Memorial of St. Martha - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life. Jn 8:12

Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34
Psalm 106:19-23
John 11:19-27


Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Left to ourselves, with no direction, and no strong shepherd, we will act just as the people of Israel did when Moses went up to the mountain. We are weak. Very often it does not take too strong a temptation for us to lapse and go back to old ways. Thank You, Beloved, for Your Holy Spirit Thank You, for the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Without these Beloved, we would have fallen by the wayside and been trampled upon and lost forever.

The graver our sin, the greater is Your mercy and compassion. Thank You for never abandoning us but for constantly inviting us to return and welcoming us back into the fold. Thank You for telling us that there is great rejoicing in heaven when the sinner comes home.

Thank You for appointing angels to accompany us, assisting us, and praying for us on our journey from this life to the next.


Psalm 106:19-23

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Today the psalmist invites us to give You thanks for You are good. Yes, Beloved, You are good all the time, and all the time You are awesome. 

The psalmist recalls the wonders You did for the people of Israel as You led them from slavery to freedom.

Today, I wish to thank You, Father, for sending Your Son into the world to be our Savior and for revealing Your unfathomable love for us. Thank You, Beloved, for accepting the will of the Your Father and becoming a willing Victim for our sins and paying the ultimate price for our redemption. Thank You, Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Father and the Son, for all the help we and grace we receive by Your living presence in us. 

Stay with me Lord until the day closes and night falls and may I awake to behold Your glory forever. Amen.


John 11:19-27

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Martha was the one with the generous, and welcoming heart. She opened the door to welcome You and You dined with them. She prepared the meal for You. Her love was visible in her service. True, at first, she was resentful because she through Mary was shirking. But when You gently chided her about how each must use their charisms, she did not become bitter and angry but took correction in the right spirit. 

When her brother Lazarus died and she knew that You were on Your way to visit them she came in haste to meet You. This family of siblings loved You very much. The sensitive Mary stayed home with her grief. Martha ran to You. She was a woman of action. She was outspoken. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” She was a woman of faith. 

It was to Martha that You revealed this wondrous truth, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

You then ask Martha and each one of us who will read or hear these words, "Do you believe this?” And our response like hers must be, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” In believing we are saved.

Thank You, Beloved for our redemption and our hope.

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


You have received a Spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, Abba, Father. Rom 8:15BC
Genesis 18:20-32
Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13



Genesis 18:20-32


My Love, Beloved of my soul,

All the Readings today, the Lord's Day, remind us that we have an awesome God whom You have taught us to call Father, and hence we dare to do so. All the great intercessors in the Old Testament like Abraham, Moses, etc. are but a pale imitation of You. In You we have an Intercessor above all intercessors who never tires of pleading to the Father to spare us and not to destroy us even though the sins of the world cry out for vengeance.

You assure us that the Father always listens to Your prayers and for Your sake, He will spare us. The Blood of the Lamb covers us and obtains for us God's mercy and compassion. Thank You, Beloved, for forgiveness, mercy, and pardon that You always make available to the contrite of heart.


Psalm 138:1-3, 6-8

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Thank You for inviting us to come before You as one family every Sunday, to offer God a thanksgiving sacrifice of praise and worship. Heaven descends to earth as together with we offer to our Father, the one, holy, and perfect and only Sacrifice that is most pleasing to Him and has the power to take away the sins of the world.

Here we come before God as one family, united in heart and mind and in the presence of the angels and saints we sing Your praise as we worship You in Your holy temple. The place where You dwell in fullness and offer Yourself to us Body, Blood, Soul, and divinity as our food and drink.

Thank You for the free gift of faith received at Baptism. Thank You for preserving us and helping us grow in faith. Thank You for always answering when we call. We walk in the shadow of the valley of death but we do not walk alone, You are with us. Our Guardian Angel accompanies us and prays for us.  

Thank You for the free gift of salvation that is offered to all who believe. Thank You for everlasting Your Covenant of Love with us.


