18:1-6, Psalm 146:1-6, Matthew 13:47-53

FEAST OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 18:1-6, Psalm 146:1-6, Matthew 13:47-53

Jeremiah 18:1-6

I want to be in Your hands as clay in the hands of the potter so You my Beloved can shape and mould me in whatever way is pleasing to You.  Use me Lord for Your glory in whatever way You will, or not at all.  Let it ever be as You will not I.  All of me belongs to You.

Psalm 146:1-6

My Beloved, how often in the past I have placed my trust in those whom I believed had power to act in my favor and as many as I did I was disappointed.  Now, after many painful lessons, I have discovered that I need to put my trust in You alone for You my Beloved are faithful.  You keep Your Word.  My help is in You my Lord and my God.  I call the maker of heaven and earth and of all that is seen and unseen, the God of the oceans and all they contain Father, Abba, Dad.  You are a God who is always faithful, always awake and always at work to give me all I need.  Thank You!

Matthew 13:47-53

A disciple of the Kingdom of God will find treasure in both the Old which is revealed in the New and the New which is veiled in the Old.  Together they shine the Light and Power of Your Word which is the source of all life.  

May Your Word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path all the days of my life so when Your angels come to separate the good from the bad, I will, through grace, be counted with the good - so help me my Lord!

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21, Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18, Matthew 13:44-46

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21, Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18, Matthew 13:44-46

Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

My Beloved, each of these verses applies to those who desire to follow You faithfully and walk in the light of Your Truth.  The world seems to have fallen headlong into an ocean iniquity and is sinking at an alarming pace into a bottomless pit of violence, death and destruction.  Nothing good seems to prevail.  The few who are faithful are persecuted, scorned and ground into the dust under the heels of the wicked, violent and godless.

We love You, with and with Your help we will not be overwhelmed by the power of the wicked but will remain steadfast for we know that You are faithful and will never fail those who have put their faith, hope and trust in You.

This is the night for weeping but joy will come with the dawn and evil will be punished while the faithful will be victorious in You.

Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18

Save Your people O Lord who are walled in from all sides.  Come to our aid and save us. Do not let the enemy triumph over us.

My Beloved, no matter how dark the night we know that You are awake.  You never sleep and Your eyes in on Your own always and evil will not dare to approach to harm us.

Your praise will be always on our lips.  Our hearts will be filled with joy for You have come to us with the dawn just as Yo promised and You have declared Yourself our God, our Fortress, our Refuge and our Deliverer.

Matthew 13:44-46

My Beloved, having You the world and all it possesses is well lost for Your sake.

1 John 4:7-16, Psalm 34:1-10, John 11:19-27

FEAST OF ST. MARTHA 

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

1 John 4:7-16, Psalm 34:1-10, John 11:19-27

 “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ,
 the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

1 John 4:7-16

My Beloved, love alone gives meaning and purpose to life.  Love for God who is Father, Son and Spirit and perfect awareness that the God of love knew me eternally and loves me eternally.  This knowledge of God's love for me must in turn create in me a love for my brothers and sisters for the God of love who created us in love loves each of us to distraction. It is God's love for us and our love for Him and each other that binds us one to the other making us one in God and one with the children of God.  There is meaning and purpose in our lives only when knowing that God loves us we in turn love Him and our neighbor for His sake.

The love that God pours into our hearts overflows and touches all around us, without this love life loses its meaning and savor.  To reach perfection in love is to have reach the Ideal that is God and every day in every way we must grow more in the likeness of God made visible in You His beloved Son through the power of the Holy Spirit who makes His home in us.

Psalm 34:1-10

Verse 10

The mighty may be hungry and in need,

but those who seek the Lord lack nothing.

You have me and I have You my Beloved and having You I desire nothing, I need nothing, I want nothing - I AM SATISFIED.

John 11:19-27

My Beloved, we all have to come to believe and to confess boldly and with conviction as Martha did, Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”. 

