Acts 3:11-26, Psalm 8:2, 5-9, Luke 24:35-48

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Acts 3:11-26, Psalm 8:2, 5-9, Luke 24:35-48

Acts 3:11-26

My Beloved, God is constantly at work in the world. You who are the Eternal Word of the Father uphold all creation sustaining it by the power of Your Holy Spirit. The Father abides in us because You abide in us and as You have said, “You and the Father are One.” The people were amazed when in the power of the Name that is above all other names the cripple who was carried to the temple gate each day was healed. Once he gained the use of his feet he jumped up and went into the temple walking and leaping and praising God.

My Beloved we witness Your healing everyday but we take it for granted we are not moved to joyfully leap and jump and shout and praise God thus giving powerful witness to what Your goodness and love have effected in us. Grant us a faith that is alive so we can give joyful witness to all that You have done for us so others too on hearing our testimony can live. 

No matter how gravely we have sinned, so long as we are sorry and come to You seeking forgiveness no matter how badly we are disfigured and crippled by sin, You have the power to restore us to perfect health. Thank You my Beloved for the wonderful Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Psalm 8:2, 5-9

My Beloved, truly Your Name is great over all the earth. You redeemed all things and restored the order which the first Adam’s sin had destroyed.  You sent forth Your Spirit and it is at work in all that lives and breathes giving glory to God who alone is worthy of our adoration. Glorified by the Father and seated at His right hand You did not leave us orphans but shared with us Your power just as You promised when You said that we will do even greater things than You have done for You make intercession for us night and day before the throne of mercy and grace generously sharing Your inheritance with us.

How good You are my Beloved – thank You for making it possible to do all You ask of me through grace working in me.

Luke 24:35-48

My Beloved, all who believe receive the same mission that You entrusted to Your Apostles each one of us who is baptized into Your Body must be a witness to all You have done for us. This is the Good News that God sent His Son into the world to reveal the love of the Father of His wayward children. To save them from the sin of Adam and to bridge the chasm created by our first parents by their act of disobedience to God’s will.

In obeying the Father and laying down Your life for the salvation of the world You have redeemed us. You empower us with Your Holy Spirit and You strengthen us each time we gather together to celebrate the Holy Eucharist where You continue to break Your Body for us and feed us so we can have a share in Your life. Thank You for Your Living Word – the Sacred Scriptures which pulsates with divine life providing us with Wisdom that comes from Your Holy Spirit and provides light so we may walk the narrow way without stumbling or perishing by the wayside.

Give me a burning desire Lord to witness to Your love in the way that I live my life in the world.

Acts 3:1-10, Psalm 105:1-9, Luke 24:13-35

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Acts 3:1-10, Psalm 105:1-9, Luke 24:13-35

Acts 3:1-10

My Beloved, here we are reminded that having You we have all things. Peter and John had nothing of this worlds goods but they had something far greater Your Name which is above every other name and when Your Name is pronounced that Name of Power and Glory of the Lord miracles happen. Anyone with expectant faith in You and Your Name will receive all they desire especially healing of mind, body, soul, and spirit in short the healing of the whole person for God does nothing by halves.

Once we encounter You my Beloved then we are no longer the same. Filled with joy and wonder we begin to leap with joy praising God for all He has done for us and testifying how gracious He has been to us. Help me my Beloved to have this same exuberant joy that bubbles over as I witness to all how gracious You have been to me and how much You love and care for me.

Psalm 105:1-9

My Beloved, thank You for Your abiding Presence on earth in our tabernacles where we can come to You, gaze on You, adore You, confide in You and be bated in Your love. Thank You for this oases in the midst of a chaotic world where for a moment we can step outside time and be with You I eternity lost in the wonder of Your graciousness to us who are so unworthy of such unfathomable love.

When You look at us who come to You with various degrees of faith but who come anyway confident that You can take our mustard seed of faith and help it grow and thrive Your heart is moved to compassion and You recall the Covenant of Love made with us by Your Father in Your Person  and we can count on Your blessings not only extended to us but to the thousandth generation. Thank You.

Luke 24:13-35

My Beloved, here we see a promise You made fulfilled. “When two or three are gathered in my name I am there in their midst.” Here the disheartened disciples who were making their way out of Jerusalem weighed down with all their disappointments at the unexpected turn of events and unable to get out of their funk as they talked about all that had happened concerning You, they suddenly find You present with them although they do not know it. Help us Lord to be sensitive to Your Presence because You can show up in unexpected way or in an unrecognizable guise. Help me not to miss You but to be alert and sensitive to those around Me for You are present in them just as You are present in me.