Colossians 2:12-14

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

In Baptism I became a child of God and heir to the Kingdom of heaven. You entered into my death in order to give me eternal life. You drew me from darkness to light. You did not permit me to die in my sins but through all the circumstances of my life, drew me lovingly and tenderly to Yourself.

Thank You for dying for me and for taking upon Yourself the punishment that was mine. Thank You for the hope I have of spending eternity with You in heaven. I do not deserve any of the gifts that You have showered on me but thank You for blessing me anyway.


Luke 11:1-13

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Thank You for the prayer that You taught Your disciples and which has been handed down to us. The Our Father, is the perfect prayer and because You understand our nature having taken it, You were able to show us exactly how we ought to pray and the order in which we should make our petitions known to God.

Thank You also for teaching us not only to be persistent in prayer but the importance of praying for our brothers and sisters. We are members of Your Body, and if one member suffers the whole Body suffers as well. Persistence in prayer purifies and strengthens us and increases our faith.

Finally, Beloved, we thank You for reminding us that God is the perfect Father, who will deny His children nothing that we need in this life both spiritual and temporal. We can trust Him to provide us with all we need when we need it. 

Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READING


Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls. Jas 1:21BC

Exodus 24:3-8, Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15,
Matthew 13:24-30


Exodus 24:3-8

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

The Church did not invent her liturgies but has continued them from the time of Moses, she knows that the Old Covenant precedes the New Covenant sealed in Your Blood. Abraham, Moses, and all the Patriarchs and Prophets offered sacrifices of animals to God. However, when You, the Lamb of God was sent into the world, You offered to the Father the once-for-all Sacrifice that has redeemed us and taken away the sins of the world. Truly Beloved, happy are we who share in the Supper of the Lamb.


Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Never a truer word was spoken by the psalmist when he wrote these words, "God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting." Through the day as the sun rises in the sky and until it sets only to rise again around the world, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God, in every corner of the globe. This is what keeps us alive. This is the reason why our evil, our terrible sins have not brought upon us the wrath of God and the punishment we deserve.  

"Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." We offer to God a sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, adoration, and worship in the Holy Mass every day. God's faithful call upon the Name above all names and He, in turn, fulfills the vows He made to us in You. We ask for forgiveness not only for our sins but the sins of the world, and God in His infinite, goodness, and mercy receives the only Sacrifice that is pleasing to Him and hears and answers us for He is full of mercy and compassion.


Matthew 13:24-30

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

The Kingdom of heaven is already among us. There has always been a faithful remnant. Beginning with the Apostles, and all those who followed, there have always been faith-filled men and women who were prepared to suffer every manner of persecution and privation in order to live the Gospel boldly and fearlessly.  

The Church has numerous martyrs and the blood of martyrs will continue to be spilled until You come again in glory. There will always be holy men and women who are prepared to give up the world and follow You closely, preaching and teaching the Good News and drawing many to believe. Yes, the Devil is at work and Satan and his minions work tirelessly to sow weed among the wheat; but You O Lord are patient slow to anger and abounding in love. We are all given time, even the least deserving of us, to repent and believe in the Gospel before the wheat is collected in Your barn and the weeds bundled for burning.

Memorial of Sts. Joachim & Ann, Parents of the Bl. Virgin Mary - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


 They yearned for the comforting of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested upon them. Lk 2:25c


Ecclesiasticus 44:1, 10-15, Ps 132:11, 13-14, 17-18, 

Matthew 13:16-17


Ecclesiasticus 44:1, 10-15

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Thank You for Holy Mother Church, she keeps alive in her memory all those godly men and women in salvation history and celebrates and honors them in her liturgies. 

Today we keep the Memorial Saints Joachim and Ann who were chosen by God to give birth and raise the fairest of His daughters, the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was their privilege and delight to watch over this pure, white, soul who was to be the Spouse of the Holy Spirit and the Mother of the Son of God as she grew from child to girl, from girl to woman, from woman to virgin bride and Virgin Mother. She was to become the new Eve and the Mother of all who believe in her Son.