My Beloved, verse 20 tells us that as soon as Martha, the woman of action heard that You were nearing Bethany she got up in haste and went to meet You.  Distraught with grief she cried out passionately when she saw You, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died." Then she said with faith, " But I know that what­ever you ask from God, God will give you.” And You respond that her brother will rise again.  Despite what she said that she believed God would grant You whatever You asked of Him she was still prepared to accept the finality of her brother's death and her belief that he would rise again on the last day. 

You then reveal Yourself as God when You say, “I am the resurrection; whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

And Martha makes the confession faith that we must all make at the time of our conversion and after our personal encounter with You, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

Jeremiah 13:1-22, Deuteronomy 32:18-21, Matthew 13:31-35

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Jeremiah 13:1-22, Deuteronomy 32:18-21, Matthew 13:31-35


Jeremiah 13:1-22

My Beloved, we the people of the New Covenant have been called and chosen by You to be Your own. We are bound closely to You by Your Sacrificial Blood shed freely to set us free from the enemy. Grant my Lord that we remain faithful always.

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12, Romans 8:28-30, Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130, Matthew 13:44-52

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12, Romans 8:28-30, Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130, 
Matthew 13:44-52

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12

_______ My own. ask what You want Me to give You.

My Beloved, I am aware that I am Your little nothing.  I am so infinitesimally small that I am barely visible.  I know it and You know it.  What can one like me every accomplish on my less than limited strength.  So this is what I ask my Lord - that You enter my littleness and in that less than nothing space, fill it with Your purity, Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your strength, Your beauty, Your love, Your power, Your sweetness, Your glory, Your majesty.  Let this little less than nothing contain all that is You.  In my strength and on my own I can do nothing so please unite me with You, consume me in Your Beloved then one with Your infinite goodness and perfection I can be all things in You and I can do all things in You. 

Romans 8:28-30

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One You confirm in these verses that all who have been called by You can be assured that everything that occurs in their live will work for their good and for God's glory. You will draw good from every circumstance in their life.

You called me in eternity even before I was formed in my mother's womb to be who I am and just as I am.  You have place me exactly where You desire me to be, doing exactly what You have planned for me to do.  It may not be much in the eyes of the world but it is wholly Yours - little perhaps and less than nothing but as I am my Beloved I am Yours alone to be used as You will for as long as You will.

Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130

Thank You my Beloved for keeping all Your promises to me.  Thank You for Your faithfulness. You are all I need. Your Word is a lamp to my feet I will never walk in darkness nor go astray because to do Your will through grace received each day is my delight.  You have comforted me when I have mourned.  You have wiped my tears, You have heard me lamenting in grief and You came to me and assured me that I am not alone. You my Beloved  are always with me.  You have been gracious and merciful to me when I have least deserved it.  Thank You. 

Your Word is the treasury where I find all I need to live according to Your will.  Thank You for permitting one as slow to understanding as I am, to be able to grasp the wisdom of Your Word and gasp at its awesome beauty and majesty.

Matthew 13:44-52

My Beloved You are my Treasure, my Pearl of Great Price.  All is well lost my Love if I have You.  I am caught in Your net.  When You sift the wheat from the chaff and gather the good fish in buckets grant that I am be counted among the wheat and the good fish.

Jeremiah 7:1-22, Psalm 84:3-6, 8 & 11, Matthew 13:24-30

FEAST OF STS. JOACHIM & ANN

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 7:1-22, Psalm 84:3-6, 8 & 11, Matthew 13:24-30

Jeremiah 7:1-22

My Beloved, these verses are just as applicable today as when the prophet first spoke them to the people of God so many centuries ago.  Your House is holy, it is the place where You dwell because You desire to make Your home with us.  Sinners mistakenly believe that they can sin with impunity, deny the truth, celebrate and promote lies, defile Your Name and sneer at Your teachings in the public square and then the come into Your House to worship they believe that it is perfectly legitimate to go through life with a loose moral compass.  This is the current situation among nations with a Christian heritage and nations who count among its citizens many who are members of Your Mystical Body, the Church.