You explain to these two disciples that the Crucifixion was not the end of the story but the beginning. With the empty tomb and the Resurrection we begin a new phase in our walk with You – one filled with awe and wonder at the goodness of God and the sheer magnitude of His power and love.

I confess to being dull and slow of understanding sometimes Lord. I thank You for Your patience with me and for taking the time to lead me, walking with me at my pace and tenderly and compassionately helping me see how  wrong I can often be when I try to figure things out without the help of the Church’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit who speaks through her to me.

Just like the disciples in the road to Emmaus may I always recognize You in the breaking of the Bread at every Eucharistic celebration where Your become my food and drink which helps me on my journey from this life to the next.

Acts 2:36-41, Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22, John 20:11-18

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Acts 2:36-41, Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22, John 20:11-18

Acts 2:36-41

My Beloved, all those who banded together to kill You, both the Jewish authorities and the Romans  fulfilling every prophecy in Sacred Scripture must have watched how events were unfolding after  You gave up Your Spirit to Your Father and died. The Man they had crucified had emerged even stronger than before, more powerful. The rag tag band of disciples who were so consumed with fear and had melted into the night like mist in the morning sun when You needed Your friends the most were now unrecognizable beginning with Peter. Filled with the Holy Spirit and with power they spoke boldly, unafraid of naming and shaming the people who were listening to them that the One they had crucified was indeed Lord and Christ – the Anointed sent by God Himself. So moved by the words they heard they were convicted of sin and desired to start afresh and the God of second chances put these words in the mouth of Peter, “Each of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that you sins may be forgiven Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise was made to you and your children, and to all those from afar whom our God may call.”

As many as 3000 people who heard Peter found salvation that day. This is the Good News my Beloved that all who believe in You receive forgiveness from all sin no matter how heinous and in You we can always  have as many new beginnings as we need because we are weak and in the course of a lifetime may fall often. The Good News is this You make intercession for us night and day before the Throne of Your Father because You have ransomed and redeemed us and now we are Yours.

Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22

How blessed we are my Beloved. Your Word is trust worthy and You work of salvation has power to save all who believe in You. Those who belong to You shine like stars in the world and they make visible Your loving kindness in the world. They walk with confidence and without fear for they know that Your unswerving gaze is upon them and they can trust Your loving kindness to guard and protect them from every evil. Your love encompasses us for we have placed all our hope in You who are the shield and the refuge of all who are called by Your Name.

Acts 10:34, 37-43, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23, John 20:1-9

EASTER SUNDAY - HE IS RISEN!

ALLELUIA!

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Acts 10:34, 37-43, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23, John 20:1-9

Acts 10:34, 37-43

My Beloved, I thank You for coming not only for the chosen people of God but for all people in every nation on earth. Here we see Peter preaching boldly, the same Peter who denied You not once but thrice and who was afraid to acknowledge You before a maid servant is now testifying to the world that You are God’s anointed, filled with the Holy Spirit and power who went about doing good, healing and preaching and who was put to death on a wooden cross. God raised You to life on the third day and he testifies that You, the risen Lord appeared to those who ate and drank with You. That You gave them their mission commanding them to preach and bear witness to the Good News that God appointed You as the only righteous Judge to judge the living and the dead. All that was said of You by the prophets was fulfilled and all who believe in You are forgiven of every sin in Your Name. This is Life and this is the message Sin no longer has victory over us for the Blood of the Lamb has the power to take away all sin.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

My Beloved, thank You for instituting the new Passover and for providing us with the unleavened Bread which enables us to live pure lives. The Church calls for celebration because God has walked among us, has taken us by the hand, and has given us all we need through the Holy Spirit to pass from this life to the next where we will live with You in glory forever. 

Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23

My Beloved, we rejoice on this glorious Easter morning and we exult with joy at what the Lord has done for us. You are indeed a Sign of Contradiction to the nations. Death thought it had the last word but it contended against the Eternal Word, the Living Word, God’s only Son and was truly and thoroughly routed. You have crushed the head of Satan and have triumphed victoriously, gloriously, mightily and eternally. We give thanks to God our Father for His awesome plan of salvation that revealed His love for us – perfect love gave us a Savior such as Yourself who was prepared to leave Your glory behind and in obedience to the Father’s will to become humble even to death on the Cross. We rejoice Beloved and we are glad for the Season of Lent that has given us a greater appreciation of all that You accomplished for us by living, dying and rising again in glory. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

John 20:1-9

My Beloved, an empty tomb is our hope. On the night of Good Friday Your crucified Body was reverently placed in the sepulcher by Your sorrowful Mother – the disciple whom You loved, Mary of Magdala and other friends were present. The tomb was sealed upon the request of those who had committed Deicide. They believed that Your Body would be stolen and the disciples would claim that You had risen from the dead. Roman guards were kept appointed to keep watch through the night and everyone went home. Some bereft with grief and others content that they had finally got rid of the Man who threatened the status quo.