The names of Saints Joachim and Ann live on along with all virtuous men and women who lived holy lives and were pleasing to God.

"At gatherings, their wisdom is retold, 
and the assembly proclaims their praise." 

Ps 132:11, 13-14, 17-18

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

The Catholic Church is the new Zion chosen by God to dwell in fullness. It is in her tabernacles present in all her churches where You dwell humbly and silently, lovingly drawing the faithful to Yourself. It is unfathomable that God delights in making His home with us for here You are largely forgotten, alone, only a faithful few come before You each day to keep vigil with You.

Thank You, Beloved, for Your Church and for the everlasting Covenant of Love that God has made with her and her children.

“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine.”


Matthew 13:16-17

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

We are truly blessed by our faith in You. We are the people of the New Covenant. The disciples saw with their eyes and heard with their ears the marvels of the Kingdom of God and by their faithful witness, at the cost of their lives, we have received the Gospel. We are further blessed because You said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

There are many in the world who still do not know You, Beloved, grant us a blazing hunger and thirst to make You known and loved by all no matter what the cost. Amen.

Feast of St. James, Apostle - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. Jn 15:16

2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126:1-6, 
Matthew 20:20-28


2 Corinthians 4:7-15


My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Our personal testimony, just as the testimony of the Apostles, is the best witness that any one of us who are baptized can give, of the power of God that is alive and at work in us. We are weak, frail, sinful creatures, but because we believe that the Father sent You into the world to reveal His love for us and save us, we are a people of hope. 

We have seen so many holy men and women who have offered their whole lives in preaching and spreading the Good News who suffer greatly, but they are full of joy because, through their witness of Your love, many come to believe in You and are saved.

Every baptized Christian is called to be salt and light in the world. We are called to flavor the world with Your love and to reveal to everyone we come in contact with each day that we are children of God and not children of the world. 


Psalm 126:1-6

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

I was a captive of sin for so long, I was a slave of the world and of the flesh, but You did not abandon me. You never gave up on me but continued to invite me back into the sheepfold. You truly are the Good Shepherd who lay down His life for His sheep. Thank You for the joy of knowing that I belong to You.

Thank You for blessing me abundantly. Thank You for the work that You gave me and for the plans You have for me in the future. You know the desires of my heart and You have always, always, blessed me far more than I have ever deserved. I look at my past blessings and I know that You are a God of faithfulness and I can trust You to continue to pour out Your blessings on me. 

I thank You and praise You, Beloved, now and always.



Matthew 20:20-28

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Today we celebrate the feast of one of the Apostles, James, the brother of John, and the first of the Twelve to be martyred. Like all of us, they too had worldly ambitions and desired to have positions of importance and power. They knew that You were the Son of God and they too wanted to bask in Your glory. Their mother approached You requesting  You to reserve the best places beside You for her sons. 

"Do you know what you are asking?" You said to the mother for if she truly did; if she could see what it would entail, she would have hesitated. They would have to drink the cup of suffering and while both James and John said that they would drink it and You confirmed that they would, You tell them that those places were reserved for whoever God chose. 

When the rest of the disciples heard that the two were jostling for pride of place they were indignant. It was then that You enlightened them about the value of having childlike humility. The worldlywise are constantly jockeying to have the best seat in the house but those who follow You are called to serve humbly and generously, just as You did. We take our cue from You, Beloved, not from the world.

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live forever.

Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
Psalm 78:18-19, 23-28
Matthew 13:1-9


Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

We are constantly grumbling about everything. Some of us are chronic grumblers we cannot see the blessings all we see are the trials. We are unable to grasp the truth that all things work together for good for those who love You.

We are like the children of Israel who witnessed the marvels that God worked to set them free from slavery to the Egyptians. They saw how God protected them despite the suffering they had to endure at the hand of Pharaoh and yet they did not trust You to provide for them. Each time they cried out You heard and You answered. God provided them with manna, bread from heaven. And when they craved for meat, God gave them quail. Each day they received enough for their needs. 