Strangers are abused, orphans and widows are robbed of their rights and their inheritance, innocent blood is spilled in the holocaust of abortion and the false gods of money, fame, and power have taken central place in the lives of many too numerous to count.  Words are used cleverly to deceive, lies are couched in innocent sounding phrases, the innocence of children is stolen, there is no sanctity in marriage, infidelity is rampant and the spouse of another is tempted and drawn into defiling their vows.   They swear brazenly  on oath to outright lies. They walk the highest corridors of power with blood stained hands, blackened hearts, decaying souls and have the gall to call themselves Christians and even Catholics.

The day is coming when You, our righteous Judge, will purge the Holy Place of all who have dared to desecrate it.

Psalm 84:3-6, 8 & 11

My Beloved, Your Church, the place where You dwell among Your faithful makes heaven present.  More than a physical structure it is the human heart which is Your preferred temple. You make Your home in our body and establish Your reign and Kingship over us. This is bliss.  To know that God is always present each time we cry, "Abba, Jesus, Holy Spirit, and each time You respond, "I am here."

All are welcome.  Your invitation is extended to all who hear and accept Your call to belong to the family of God.  We worship You as a Body from the greatest to the least.  All can nest in You and are protected, fed and nurtured by You.  It is better live just one day nestled close to Your heart than to live a thousand elsewhere.

Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness.

Matthew 13:24-30

My Beloved, the faithful need not be anxious because the faithless flourish and prosper.  It is wrong to expect You to show us tender mercy  but wish stern justice to our enemies, this is not Your way.  To all under the heavens You grant sunshine and rain, all are invited to eat and drink of the one Bread and drink from the one Cup.  Salvation is granted to all.  There will come a time of reckoning when the choices we have made freely will determine whether we will be gathered into Your barns or be bundled up and thrown into the fire where the flames never go out.

2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126:1-6, Matthew 20:20-28

FEAST OF ST. JAMES APOSTLE & MARTYR

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126:1-6, Matthew 20:20-28

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

Verse 8 "Trials of every sort come to us but we are not discouraged." My Beloved, discouragement is the work of the devil this is why the saints are always cheerful. 

As a child of God, as a member of Your Body the Church, as Your disciple and follower I carry within me the Holy Spirit who deigns to live in me because You sent Him. I have access to the infinite love and power of God concealed in this mortal, ageing, prone to sin body so it is perfectly clear that any good I do is made possible because the grace of God poured into my soul through the Spirit of God is  alive and working in me.  Of my own I can do nothing but with Your Spirit living, moving and having total control of me I can do all things through Him who is at work in me.

The lives of the Apostles, the great saints and martyrs are a living witness of how to live nobly and die joyfully with Your Name on their lips.  St. Paul captures the essence of this wonderful and awe inspiring courage of the saints in times of persecution.  God is always in control and always at work in the life of the saint. 

If I am Your disciple then my whole existence must be one of laying down my life for my brother and my sister in order that I may live and experience the joy of knowing You.  A martyr goes to his or her death singing Your praises joyfully for they know they have lived for You and dying for You they will be raised by You to live eternally in Your Presence

Truly my Beloved, everything works for our for our good as verse 15 reminds us for through all the circumstances of our live grace is granted to us in order that through them we may glorify God in all things.   The more we allow ourselves to be crushed for Your sake the stronger will our witness be among those who do not believe. 

Psalm 126:1-6

My Beloved, this is the hymn of triumph that all Your people will sing when they come back home after their brief exile in this valley of tears. Life here is a struggle and those who are faithful are marked for persecution, suffering and even martyrdom.  We are looked at with suspicion, as foreigners and and as aliens.  We are driven out, hounded, scorned and filthy accusations are levelled against us. Lies are spread about us because of a complete and total ignorance of the truth and a colossal indifference to get acquainted with it so one can understand and make a fair judgement. 