The grave could not hold You at the break of dawn on Easter morning Mary of Magdala came to the tomb and finding that the large stone blocking the entrance of the tomb was rolled away she ran to report to Peter and the disciple You loved that the tomb was empty. When they came to see for themselves they found the empty tomb, the linen cloths lying flat and the napkin which had covered Your sacred head was neatly rolled up and in place. It says that the disciple whom You loved saw and believed. For Scripture clearly said, that You must rise from the dead. Yet they did not fully comprehend what they had just witnessed. You rose from the dead just as You had said You would but they had yet to understand. We thank You for the witness of Peter and John my Lord for it is upon their testimony that we believe and believing we are saved.

Genesis 1:1—2:2, Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24-25, Luke 24:1-12

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

HOLY SATURDAY
 

Genesis 1:1—2:2, Romans 6:3-11, Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24-25,
Luke 24:1-12

Genesis 1:1—2:2

My Beloved, from the opening verses in Genesis we see how God takes the initiative in creating out of nothing. The first words in the first chapter states, “In the beginning, when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth had no form and was void, darkness was over the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.” From the opening verses we see that God is a community of Three Person – God as Creator initiates creation, God as the Spirit hovers over the formless, dark void, and the Word of God issuing forth from Him brings into being all that God creates.

God said and so it was. It is God who made and it was God who declared that all He created was good it was very good indeed and to the man whom He created in His image and likeness He gave stewardship of the beautiful world He created.

My Beloved, God had no need for us He was complete in the Trinity of Persons - the Father, the Son and the Spirit but God desired to create the world and give this beautiful world in love to man and woman. He created the world as a gift of love to us and He created us in love so we could enjoy His gift, love Him in return for our joy consists in loving God and in loving each other.

Romans 6:3-11

My Beloved, Baptism in the sole means given to us by God by which we become members of Your Body. We are united to You having been plunged into Your death by the waters of Baptism we are raised to new life by Your resurrection just as You were raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father. We walk in newness of life and we have a share in Your resurrection.

You crucified our sins, nailing them to the Cross with You and You destroyed its power over us who have been washed in the waters of Baptism. Sin no longer rules us, it is no longer our master – we have only one Master, You – Our Lord and Savior who redeemed us. You My Beloved can never die again but having tasted death one, You ensured that we can walk in the freedom of the children of God, that same freedom that God intended for us when He first created us. We each face a choice every day of our lives to die to sin and to stay alive in You. Thank You Beloved, for the grace received through the Holy Spirit to choose life.

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24-25

My Beloved, Father God and Holy Spirit thank You for this beautiful world that You have created and given to us. Thank You for the seasons, thank You for the variety in creation. For all that lives and moves, for all that blooms and bears flower and fruit, for all animals and their young, for all insects the lovely butterfly, the glowing fire fly. Thank You for the sun that lights up our days, for the gentle light of the moon that silvers the earth with its light at night, and for the myriad, mysterious stars that twinkle on a dark, moonless sky. Thank You for the variety of birds and for their song.

Most of all my Beloved thank You for creating me. Thank You for the many blessings You have showered on me from the moment of my conception and the blessings You will continue to grant me until my time here on earth is done. Thank You for the hope of heaven – a hope that You won for me on the Cross. Thank You Lord.

Luke 24:1-12

My Beloved, verse 12 says that Peter went home amazed. Everything happened exactly as You had said it would and yet Peter went home amazed. You said You would die, You said Peter would deny You before the cock crew, You said one of them would betray You. You even told them that You would be mocked, scourged, spat upon and finally put to death and You also told them that death would have no hold over You; You would rise again on the third day and yet Peter went home wondering. They refused to believe the testimony of the women and even after seeing the empty tomb Peter was puzzled.

We too are like Peter my Lord. Despite all our experience of Your goodness, Your kindness, Your faithfulness we still wonder if God will remain true to His Word and to His promises. We know that we are sinners and so we find it difficult to fathom the goodness of God who just loves us constantly and unconditionally. Grant me the grace my Lord to understand that God’s love for me is irrevocable because You are the Covenantal love that binds me to You and in You to the Father and the Spirit.