DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever. JN 6:51
ACTS 8:26-40
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This passage of Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch is a lesson in evangelization.
First, we must be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, in Philip's case it was the angel of the Lord who spoke to him and pointed out the person to be evangelized
Second is obedience - once we know what we must do we obey promptly. Philip ran.
Three, we meet the person where they are at. The Eunuch was reading the prophet Isaiah and Philip took his lead from here and asked him if he understood what he was reading.
Four, we must be prepared to accompany the person on their journey. Philip accepted the invitation to sit with the Eunuch and instruct him.
Five, we ourselves must know Scripture well in order to teach and instruct. If we are ignorant we will only cause confusion. Philip could explain that the sheep led to the slaughter referred to You and from this point on he was able to share the Good News.
Six, we allow the Holy Spirit to take control and allow Him to guide us. It is the Spirit who creates the desire for salvation. As soon as the Eunuch saw some water he asked to be baptized.
Seven, once we accomplish what the Holy Spirit asked us to do, we move on.
While the work of evangelization is the work of the Holy Spirit we must always be prepared, ready, and attentive.
PSALM 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Today the psalmist teaches us that praise is fundamental to prayer. Before we bring our petitions to You we must first be aware of who You are and praise will well up in our souls for You are a God who saves. The psalmist says we must 'loudly sound his praise'.
Beloved, how often You have stopped my feet from slipping, and for this, I give You grateful thanks.
Even as we make our pleas to You it must be preceded by praise for Your never-failing faithfulness. There has never been a time that I called and You refused to answer me. Miserable, wretched sinner though I am, You have never failed me; You always deal with me with great compassion, kindness, and tenderness. Thank You, my Lord, and my God.
JOHN 6:44-51
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You could not have said it any clearer than this, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him." It is the Father who decides who comes to You to receive the salvation that is granted through You alone.
At baptism, we become children of God. Once we are baptized we rightly address God as Abba and God our Father desires that all His children be saved. He desires that all His children be fed with the Bread of Angels. You are the Manna that came down from heaven as food for our souls, providing strength for our pilgrim journey from this life to the next.
The Father calls us constantly. It is His desire that not one of His little ones is lost. The old Adam lost paradise to all who came after him. The New Adam restores all that the old Adam lost. Everything in its time, from the creation of the world, brought us to this moment when God revealed His love for us. God's love became incarnate in the flesh and became Man. There is nothing that we undergo as human beings that You do not understand. This is why we can always trust You. And this is why it is the Father's will that there is salvation in no one else but You.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;
whoever eats this bread will live forever. JN 6:51
ACTS 8:26-40
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This passage of Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch is a lesson in evangelization.
First, we must be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, in Philip's case it was the angel of the Lord who spoke to him and pointed out the person to be evangelized
Second is obedience - once we know what we must do we obey promptly. Philip ran.
Three, we meet the person where they are at. The Eunuch was reading the prophet Isaiah and Philip took his lead from here and asked him if he understood what he was reading.
Four, we must be prepared to accompany the person on their journey. Philip accepted the invitation to sit with the Eunuch and instruct him.
Five, we ourselves must know Scripture well in order to teach and instruct. If we are ignorant we will only cause confusion. Philip could explain that the sheep led to the slaughter referred to You and from this point on he was able to share the Good News.
Six, we allow the Holy Spirit to take control and allow Him to guide us. It is the Spirit who creates the desire for salvation. As soon as the Eunuch saw some water he asked to be baptized.
Seven, once we accomplish what the Holy Spirit asked us to do, we move on.
While the work of evangelization is the work of the Holy Spirit we must always be prepared, ready, and attentive.
PSALM 66:8-9, 16-17, 20
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Today the psalmist teaches us that praise is fundamental to prayer. Before we bring our petitions to You we must first be aware of who You are and praise will well up in our souls for You are a God who saves. The psalmist says we must 'loudly sound his praise'.
Beloved, how often You have stopped my feet from slipping, and for this, I give You grateful thanks.
Even as we make our pleas to You it must be preceded by praise for Your never-failing faithfulness. There has never been a time that I called and You refused to answer me. Miserable, wretched sinner though I am, You have never failed me; You always deal with me with great compassion, kindness, and tenderness. Thank You, my Lord, and my God.
JOHN 6:44-51
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You could not have said it any clearer than this, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him." It is the Father who decides who comes to You to receive the salvation that is granted through You alone.
At baptism, we become children of God. Once we are baptized we rightly address God as Abba and God our Father desires that all His children be saved. He desires that all His children be fed with the Bread of Angels. You are the Manna that came down from heaven as food for our souls, providing strength for our pilgrim journey from this life to the next.
The Father calls us constantly. It is His desire that not one of His little ones is lost. The old Adam lost paradise to all who came after him. The New Adam restores all that the old Adam lost. Everything in its time, from the creation of the world, brought us to this moment when God revealed His love for us. God's love became incarnate in the flesh and became Man. There is nothing that we undergo as human beings that You do not understand. This is why we can always trust You. And this is why it is the Father's will that there is salvation in no one else but You.
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