Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path. Ps 119:105


2 SAMUEL 7:18-19, 24-29
PSALM 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14
MARK 4:21-25


2 SAMUEL 7:18-19, 24-29

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Today's reading from the prophet Samuel shines a powerful light on Your promises which are eternal and are visible to all who have eyes to see. 

When we look at Israel today we see the seed of the eternal and irrevocable promises first made to the chosen people of God, and there is the fulfillment of every one of those eternal promises in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church You founded.

King David's words to God is the prayer of Your Church and is made by every member of Your Body. It is Your life and Your Spirit that is poured into us and grace upon grace is poured out upon us because we are Yours in time and in eternity.

"Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;
you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant
that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant
shall be blessed forever.”



PSALM 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The only home, the only sanctuary that pleases You and where You delight to dwell in is in the heart of those who know You; a humble, loving heart that seeks to do Your will in all things.

Thank You for making my heart Your resting place. Thank You for the privilege of receiving You in Holy Communion and for making me one with You enjoying the same union  when I am with You in eternity,

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


You have but one Father in heaven;

you have but one master, the Christ. MT 23:9B, 10B

WISDOM 7:7-10, 15-16
PSALM 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
MATTHEW 23:8-12


WISDOM 7:7-10, 15-16

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Those who are wise in the wisdom of the Lord are always humble attributing all glory and honor to God, who is the giver of every good and perfect gift.

The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of the world and we are presently living in a very foolish, delusional world. Those who believe in You, in Your Word, and who live by Gospel principles are ridiculed, ostracised, and silenced. But the Wisdom of God prevails and God's gift of Wisdom continues to be poured out upon those whom He chooses to give it. 

Wisdom is all around us if we care to look for it. It is in nature, in the sky, in all that is alive and moves, in all that is seen and unseen for the Spirit of Wisdom is found in all creation and in all His creatures.

In humility let us ask God to give us eyes to see, ears to hear and a docile spirit to understand the mysteries of His Kingdom. 


PSALM 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Your Word is the light that illumines the way to the Father. Grant me the will to keep Your commands, to read Your Word and to be nourished by it. 

Enable me to yield in perfect docility to all that You ask of me and may I never stray from the way of truth. Keep me from grave sin and error for as long as I live. Give me a grateful heart for all the blessings that You pour upon me each day. May I never cease to praise You all the days of my life. Amen.


MATTHEW 23:8-12

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

There is nothing more pleasing and delightful than true humility in a person who is blessed by God in every way. They are childlike and they have an inner glow. They are aware that what they have received is a gift that is to be shared and take no personal credit but give all glory to God.

Many of us are vain and we glory in the titles given to us and deem ourselves superior to everyone else because of them. We like to be addressed by these titles and are peeved when we are not. Today, we are reminded that we have only one Teacher, one Master, one Father and the greatest of us in Your sight are those who know that they are least. When we get too big for our boots You know exactly how to cut us down to size and that is never very pretty. 

It is far better to pray each day for the gift of true humility and exercise this sweetest of gifts in every way. God pours His gifts on the humble but He abhors the proud.

Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel. 2Tim 1:10



2 SAMUEL 5:1-7, 10
PSALM 89:20-22, 25-26
MARK 3:22-30



2 SAMUEL 5:1-7, 10

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

All that was said of David as the greatest king of Israel finds its fullness and perfection in You. We are members of Your Body. It is You who lead the children of God from slavery to sin to freedom and victory. You are our Good Shepherd leading us to the Kingdom of God. You are enthroned in the highest heavens. To You is given all glory, honor, and power in heaven and on earth. To You alone shall all people everywhere bend the knee and proclaim You as Lord.

PSALM 89:20-22, 25-26

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In You alone, we must put all our faith, hope, and trust. This is what the Father desires and in this, we will find joy, purpose, and fulfillment. God our Father has appointed You to be the means by which all are saved for no one can come to the Father except through You.

You are the Anointed One, the Christ, the only Son of the Living God and in Your life we find life. You are the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Yours the Name by which we are saved there is no other.


MARK 3:22-30

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The scribes who were threatened by Your power over the forces of nature, evil spirits and over sickness and death ascribed it to the powers of darkness. They knew that good cannot come evil and You only did good wherever You went, yet, if they admitted it then they believed they would lose their authority over the people.

How readily we reject the truth because we refuse to give up our sinful, selfish, and evil desires. Like the scribes, we are prepared to attribute good to evil and evil to good. But there is only so far we can go for truth by its very nature is irrefutable.

Today we live in a world that has lost the sense of sin and evil. We live in times of moral depravity and we camouflage our evil under the guise of compassion, understanding, and love. 

The day of reckoning must come and when it does woe to those who have blasphemed with impunity truths that are sacred and eternal.

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people. Mt 4:23


1 SAMUEL 17:32-33, 37, 40-51
PSALM 144:1B, 2, 9-10
MARK 3:1-6


1 SAMUEL 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

There are many who will discourage us from doing what we know we can if we let them. David was not afraid to face Goliath even though the odds seemed against him. His faith in the power of God was unassailable he knew that God was on the side of His people and He would prevail.

