DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven. Lk 6:23AB
Jeremiah 17:5-8, Psalm 1:1-4, 6,
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20, Luke 16:17, 20-26
Jeremiah 17:5-8
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Often in the past, I have put my trust in those with power and position to help me and all too often I was bitterly disappointed. I was crushed because they failed to keep their promises, or they raised my hopes with lies knowing all the while that they were only appeasing me. It took a while, Beloved, to learn the hard cold lesson that people will almost always let you down if it does not serve their interests to come to your aid.
The prophet Jeremiah describes one who puts his trust in human beings succinctly:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Once, I learned my lesson after several bitter experiences and as I grew in my faith I knew that I had to turn to You, my Beloved, as trustingly as a child turns to its mother and father for help. You never disappoint. You never raise our hopes only to shatter them. You can be trusted to do exactly as You have promised. You may delay in answering but when You do answer us we receive far more than we expected or asked for. You are a God of abundance and when You give, You give with infinitely, and without measure.
May I continue to trust in You always and be like the tree that the prophet describes whose leaves never wither but bears fruit in season and out of season.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
The psalmist echoes what the prophet Jeremiah has said in today's First Reading.
Those who trust in You, those who are grafted in You, those who have Your Spirit poured into them, are like the tree planted near running water. Grant my Beloved, that I stay rooted in You and that I may bear good fruit all the days of my life for Your glory and for the good of those around me. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Truly, as St. Paul says, if You were not raised from the dead we Christians are the most pitiable people on the face of the earth. But thanks be to God You did rise from the dead and we have the hope of sharing in Your glorious Resurrection when You come again.
If we live, we live for You and when we die we die in You. In life or in death, my most beloved Spouse we are Yours.
Thank You Beloved for sharing in our death in order that we may share in Your abundant life eternally.
Luke 16:17, 20-26
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
What You said that day on the Mount, addressing a great crowd of Your disciples, You say to every Christian in every age until time shall be no more. You were with the twelve Apostles that You had hand-picked and even to this day, their successors continue to teach and preach the Beatitudes which formed the blueprint of Your life and must be ours as well.
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
You warned Your disciples then as You warn us now that if we take the Good News seriously and follow You closely, we can be absolutely sure of one thing, persecution. Evil seems to flourish and You and all that You stand for, goodness, truth, beauty, purity are anathemas to the wicked. This is why to this day, Christians are jailed, persecuted, marginalized, tortured, and silenced. But as You said Beloved, if they killed every Christian the very stones would proclaim that You are the Lord of Lord, the King of Kings, the Savior of the world without whom we will surely perish.
Thank You, Beloved, for Your incarnation revealing to us the Face of God which is mercy and love, and for showing us the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Rejoice and be glad;
your reward will be great in heaven. Lk 6:23AB
Jeremiah 17:5-8, Psalm 1:1-4, 6,
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20, Luke 16:17, 20-26
Jeremiah 17:5-8
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Often in the past, I have put my trust in those with power and position to help me and all too often I was bitterly disappointed. I was crushed because they failed to keep their promises, or they raised my hopes with lies knowing all the while that they were only appeasing me. It took a while, Beloved, to learn the hard cold lesson that people will almost always let you down if it does not serve their interests to come to your aid.
The prophet Jeremiah describes one who puts his trust in human beings succinctly:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Once, I learned my lesson after several bitter experiences and as I grew in my faith I knew that I had to turn to You, my Beloved, as trustingly as a child turns to its mother and father for help. You never disappoint. You never raise our hopes only to shatter them. You can be trusted to do exactly as You have promised. You may delay in answering but when You do answer us we receive far more than we expected or asked for. You are a God of abundance and when You give, You give with infinitely, and without measure.
May I continue to trust in You always and be like the tree that the prophet describes whose leaves never wither but bears fruit in season and out of season.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes;
its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
The psalmist echoes what the prophet Jeremiah has said in today's First Reading.
Those who trust in You, those who are grafted in You, those who have Your Spirit poured into them, are like the tree planted near running water. Grant my Beloved, that I stay rooted in You and that I may bear good fruit all the days of my life for Your glory and for the good of those around me. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Truly, as St. Paul says, if You were not raised from the dead we Christians are the most pitiable people on the face of the earth. But thanks be to God You did rise from the dead and we have the hope of sharing in Your glorious Resurrection when You come again.
If we live, we live for You and when we die we die in You. In life or in death, my most beloved Spouse we are Yours.
Thank You Beloved for sharing in our death in order that we may share in Your abundant life eternally.
Luke 16:17, 20-26
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
What You said that day on the Mount, addressing a great crowd of Your disciples, You say to every Christian in every age until time shall be no more. You were with the twelve Apostles that You had hand-picked and even to this day, their successors continue to teach and preach the Beatitudes which formed the blueprint of Your life and must be ours as well.
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
You warned Your disciples then as You warn us now that if we take the Good News seriously and follow You closely, we can be absolutely sure of one thing, persecution. Evil seems to flourish and You and all that You stand for, goodness, truth, beauty, purity are anathemas to the wicked. This is why to this day, Christians are jailed, persecuted, marginalized, tortured, and silenced. But as You said Beloved, if they killed every Christian the very stones would proclaim that You are the Lord of Lord, the King of Kings, the Savior of the world without whom we will surely perish.
Thank You, Beloved, for Your incarnation revealing to us the Face of God which is mercy and love, and for showing us the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
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