DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
GENESIS 1: 1----2::2
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The drama of salvation history begins with these opening lines from the Book of Genesis:
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
The Father, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God together began the symphony of creation when God said, "Let there be light," The light that overcomes darkness and will never be put out.
God created man in his image;
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them.
The crown of God's creation, created in the image and likeness of God, man and woman were created on the sixth day and the word of God tells us that God blessed them. We are created in the image and likeness of God and the Father's irrevocable blessing has been upon us always.
PSALM 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
The psalmist contemplates the work of Your hands and marvels at Your wisdom in all You have made and His soul is raised to You in praise, thanksgiving, and worship. Thank You Lord, for granting us a glimpse of the Artist in the wonder, the power, and the grandeur of creation. May we like the psalmist never cease to sing of Your glory as long as we have breath in our body.
GENESIS 22:2-18
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
As we read this passage from Sacred Scripture we experience the pathos of the whole story of Abraham being put to the test. It teaches us that once God calls us we begin a journey of purification that will only end when our soul leaves our body.
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
Abraham took the wood for the holocaust
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders.
The parallels are staggering. Abraham was prepared to carry out the sacrifice of his only son and because his faith never wavered God stopped his hand from slaying Isaac.
He would not be called to make the great sacrifice - God would call another to make it. This time it would be You, His only Son, and You would offer Yourself in Sacrifice to the bitter end.
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust."
Just as God swore a covenant with Abraham, He has sworn a New Covenant with us. You are the Father's Covenant and He has promised that those who believe in You will be as countless as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.
PSALM 16:5, 8-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The psalmist foretells Your steadfast faith in the Father. For a brief moment, You experienced abandonment in order that those who feel abandoned may find solace in the truth that God never abandons us.
You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
EXODUS 14:15---15:1
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Your glorious Cross my Beloved, bridges the great divide from the land of slavery to sin and death and the promised land of the Kingdom of the Father. All who embrace the Way of the Cross will be saved.
In the night watch just before dawn
the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
Satan and his cohorts are thrown into a panic at the glance of the One who is raised above the earth and pierced for our sins. We are victorious in the Victory of the Lamb.
EXODUS 15:1-6, 17-18
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The song of liberation, victory, and triumph that the people of Israel sang on crossing the Red Sea in safety is our song. We will sing and make music to the Lord, we will exult in the power that has been unleashed upon God's people in every nation through the Cross of salvation.
ISAIAH 54:5-14
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
It is easy to become overwhelmed with stress and anxiety when we read all the doomsayers prophesying death, annihilation, terror, and destruction. But the prophet Isaiah reveals to us that You are a tender lover. You are merciful, compassionate and You understand how in moments of weakness we abandon You our God and our only good.
Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
my love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Never again, my Beloved, will I let my confidence and faith in You be shaken no matter what the prophets of doom say. You are a God of love and I have been taken up and made one with You in love.
PSALM 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
This is the dark night of our soul, we are bereft. In our wickedness we have denied You, betrayed You, slain You and buried You. We weep for our blindness and our loss. We now wait in silence as we mourn the loss of one who loved us perfectly and to the end. Thank You Beloved for that cry from the Cross that encompasses us and pleads for mercy for us, "Father forgive them they know not what they do."
ISAIAH 55:1-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You thirst for our love, and we thirst for You. We hear that great cry from the Cross, "I thirst." And we accept Your invitation to slake our own thirst from the rivers of living water that flow from Your pierced side.
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Too long have we wasted our lives on things that do not satisfy. We come to You now, our Bread of Life. We drink deep of the Cup of Salvation. Thank You, Beloved for giving us Your flesh to eat and Your blood to drink and for the new life that is ours in You.
ISAIAH 12:2-6
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Thank You Beloved for Your great sacrifice that has given us so great a Savior. Thank You, Father, for not giving up on Your sinful children and not withholding Your only Son but offering Him up as a holocaust pleasing in Your sight for the salvation of sinners.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
BARUCH 3:9-15, 32---4:4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The prophet Baruch reminds us that we have turned away from the path of life and wandered away from the paths of wisdom, holiness, and justice. We have walked away from the God of love, hope, and joy. Bring us back, Beloved, by the power of the Cross so we may dwell with You in peace for all eternity.
You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
Had you walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelt in enduring peace.
PSALM 19:8-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You have the words of eternal life - this is a truth known to those to whom You have revealed Yourself and yet nothing in the world either in our entertainment, books, culture, education, and everything else is this reflected.
