TUESDAY OF WEEK THIRTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word. PS 103:5





AMOS 3:1-8,4:11-12 

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Through the mouth of the prophet Amos, God thunders angry words of disappointment and frustration at the faithlessness and sins of the people, He chose from all the nations to be His own. He prophesies against the children of Israel. He laments overs His people whom He brought out of slavery from Egypt and accompanied through the 40 years their exile until they arrived at the promised land, a people He had wooed time and time again but who stubbornly turned away from Him. To these people and to the world He said:

It is the Lord who speaks.
This therefore, Israel, is what I plan to do to you,
and because I am going to do this to you,
Israel, prepare to meet your God!

And God's answer to His people and to the world is to meet You, our God in the Face of a little Baby born in Bethlehem. The spotless, sinless, perfect Babe, the Son of Man, who would bear the weight of our transgressions, take on our guilt, and enter into our death, so we may enter into Your life for all eternity. 

PSALM 5:5-8

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The repentant sinner will always be a welcome guest. But the sinner who loves sin, the proud the haughty, the boastful, who reject You reject their only means of salvation in and through You. 

Thank You for Your love, protection and kindness to all who desire to make their home in You. Thank You for giving us access to Your Sacred Heart which is our home, our refuge, and our sanctuary.

Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Yours. Amen.


MATTHEW 8:23-27 

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Every now and then the storms of life overwhelm us. The turbulence of the waves and the manic speed of the winds threaten to destroy us. Presently, the whole world is in great turmoil as it has been at various times in history.

Fear grips the heart of many suffering anxiety, depression, loneliness, sickness, lack of peace, uncertainty, and a host of other problems to which they can find no answers. Many do not know that You are always the yes and the amen of God our Father for in You all the promises of God have come to be a Yes, and we also say in his name: Amen!

Thank You that You are Emmanuel, God with us, and no matter how high the waves, or how terrifying the storm, with You in us, and we in You, the Eternal Word of the Living God, not a hair on our head will perish. Thank You, for the certain hope we have in You, Beloved.

To those who are afraid You will always say, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ and with a word You will rebuke the winds and the sea; and all will be calm again. 

SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER & PAUL, APOSTLES - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. MT 16:18

ACTS 12:1-11

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

When we walk with You, when we surrender our lives to You, when we trust You in all the circumstances of our life, then as Peter and so many countless more have discovered, we will experience Your power working for us and against those who would harm us. You assure us that the Father has counted every hair on our head. He is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives.

We also discover the power of intercession. We read, 'All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.' And God sent angels to deliver him. From Peter we learn that we can sleep peacefully when we are committed to the mission You have assigned to us. 'Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.' In fact he was sleeping so soundly that when 'the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell.' He had to tap him to wake him up and immediately the chains fell from his wrists. There is no sense of alarm or hurry as the angel instructs Peter to put on his belt and sandals and reminds him to take his cloak and follow him past the sleeping guards. The iron gate leading to the city opened for them and he was led out and the angel left.  

All who trust You know that You have appointed an angel to watch over us and to rescue us from the wiles of the Enemy.

PSALM 34:2-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We were created, every one of us, to glorify God and to find Him wonderfully present in our praises. When we magnify You our soul exults in the wonder of You and we marvel at You goodness, Your power, Your beauty, Your magnificence, Your munificence, and we are humbled by Your infinite love for us sinners.

Grant me this grace my Lord, that no matter what I experience in this life of joy or sadness, pain or grief, I will seek Your Presence and praise You. 

Anyone who walks with You will be delivered from all fear for fear has no place in love. When I call on You, You will answer me and You, my Beloved, will stay with me until the storm has passed.

Keep my gaze ever raised to You. May I yield to every gentle prompting of Your Spirit and may I be preserved from doing anything that would grieve Him. Thank You for giving me refuge in Your Sacred Heart and thank You for appointing an angel to guard and protect me all the days of my life.

2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8, 17-18

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

St. Paul, appointed by You as Apostle to the Gentiles, and to whom I am indebted for my conversion as is everyone who is not a Jew, is a true icon of You. This is why he could confidently say to the people of God in the churches he established, to imitate him for in doing so they imitated You.

