1 Peter 5:5B-14, Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17, Mark 16:15-20

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

FEAST OF ST. MARK, THE EVANGELIST

We proclaim Christ crucified;
he is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 
1 Cor 1:23A-24B


1 Peter 5:5B-14, Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17, 
Mark 16:15-20


1 Peter 5:5B-14


Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

In Your Word to me today You assure me that You are with me always. In the first Reading of the Liturgy, St. Peter reminds me how I ought to live in order to be pleasing to You. While it is true that You have already claimed me for Yourself, I am required to be faithful, humble, obedient. You are the Way, the Truth, and Life and I am called, by virtue of being grafted into Your Body, to follow You, to image You, to be holy and perfect as Your Father is holy and perfect.

I must walk in humility always. I must have childlike faith in You and cast all my worries on Your shoulders for You care for me. I am called to be aware that evil is around me waiting to ensnare me but You are my shield and as long as I choose to resist him, You will be right beside me helping me to withstand his wiles and deceit. Faith in You will help me accept whatever suffering comes my way for suffering is a part of life. I can trust You to help me carry my cross every day and grant me grace through Your Holy Spirit to follow You all the days of my life on earth.

Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17, 

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

The psalmist teaches me that Your praise must be always in my heart and on my lips. In this is true joy. You have poured favor upon favor on me from the moment I was conceived and I, on my part, must have a heart filled with gratitude for all You have done for me. How faithful You are Beloved, You have never abandoned me, not once. It is I who have been unfaithful, it is I who have chosen sin and thus separate myself from You. But when I confessed my sins You forgave me. You washed me clean and drew me once more into Your Sacred Heart.

There is none like You Beloved. Thank You for coming to me each time I receive You in the Holy Eucharist. Thank You for choosing me. Thank You for the hope I have in You.

Mark 16:15-20

Dear Loved, Beloved of my soul,

You chose the Twelve, one of them chose to freely and deliberately walk away from You and in doing so he condemned himself.

In You, there is no condemnation. You knew from the first that Judas would betray You but he didn't know it. The desire to do so came to him and he chose to act on his desire. It is good for us to know that like Judas, every one of the baptized has received the same graces, blessings, gifts, unique privileges that belong to the members of the family of God and are members of the Church. God does not withdraw His favor. His Covenant of Love with us is unbreakable. It is we who walk away when we choose to sin deliberately and willfully.

All the baptized have received this mission that You gave to the Eleven, 

"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

At our Baptism the Holy Spirit is given to us and at Confirmation, we are made aware that we are equipped for our mission. We are sent out to preach the Good News boldly in order to rid the world of darkness and sin. Signs will accompany our preaching if we believe and preach with expectant faith. Forgive my timidity thus far Beloved and may I, from this moment on, be unafraid to live my faith publicly so others too may come to know and believe and be saved.