DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger. JN 6:35AB
ACTS 7:51 - 8:1A
The fact that Stephen was innocent did not stop them from stoning him to death. He forgave his murderers in imitation of You. Surely, there was more than one person in that crowd who, edified by the way Stephen met his death, was filled with sorrow and shame. We know of one man at least, whose life would soon be transformed from Saul to Paul because of Stephen's final prayer forgiving his murderers. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” You have the power to transform the greatest sinners into great saints.
PSALM 31:3CD-4, 6, 7B, 8A, 17 & 21AB
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Thank You for all You have accomplished by Your saving work on the Cross. Thank You, Beloved, for the hope that we have in You. Thank You, Beloved, that there is nothing in this world that can separate us from Your love. Thank You for dying for us and for showing us how to live. Thank You, Beloved, for paying the price of our redemption and throwing wide open, the gates of heaven to all who believe in Your Name.
Grant O Lord, that the prayer Stephen prayed in the final moments of his life be my prayer from the moment I awake, and until I close my eyes in sleep each night, "Lord Jesus, into Your hands, I commend my spirit."
JOHN 6:30-35
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Nothing is so clear to those who are given the gift of the fullness of truth than this, faith is a gift given by God to whomever He pleases. There are many, many Christians who fall short of receiving it in its entirety for many reasons, for many it is pride and prejudice. There are also many, many Christians who have read Chapter 6 of John's Gospel and have had the scales fall from their eyes, not unlike the scales that fell from Saul's eyes and there are even many more who have read it several times but either gloss over it or fool themselves that it doesn't mean what it says. If they dared to believe it would turn all their pet beliefs of Your Church on its head.
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Can it get any clearer than this, my Lord? “Amen, amen, I say to you, my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
Grant O Lord, that those who seek Truth may not halt their journey when they only receive its first glimmer, rather let them ask for the grace to pursue the Truth until they find that You, its Cornerstone, have built Your Church on the Rock of Peter. Amen.
I am the bread of life, says the Lord;
whoever comes to me will never hunger. JN 6:35AB
ACTS 7:51 - 8:1A
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
People like Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit are filled with boldness and courage. Their zeal is so great that they are unafraid to speak the truth. Then there are those who are so steeped in their own sense of entitlement and grandeur that they practically foam at the mouth when their weaknesses, their sins, their wickedness is revealed. They will not rest until they have done their worst to avenge their public humiliation.
The fact that Stephen was innocent did not stop them from stoning him to death. He forgave his murderers in imitation of You. Surely, there was more than one person in that crowd who, edified by the way Stephen met his death, was filled with sorrow and shame. We know of one man at least, whose life would soon be transformed from Saul to Paul because of Stephen's final prayer forgiving his murderers. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” You have the power to transform the greatest sinners into great saints.
PSALM 31:3CD-4, 6, 7B, 8A, 17 & 21AB
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Thank You for all You have accomplished by Your saving work on the Cross. Thank You, Beloved, for the hope that we have in You. Thank You, Beloved, that there is nothing in this world that can separate us from Your love. Thank You for dying for us and for showing us how to live. Thank You, Beloved, for paying the price of our redemption and throwing wide open, the gates of heaven to all who believe in Your Name.
Grant O Lord, that the prayer Stephen prayed in the final moments of his life be my prayer from the moment I awake, and until I close my eyes in sleep each night, "Lord Jesus, into Your hands, I commend my spirit."
JOHN 6:30-35
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Nothing is so clear to those who are given the gift of the fullness of truth than this, faith is a gift given by God to whomever He pleases. There are many, many Christians who fall short of receiving it in its entirety for many reasons, for many it is pride and prejudice. There are also many, many Christians who have read Chapter 6 of John's Gospel and have had the scales fall from their eyes, not unlike the scales that fell from Saul's eyes and there are even many more who have read it several times but either gloss over it or fool themselves that it doesn't mean what it says. If they dared to believe it would turn all their pet beliefs of Your Church on its head.
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Can it get any clearer than this, my Lord? “Amen, amen, I say to you, my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
Grant O Lord, that those who seek Truth may not halt their journey when they only receive its first glimmer, rather let them ask for the grace to pursue the Truth until they find that You, its Cornerstone, have built Your Church on the Rock of Peter. Amen.
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