He had the heart of a lion and he loved You passionately. He was a man who although very docile to the Holy Spirit, was volatile in his emotions. It was not in his nature to do things by halves - even when he persecuted Your followers, he did so zealously believing that he was battling for God. But once he encountered You, once he understood that it was indeed You who was the Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, that the Jews had been waiting for, he surrendered completely to You and to Your will. His life was Yours to do with as You willed. This is why he could say with complete conviction, I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, Which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

We who strive to walk the Way of Truth, Life, and Love, ask that You stand by us, give us strength we need, and help us to be faithful in living, preaching, and teaching the Good News by our lives. May all who see us and know us recognize that You live in us and desire the same joy, peace, and divine Presence that is ours.

MATTHEW 16:13-19

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In our pilgrim journey through life as baptized Christians and members of the family of God, we each have to make our own proclamation of faith when asked, "Who do you say that I am?" As Your disciples, we cannot look to the world for the answer to this question, if we do we will get a false idea of who You are. Our own faith journey must lead us to a personal encounter with You and then like Peter, we will be inspired to answer as he did.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit Peter responded rightly and in doing so, You chose him and appointed him as the visible head of the Church. He is the Rock on which You have built and established Your Church and You are its Cornerstone. The Church will stand despite every effort made from without and within to bring her down but no power can do so. Not only because You have said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her but also because of Your assurance that You will remain with her always until the end of time.

You conferred primacy to Peter in these words, "I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” It is a fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 22:20-23 

We will pray and work with the help of the Holy Spirit for the unity of all Christians and one day, Beloved, the unity You prayed for will be realized, there will be but one flock and one shepherd and then we will know that Your coming is imminent. Marantha! Lord Jesus, Maranatha!

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a people set apart to sing the praises of God,
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1PT 2:9



2 KINGS 4:8-11,13-16 

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Who can outdo God in goodness, kindness, love, and generosity? Elisha certainly proved it to the woman in Shunem who honored him and provided for him generously, simply because she recognised that he was a man of God.

Too often, we freely criticize, denigrate, judge, malign, dishonor, and condemn our Holy Father, our Bishops, and our priests. Yes, certainly there have been quite a few who have been downright wicked and it was right that they were exposed and brought to shame and justice. But the Word of God does not refer to these when it reminds us to show love, respect, and generosity to people called by Him and set apart for His work. 

The Father has appointed You as the righteous judge, we are all too eager to dethrone You from Your judgement seat of mercy and enthrone ourselves, freely pronouncing our biased, narrow-minded, ignorant judgments on them. Let us never forget that the measure we use to judge others will be the same measure used to judge us and You will be particularly severe with those who believe themselves qualified to judge.  

PSALM 89:2-3,16-19

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Our hearts ought to burst with praise for all You have done for us. For Your everlasting love for us and Your tender care over us. Who can praise God enough for giving us so glorious a Savior, Redeemer, Brother, and Friend who remains with us always? 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, may I never forget to raise my whole being to You in grateful thanks for creating me, for all the blessing You shower on me on those I love, for the beauty of creation, and the sheer joy of being alive. Thank You for Your abiding Presence in me through Your Holy Spirit and for the hope I have that when my days here have ended, You will take me to be with You eternally.

ROMANS  6:3-4,8-11

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

I want to thank God our Father for His unfathomable, incomprehensible and everlasting love in executing through You, His plan of salvation.

Everything You said, You did, You taught, You instituted, including Your ignominious, horrific, sacrificial death on the Cross was for us, His sinful creatures. Who can fathom why He did not consider us, His sinful creatures, a great big disappointment, rather both He and You willingly paid a King's ransom to save us.

Thank You for the very first Sacrament of Baptism that plunges us into Your death in order to raise us to new life through Your resurrection. You became like us in all things save sin. You tasted our death inherited from Adam, to destroy it and enable us inherit new life in You. Thank You. May I never stop being grateful for the the Sacraments of Holy Orders that makes it possible for us to receive the  Sacraments that channel life-giving grace to our souls. 

MATTHEW 10:37-42

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Never has any founder of any religion demanded their disciples to follow in the radical way that is demanded of those whom You invite to follow You. Why? Because great as the demands are greater are the rewards of those who put You, who are God, and the Son of God, above and before all else.

Your priests do just that. They have given up everything - family, home, relationships in order to strip themselves of anything that might come in the way of their total commitment to Your call to serve Him and His people as priests and shepherds of Your flock. 

Without our priests we would not have the Sacraments, without the Sacraments we would lack grace, and without grace we would have no hope of heaven. May we never forget to always treat our priests with love, kindness, gentleness, tenderness, and generosity. They are human like us and can be hurt, sad, tired, disappointed, vulnerable, grief-stricken, they can make mistakes, big ones perhaps. Let us be less quick to judge and always ready to be generous, understanding, and kind.   