But this is the way it has always been my Beloved, this is why You came into the world - the Son of God is a living witness and those who follow You know what to expect from the enemy.  Our final destiny is the entrance to eternal life with You through death  as we take up our Cross daily and follow You.

Matthew 20:20-28

The key to entering the Kingdom of God is to imitate the Son of Man in everything.

My Beloved, Peter, James and John were part of the inner circle - closer to You than the others.  They were privileged to go with You and witness marvels that the others  did not. In these verses we see how the mother of James and John makes a plea on behalf of her sons. She comes to You, kneels before You and makes her request known to You but Your response is directed to her sons.

All mothers have a special place in Your heart and all are heard.  Sometimes they may ask foolishly but they receive a hearing all the same.  If like James and John we are prepared to drink the cup of suffering we ought not to do so in exchange for special privileges,  we do so out of love for You.

In this world there will always be struggles for places of power and leadership even among the people of God.  These You rebuke reminding them that we are not to be like the rulers of the world who tyrannise the poor and use their power for personal gain.  Rather You give us a model for true discipleship - Yourself.  The rules that apply to those who belong to the Kingdom of God are in direct opposition to the world.  Here the first are last and the last are first. A leader serves as a servant in imitation of You who came not the be serve but to serve and to lay down Your life to redeem the world.

7-8, 12-13, Psalm 36:6-11, Matthew 13:10-17

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13, Psalm 36:6-11, Matthew 13:10-17

Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

My Beloved, at the time of Your visitation when I encountered You in a way I never had before and declared You Lord and master of my life, it was truly life changing moment and a time of personal discovery in my relationship with You.  Just as You chose Israel of all the nations to be Your people and revealed Yourself to her as her Lord and her God, so did You reveal Yourself to me and in turn, I fell passionately in love with You.  

I know I am infinitesimally small, nevertheless it was with all the passion and fervor I am capable of.  I had never known before that I was Your chosen, Your delight, the one You called by name.  In fact my name is carved on the palm of Your hand.  This discovery was truly a honeymoon period when every discovery of the depth, length, height and breadth of Your love for me made me dizzy with joy.  I was holy because You clothed me in Your holiness, I was fruitful because You tended me and protected me.  You let me drink deep at the fountain of joy but I was not faithful.  I turned away in time taking Your love and faithfulness for granted.  But You are merciful and gracious and when I repented You relented and forgave all my sins and restored all I had lost and more.

So too will You have mercy on the world and its inhabitants.  They have departed from Your Word to follow every other false doctrine, embracing the lies of the devil and touting every kind of sin and immorality as good.  You will honor Your Covenant with mankind and You will draw all back once we hit rock bottom and there will be no other way but to reach out and take Your hand and be rescued.

Have mercy on the world O Lord and hear the cries of Your faithful remnant.  Save Your people and bring back  all who have turned on Your Church and wounded her.  In unity with You alone is wholeness and peace.

Psalm 36:6-11

In these verses my Beloved, we affirm all we know to be true in the Covenant relationship You have made with us.  

Verse 6

Your love, O God, reaches the heavens; your faithfulness, to the clouds.

You are faithful, loving, king, gracious and merciful.  Your love is unfailing and Your promises to us will be fulfilled.  You live in fullness in Your Church and here all who come to You find refuge in Your shadow.  Here we are fed with the finest wheat and we drink the living water that streams from your Sacred heart.  We receive light and life form You and in You we share Your inheritance as children of God.

Matthew 13:10-17

My Beloved, to those who answer Your call and are faithful to Your teaching, You unlock the treasures of wisdom and flood our soul with understanding and knowledge - Gifts of Your Spirit.  You share glorious secrets of Truth that are hidden from minds that are coarsened by sin, who walk in darkness and are bloated with weakness for they drink from the tainted pools of worldly wisdom.  The foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of the wicked.

To those who have You will grant greater abundance.  You will expand their spirit so they can hold ever more as Your pour Your infinite grace and understanding of heavenly Truths.

