Galatians 5:1-6, Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47 -48, Luke 11:37-41

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The word of the Lord is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. Heb 4:12


Galatians 5:1-6, Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47 -48, Luke 11:37-41 

Galatians 5:1-6

My soul's beloved, we are the children of God born ofwater and the Holy Spirit and are now the children of  the New Covenant of Love made by the Father in the life of His Son through His Blood and ratified by the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and upon the members of Your Body. By faith we are saved through grace freely poured upon us through the holy and living Sacraments which make Your Life ours because You draw us and graft us to yourself. We can do nothing to receive Your favor it is granted to us as  a free gift and is the result of Your unfathomable love for us. I am justified by my faith in You the only Son of the Living God who came upon this earth born of a Woman, the Virgin Mary, lived 33 obscure years in Nazareth and spent the last 3 years of Your Life making known the Father and His love for His wayward children. We had lost the place prepared for us eternally through the sin of disobedience and You restored it to us by accepting the will of the Father and laying down Your life for us with one perfect act of obedience and love. You exchanged our death for Your Life. You took upon yourself our punishment for sin and we can once again glory in belonging to the Father. We can now claim and receive the inheritance as co-heirs with You for You delight in making us Your brothers and sister for it is You who taught us to call Your Father and our God Abba. 

Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47 -48

My soul's beloved, I make the prayer of the psalmist my own this morning. Pour Your mercy upon me and save me. Your Word O Lord is my food and my drink - it sustains me, it gives me hope when I am weary. It helps me to continue the good fight. Help me never to lose sight of Your promises to me if I obey Your commandment of Love to love God above and before all and my neighbor as much as You love Me.  I am truly grateful for the grace that wakes me up each morning before dawn to spend time with You and to feast on Your Word. I am grateful for the grace that enables me to spend time before You Face to Face in the Adoration Chapel where You shed Your radiance upon me and my soul. Thank You for the grace to celebrate the Liturgy of Love every morning and for feeding me with Your Own Body and Blood so I can live in Your Love through the hours of the day until at close of day I lie down to rest. 

Luke 11:37-41

My soul's beloved, before I start criticizing the Pharisee who invited You to dine in his home only to look for opportunities to trap You and expose You as one who has no respect for the law of Moses may I first turn the light of truth upon myself and expose my own penchant for immediately being able to pick out the flaws in everyone and sit in judgement on them. The Pharisee, Your host, was amazed because You did not perform the ritual of washing before partaking of the meal. You knew his thoughts, You saw how he tried to justify himself by claiming to fulfill all that the law demanded while failing miserably in meeting the standards set by the God of Love. He was so careful in rigorously fulfilling every aspect of the law that he forgot what it was to have compassion, mercy, understanding, and love. He was so busy shining the outside of his cup that he forgot about the inside which was filthy because he had neglected to grasp the truth that Love takes precedence over all.

What exactly do You mean my soul's beloved when You say, "Give alms and behold everything will be clean for you." Giving alms is so much more than reaching into our pockets and giving money - it is the giving of ourselves in imitation of You and laying down our lives for another for You have said, "There is no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friend." You showed us how this is done for You demand nothing from us that You have not done first. Help me Lord to strive every moment of every day to cooperate with grace and to do all that is pleasing to You.