SATURDAY OF WEEK TWELVE IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases. MT 8:17

LAMENTATIONS 2:2, 10-14, 18-19

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We are not unlike the writer who pours out his soul to You in these verses. The temple is destroyed. You have fled. The people are stupefied with grief. When You were with them, they sinned, their wicked deeds, their infidelities, their abandonment of the true God for false ones, their idolatry caused them to lose all they once had that made them different from every other nation for God walked with them. Now there is no sacrifice, there are no offerings, they have been robbed of everything. Famished, they perish by the wayside and none of their spiritual leaders can do anything to help them, for they are just as guilty as the people.

The Lord has pitilessly destroyed
all the homes of Jacob;
in his displeasure he has shattered
the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
he has thrown to the ground,
he has left accursed the kingdom and its rulers. 

We deserve our punishment, Beloved. Our churches are shut and we have no way of knowing when they will be open again and when we will receive the Bread of Life. The Sacraments are denied to us and many of us, famished for this spiritual nourishment, have perished or are perishing.

They kept saying to their mothers,
‘Where is the bread?’
Who can rescue and comfort you,
virgin daughter of Zion?
For huge as the sea is your affliction;
who can possibly cure you? 

Only You can lift the weight of our burden from us and restore to us all that we deservedly lost. We acknowledge that we have sinned. We acknowledge that we are rightly punished for taking the treasures of the Kingdom of God lightly. Have pity on us Lord. It is You who gave us the gift of Yourself because the Father knows that without You drawing us into Yourself in the Holy Eucharist and giving us Your life we will perish.

Cry aloud, then, to the Lord,
groan, daughter of Zion;
let your tears flow like a torrent,
day and night;
give yourself no relief,
grant your eyes no rest.
Up, cry out in the night-time,
in the early hours of darkness;
pour your heart out like water
before the Lord.
Stretch out your hands to him
for the lives of your children
who faint with hunger
at the entrance to every street. 

PSALM 74:1-7, 20-21

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Do not forget that we are Your people, the sheep of Your flock? How much longer Lord, will You banish us from Your Table and from the Bread of Life that sustains us?

Why, O God, have you cast us off for ever?
Why blaze with anger at the sheep of your pasture?
Remember your people whom you chose long ago,
the tribe you redeemed to be your own possession,
the mountain of Zion where you made your dwelling.

Evil stalks us. Wherever we look there is only violence, fear, and anxiety world. People have lost their sanity.

O God, they have set your sanctuary on fire:
they have razed and profaned the place where you dwell.

Do not forget us O Lord. Do not turn Your gaze away from us. You are a God of mercy, full of pity and tender compassion for Your wayward, silly sheep. We are contrite. We return with repentant hearts and a sorrowing spirit. Take us back, Beloved, for the sake of Your Name. Thank You.

Remember your covenant; every cave in the land
is a place where violence makes its home.
Do not let the oppressed return disappointed;
let the poor and the needy bless your name.

Do not forget your poor servants for ever.

MATTHEW 8:5-17

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Like the servant of the centurion who approached You in Capernaum and pleaded with You, to come and heal his paralysed servant who was in great pain, Beloved, we too approach You and ask for Your healing.

Every morning as we participate in the Holy Mass that is being live streamed, we are filled with longing for the real thing. We long to return back to our churches. We yearn for what we took so lightly and for granted for so long. We pray the words of the centurion as we watch the priest at Holy Mass and say the words we once said while we were bodily present at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and Your servant will be healed." Our eyes brim with tears, our hearts filled with longing, our spirits pant for the Food that gives life and for the Cup that saves and heals.

You were astonished at the faith of the centurion, and You are also astonished at our own lack of faith when for years we approached the Banquet Table and ate and drank of the heavenly meal with hearts and minds far away from You.

We believe Your Word has power to do all that You send it out to do. You commanded from a distance for the centurion's servant to be healed and he was. You touched the hand of Peter's mother-in-law and the fever left her instantly and she served You. You spent the entire evening of that day casting out evil spirits and curing all who were sick. To this day, You continue to take our sicknesses away and carry our diseases for us.

You are a God of love and You will not withdraw Yourself for us for too long for You desire that we live. We believe, we hope, and we put all our faith and trust in You and we know that You will not disappoint us.