Those who have little find that no matter how hard they try to understand things divine they will only grow more confused for their senses are coarsened by sin, their spirit is blunted because  indulgence of the flesh has overpowered it.  The more they refuse to delight in the love and law of God the more will they distance themselves from truth, beauty and wisdom. Whereas those who believe and have accepted Your Lordship over the lives and live by Your Word will be like trees planted beside streams of water and will receive all that You desire to give them and they will bear fruit for Your glory.

All that was promised, hinted at and prophesied in the Old Testament created a desire and a longing for You the Messiah but we have been privileged to know You, Love You and live in You.  

Thank You!

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, 15 & 17, Matthew 13:1-9

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10, Psalm 71:1-6, 15 & 17, Matthew 13:1-9

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10

Every baptized Christian has received a mission from You my Beloved.  Each is called, each is appointed prophet, priest and king and given authority in Your Name to go out into the world and bear witness to You and to establish God's Kingdom among us.  We are all equipped with every gift in the heavenly places and we are prompted, led, taught and influenced by the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.  

You will put words in our mouth, You assure us that You will walk with us and that fear has no place in our relationship with You for perfect love casts out fear.  Day after day, morning after morning, You touch my lips and You anoint me. You come to me and You rest in my heart when I receive You in Holy Communion.  Eternal Word of the Father, my Beloved, my Love, my adored Friend, having You I have all things.

Psalm 71:1-6, 15 & 17

My Love, my Life, I have recourse to none but You.  Help me! In my weakness be my strength, in times of fear grant me courage, when I mourn comfort me, when I pray answer me.  Grant me a foothold on Your mountain the place where You dwell.  Hold my hand less my foot slips and I fall into the pit.

I have no strength of my own my Beloved.  Without You I am lost. I am unable to put one foot before the other. You knew me even before I was formed in secret in my mother's womb.  You have been with me always and I have Your assurance that You will remain with me until I take my last breath on earth and my first breath in heaven.

I love You! Help me to speak of You always.

Matthew 13:1-9

My Beloved, You are the Eternal Word and You have spoken.  You now issue the challenge, "If you have ears, then hear!" 

If I claim to be a disciple and I am ignorant of You and Your Word then I am like the seed that fell either by the wayside and was eaten by the birds, or among the thistles and was choked or among rocks that sprouted quickly but withered away just as quickly because of a lack of perseverance, a lack of will, a lack of determination.  

To be a disciple is a challenge I receive each day, how will I meet this challenge? Am I excited to be a follower, a disciple, a member of Your Body the Church or am I indifferent, careless, lazy? I only have this day, this moment, this life - help me Lord to make it count so some day when this life is over, You will call me home to spend eternity in the bosom of Divine Love.

Song of Songs 3:1-4, Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9, John 20:1-2, 11-18

 FEAST OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Song of Songs 3:1-4, Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9, John 20:1-2, 11-18

Song of Songs 3:1-4

My Beloved, we will not find You if we do not seek You.  No wonder the psalmist says, "I rise before dawn." You too rose before dawn to seek Your Father in prayer setting an example for me to rise before dawn as well.

Only when I leave my bed and seek You in silence, mediate on Your Word, raise my heart, my mind, my soul and my spirit to You will You come to me like the dawn that steals across the sky and slowly but surely lights up the sky beginning with silver grey, to peach, pink and finally to fiery red.  When I seek You, I will find You Beloved of my soul and Delight of my life.

Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9

My Beloved, I cry out with the psalmist and unite my cry of longing with that of every soul from the first to the last for perfect and complete and complete union with You my Lord and my God.  I cannot bear to contemplate life without You and Your love.  Without You life loses its savor and has no meaning or purpose.

I thank You my Life and my Love for longing for me even more than I could ever  hope to love and long for You because I am too small and weak.  Thank You for drawing me into Your Heart and for consuming me in the blazing furnace of Your love each time I receive You in the Eucharist.

Having You I have all things.  Keep me always close to Your side, next to Your Heart and will b e content and blissfully happy.

