Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13, Matthew 18:12-14

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The day of the Lord is near:
Behold, he comes to save us.

Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13, Matthew 18:12-14

Isaiah 40:1-11

My soul's beloved, once again we are reminded that our  God is a God who loves us, who cares for us most tenderly. You know our frailties and You assure us that we can always rely on Your help. You will lead us to true contrition and repentance and You will wipe away all our sins and take away all our guilt.

In this beautiful season of Advent we are reminded that God is always calling us to begin anew with hope. The Holy Spirit will help us to get rid of our pride, our self-righteousness, our sinful habits, our constant desire to give in to the demands of our  flesh, the temptations of the world, and the devil. We are created for a divine purpose and we know that the battle is won and the Enemy is vanquished. It is for us to strive to walk in the way of truth and life that You have already revealed to us.

We are reminded that life is short like the grass and flower in the field. But You who are the Word of the Lord and Your Spirit the Breath of the Most High will stand firm forever and we can take refuge in You.  Thank You for Your Church where You dwell in fullness. Thank You for the Voice of the Church which is the Voice of the Spirit. Thank You for everyone that God has sent in Your Name to reveal to us the Good News of our salvation that God so loved the world that He sent You as one of us to save us and redeem us and give us a future and an everlasting hope.  You are a God of contradiction, You came into the world weak, poor, helpless, a little Baby and You conquered the world. The proud, the powerful, the arrogant, those who walk in the world blind, and deaf, to the cries of the weak will be crushed by the mighty hand of the Lord. You are our Good Shepherd, You will carry the weak in Your arms, You will feed us with Yourself and strengthen us. There is no god as great as You who are Father, Son and Spirit who love us so powerfully, so tenderly that we can walk as little lambs save in His shadow knowing that no evil will dare to approach those who are marked with Your Blood.

Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13

The awesome truth about Your love my soul's beloved is that it is not dependent upon whether we are good, bad, or pure evil. You love us anyway, for it is Your nature to love and You cannot be false to Your nature. We have a glorious future, our hope of eternity in the Presence of God. We have been saved. The Church hands down this Good News from one generation to the next, through her members. Some are commissioned to carry the Good News by their vocation to the farthest ends of the earth and many more are commissioned to live the Good News by the powerful witness of their daily lives to those around them. The Good News is this, that God so loved the world that He sent His Only Son to be the means of our salvation, our redemption, our hope of union with the God of Love forever.

Thank You for this period of Advent when we recall with great joy and hope Your coming again in glory. We recall all God has accomplished through You and how we are all saved by You. Thank You my soul's beloved for the sure knowledge that death  has no power over us for You have crushed the head of the serpent and victory is our in You.

Matthew 18:12-14

My soul's beloved, thank You for Your tender assurance that You will come in search of the lost, look until that lost sheep of Yours is found, and that heaven rejoices when You do. I know that I need not to anxious or fearful for all those whom I love and who have strayed so far away from You that they do not know the way back to the flock. You will not rest until You find them and carry them back to the fold. I believe because You have said it and Your Word is true.