Friday, February 9, 2018

1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19, Psalm 81:10-15, Mark 7:31-36

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son. Acts 16:14B


1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19, Psalm 81:10-15, Mark 7:31-36


1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

God knows all things. God intervenes in the affairs of all no matter who they be and His will prevails. Who can say no when You say yes or yes when You say no? It is best for us to know that God's favor rests on those who place all their faith, hope and trust in Him. Solomon, once highly favored by God not only for the sake of his father David but for his own sake turned away from God. It did not happen all at once but very slowly, as he gave in to the demands of his foreign wives built temples to their gods and even worshiped with the, he chose to drift away for the God of Life and brought grief upon himself. We have no one to blame when we allow the world to exert its influence over us and takes us away from all that is good and holy. Often we sell our birthright like Esau did for temporary pleasures and we lose our inheritance as well as God's favor and blessing. 

To this day Solomon's rebellion continues among the people God had chosen from among all the nations as His own.

Psalm 81:10-15

There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels."
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;

against their foes I would turn my hand."

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Your command is clear, Your will is known to us. You have told us that the wages of sin is death. We know that if we turn away from You we walk in darkness and distress and we find ourselves unhappy and empty. 

You created us for Yourself and there is no way that we can be happy apart from You. We have chosen the path of the world and to embrace its culture which is of the flesh. We have made idols of ourselves,of things and of people and we have forgotten the purpose for which we were born.  We are meant to be citizens of heaven but we choose to be of the earth. Let us remember as the holy season of Lent approaches that the flesh decays but the soul lives on forever and we determine by our choices where we will spend eternity.

Mark 7:31-36

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

In today's healing miracles in the Gospel of Mark we read about the deaf man who had a speech impediment. He did not come on his own but was brought to You so You could heal him. You touched his ears and with Your spittle touched his tongue and at once he regained his hearing and was able to speak clearly.

When we sin gravely we become deaf to Your Voice and we are unable to speak of You and witness to You. We do not know if the afflicted man in the Gospel knew You but was too afraid to come to You for help, or if the people who knew him wishing to help him and aware that You had the power to heal brought him to You. In either case we see that God is always at work for our good not matter what methods You may use. You draw us to Yourself no matter how far we may have strayed from You. The touching of the man with Your fingers and his tongue with Your spittle is a foretaste of the Sacraments that bring healing and immense graces, setting us free to worship You, praise You, and witness to the world how good You are and how You save, heal, and restore, through the power of the Sacraments.

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