God always provides all we ever need as we journey from this life to the next. You are Bread that came down from heaven. All who eat this Bread will live forever. The Bread that You give is Your Flesh for the life of the world. 

Thank You.


Psalm 78:18-19, 23-28

My Love, Beloved of my soul,


The children of Israel asked, "Can God spread a table for us in the desert?" He does and He continues to do so.

God does spread a table for us in the desert of our lives and there He provides for the Bread from heaven. When we eat this Bread and we drink from the saving Cup we are strengthened as we journey through this valley of tears.

When we look at the Old Testament and the New we know that nothing is impossible for God. The manna which the people of Israel ate in the desert provided sustenance for their body. 

You are the true Bread from heaven. At every Eucharist, we receive food for the journey that provides all the graces we need to face the challenges of each day.

Thank You for not giving us more than we can bear and for being yoked to us. We do not battle alone for You are with us always.


Matthew 13:1-9

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Large crowds gathered around You because they were hungry for the Word. When You spoke to them You revealed the secrets of the Kingdom of God and how they could get there. You made God real and You told them through beautiful and moving parables that it was possible for them to know Him and love Him. 

Today's Gospel reading is about the sower and the seed. One we have heard often and one that is repeated often in the Liturgy. You also explained what this parable meant. We know it well. But to know it in the head and to know it in the heart are two very different things.

The Gospel concludes with the words, "Whoever has ears ought to hear." Grant me this grace, Beloved of my soul, to hear and hearing to understand, and understanding to live the Word in all I do today. Amen.

Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him. Jn 14:23

Exodus 14:21---15:1
Exodus 15:8-10, 12, 17
Matthew 12:46-50
Matthew 12:46-50

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Certain groups of Christians have always relished these words You spoke concerning Your Mother and have used them as proof that You considered Your Mother, the Blessed Virgin to be the same as everyone else in the crowd. This is because they do not wish to see and there are none so blind as they.

What Catholics see is so different. We look at the whole of Mary's life before we draw conclusions. We look at the context in which You said these words. Who but Mary, Your Mother, fulfilled to perfection the will of God? From the moment of her fiat, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said." She is the disciple par excellence. She is matchless in humility and obedience and every one of her detractors who stubbornly hold on to their blindness, do so to their loss. 

Just as God is our Father, He has willed that we have a Mother as well and she is the Mother that He chose for all humanity. This is why You gave her to us at the foot of the Cross. Our family is complete when we take her into our home and our hearts.

Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:19

Exodus 12:37-42, Psalm 136:1, 23-24, 10-15,
Matthew 12:14-21


Exodus 12:37-42

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Although God chose Abraham and his descendants to bring about His plan of salvation, all the peoples of all the world belong to Him. He loves us all whether or not we know Him.

When the people of Israel left Egypt for the promised land there were people of other races who went with them. Apart from their livestock, they carried nothing with them except unleavened bread. All we need for our journey from this life to the next is given to us in the Bread of Life, the Bread of Angels, the Heavenly Manna, the Eucharist.

Just as the people of God were told to remember the night of the Passover when God led His people from slavery to freedom, so too are we asked to remember the New Passover when the Lamb of God was offered in Sacrifice to the Father in atonement for the sins of the world. The night when You gave us the Eucharist as a living, lasting memorial of the Covenant of Love that God has made with all who believe in You.

This is the Vigil that we too must keep until You come again in glory. 

Psalm 136:1, 23-24, 10-15

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

You are a God of mercy and compassion. Slow to anger but rich in forgiveness and love. Your love is an enduring, everlasting, never-changing love. It is a love that is the same yesterday, today, and always. You do not love us for what we do but for who we are - Your children. 

The Father loved us so much that He sent You into the world even though He knew that Your own people and the world would reject You and put You to death. It was a necessary death so we could never wonder whether God truly loved us or not. We know He does. 

