DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel. 2 Tim 1:10
2 Timothy 2:8-15, Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14,
Mark 12:28-34
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
There is no sinner so dead that You cannot save him from the eternal flames. You came to call sinners to repentance and when we hear and respond by turning away from sin, heaven is ours. St. Paul exults in this truth. He knows that You raised him from certain death when he persecuted Christians. You did not let him die in his sins but revealed Yourself to him and gave him an opportunity to turn away from his old life and become a new creation in You.
However, Beloved, the world has always hated those who did not belong to it as St. Paul found out. Your enemies who had no rest until they put You to death persecuted him as well. You warn Your disciples that in this world we will be persecuted for those who hated You will hate us too. This is true. We see it so clearly in our world that is so clearly divided between those who believe and are saved and those who prefer to be blind and deaf.
To believe Beloved is no easy thing for when we do we must be prepared to pick up our cross daily and follow You wherever You lead us. This requires courage, humility, and obedience. It requires us to lay down our ideas, our plans, and to be willing to embrace the Word and live by it in season and out of season. The world will ridicule us, persecute us, imprison us, but our troubles will be only for a while. Joy will be ours forever if we choose to walk in the Light of Truth and Love.
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
All who believe will be saved. All who are willing to be taught by the Holy Spirit will have life and will walk in the way that leads to salvation. You came into the world because the Father sent You to make known to us the Love of God for His creatures.
You showed us that the Way of Love is the Way of Sacrifice. We are called to empty ourselves in order to be filled with the Truth that gives life to all who believe. When You returned to the Father, You did not abandon us but sent Your Holy Spirit who lives in us, instructs us, guides us, inflames us with divine life and grace and strengthens us so we can walk the Way of Love until the end.
The way of the world is pride, the Way of the Cross is humility. The way of the world is self-adulation, the Way of the Cross is self-giving and self-emptying. The paradox of the Cross is dying to self in order to live, we give in order to gain. You were and are a sign of contradiction - the Sign of the Cross is a sign of contradiction thank You for drawing us into its sweet embrace so we may live with You forever.
Dying You destroyed our death,
Rising You restored our life,
We now await Your coming in glory, a glory which we too will share. Amen.
Mark 12:28-34
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
No one who has read the Gospels can say that they do not know the two great commandments. If we know these commandments that we are obliged as Your followers to obey them. You will have no part of a divided heart. We either belong to You or to the world there is no in-between. We cannot sit on the fence and procrastinate. You have warned us that death will come like a thief in the night and if we are not prepared we could be caught off-guard to the detriment of our immortal souls.
There is only one God - and this Triune God demands our love because God is Love. He alone must we serve wholeheartedly in season and out of season. When it is convenient and when it is not. Once we have made our choice for You there is no looking back. Your word is clear. Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom of God.
The Scribe who questioned You added to Your response,
"Well said, teacher.
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."
You saw his heart, You applauded his discernment and the wisdom in his reply and said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
Today's Gospel reading ends with this phrase,
"And no one dared to ask him any more questions."
So it shall be with those who believe and are led by Your Holy Spirit. No one will be able to refute the wisdom of our words when we entrust our whole life to You. No one would dare for Truth is irrefutable.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel. 2 Tim 1:10
2 Timothy 2:8-15, Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14,
Mark 12:28-34
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
There is no sinner so dead that You cannot save him from the eternal flames. You came to call sinners to repentance and when we hear and respond by turning away from sin, heaven is ours. St. Paul exults in this truth. He knows that You raised him from certain death when he persecuted Christians. You did not let him die in his sins but revealed Yourself to him and gave him an opportunity to turn away from his old life and become a new creation in You.
However, Beloved, the world has always hated those who did not belong to it as St. Paul found out. Your enemies who had no rest until they put You to death persecuted him as well. You warn Your disciples that in this world we will be persecuted for those who hated You will hate us too. This is true. We see it so clearly in our world that is so clearly divided between those who believe and are saved and those who prefer to be blind and deaf.
To believe Beloved is no easy thing for when we do we must be prepared to pick up our cross daily and follow You wherever You lead us. This requires courage, humility, and obedience. It requires us to lay down our ideas, our plans, and to be willing to embrace the Word and live by it in season and out of season. The world will ridicule us, persecute us, imprison us, but our troubles will be only for a while. Joy will be ours forever if we choose to walk in the Light of Truth and Love.
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
All who believe will be saved. All who are willing to be taught by the Holy Spirit will have life and will walk in the way that leads to salvation. You came into the world because the Father sent You to make known to us the Love of God for His creatures.
You showed us that the Way of Love is the Way of Sacrifice. We are called to empty ourselves in order to be filled with the Truth that gives life to all who believe. When You returned to the Father, You did not abandon us but sent Your Holy Spirit who lives in us, instructs us, guides us, inflames us with divine life and grace and strengthens us so we can walk the Way of Love until the end.
The way of the world is pride, the Way of the Cross is humility. The way of the world is self-adulation, the Way of the Cross is self-giving and self-emptying. The paradox of the Cross is dying to self in order to live, we give in order to gain. You were and are a sign of contradiction - the Sign of the Cross is a sign of contradiction thank You for drawing us into its sweet embrace so we may live with You forever.
Dying You destroyed our death,
Rising You restored our life,
We now await Your coming in glory, a glory which we too will share. Amen.
Mark 12:28-34
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
No one who has read the Gospels can say that they do not know the two great commandments. If we know these commandments that we are obliged as Your followers to obey them. You will have no part of a divided heart. We either belong to You or to the world there is no in-between. We cannot sit on the fence and procrastinate. You have warned us that death will come like a thief in the night and if we are not prepared we could be caught off-guard to the detriment of our immortal souls.
There is only one God - and this Triune God demands our love because God is Love. He alone must we serve wholeheartedly in season and out of season. When it is convenient and when it is not. Once we have made our choice for You there is no looking back. Your word is clear. Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom of God.
The Scribe who questioned You added to Your response,
"Well said, teacher.
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."
You saw his heart, You applauded his discernment and the wisdom in his reply and said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
Today's Gospel reading ends with this phrase,
"And no one dared to ask him any more questions."
So it shall be with those who believe and are led by Your Holy Spirit. No one will be able to refute the wisdom of our words when we entrust our whole life to You. No one would dare for Truth is irrefutable.
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