Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34:2-9, John 3:16-21

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. 

Jn 3:16

Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34:2-9, John 3:16-21

Acts 5:17-26

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

We have the reason very clearly mentioned here why the Apostles were hated so much by the high priest and all those in power. They were jealous with jealousy. This is why they were prepared to commit murder again just as they did with You. They were prepared to do all kinds of evil in order to protect their own power and authority. They were unable to control the people who en masse listened eagerly to the Good News, were transformed by it and were baptized. 

The threw the Apostles in jail hoping to deal with them once and for all and thus finally put to an end this new movement that was sweeping Jerusalem. They did not know that nothing they did would stop it. Already there were many new followers of the Way and they would preach the Good News of the Kingdom as You commanded. They were fighting against God and they were fighting a lost battle.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the power of the Holy Spirit at work. We live in the Age of the Spirit but we have quenched His power because we have been overpowered by the culture we live in. But we need not be afraid for the Spirit continues to work in souls who have yielded to Him. The revolution of Love that You began will go on until the Father's plan to save all who believe in You is fulfilled.

Psalm 34:2-9

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

When we praise You in all circumstances as the psalmist as well as St. Paul urge us to we give a powerful witness of Your faithfulness to those around us. When we keep ever before our eyes Your goodness, Your kindness Your infinite mercy and love we are overwhelmed no matter how high the waves that threaten us for we know that You are with us at the center of the storm. You hold us safe.

The key to living a life of joy is to glorify You and praise You always for all that You have done for us and continue to do for us. Your ear is inclined to our voice and when we cry to You, You hasten to our side and free us from the traps set by the enemy.

Our guardian angels encamp around us for You have appointed him to have charge over us. We have tasted You Beloved and have found that indeed You are very, very good.

John 3:16-21

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

God said to Abraham, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from me I will bless you and your descendants. This is the first covenant that God made with Abraham and the people He chose for himself from all the nations of the world.

Your Father did not ask of Abraham to actually make the sacrifice of his son, however, He did not withhold You but offered You up in order to redeem His fallen children. It was love alone that wrought the work that opened forever the gates of heaven that were shut to Adam and Eve and their descendants. This is why Beloved, we ought never to be ashamed to come home no matter how far we have chosen to stray from the path of holiness like the prodigal son who left his father's house. The Father will never condemn us because His only desire is to save us all. We are saved if we believe in the One He sent to redeem the world.

The tragedy of every Christian life Beloved is this, that the joy of the Good News has not set us on fire, has not consumed us with a passion to share it with everyone we encounter so that they too may believe and be saved. Many may be condemned because we have not had the courage to proclaim You as the only Way by which all can be saved.

And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

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