Ephesians 1:11-14, Psalm 33:1-,2, 4-5, 12-13, Luke 12:1-7

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

May your kindness, LORD, be upon us;

as we put our hope in you. Ps 33:22

Ephesians 1:11-14, Psalm 33:1-,2, 4-5, 12-13, Luke 12:1-7  

Ephesians 1:11-14

My soul's beloved, St. Paul confirms what You have just said to me. It is You who chose me and you have graciously invited me in accordance with Your will and intention to belong to the remnant few who offer You praise, worship, thanksgiving, adoration, and love although my capacity for all of this is as weak as a flame on a flickering wick. I live for You and I will die in You for this is what You desire, this is what You have accomplished, and this is what I desire as well.

You are my hope for today, for tomorrow and for eternity. You have permitted me to come to know You as my Lord, my God, my Brother, my Friend and as the beloved of my soul. You speak the truth to me in love which convicts me as well as strengthens me. I am saved by Your Word made flesh who came down from heaven to restore what disobedience lost. Washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb in the waters of Baptism where I was plunged into Your death so I could rise to new life in You, I am now sealed in Your Spirit of Love - He who in Love pours forth from Father to Son and from Son to Father and who draws me too into this awesome love as a foretaste of what is in store for me when I shall one day draw my last breath on earth and draw my first as Your possession here and in eternity where I will praise You along with the angels and saints forever. 

Thank You my soul's beloved for my glorious destiny.

Psalm 33:1-,2, 4-5, 12-13

My soul's beloved, I exult because You have chosen me, Your poor little nothing, to be Yours alone. Praise always, must be my response in gratitude for calling me from darkness into Your Own marvellous light. Thank You for the graces You make available to me so I can choose to do what is right and pleasing to You. Thank You for revealing to me that You are good, holy, loving, merciful, kind, tender and full of compassion, and that Your Word is worthy of trust.

Thank You for stooping over me from heaven and never taking Your gaze away from me. Thank You for keeping me safe in Your love and under Your protection. 

Luke 12:1-7

My soul's beloved, crowds always thronged wherever You went. They were hungry and starving for the truth. Until then they were only weighed down by the law which condemned them. Those in authority in the temple were more concerned with splitting hairs concerning the demands of the Law rather than helping their fellow Jews to find a refuge and help in the commandments of Moses. The people were fascinated that You were not concerned with being politically correct and say what would please the rich, those in power and with influence. Never had they heard those who judged them pitilessly be criticized publicly and boldly as hypocrites who would be denied entrance into the Kingdom which they had believed was reserved without question for them.

Just as You warned them, You warn us today that nothing is concealed before God. Every thought, word, and action spoken aloud or in secret is known to God for in Him there is no darkness. We are so afraid of being persecuted, of losing our livelihood, of having opportunities denied to us, perhaps fearing for our lives even because we stood unflinchingly on the side of Truth. It takes courage to stand up and call sin a sin in the face of those who would have us believe that there is no such thing. Those who stand up against those who deny the undeniable truth need not be afraid for You assure us that while we may lose our lives as a consequence it would be more terrible to have both body and soul cast into the eternal fires of hell.

Finally, You reassure all the little ones that the Lord God is watching over them. To those who are unprotected, the marginalized, the faceless, the unseen, those the world casts outside the periphery, You say, 

"Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?

Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.

Do not be afraid.

You are worth more than many sparrows.”

Thank You for the assurance of the almighty, all powerful, ever living God that You O Lord are on the side of little ones and will win the battle on their behalf.