DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father! Rom 8:15
Jonah 4:1-11, Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10, Luke 11:1-4
Jonah 4:1-11
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
It is easy to laugh at the peevish Jonah who was absurdly angry and disappointed that You did not punish the people of Ninevah but rather warned them through Jonah to turn away from their wicked ways lest they perish. They were convicted of their sins and they humbled themselves, repented, were contrite, fasted and prayed, and in Your great mercy You spared them. They were saved from the wrath that would have come upon them and destroyed them.
Jonah the doomsayer wanted them to perish just as You had promised You would if they continued on their wicked path. And he grumbled angrily when instead they struck their breasts in sorrow and confessed their sins, renounced them, and the destruction that was announced was averted.
How often we too are like Jonah. We want the sinner to be punished, to be humiliated, to be destroyed. We are self-righteous in our condemnation of the sinner. But You my Beloved, do not want the sinner to die but to live. Jonah was angry and in his own words said, "I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish." We desire God to be merciful to us not to others whom we deem as unworthy of Your gracious love. Grant my Beloved that I to may be generous, patient, compassionate, and kind to those who are weak, just as You have been to me always. May I too rejoice when the sinner comes home rather than gloat when he suffers.
Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
Thank You for not destroying me when I wandered away from You but for pursuing me until I returned home to You. Thank You for calling me even when I did not want to hear Your voice calling me to turn away from the road that led to destruction. Thank You for welcoming me into the fold. Thank You for granting me the grace to repent and for Your forgiveness that restored me into the family of God. Thank You for always hearing my prayers, my sighs, and for being my consolation. Thank You for assuring me that You will always remain with me and that there is room for me and for all sinners who repent in Your Father's house.
Luke 11:1-4
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
You taught us by example that the secret to joy in this life is to stay in communion with You through prayer. You spent hours and often the whole night in close fellowship with Your Father, and He in turn strengthened You, re-energized and re-invigorated You when You were spent by the strain of the constant demands made on You by the people who flocked around You demanding to be touched by You, to touch You, to be healed of all their illness. You never tired of showing kindness, and compassion, of healing and forgiving, but as one like us in all things save sin, You too grew weary, hungry, exhausted and sad and this is why You escaped the crowds and Your disciples as well to just lay Your head and rest in Your Father's love. To talk things over with Him trusting Him to console You and encourage You to go on.
The disciples noticing the difference in You after You had spent time alone with God in prayer, wanted You to teach them too how to pray in order to experience what You did. How blessed we are that they did for You gave us the most complete prayer that expressed how best we too can receive all that the Father desires to give us. You taught us to address the Almighty God as Father, Abba, Dad and in the very first to words You revealed how much the Father desires that we have this sweet, tender, relationship of a father with his child. You taught us not only how to address God as Father, but the order in which we should make our petitions known to Him. To give Him the glory and the honor that is due to Him first, acknowledging who He is and trusting Him as our Daddy God to provide for all our needs.
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father! Rom 8:15
Jonah 4:1-11, Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10, Luke 11:1-4
Jonah 4:1-11
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
It is easy to laugh at the peevish Jonah who was absurdly angry and disappointed that You did not punish the people of Ninevah but rather warned them through Jonah to turn away from their wicked ways lest they perish. They were convicted of their sins and they humbled themselves, repented, were contrite, fasted and prayed, and in Your great mercy You spared them. They were saved from the wrath that would have come upon them and destroyed them.
Jonah the doomsayer wanted them to perish just as You had promised You would if they continued on their wicked path. And he grumbled angrily when instead they struck their breasts in sorrow and confessed their sins, renounced them, and the destruction that was announced was averted.
How often we too are like Jonah. We want the sinner to be punished, to be humiliated, to be destroyed. We are self-righteous in our condemnation of the sinner. But You my Beloved, do not want the sinner to die but to live. Jonah was angry and in his own words said, "I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish." We desire God to be merciful to us not to others whom we deem as unworthy of Your gracious love. Grant my Beloved that I to may be generous, patient, compassionate, and kind to those who are weak, just as You have been to me always. May I too rejoice when the sinner comes home rather than gloat when he suffers.
Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
Thank You for not destroying me when I wandered away from You but for pursuing me until I returned home to You. Thank You for calling me even when I did not want to hear Your voice calling me to turn away from the road that led to destruction. Thank You for welcoming me into the fold. Thank You for granting me the grace to repent and for Your forgiveness that restored me into the family of God. Thank You for always hearing my prayers, my sighs, and for being my consolation. Thank You for assuring me that You will always remain with me and that there is room for me and for all sinners who repent in Your Father's house.
Luke 11:1-4
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
You taught us by example that the secret to joy in this life is to stay in communion with You through prayer. You spent hours and often the whole night in close fellowship with Your Father, and He in turn strengthened You, re-energized and re-invigorated You when You were spent by the strain of the constant demands made on You by the people who flocked around You demanding to be touched by You, to touch You, to be healed of all their illness. You never tired of showing kindness, and compassion, of healing and forgiving, but as one like us in all things save sin, You too grew weary, hungry, exhausted and sad and this is why You escaped the crowds and Your disciples as well to just lay Your head and rest in Your Father's love. To talk things over with Him trusting Him to console You and encourage You to go on.
The disciples noticing the difference in You after You had spent time alone with God in prayer, wanted You to teach them too how to pray in order to experience what You did. How blessed we are that they did for You gave us the most complete prayer that expressed how best we too can receive all that the Father desires to give us. You taught us to address the Almighty God as Father, Abba, Dad and in the very first to words You revealed how much the Father desires that we have this sweet, tender, relationship of a father with his child. You taught us not only how to address God as Father, but the order in which we should make our petitions known to Him. To give Him the glory and the honor that is due to Him first, acknowledging who He is and trusting Him as our Daddy God to provide for all our needs.
Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
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