Your law of love is perfect and everything You have taught us are lifegiving truths. Your words are more precious than gold and sweeter than honey in the comb, yet we have spent our whole lives seeking the cheap and the tawdry. God of love bring us back and we will be saved.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
EZEKIEL 36:16-17A, 18-28
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The prophet Ezekiel is prophesying about our times. In these last decades rivers of innocent blood drench our earth. We have defiled our bodies which are temples of the Holy Spirit in every conceivable way.
We come before You with a contrite heart and a broken spirit. May the cleansing waters of our Baptism and the rich graces we received and are active in us wash away our iniquity and cleanse us clean from our sins. Give us a new heart and a new spirit that we may worship You once again in spirit and in truth.
PSALM 42:3, 5, 43:3-4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
As we celebrate the Easter Vigil in isolation from our homes, we ask You to send forth Your Light and Your Fidelity. Lead us back to the place where You dwell on Your holy mountain and may we once again join together as one body to worship You.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
ROMANS 6:3-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Just as You plunged with us and tasted our death in Baptism so are we raised to new life in You through Your glorious Resurrection.
We are now a new creation in You. Grant us the strength of will to put aside the deeds of the night and the darkness and walk in the Light of Your Word until the end of our earthly existence.
PSALM 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Evil believed it had triumphed when Your Body was scourged into bloody strips. When You were mocked, jeered, spat upon, blasphemed against. When they crowned You with thorns, dressed You in a purple cloak slapped You and derided You. When they nailed Your hands and feet to the Cross. When the lance of the Centurion pierced Your breast when Your Body was taken down from the Cross and You were laid in Your Mother's arms. But Evil was rudely struck aside and disabused of its triumph when You rose in power and glory on Easter Sunday.
The stone that Your enemies rejected has become the cornerstone on which You have built Your Church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
MATTHEW 28:1-10
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You know what weak, frail, creatures we are. We fear everything this is why You always reassure or You send angels to do so with these comforting and consoling words, "Do not be afraid!"
The essence of the Good News is this: The tomb is empty. You have been raised from the dead just as You had said. Our response as witnesses is to share this wondrous news to everyone we encounter in our lives.
Now, again, it is You who say, "Do not be afraid."
Once we encounter You in the Resurrection we are required to announce the Good News.
GENESIS 1: 1----2::2
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The drama of salvation history begins with these opening lines from the Book of Genesis:
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
The Father, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God together began the symphony of creation when God said, "Let there be light," The light that overcomes darkness and will never be put out.
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them.
The crown of God's creation, created in the image and likeness of God, man and woman were created on the sixth day and the word of God tells us that God blessed them. We are created in the image and likeness of God and the Father's irrevocable blessing has been upon us always.
PSALM 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
The psalmist contemplates the work of Your hands and marvels at Your wisdom in all You have made and His soul is raised to You in praise, thanksgiving, and worship. Thank You Lord, for granting us a glimpse of the Artist in the wonder, the power, and the grandeur of creation. May we like the psalmist never cease to sing of Your glory as long as we have breath in our body.
GENESIS 22:2-18
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
As we read this passage from Sacred Scripture we experience the pathos of the whole story of Abraham being put to the test. It teaches us that once God calls us we begin a journey of purification that will only end when our soul leaves our body.
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
Abraham took the wood for the holocaust
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders.
The parallels are staggering. Abraham was prepared to carry out the sacrifice of his only son and because his faith never wavered God stopped his hand from slaying Isaac.
He would not be called to make the great sacrifice - God would call another to make it. This time it would be You, His only Son, and You would offer Yourself in Sacrifice to the bitter end.
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust."
Just as God swore a covenant with Abraham, He has sworn a New Covenant with us. You are the Father's Covenant and He has promised that those who believe in You will be as countless as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.
PSALM 16:5, 8-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The psalmist foretells Your steadfast faith in the Father. For a brief moment, You experienced abandonment in order that those who feel abandoned may find solace in the truth that God never abandons us.
You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
EXODUS 14:15---15:1
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Your glorious Cross my Beloved, bridges the great divide from the land of slavery to sin and death and the promised land of the Kingdom of the Father. All who embrace the Way of the Cross will be saved.
In the night watch just before dawn
the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
Satan and his cohorts are thrown into a panic at the glance of the One who is raised above the earth and pierced for our sins. We are victorious in the Victory of the Lamb.