From You we receive forgiveness from sin and grace to avoid the near occasion of sin. You entered into our death in order that we may enter into Your Life. In You, we have victory over sin and death.


Matthew 12:14-21

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

To this day the world takes counsel against You and those who believe in You and follow You. To this day the Christian who witnesses boldly to You and holds fast to the teaching of the Gospel is persecuted, vilified, imprisoned, beaten, and even put to death. This is why You gave us the Cross. When we look at the One who was pierced for our sake we receive hope and courage to endure.

We are told that You withdrew from that place when You knew that the Pharisees were seeking to kill You. We too are called to be prudent, not foolhardy without forgetting our mission and the call to discipleship. 

The writers of the Old Testament and the prophets reveal the history of our salvation and how God has always charted the course of the people He chose to be His own. First through Abraham and now through Baptism grafting us into Your Body and making us children of God.

Thank You, Beloved, for Your special love for sinners, the greater the sinner the greater the mercy and compassion You have for Him. God desires that not one of His children is lost but that all may be saved and come to the knowledge of Truth.  You are Truth. I am the bruised reed and smoldering wick that You will not break nor quench. 

Thank You, my joy and my hope.

Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord,
I know them, and they follow me. Jn 10:27

Exodus 11:10 ---- 12:14
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
Matthew 12:1-8


Exodus 11:10 ---- 12:14

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

The Passover meal that the people of Israel share in before they were led from slavery into freedom is a foreshadow of the Eucharistic meal that You would institute with You as the Passover Lamb. The blood of the lamb sprinkled on lintel and doorpost protected the children of Israel and the Blood of the Lamb of God sets the children of God free from the slavery of sin that leads to death.

The people of Israel ate the lamb of sacrifice, so do we partake in the Lamb of Sacrifice at every Eucharist when we eat Your Body and drink Your Blood we are united with You, made one with You as well as with the Father and the Spirit,

The Jews celebrate this day every year but we are privileged to celebrate the Passover of the Lamb of God every day at Holy Mass when we gather around the Altar to celebrate the one, holy, and perfect Sacrifice offered by You to the Father in atonement for the sins of the whole world. 


Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

This is the Father's will, that we offer to Him in praise and thanksgiving, the only Sacrifice pleasing to Him in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. It is the Holy Mass and the Eucharist that keeps the world alive despite the evil that is being unleashed in every sphere and aspect of human existence.

You have commanded that the Memorial of Your Passion, instituted at the Last Supper, be offered until You return. It is this heavenly manna that sustains us, gives us hope, increases our faith, and provides us with grace to overcome our frailty and our propensity to sin. 

When we eat Your Body, and drink Your Blood faithfully as You have commanded us we are assured of being preserved from sin so we will not perish but receive a share in Your Life of glory in heaven. This is why we ought not to grieve as those who do not have hope when we lose a loved one.

Beloved, keep us faithful, keep me faithful to the end.


Matthew 12:1-8

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

I believe because we all are aware of the depths of our own iniquity and how easily we give in to temptation, that we are so ready to judge others and self-righteously constantly nitpick their faults. We are ever ready to point fingers at others all the while knowing that we are no better than they and perhaps worse like the Pharisees and Scribes of Your day.

The one thing that we are invited to do today is to allow mercy to dictate our words, thoughts, and actions. In the measure that we show mercy to others will mercy be shown to us. This is a very sobering thought. Help me always to be ready to find excuses for the perceived faults in another but harsh in rooting out the evil I know resides in me.

Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. Mt 11:28

Exodus 3:13-20, Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27,
Matthew 11:28-30

Exodus 3:13-20

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

God always hears our cries when we call Him in our suffering and He will always answer. God reveals His Name to Moses as I AM, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Sometimes our sufferings seem never-ending and we see no hope in sight, no relief. Yet, this is not true. You are closer to us than we can ever imagine even when we do not feel Your Presence. This is why in all our sufferings, even when we feel alone, faith must be able to remind us that You are always with us and that You help us to carry our burdens every day. 

