MEMORIAL OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, PRIEST - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The word of the Lord remains forever:
What is this word?
It is the Good News that has been brought to you. 1 PET 1:25

JEREMIAH 26:1-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You said if anyone believes in You and keeps Your word are Your true disciples because they know the truth. The truth has the power to free all who believe in Your word.

Jeremiah was commanded to go into the court of the Temple and speak the word of God that was given to him without omitting anything. When he had finished speaking the priests, the prophets, and the people were so furious they seized him and threatened to kill him. 

Those who hear the Truth of the Gospel either react with indifference, believe and are saved, or are filled with murderous rage and go on a bloody rampage to kill the messengers of Truth. The history of the Church bears witness to this fact. The blood of martyrs, beginning with Your own most precious Blood, continues to flow and it is because of this powerful witness of Life and Truth that many come to believe in You and are saved. 

However, there are far more people, who on discovering the Truth, lack the courage to cross the Tiber and complete the journey. Sadly, too many do not take the journey to its final conclusion; many deliberately, and many perhaps inadvertently are hindered by prejudice, fear, spiritual myopia or a combination of all three that proves to be too great a hindrance to come home to Rome and into the arms of Holy Mother Church.

PSALM 69:5, 8-10, 14

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The sad truth faced by all faithful Christians and most especially by all faithful Catholic Christians today is the vitriolic hatred of those who live in the flesh and are driven by the prevalent popular culture of the world formed in great part by ignorance of mythic proportions. 

The psalmist's lament applies to the suffering Church:  

More numerous than the hairs on my head
are those who hate me without cause.
Those who attack me with lies
are too much for my strength.
How can I restore
what I have never stolen?

It is for you that I suffer taunts,
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother’s sons.
I burn with zeal for your house
and taunts against you fall on me.

Thankfully, Beloved, we know the end of the story. You have triumphed and victory belongs to You. The Father will ensure that all will come to believe in the Truth that sets us free.

MATTHEW 13:54-58

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In today's gospel passage we see clearly how familiarity breeds ignorance and contempt. Too often our world is plagued with this disease. We think we know. We make life-changing decisions and form arbitrary judgments based on hearsay, past knowledge, or a superficial study of skeletal and often spurious facts. This is dangerous, irresponsible, and evil. 

The news of all the wondrous signs and miracles You performed preceded You in Your home town in Nazareth. One would expect that the townsfolk would give You a hero's welcome. Instead, they thought they knew You because they knew You as a child growing up, they knew Your parents, Your father's occupation, Your relatives, so they labeled You and dismissed You. They missed an opportunity for a divine encounter with You because of what they thought they knew. 

The same is true today. So many people of other faiths dismiss the Truth because of what they perceive to be the truth based on their own limited experience and faulty knowledge. The world is hungry for Truth but sadly we who know the Truth that sets the world free are too busy navel-gazing, too caught up with our own narrow lives, to set the world on fire with it. I wonder what it will take to make us burn with zeal for Your House O Lord? Perhaps we will soon find out.

THURSDAY OF WEEK SEVENTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Open our heart, O Lord, 

to listen to the words of your Son. ACTS 16:14

JEREMIAH 18:1-6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Were it not for the Old Testament the riches of revelation in the New would have no context and would be impossible to comprehend. It is only when we are familiar with salvation history, beginning with Creation and God's revelation of Himself to Abraham, choosing his descendants to be His own, and walking with them, preparing them, and forming them for the wonderful new thing that He did in the New, that a powerful light is shone revealing the awesome love of God made visible in You, His Son.

Without You, there is no redemption, no salvation, no eternal bliss with God. You forgive our sins not once but over and over again when we approach the Throne of Grace with humble, contrite, repentant hearts. When we surrender our lives in the hands of the Potter He can break the clay each time it goes wrong and makes of it something beautiful for Himself. 

Thank You for making us a new creation each time we approach You in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

PSALM 146:2-6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

I thank You for creating me. I thank You for the years that You have allotted to me. I thank You for the priceless and free gift of faith that was bestowed on me as a cradle catholic. 

To You is all praise due, all love, all gratitude, all worship for all that You have done for me and for the world. Thank You for beauty in nature and creation, thank You for the gift of family and friends. Above all thank You for the sure knowledge that Your grace is all I need and is sufficient to meet all my needs.

Thank You, for the joy of knowing You in this life and the certainty that this life is only a preparation for perfect union with You, my God in the life to come.

