Friday, March 16, 2018

Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22, Psalm 34:17-21 & 23, John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. 

Mt 4:4B


Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22, Psalm 34:17-21 & 23, 
John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Wisdom 2:1A, 12-22

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Every line in today's Scripture passage is a prophecy of what You had to endure in the 33 years of Your public ministry. This is why You said to the Pharisees, the Chief Priests and all those who had religious authority that they had eyes but did not see, ears but did not hear. From the very first pages of Scripture, running through the Old Testament we have mention of You veiled and hidden; only in the light of the Gospels is everything thrown into relief and all is made visible. 

This is Your invitation to me today, "Come and see." "Come and know." Come and recognize." You follow this invitation with another, "Follow Me."

Give me a hunger and thirst for Scripture such that I have never known before. Only in searching the Old in the Light of the New will I be able to understand with a fresh understanding and vision. Send Your Holy Spirit upon me, without Him I would be like those You condemned; spiritually deaf and blind. Grant that He opens my eyes and my ears to see You, to recognize You, to follow You, and to make my home in You.

The wicked said among themselves, 
thinking not aright:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts; 
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness

nor discern the innocent souls' reward.

Psalm 34:17-21 & 23

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

You hate sin and evil and those who deliberately choose to do evil against the innocent are unaware that You are the Father of widows and orphans, of the little ones who have no other help but You. Every loud or muffled cry, every sigh, every whimper, You hear and every tear drop You collect carefully. You will judge the wicked and they will give an exact account of the tribulations their wanton wicked ways have caused Your little ones who have no one but You to help them.

You also watch over and protect those who are persecuted for the sake of Your Name. To these You will give courage and strength for they shine brilliantly in a dark world and give witness to the evil and depravity of the age we live in. This is why those who follow You closely are hated by the world. You Yourself will redeem those who lay down their lives for the Truth just as You did.

John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30


Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Each day's Gospel passage in the Liturgy brings us closer and closer to the climax. We are drawing close to the end of our journey with You as You approach Jerusalem and enter it. Tensions are high. Everyone knows that the Jews in authority are seeking to put You to death. You Yourself are not foolhardy. You know they are plotting against You so You are discreet. It is important for us to understand the phrase, "The hour had not yet come." It tells us very clearly that the hour will come when You decide the hour when You will give Yourself up into the hands of sinners.

Isn't it amazing Beloved that our Protestant family nitpick on words such as Your brothers, the fact that You call Your Mum Woman sometimes, and that You once said, "Who are my mother and my brothers and my sisters?"  They go deep into Scripture and rightly so, but they allow themselves to get sidetracked with some phrases in order to browbeat Your Bride, the Church who has been lovingly contemplating her Bridegroom for over 2000 years never once taking her adoring gaze from You.

Anyway, for whatever reason You decided to not only go to the temple, but to go openly and speak openly despite the fact that Your enemies were everywhere waiting for an opportunity to do You harm. One of the objections of the crowd was that they knew You because they knew from where You came. At least they presumed they did. From their understanding of Scripture, the Christ was to come suddenly among them and they would not know from where He came. You wanted to set them right and so said, 

"You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."

These words proclaimed clearly that You were sent by God  whom they did not know. God who knew You sent You and the One who sent You is true. You did not come on Your own authority but You came with the authority of the One who sent You. They understood exactly what You meant even if the people didn't and this is why they found no rest as long as You were alive . You got under their skin in a way that was unbearable to them.

Today's passage closes with the words,

"So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,

because his hour had not yet come."

No one had power over You and so they could not lay a hand on You. But at the time of Your choosing, You would give Yourself up and allow Yourself to be led as a lamb to the slaughter. 

Thank You Beloved for the price You paid in expiation for my sins.

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