The way we suffer reveals our character and the quality of our faith. Through suffering, we are purified and strengthened and we, in turn, can help others who suffer.


Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

God always remembers the Covenant of Love He has made with us even when we forget. All we need to do is look at a Crucifix to know the depths of the Father's love for us. It is a love beyond human understanding.

He has also given us the most powerful Name by which we are all saved, it is Your Name, Beloved. Demons tremble when they hear it but to us who believe it is the power of God and the glory of God.

May Your Name be ever on my lips and in my heart for it the Name above all others and has the power to bring joy, peace, and consolation.

Matthew 11:28-30

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Thank You for Your invitation to me today. I accept it. I come to You with all my troubles and difficulties. I come to You because I am weary of all the ways in which I fall each day because I am weak. I thank You for my weaknesses for in them Your strength is made perfect in me.

Thank You for making Your heart a refuge for me. Thank You for peace and rest that is readily granted to all who come to You.  Thank You for Your assurance that You carry my burdens with me because You are yoked to me. Nothing is impossible when I trust You to help me.

Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts. Ps 95:8

Exodus 2:1-15A, Psalm 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34,
Matthew 11:20-24


Exodus 2:1-15A

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

God chose Moses to be the one who would lead His people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. God intervenes in the affairs of men in order to bring about His purposes and plans. He saved Moses, He ensured that he was found by Pharaoh's sister and that he received every advantage in the palace to prepare him for the mission that God would entrust to him. He was aware of who he was and was sensitive to the plight of his fellow Israelites. He thought he could help them by using violence but our ways are not God's ways. If we wait on the Lord He will unfold His plan for our lives. Moses' violent act resulted in him having to flee Egypt into the desert of Midian. It was here, in the desert that God would help him become the man that He desired in order to fulfill the destiny that God had for him.

So it is with us. You can draw good from all our trials and sufferings if we surrender our lives to You and You will help us become the people we were created us to be.

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Mt 5:10

Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Psalm 124:1B-8
Matthew 10:34 --- 11:1


Exodus 1:8-14, 22

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Right through salvation history, we see how God uses events and people to work out our eternal destiny. Having chosen the people of Israel as His own, God walked with them every step of the way revealing, through the men and women He chose, a prototype of You, the Son of Man. Joseph is one such person and the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt not only reveals the horrors of what people of every nation have done to their own as well as to foreigners but on a spiritual level, is an allegory for sin and how it enslaves us and brings with it nothing but sorrow, suffering, and loss.

Parents have failed to hand down the faith to their children for generations now and so we have eventually arrived at the godless world we find ourselves in today. We fight wars to defend political correctness at the cost of Truth, to save birds and animals while we butcher the unborn baby in the womb. We choose the inane over common sense and wisdom. We imagine threat and terror where there is none. So it was with the new king who was ignorant of Joseph and the people of Israel who had made their home in Egypt. The final abomination was when they decided to kill every male child. When we destroy life, we open the doorway to every kind of abomination that can only lead to chaos and death.

Jesus, King of Mercy, have pity on us.



Psalm 124:1B-8

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

We thank God, our Father, for giving us the Name by which we are saved. Our help comes from Your Name for it is the Name above every other, a Name at which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God that You are Lord. Truly You are Emmanuel, God with us. With You at our right hand, we will fear nothing for You are our salvation.

There is nothing the world can do to us that can destroy us. We only destroy ourselves when we choose sin and death over You. No storm can overwhelm us. No terror can overtake us. Death cannot claim us for You have won the victory over sin and death and have made death but a gateway to eternal life with You. Thank You.