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The song of liberation, victory, and triumph that the people of Israel sang on crossing the Red Sea in safety is our song. We will sing and make music to the Lord, we will exult in the power that has been unleashed upon God's people in every nation through the Cross of salvation.
ISAIAH 54:5-14
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
It is easy to become overwhelmed with stress and anxiety when we read all the doomsayers prophesying death, annihilation, terror, and destruction. But the prophet Isaiah reveals to us that You are a tender lover. You are merciful, compassionate and You understand how in moments of weakness we abandon You our God and our only good.
Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
my love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Never again, my Beloved, will I let my confidence and faith in You be shaken no matter what the prophets of doom say. You are a God of love and I have been taken up and made one with You in love.
PSALM 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
This is the dark night of our soul, we are bereft. In our wickedness we have denied You, betrayed You, slain You and buried You. We weep for our blindness and our loss. We now wait in silence as we mourn the loss of one who loved us perfectly and to the end. Thank You Beloved for that cry from the Cross that encompasses us and pleads for mercy for us, "Father forgive them they know not what they do."
ISAIAH 55:1-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You thirst for our love, and we thirst for You. We hear that great cry from the Cross, "I thirst." And we accept Your invitation to slake our own thirst from the rivers of living water that flow from Your pierced side.
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Too long have we wasted our lives on things that do not satisfy. We come to You now, our Bread of Life. We drink deep of the Cup of Salvation. Thank You, Beloved for giving us Your flesh to eat and Your blood to drink and for the new life that is ours in You.
ISAIAH 12:2-6
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Thank You Beloved for Your great sacrifice that has given us so great a Savior. Thank You, Father, for not giving up on Your sinful children and not withholding Your only Son but offering Him up as a holocaust pleasing in Your sight for the salvation of sinners.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
BARUCH 3:9-15, 32---4:4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The prophet Baruch reminds us that we have turned away from the path of life and wandered away from the paths of wisdom, holiness, and justice. We have walked away from the God of love, hope, and joy. Bring us back, Beloved, by the power of the Cross so we may dwell with You in peace for all eternity.
You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
Had you walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelt in enduring peace.
PSALM 19:8-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You have the words of eternal life - this is a truth known to those to whom You have revealed Yourself and yet nothing in the world either in our entertainment, books, culture, education, and everything else is this reflected.
Your law of love is perfect and everything You have taught us are lifegiving truths. Your words are more precious than gold and sweeter than honey in the comb, yet we have spent our whole lives seeking the cheap and the tawdry. God of love bring us back and we will be saved.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
EZEKIEL 36:16-17A, 18-28
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The prophet Ezekiel is prophesying about our times. In these last decades rivers of innocent blood drench our earth. We have defiled our bodies which are temples of the Holy Spirit in every conceivable way.
We come before You with a contrite heart and a broken spirit. May the cleansing waters of our Baptism and the rich graces we received and are active in us wash away our iniquity and cleanse us clean from our sins. Give us a new heart and a new spirit that we may worship You once again in spirit and in truth.
PSALM 42:3, 5, 43:3-4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
As we celebrate the Easter Vigil in isolation from our homes, we ask You to send forth Your Light and Your Fidelity. Lead us back to the place where You dwell on Your holy mountain and may we once again join together as one body to worship You.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
ROMANS 6:3-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Just as You plunged with us and tasted our death in Baptism so are we raised to new life in You through Your glorious Resurrection.
We are now a new creation in You. Grant us the strength of will to put aside the deeds of the night and the darkness and walk in the Light of Your Word until the end of our earthly existence.
PSALM 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Evil believed it had triumphed when Your Body was scourged into bloody strips. When You were mocked, jeered, spat upon, blasphemed against. When they crowned You with thorns, dressed You in a purple cloak slapped You and derided You. When they nailed Your hands and feet to the Cross. When the lance of the Centurion pierced Your breast when Your Body was taken down from the Cross and You were laid in Your Mother's arms. But Evil was rudely struck aside and disabused of its triumph when You rose in power and glory on Easter Sunday.
The stone that Your enemies rejected has become the cornerstone on which You have built Your Church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
MATTHEW 28:1-10
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You know what weak, frail, creatures we are. We fear everything this is why You always reassure or You send angels to do so with these comforting and consoling words, "Do not be afraid!"
The essence of the Good News is this: The tomb is empty. You have been raised from the dead just as You had said. Our response as witnesses is to share this wondrous news to everyone we encounter in our lives.
Now, again, it is You who say, "Do not be afraid."
Once we encounter You in the Resurrection we are required to announce the Good News.
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