FRIDAY OF WEEK TWELVE IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases. MT 8:17




2 KINGS 25:1-12

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Zedekiah was blinded by the enemy, after he led his army to destruction, and he himself was led in chains into exile. 

Sin works slowly, seductively, and imperceptibly destroys us until we no longer have Your life in us. We become blind and in our darkness we not only destroy ourselves but lead others to destruction as well.

Over and over again, in salvation history we see, how the people of God who were chosen by Him, when faithful, lived in safety, prosperity, and joy. Sadly, in time they forgot the Giver and made idols of the gifts. So it is with us all. We cry out to You in times of distress and when all is going well with us we forget that it was You who rescued us, provided for us, and protected us. How often by being faithless we have brought about our own destruction.

PSALM 137:1-6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Why is it that only when we suffer after having sinned disgracefully, that we remember You and cry out for Your help? We ought to praise and worship You in all the circumstances of our life and then, even in suffering, we will find joy and meaning.

When the people were taken into exile, many of them had followed the lead of their kings who ruled them and worshiped false gods and idols, but there were some who were faithful to the Living God; yet, they too had to suffer. So often the innocent have to bear the punishment of the wicked; this would make no sense if we did not lift our gaze to the Cross and see You, the innocent Victim who bore our sins, our punishment, and plunged into our death, giving Yourself up totally, in expiation for the sins of the world.  O let my tongue cleave to my mouth if I remember you not!

MATTHEW 8:1-4

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

AN ALLEGORY FOR SIN - LUKE 5:12-15, Mk 1;40, Mt. 8:2

The leper limped his way
before the Lord,
He was a mass of putrefying flesh,
Revolting and disgusting.
A choking, reeking stench emanates.
Sickened to my stomach,
I almost retch and shudder,
As I look away.
My reaction is,
Bereft of love,
Bereft of charity.

I hear a gasp,
The crowd dumbfounded,
Is aghast at the approach,
Of the wretched man,
Who dropping to the ground,
Begins to cry,
 “Lord, if You will,
You can make me clean.”

His distress aroused 
Compassion,
In the tender heart of God
Where mercy overflows.
The leper dared to hope,
When he beheld the Lord
And God in turn did touch
The seething mass of dying flesh
And said “I will. Be healed!”
,
Forthwith he’s whole again,
But just his body.
Not his soul.
The miracle 
Is incomplete,
Until he stands before a priest,
Who will declare him free 
Of the disease.
This will seal the work
God has begun.

I too did reek of sin,
And leprous was my soul,
Until I fell upon my knees,
And I confessed,
“Bless me father, I have sinned.”
Mercy overflowed,
God healed me and restored
All I had lost.
Absolved in Jesus’ Name
My soul is clean again,
My Lord has made me whole.

March 07, 2018

THURSDAY OF WEEK TWELVE IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him. JN 14:23

2 KINGS 24:8-17

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We see that every time the people of Israel sinned, worshipped false gods, and desecrated the temple, God sent prophets to warn them and urge them to repent and return to Him. They ignored the prophets, persecuted them, and often killed them. Their sins against God multiplied and finally their enemies marched in with their armies and killed, plundered, ransacked, and destroyed everything including their temple and were taken as exiles.

This is exactly what happens to us when we sin, when we turn our backs to You, when we no longer worship You, and obey Your Word. As we pile sin upon sin individually and collectively the grace of God can no longer penetrate our souls and we begin to decay and die spiritually. This is when evil finds a foothold in us, once it makes its home in us we exile ourselves from You and become its slaves.

Looking around us we see people of every nation who are blind and deaf to God and they don't even know it. Hear the prayers of Your faithful remnant and grant mercy to us and to the whole world.  

PSALM 79:1-5, 8-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Once again the psalmist's words speaks so eloquently of our own times, today the church, in her liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, makes this prayer her own. Hear us Lord and answer us, save us, lest we perish. Lord God, grant us wisdom so we can see that if we do not come back to You with repentant and contrite hearts, the Enemy will establish his reign and evil will rule. 

O God our saviour, come to our help.

  Come for the sake of the glory of your name.

O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;

  rescue us for the sake of your name.

MATTHEW 7:21-29

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,


The world has slowly and steadily been building their houses on sand. It began imperceptibly and has taken generations of men and women who began by being lax in little ways as they stilled their conscience. We ignored the Commandments one by one until not one of them is kept. We ignored the Voice of Wisdom and the Holy Spirit has long since fled. Now we harvest the rotten fruit of our faithlessness to God.
Our spiritual and moral edifices have long since crumbled. The world, the flesh and the devil hold autonomy over nations and over a great multitude of people in the world. Many pay lip service to You but their hearts are far away from You. 