MATTHEW 13:47-53

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The Father sent You, the Eternal Word, into the world to reveal to the children of men that death does not have the final word in the drama of human history. 

You came to establish the kingdom of heaven among us. What is the kingdom of heaven? You revealed this mystery of the Kingdom of God to us by marvelous signs and through parables. It is not a place it is a Person - You are the Kingdom of God that makes His dwelling place in us and with us. All who accept You, all who believe in You, all who live in close communion with You, all who are grafted to You, and imitate You will be saved.  

Anyone who desires to understand God's will and purpose must be familiar with salvation history. From the first pages of the book Genesis and until the last page in the book of Revelation You take us by the hand and walk with us as the Holy Spirit reveals the plan of God and the purpose for which He created us. You glorified the Father with Your life and the Father desires that we glorify You with ours not only in time but for all eternity. The whole of the Old Testament is pregnant with You and in the New Testament, You come alive. In Your life, Beloved, we receive life, light, and love. Thank You.

MEMORIAL OF ST. MARTHA - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

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




JEREMIAH 15:10, 16-21

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

All who live godless lives are filled with anger, rancor, and envy against those who belong to You and are faithful to You. Those who are light and salt in the world are anathema to the wicked and they will stop at nothing to destroy them. This has been true all through salvation history and it continues to be true to this day.

The Church stands firm against all forms of death that leads to the eternal death of the soul. The world seeks feverishly and demonically to tear down and destroy all that flies in the face of the evil they wish to propagate. To all the faithful who refuse to capitulate despite all the hate, violence, persecution, and suffering You say, "Be not afraid." You have triumphed. You have won the victory over evil. We have Your word that though they fight against us they will not overcome us because You are with us. You will deliver us from the hands of the wicked and redeem us from the clutches of the violent.

PSALM 59:2-5, 10-11, 17-19

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

How good it is to know that You never sleep but keep constant vigil so no harm can come to those who are called by Your Name. You are no further from us than a sigh, for You are closer to us than the breath we breathe. Evil appears to have swamped the world and there is a foul odor of death and decay everywhere yet we do know that this is a lie. The empty tomb is a cry of victory and triumph. You have crushed Satan under Your heel and destroyed death.  

There is a great deal of fear, violence, anxiety, and distress in the world today but we know that there is also much to celebrate. You are constantly drawing good from the evil around us and from all our suffering. There is an abundance of blessings being poured out on the members of Your Body, Your Church, and the world. Once this time of trial has passed what will be visible to all is a stronger, more beautiful, more effective people of God in the world. Continue to be our refuge and stronghold until the days of our distress have passed.

JOHN 11:19-27

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Martha, whose feast the Church celebrates today, is generally remembered as the one who was busy with all the serving and a little resentful of her sister, Mary, who had chosen to sit at Your feet and listen to You rather than assist her. Yet in today's Gospel reading we discover her presence in an elite rank.

Their brother Lazarus was ill and died before You arrived. On hearing that You had entered Bethany, Martha went out to meet You and said, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ You replied, 'Your brother will rise again.’ Martha did not fully understand what You said, she thought You were speaking of the resurrection on the last day. You then said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She understood, believed, and makes a declaration of faith saying, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ She along with Nathaniel, Peter, and the Centurion were inspired to know, to believe, and to declare this truth before Your resurrection that You are indeed the Christ, the Son of God. 

St. Martha, pray for us, pray for the Church, that we may declare fearlessly and boldly always and everywhere that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God.

TUESDAY OF WEEK SEVENTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.





JEREMIAH 14: 17-22

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Truly Your words are alive and powerful and sharper than any double-edged sword. They will cut through our heart and spirit and kindle a purifying fire in us if we let it. 

The words of the prophet Jeremiah are just as relevant to us today as when they were first spoken. Right through salvation history, God woos His sinful people who refuse to listen and be saved. How much longer will Your patience last? How far can we distance ourselves from the Way of Truth before we hurl ourselves in the abyss of eternal death? 

The world grows darker each day. The voiceless are crushed, the poor are powerless, the helpless are snuffed out under the heel of the godless. How much longer Lord before You hear the prayers of Your faithful remnant and come to our aid and heal our broken lives and world?

PSALM 79:8-9, 11, 13

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The Remedy for all the ills of the world is given to us yet we ignore it. Yours is the Name that saves. Yours is the all-powerful Name that is above every other, to You is given all glory, all dominion in heaven on earth and under the earth. 