John 20:1-2, 11-18

My Beloved, just as the heavy curtain separating the Holy of Holies in the Sanctuary was ripped from top to bottom when You gave up Your Spirit to Your Father and died on the Cross permitting all who love You direct access to You.  So too my Beloved when the stone which sealed the tomb which swallowed You in death was rolled away and You rose again, You crushed death under Your heel and gave all who believe new hope and life in You.

My Beloved, we are privileged to enter Your Sanctuary in any adoration chapel in the world and we behold Your Face and we prostrate before You in adoration and worship.  We look at the empty tomb where death could not hold You and and we believe that just as You shared our death, we share Your Life and someday eternal life in perfect union with You in heaven.

My Spouse, my Beloved, my Brother, my Friend, my King, my Lord and my God!

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8, Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21 & 23, Matthew 12:38-42

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8, Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21 & 23, Matthew 12:38-42

Christ our Light that shines in the dark: 
Light that darkness could not overcome.

Micah 6:1-4, 6-8

My Beloved, there is no love as compelling as the love of the Father for His wayward children, no love as strong, as faithful as satisfying.  You taught us to call the God of Love, Abba.  You revealed to us that He created us only so He could pour His love upon us.  What return have we made in exchange for such bounty?  We gave sin and disobedience.  Did He abandon us as we deserved?  Did He destroy us?

To His pleading in verses 3 & 4 what is our reply?  Pondering on verses 6 &8 I am made aware of what my response ought to be.  What shall I bring when I come before the Lord and prostrate before my God?  Shall I bring Him the miserable works of my life?  What sacrifice will He find pleasing so He will be moved to forgive my iniquity and cleanse me from all my sins?  What sacrifice will He find acceptable?  I will offer Him His Firstborn Son, His Beloved Son, as the Lamb without Blemish, the spotless Lamb who will take away my sins and the sins of the whole world.

My Beloved, send Your Holy Spirit on me and fill me and guide me so I can walk in justice, act with love and mercy and walk in humility with You my Lord and my God all the days of my life.

Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21 & 23

My Beloved, no sacrifice is pleasing to You if our hearts are far from You.  You despise hypocrites and liars, those who say one thing but act without honor.  Who make an outward show of piety but whose hearts are filled with corruption.  Because You are merciful, patient and kind with the sinner, Your goodness is mistaken for weakness or even worse You turn a blind eye to sin.  Nothing is further from the truth.  You came to call sinners to repentance. The Father desires that all humans be saved because the price paid for our salvation was the life of His Son and it cannot have been given up in vain for anyone.

Teach me to walk in Your ways my Lord.  Give me a heart filled with praise and thanksgiving for all God has done for me.  May I walk in Your shadow all the days of my life.

Matthew 12:38-42

My Beloved, the tragedy of any life is when through deliberate ignorance we refuse to understand the signs that are given to us and not recognizing the time of Your visitation.

We want to make of You a god in our image and after our likeness. We ask for signs like Herod in order to be entertained, not because such a sign will bring us to our knees in adoration and worship. We desire to do the spectacular in order to titillate us and in order that You may become the next subject of entertainment of which we require a constant feed we are not bored out of our tiny minds. We keep demanding something more outrageous than the next until our emotions and our senses are blunted and insensate.

To us who are bloated with iniquity You say that the only sign we will receive is the sign of Jonah. Sin attempts to swallow God and believes that the ensuing darkness has overcome the light only to discover on the third day how wrong evil was when You rose again in glory on the third day.

King Solomon was granted such wisdom that the Queen of Sheba came from a distant land to see for herself if the reports of his wisdom were true whereas Wisdom was born into the world when You became Incarnate of the Virgin Mother and were shown only coldness and indifference.

Be merciful to us O Lord for our own stupidity condemns us.  Open our eyes so we can see, our ears that we may hear, our hearts that we may love, our minds that we may understand, our senses that they may be imbued with the sweetness of Your fragrance  and the Light of Your Presence so we may repent and turn to You and follow You always.