When the day of reckoning is finally upon us, Beloved, who will escape the wrath of the Author and Creator of life? 

When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!

We are still living in the age of Your Mercy, Beloved, now is the time, now is the hour, now is the moment for us to repent and come back to You with humble and contrite hearts. Now is the time of our salvation. Penetrate our hard, cold hearts lest we perish 'like the stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

Your teaching in today's Gospel 'made a deep impression on the people because You taught them with authority, and not like their own scribes.' May Your word make a deep impression on us as well so we may be saved from the impending judgment that will surely come upon us.

SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
preparing for the Lord a people fit for him. JN 1:7, LK 1:17

JEREMIAH 1:4-10

John the Baptist is the last of the prophets, and the herald of Your coming into the world as its Redeemer, its Savior, and its Messiah. From the moment Your Mother's greeting reached the ears of his mother, Elizabeth, he leaped with joy and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Today, the Lord calls Jeremiah and gives him a mission one he was reluctant to accept because he thought he was too young. But the Lord, reproved him gently and assured him that He would equip him for the task.

What God said to Jeremiah, he says to each of us who are baptized into Your body. Today, Beloved, I wish to thank You for Your complete knowledge of me even as I was being formed in my mother's womb. I too am called, I too am equipped for every good work through the graces received in the Sacraments. You command me to speak Your Word boldly, and with courage and assure me that I need not be afraid for You will be with me to protect me. Your Spirit within me will give the words I need to say. I have been created for a purpose, You have already decided the role that I am to play in building Your Kingdom on earth. It may not be an earth-shattering one but it is one that is necessary and is tailored for me alone. Although, God does not need my help, He desires it. Help me Lord to gladly and readily do all that God asks of me, always. 

PSALM 71:1-6, 15, 17

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The wonderful prayers of the psalms which are also the prayers of the Church, teach me about You and about God's marvelous care and protection of me. It speaks to me about Your goodness, power, mercy, compassion, strength, and intimate knowledge of me.

Your Word, uttered through the songs of the psalmist teaches me that I can always find a home and a refuge in You. They instruct me how to be pleasing to You. They reveal Your plan for my life and how I can fulfill that plan by relying on You completely. I am assured that Your mighty protection will keep me safe. I can trust You always. Keep me faithful to the end. 

1 PETER 1:8-12

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

St. Peter speaks truly when he says that we have not seen You and yet we love You with a love that fills us with indescribable joy. John the Baptist, whose birthday the Church celebrates today, was Your precursor, he came as the last prophet to complete the final preparation for Your coming. He was killed by Herod before he could see all the marvels that You did. He did not live long enough to hear You teach and preach. His task was simply to complete his mission and then to decrease totally. 

The same holds true for us who believe in You, hope in You and love You. We, each in our own way, continue to prepare the Kingdom of God in the world, in the way appointed for us. We must do this joyfully, quietly, hopefully, obediently, and with all the fervor of our being. All the while You must increase in us as we decrease to ourselves so Your Light shines ever more brilliantly in the world as the Good News of our salvation is lived and preached drawing all to the Truth that sets us free.

LUKE 1:5-17

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Were it not for the Gospel of Luke, we would not have Your infancy narratives nor this passage about Zechariah and Elizabeth, and the visitation of the Angel to Zechariah in the temple. All these incidents were revealed to Luke by Your Mother, Mary. It was she alone who knew all these marvelous details so intimately, including the prophecy concerning the mission of John the Baptist.

The angel, after telling Zechariah, who was overcome with fear, not to be afraid, he said to the aged and childless Zechariah that his prayer had been answered and his wife, who was now past her childbearing years, would conceive and bear a son. This definitely was not a prayer that Zechariah was praying anymore. He had long since given up hoping for son for by now it would be impossible. It is good to know that with God nothing is impossible and He always hears our prayers and answers them at a time of His choosing. When He does, He answers them in a way that is so amazingly beyond anything we could have hoped for or imagined. The child of their old age was destined for wonderful things. A child filled from his mother's womb with the Holy Spirit would prepare the way for Your coming. This he did faithfully until he was brutally killed by Herod. 

May we too fulfill the mission entrusted to us with courage and boldness, knowing that You are always with us.

