Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him. JN 14:23
ACTS 8:5-8, 14-17
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
We ought never to forget the power of Your Name. It expels demons, it commands the dead to life, it heals ills both physical and spiritual and has awesome power over the elements of nature.
Today we read how Philip also demonstrates the power that goes hand in hand with the proclamation of the Good News and the power of Your Name.
It is through the laying of hands of the Apostles and their successors that we receive the life of the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments You instituted. Without the Sacraments, we would wither and die for we would be cut off from the life that flows from You to us.
Thank You for Your Church, thank You for our clergy, and above all thank You for the Sacraments.
PSALM 66:1-7, 16, 20
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The psalmist tells us in Ps 33 that praise is fitting for loyal hearts. The whole earth must cry out to You with joy for there is no greater joy than this that God sent His only, beloved Son to redeem us from eternal death.
During these days when the noise of humans is silenced, nature has come alive and into her own. We hear the sounds of birds, animals scurrying along without fear, flowers, trees, and rivers are thriving and the air is clean. Nature rejoices and so do we.
Thank You, Beloved, for the beauty of creation; the works of Your hand over which You have made us guardians. Help us not to abuse this sacred trust.
1 PETER 3:15-18
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This is a timely reminder to me on how I ought to deal with anyone who has a differing opinion from my own. It is not a battle it is a discussion between reasonable people and there is no need for me to get prickly and het up about an assumed disparagement.
Grant me this calmness of spirit. Grant me the grace to listen before I open my mouth. Grant me the grace to understand that often a difference in the way we perceive something does not necessarily mean that one is right or wrong - there are just two ways of looking at something and both can be and sometimes are valid.
Grant me also the grace to evangelize more boldly by the way I live. Let me not be ashamed or afraid to let it be known who I am through the faith I profess in You. Let not shyness or fear hold me back from speaking the truth and living the truth. Amen.
JOHN 14:15-2
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The Holy Spirit is the Ruah of God. You said to Nicodemus, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
If we love You as we ought then we must obey Your commandments the greatest of which is first to love God before and above all and second to love each another as You have loved us. We cannot love with the kind of love You ask us to, which is self-donation, unless we are aided by Your Holy Spirit.
Thank You for the gift of the Advocate, the Spirit of truth that makes our body His temple. Our body is the sanctuary of God, the Most High. No, we are not orphans, we are children of God, members of the Church You founded, Your Bride. Someday, You will present Your Church to Your Father without wrinkle or stain. In the meanwhile, we must accept with humility and courage all that we must endure for our purification and spiritual growth.
Thank You, Beloved, for the assurance of Your everlasting love.
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