Through Your incarnation, Your passion, Your death, and Your glorious resurrection into heaven You have conquered. This is the Good News of salvation. Then why is it when we look at the world today it does not seem like it? Everywhere we look there is chaos, sickness, death, persecution, hunger, and misery. We have been obsessed with material things for ourselves and for our families and have forgotten that it is the spirit that gives life. 

You have intervened once again in an unprecedented way because we deliberately turned away from You. Now, Beloved, may wisdom prevail as You lead us back to a simpler way of living. May we allow faith, hope, and love to be reignited so we may walk again in peace and tranquility of heart.  


MATTHEW 13:36-43

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Your disciples ask You to explain the parable of the wheat and the weeds, You do, and You conclude with the words, 'Listen, anyone who has ears!’

The world has deliberately stopped its ears to the voice of reason and truth. The devil is having a field day sowing weeds among the wheat. Sometimes it feels like the wicked have overtaken the world and evil reigns everywhere. It is so easy to get disheartened. Our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears. But this is what satan wants us to believe. If we open our eyes we will discover that You are here, You are alive and You continue to work as leaven in the world.

Thank You for Your patience with us, Beloved for it is Your desire that all God's children be saved. Grant us the grace to continue to pray for each other and for the hastening of Your Kingdom on earth.

MONDAY OF WEEK SEVENTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

By his own choice the Father made us his children by the message of the truth, so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he created. JAS 1:18

JEREMIAH 13:1-11

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Never has a truer word been spoken as these words from the Book of Ecclesiastes 1:9 'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.' The prophet Jeremiah, speaking God's word is lamenting the wickedness of His people, the ones He chose from all the nations to be His own. Despite all He has done for them they keep going back to worshiping false gods and practicing evil and once again God threatens to cut them off from Himself and abandon them to wallow in their filth. He reminds them that they were meant to cling to Him, remain in Him, follow Him, love Him, but they refused to listen. 

In these days of the pandemic, Beloved, You are inviting us once more, the people who belong to Your flock, who are grafted into Your Body, to turn away from our sinful ways and to return to You. We are created for God and we are destined to share in Your glory, but thus far we have only drifted further and further away from You. May we finally turn away from the siren call of the world and the flesh and listen to the voice of wisdom.

DEUTERONOMY 32:18-21

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

All the sins of the past are committed over and over again in every age, in every generation, and in every nation. God is our Creator and our Father, He created us in His image and likeness for a glorious destiny with Him eternally. Why are we so stupid? Why are we so fickle in our love for God? Why do we find it so hard to discipline the flesh and resist the siren call of the world? Why do we make for ourselves false gods and spend our whole lives worshipping them? How is it that we are unable to understand that the flesh offers nothing but decay and it is the spirit that gives life?  Is it any wonder that time and time again God threatens to cut us off and abandon us to our own evil inclinations? 

He would have done so long ago had He not sent You, His only, beloved Son into the world, thus giving Himself no option but to show mercy for the sake of the extravagance of the price paid to redeem us. There is no price one can pay for love. Thank You, Father, may we never forget the God who fathered us and the Rock who begot us.

MATTHEW 13:31-35

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Over 2000 years ago You came into the world and sowed in the Church You founded faith the size of a mustard seed, containing within itself the kingdom of heaven. You came into the world as leaven hidden in the Church and by Your power, that tiny little mustard seed of faith and the hidden leaven of Your Holy Spirit have transformed the world. 

Slowly but surely, in this period of time since You entered Your glory, Holy Mother Church, in imitation of Mother Mary, has pondered all that You said and did. Keeping everything in her heart and allowing faith to grow exponentially until it has reached the far corners of the earth. 

Today, people of every race, nation, culture, and language find a home in the Church just as You said they would. Beloved, watch over Your faithful remnant. Keep vigil over Your flock, and enable them in the power of Your Holy Spirit and the power of Your Name to rekindle a new Pentecost that will set the whole world ablaze with love for You. 

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; for you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. MT 11:25




1 KINGS 3:5, 7-12

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

When King Solomon, was asked by God what he desired to have, young as he was, he asked for the gift of wisdom. God was so pleased with his choice that in addition to wisdom he was also granted great wealth and long life.