TUESDAY OF WEEK 12 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

2 KINGS 19:9-11, 14-21, 31-36

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In today's reading from the Book of 2 Kings, we learn the power of prayer and the awesome power of God who always hears and answers us in ways that are too marvelous to fathom. 

Too often we make the mistake of being afraid of those with power, influence, and wealth but they are after all humans. Those called by Your Name, those who put all their faith, hope, and trust in You and cry out to You day and night for help, have You to do battle on their behalf. You rout the wicked, You put armies in disarray, You sow confusion in the camps of the enemy and You bring down the proud and the boastful.

But to the meek and humble of heart, to the lowly, to the those who know that they are nothing without You, these You draw under the shelter of Your wings, and the power and might of God keeps them safe and secure. No plan made against them will succeed for You will not permit evil to cast its shadow over Your little ones. Thank You, Beloved.

PSALM 48:2-4, 10-11

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Truly You are great and worthy of all praise. You cannot be locked up. Gates cannot keep You in. Shutters cannot be drawn down. You are God and You are accessible to all who call on Your Name. Just a sigh for You draws us into Your loving heart. You are high above every earthly power and rule. You live where all can reach out to You and experience You in faith.

Where You are is heaven. Where You dwell is home. You make Your dwelling place in the hearts of all who love You. The Kingdom of God is within us. With You in us we are invincible. Nothing can shake us for God in His fullness dwells in us.

To ponder Your love, to contemplate the wonder of You, all we need to do is enter the sanctum sanctorum within us and adore You. Thank You, infinite, holy, almighty God, whom the heavens cannot contain and to whom the earth is a mere footstool, for Your loving kindness in coming into our hearts and making it Your home.

MATTHEW 7:6, 12-14

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

It takes the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to be silent when confronted with those who have shut their hearts and mind to You. When You were arrested and were taken before Pilate and before the Sanhedrin You kept silent for the most part. You refused to answer because they were incapable of understanding the things of God. A closed, stone cold heart and a closed and narrow mind are a terrible thing. 

You remind us today to always treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated. When I fail to do so I fail in keeping both the commandments of love. Failure to love my neighbor whom I can see is a clear indication that I have failed to love God whom I cannot see.

The culture lures us into believing that a life of ease, a life of self-indulgence, a life of giving in instead of giving up, is the life we ought to aim for. The truth is that we can only enter the Kingdom of God by the narrow way of self-giving, and self-emptying which is the way of the cross.  

MONDAY OF WEEK TWELVE IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth. JN 17:17

2 KINGS 17:5-8, 13-15, 18

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Sin separates us from God, blocks our ability to receive God's help and grace and makes us vulnerable to attacks from the Enemy. This is what happened to the people of God over and over again. Every time they turned away from the Lord and worshiped other gods they were taken as prisoners and exiled.

All that the word of God says in this passage taken from the Book of Kings can be applied to us today. Despite every warning that without You and without the Law and Rule of Love as the guiding principles of our life we are doomed, we simply will not listen. 

".... they were more stubborn than their ancestors had been who had no faith in the Lord their God. They despised his laws and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They pursued emptiness, and themselves became empty through copying the nations round them although the Lord had ordered them not to act as they did. For this, the Lord was enraged with Israel and thrust them away from him. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

But there is still a faithful remnant, there is always is, even in the worst of times and through their prayers, sacrifices, and incessant cries for compassion and forgiveness for those who stray, Your tender and compassionate heart will hear and answer their prayers.

PSALM 60:3-5, 12-13

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Hear us, O Lord, and help us.

This cry of lamentation of the psalmist is our own. In Your great mercy hear and answer us O Lord. We are afflicted and  helpless. We need Your intervention for the help of humans is in vain. Do not reject our cry, do not turn away from us or we will perish. Our churches are closed and they will remain closed until You destroy this invisible enemy.

Our spiritual health is at risk. We are unable to receive You in Holy Communion which is the primary source of our spiritual nourishment and growth. We need this heavenly Manna, Beloved, have pity on us and restore the Sacraments to us lest we perish.

MATHEW 7:1-5

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

This is one of those passages in the the Gospel when You speak to Your disciples bluntly, forcefully  and with absolute clarity. What You said to them applies to us as well, for we too are Your disciples.

We are all guilty of being too eager to judge quickly and often maliciously. It is a deep, underlying fault within us. We do so because we hope to take the glaring spotlight away from our own deep-seated faults. 

Let us pay close attention to what You say to us today and refrain from being so quick to criticize in future. ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How dare you say to your brother, “Let me take the splinter out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.’