David put his trust in God. He believed and he triumphed. So will we as long as we keep our gaze fixed on You and place all our hopes in You, victory will be ours.

PSALM 144:1B, 2, 9-10

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Thank You, my Lord and my God, for placing me always in surroundings that helped to nurture my faith in You and helped it grow. Thank You, for the Church who taught me, fed me, nourished me, and encouraged me. Thank You, for the Sacraments You instituted beginning with Baptism and Confirmation, and those I continue to receive which enable me to stay close to You. Thank You, for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which is celebrated daily throughout the world where we can be witnesses to that one, holy, and perfect Sacrifice and receive from You all the graces and merits You won for us on the Cross. Thank You, for breaking the chains of evil and for Your victory over sin and death. 

MARK 3:1-6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

How often we are prevented from doing what we know to be good and right because we are afraid of those who will criticize or ridicule us. 

The Pharisees, instead of waiting eagerly and joyfully to witness the miracle they knew You would perform of healing the man with the withered hand instead watched and waiting to condemn You for healing on the Sabbath. We too can be like them when we fail to recognize what is truly important, love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness. 

Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call. Eph 1:17-18


1 SAMUEL 16:1-13
PSALM 89:20-22, 27-28
MARK 2:23-28



1 SAMUEL 16:1-13


My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Often we are like Samuel we grieve for the loss of things that only immobilize us, it keeps us stuck in the past when God wants to do wonderful new things in us and for us. We must be ready always to go where the Spirit leads only then can we reach the heights that You desire for us. It is not always easy when we say no to the world and set our face just as You did towards Jerusalem.

Just as God chose Saul and then David to be king so too does God choose us to be Your disciples. Jesse had many sons and in the eyes of Samuel, all of them seemed to fit in appearance his idea of what a king ought to be. But God's choice was the unlikely youngest son, David, who proved to be the best king Israel ever had.

We must train ourselves to see not as man sees but as God sees. We get caught up in the physical, in appearances, but God's way is different. He looks at the heart and knows all that lies there.

When David was anointed he was filled with the Spirit. In the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, we too are anointed and filled with the Spirit. Once we have received this Gift of gifts it is up to us to yield to Him and to obey His promptings. When we do we will live a life of grace.


PSALM 89:20-22, 27-28

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

David was only a foreshadow of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Ruler, and Savior of the world. The verses of this psalm were written about David but they truly are a description of You.


“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”

“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth.”


MARK 2:23-28

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We are living in a time of complete and utter insanity. People are prepared to do violence to those who refuse to bow down to their diktats. Political correctness is taken to the level of absurdity but the vast majority of people are blind like the Pharisees and refuse to see.  

There are people who spend a lifetime nitpicking about stupid, irrelevant things whereas we were created for the sublime. To love as You love, to have tenderness and compassion for all especially those of us who are the weakest, the frailest, the most vulnerable, to be prepared to lay down one's life for the good of the other, this is what it means to be alive and be filled by the Spirit of God. 

We ought never to forget that true love transcends all:

“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets:
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son. Heb 1:1-2

1 JOHN 3:7-10
PSALM 98:1, 7-9
JOHN 1:35-42


1 JOHN 3:7-10

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Your Word is clear, all those who are of God will strive to be holy just as the Father is holy. If I am a child of God, and I am, then I must pray constantly especially when I am tempted to sin. All sin is of the devil and You, have destroyed the works of the Enemy. I am triumphant in Your triumph. I am victorious in Your victory over the flesh, the world, and the devil. As a member of the family of God, I am called to love God always, first and above all else and I am called to love my neighbor as myself. Thank You for providing all the grace I need each day to follow You.


PSALM 98:1, 7-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We are happiest when we know who God is and who we are as His children and live in the knowledge that we belong to Him.

All that God has created has His imprint on it and this is why everything in nature gives glory to Him. The beauty, the majesty, the power, the serenity, the simplicity, the intricacies and complexity of nature, all give glory to the Creator. And we whom the Lord God has fashioned after His image and in His likeness must give Him glory with every breath we breathe. 

Thank You, Beloved for all that You have done for me according to the will of the Father in heaven. Thank You for Your saving love. Thank You for being Emmanuel, God with me. Keep me faithful to the end. Amen.


JOHN 1:35-42

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Once You have been pointed out to us as the Lamb of God, the Messiah, the One whom the Father sent to take away the sins of the world, then, like the disciples of John, we are called to follow You.

You turned to the two disciples and asked, "What are you looking for?" As Your disciples, we must know what it is that we seek, we must know our purpose in following You. To follow You is to embrace You wholeheartedly. There is no easy way to follow You for You have said, the way is narrow and hard that leads to the Kingdom of God and few choose it. But those who do receive all the help and grace they will need every step of the way.

Every disciple was chosen in union with the Father. The first two were John and Andrew the third was Simon whose name You changed to Cephas, Peter, the rock upon which You would build Your Church; one, holy, catholic and apostolic against which the very gates of hell cannot prevail.