Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 7:2-3,9-12, John 7:40-53

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 7:2-3,9-12, John 7:40-53

Jeremiah 11:18-20

My Beloved, today we recall the persecutions that the prophet Jeremiah suffered at the hands of those who plotted against him, and his fear and anxiety at finding no safe place to hide from those who sought his life. You were relentlessly persecuted because You shone the spotlight of God’s loving compassion on sinners so they could repent and return to God. However, it is almost always those who are responsible to uphold the law and the truth who stray from the path of righteousness, hate viciously when they are told that they are sinful and need to repent. They find no rest as they feverishly hatch plots to kill those who accuse them and rebuke them for sinning and leading others to sin as well.

You are the gentle Lamb that was bound and nailed to the Altar of the Cross and there You were slaughtered. Innocent blood was spilled. But it was this very Sacrifice that would bridge the great chasm created between God and man by our first parents becoming the means by which all who believe will enter heaven.

Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12

My Beloved, my Lord, and my God I thank You for inviting me to take refuge in You when the enemy pursues me, when evil lays traps for me to ensnare me. Thank You for being my shield lest I succumb to the arrows of temptation shot at me. Thank You for being my Savior and providing me with every grace I need and all the strength that I require to combat the wiles of the enemy. Without Your mighty protection I would have no defense against the powers of darkness.

You have won the victory on the Cross. All we need to do is lift up our eyes to the One who has been crucified and is raised between heaven and earth drawing all who believe through You to the Father. We owe You a debt that we can never repay but we can be obedient and humble as You are obedient and humble and in this way we can please you.

John 7:40-53

My Beloved, the more we listen to You the more imbued and absorbed we become in Your Word, we will discover the Truth that You are indeed the Savior of the World, the One sent by God to redeem it and to make known the infinite love of God for His creatures. Many who heard You began to believe that You were the anointed One sent by God but they were ridiculed by those with power and authority. They were skeptical because they did not look deeper than the surface –if they did they would have discovered where You came from, that You were indeed a descendant of David, and that You were born in Bethlehem in the City of David.

Even today my Beloved we are spiritually lazy are led astray by those who have no credibility because they are biased. They propagate the lie that faith in You is irrelevant in this day and age as technology is fast becoming the false god before whom many worship. However the truth always prevails for Truth is embodied in You and has the power to shine a beacon of light so that all may finally move out from the darkness and walk in the way that You have marked out for all who seek it. Even today the voice of reason like that of Nicodemus is being drowned out by the shrill and strident voices of those who prefer to worship on altar of self-gratification rather than on self-sacrifice. The Pharisees said to Nicodemus, “Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” However, they were quoting Scripture out of context just as so many do in our day and age and they are responsible for leading many away from You - the Way, the Truth and the Life.