Matthew 10:34 --- 11:1

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

You said You did not come to bring peace upon the earth but the sword. You also said that one's enemy will be within the family, among our parents, children, brothers, and sisters. We will set ourselves against each other because not all will accept You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When one member of the family is a true disciple then he or she becomes a witness to Truth and an irritant to the rest who prefer a life of sin.
There are some who put love of people or things above the love of God and thus lock themselves out of true joy that comes from giving You Your rightful place in our life. We are called to choose the cross over a life of self-indulgence for it is only in losing our life for the sake of the Gospel that we will find it. We have to choose to follow You rather than the world, the flesh, and the devil.

We are also reminded to be especially generous to Your anointed who administer the Sacraments to us. They have heard and answered Your call to serve You as a Sign of Your Presence in the world. There are many men and women who have dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel and are deserving of having their material needs met. We are called to be generous in sharing what we have with them even if it is only as little as sharing a cup of cold water because they labor in Your vineyard.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. Jn 6:63C, 68C


Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36-37
Colosians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37


Deuteronomy 30:10-14

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

If only we loved You as we ought we would find that listening to Your Voice and obeying Your commandments is a joy. We would turn our steps quickly back to You when we failed. You make it so easy for us to love You and worship You as we ought but we are hard-hearted, stubborn, and self-willed. The  Father revealed His great love for us by sending You into the world to save us. He thought us worth saving at so great a price when in truth He could have just annihilated us and started over. 

But God has never given up on us. He gave us the gift of faith so we can believe and keep His commandments of love. He makes it easy for us to know His will for us because You sent Your Holy Spirit to dwell in us to instruct us and guide us in the Way we ought to go. You gave us Your own Flesh and Blood so we can be sustained on this journey as we go through this valley of tears. No, the Love of God and the Word of God are not something out there but right here within us constantly inviting us to an intimate, loving relationship with You and a life of loving service to our neighbor.

Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Reflection

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you. 1 Pet 4:14

Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26A
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7
Matthew 10:24-33 



Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26A

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

There is much we can learn from Joseph, his humility, his ability to forgive grave wrongs, his patience, his desire to keep himself from sin, his love for his family, his wisdom, and above all his faith in God and his belief in God's promises.

He foreshadows You, Beloved, in many ways. He was sent into exile, You left Your Father in heaven to come into the world. He was rejected by his brothers, You were rejected by the people of Israel. His brothers were jealous of him because his father loved him more than he loved them. The people of Israel were jealous of the fact that the power of God was at work in You. Joseph's brothers' jealousy of him was great it grew to a murderous rage and they plotted to kill him. The raging jealousy of the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the Chief Priests and rulers of the temple also led them to plot evil against You and to finally kill You.  Joseph was aware that God used the evil plans of his brothers in order to save many nations from famine and so was able to forgive his brothers. God, our Father, used the wicked actions of the Sanhedrin in order to save the world.

Thank You, Beloved, for not holding our sins against us but for seeking us out and saving us.


Psalm 105:1-4, 6-7

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

To You is given the Name that above is every other and at Your Name, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God, our Father, that You are Lord.

You have also assured us that anything we ask the Father in Your Name, He will grant it to us. Thank You, Beloved, for the mighty protection we receive when we take refuge in You, our Lord, and our God.


Matthew 10:24-33 

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Every successor to the Apostles and indeed each one of us who goes by the name Christian must model our lives on You. You are our Teacher, our Master, there is no other. When we fail to be like You, when we decide to modify Your teaching and convince ourselves that we must conform to the dictates of the age we live in, we lose our moral compass and chaos descends. 

It is easy to become fearful of persecution especially when we are sure that the world discriminates against all who live the Christian faith boldly in public. However, You tell us not to be afraid. The hour will come when Truth will prevail despite every effort to suppress it.

We ought to have a tender conscience that prefers death to sin. Mortal life is temporal our souls are not. We ought to be aware of eternity now, for the lives we live now will determine where we spend it. We know Beloved, that You care for us more tenderly than a mother her baby. We also know that everyone who makes their home in You will be saved. But whoever denies You, and there are many who are baptized who do, will be denied and rejected by Your heavenly Father. He will not take lightly those who rejected His love for us which was revealed when He sent You into the world to save us.