Friday, March 9, 2018

Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 81:6-11, 14, & 17, Mark 12:28-34

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mt 4:17

Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 81:6-11, 14, & 17, Mark 12:28-34

Hosea 14:2-10

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Your hands are always outstretched toward sinners inviting them lovingly to return back to God to whom they belong. Yes we are guilty Beloved, but You have made it possible for us to come home. You forgive all iniquity, no sin is so grave that it is beyond Your power to forgive, it if were, You would not be God. Nothing is impossible for those who come to You with a humble, contrite heart. 

We thank You Beloved for becoming the Sacrificial Lamb that takes away the sins of the world for not all the animal sacrifices could pay the debt we owed. We repent and we return to You and we promise with Your help we will strive sincerely to sin no more.

Thank You for our redemption. Yes, Beloved, we are no longer orphans, You have taught us to address God as Abba. You have assures us that we will find compassion in the Heart of Him who has loved us so extravagantly. Thank You for Your consoling words to us this day,

"I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon."

You humbled Yourself, You became a slave, You emptied Yourself completely in order that we may once more be acceptable to the Father and united in You we now bear fruit that is pleasing to Him. 

You are the Way that leads directly to the Kingdom of our Father, grant us the grace to stay on it till journey's end.

Psalm 81:6-11, 14, & 17

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

This is what You did for us all. The psalmist speaks words  about You and what You have done for us all:

"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."

Every time I cried out to You when I was in distress You answered me. I am sorry for all the times when I deliberately sought the path that lead me away from You. Forgive for the times that I put other people and other pleasures before You.

Thank You for the grace that finally opened my eyes, and my ears so I could confess my sins, be cleansed and nourished once again on the finest wheat and the sweetest honey that flows from the Rock of my Salvation.

Mark 12:28-34

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Not all the scribes were hypocrites. We have a tendency to tarnish everyone based on our experiences of a few. You teach us today to have an open mind and a heart that is ready to see the truth. 

This scribe's heart was in the right place and You commended him for it before all Your hearers. He approached You and asked:

"Which is the first of all the commandments?"

You replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."

The scribe was taken up by Your reply and he commended You for Your answer and he added, "You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

He got it, he truly got it and it would have warmed Your heart to know that this scribe unlike so many of Your enemies understood the truths of the Kingdom of God. It was Your turn to commend him and You did. And for now You silenced Your detractors for the passage ends with the words, "And no one dared to ask him any more questions."

The Truth has the power to destroy evil - let us never forget it Beloved for this is what You came to tell us. You want us never to be afraid to stand on the side of Truth for it is Truth that sets us free.



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