Wisdom 2:12, 17-20, Psalm 54:3-6, 8, James 3:16--4:3 Mark 9:30-37

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thes 2:14
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20, Psalm 54:3-6, 8, James 3:16--4:3
Mark 9:30-37


Wisdom 2:12, 17-20

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

On the road to Emmaus, You open the minds of the disciples to understand Scripture and to recognize how all of the Old Testament Scripture foretells Your coming and prophecies all about You and what You will endure at the hand of evil.

In this verses from the Book of Wisdom, we are told clearly how the Scribes, Pharisees, and those in charge of the Temple will see You as a threat. They will be so alarmed by You that they will plot ceaselessly to get rid of You and will not rest until they do. You revealed all their hypocrisies to the people. You were unafraid to name and shame their sins which they hid very cleverly under a cloak of respectability and they, in turn, hated You with a murderous hate.  

In the end, they did kill You, the Son of God, in broad daylight and in doing so they played a part in giving the world its Savior.

Psalm 54:3-6, 8

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Not only does Your Name save me, I am called by Your Name for I am a Christian. I know that You have marked me for Yourself and You will keep me save all the days of my life.

You hear my prayers even before a word has escaped from my lips. You defend me night and day before Your Father in heaven and I am kept safe in Your Name, the Name that saves.

No evil will overtake me though it may pursue me all my days because I take refuge in You. You are my Helper, my God, my Lord, and my Deliverer. Yes, Beloved, I will offer the only Sacrifice pleasing to the Father and I will praise Him because of all He had done for me through You. Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the Gift of Life. Amen.

James 3:16--4:3

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Those who wish to flirt with sin, myself included, will find it hard to do so when we read the Letter of St. James. He calls out sin in all its various forms and he is unafraid of telling it exactly as it is, no pretty words, not wrapped up daintily and hence there are some who are not very pleased with him and would prefer to ignore him.

I thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring him to write what he did. Sin is sin and it resides in the human heart. If we are not careful in resisting the weaknesses that we have inherited from our first parents we can be sure that before long we will slide down the slippery slope to eternal damnation.
Beloved:
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the wars
and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions
that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Mark 9:30-37

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

It is in the nature of the human spirit to be concerned with having power, authority, a place of prominence, to be made much of and placed before others. But You teach us another way. The Way of Humility. The Way of self-sacrifice. The Way of putting others needs before our own.

You show us a better Way - a Way by which we become as a child and allow You to take us by the hand and lead us.
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”