Scripture tells us in the Book of Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we have our priorities in order and do what is right, when we strive after goodness, holiness, and purity, when we seek to love You above and before all else, then God will grant us all we will ever need in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come. 

PSALM 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-130

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

If only I loved Your law and Your word as the psalmist did then I would discover that in keeping it ever before me and obeying it always, I would possess an enduring peace in the core of my being no matter how tumultuous life was around me. 

Thank You, Father, for Your Holy Spirit and for the gift of holy wisdom. Thank You, Beloved, Incarnate Word of God, for revealing the power of this gift. The first and foremost gift of wisdom is the fear of God. Grant me a childlike spirit O Lord, that I am always aware of who You are, trembling with awe and wonder at Your glory and majesty may I never cease to be amazed at Your unfathomable love for me. May I strive from moment to moment to never offend You my God who are all good and deserving of all my love, my worship, my adoration, my praise, and my gratitude.

ROMANS 8:28-30

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You created me for a glorious destiny. How can I ever thank You enough not only for creating me but for the free gift of faith as a cradle catholic? How well St. Paul puts it when he says that in all things You work for good for those who love You. In the most bitter, painful, and anguished experiences in my life, You have been able to draw tremendous grace and blessings not only for me but for those around me.  

All of God's children are predestined for eternal bliss with Him. This is His plan for us from the dawn of creation. Even the horrendous sin of our first parents could not thwart that glorious plan. God found a way to right that unrightable wrong through You, His firstborn, most beloved Son. You have become our justification through Your Blood, and we have become Your brothers and sisters. In You, we are justified, in You we are glorified, in You alone can we realize our destiny as co-heirs to the Kingdom of God. 

MATTHEW 13:44-52

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The kingdom of heaven is the place where all God's children will find their rest. God created us for Himself and our whole lives here on earth are a preparation for the life that will be ours in eternity. We are pilgrims journeying from this life to the next and our choices determine whether or not we will claim our inheritance or lose it.

No one can occupy my place in the Kingdom. It is mine to keep or to lose because God intends it for me alone. The Kingdom of God is the hidden treasure and on finding it I will discover that it is no hardship at all to consider the tinsel allure of the world well lost in order to possess the Pearl of great price. 

Life is short and in the time allotted to us, we are invited to choose the narrow way that leads to life. We are called to be yoked to You, to cast our burdens on You, to find our rest and our peace in You, so when You come again to haul the nets in after the great catch, the good will be set aside and the bad thrown away. The wicked will be separated from the good by the choices they have made. 

As we prepare for our own final and personal judgment, Beloved, You remind us that we receive the fullness of God's revelation in both the Old Covenant and the New. Each is necessary since the New is veiled in the Old and the Old is brought into the Light of Truth by the New. One without the other is incomprehensible; we need to know both so we can walk the Way in the Light of Truth leading to Life.

FEAST OF ST. JAMES, APOSTLE - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. JN 15:16

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-15

My Beloved, Soul of my soul, my Lord,

Why did God create us? He has no need of us, we add nothing to who He is. He does not require our praise, adoration, worship, or love for He is complete in Himself. Yet He did. Why? Only He has the complete answer but this we do know, in creating us in His image and likeness, in giving us the gift of free will to choose above and before all else to love Him, to honor Him and serve Him, we find indescribable joy and fulfillment here on earth, it is a joy that will be multiplied a hundredfold in eternity. 

God created us so we can strive all the days of our life to aspire to be like Him in holiness and purity and thus truly be called His children. All that Adam and Eve lost in order to satisfy the cravings of the flesh and the senses, is regained by the New Adam and the New Eve. They show us the way back to the Father's house, it is the Way of Suffering, it is the Way of the Cross.

St. Paul, all the Apostles, all the saints, and martyrs, in perfect imitation of the Master, are witness to this Truth. Eternal Life is the gift granted to all God's children who, believing in the Truth, follow the Way that leads us back to the paradise lost by our first parents. When all the people belonging to every race, every nation, every language, and every culture come together as one body to praise and worship God in You, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the purpose for which God created us will be realized and the Kingdom of God will truly be established in our midst.

PSALM 126:1-6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In the Sacrament of Baptism, we are given the mission to be the light and the salt of the world. We know that this mission is never easy. You came into the world and the world rejected You, the same holds true for all who follow in Your footsteps. 

The harvest is great but the laborers are few. May this time that is granted to us be a time of blessing, a time to introspect, a time to listen to the Holy Spirit, a time to obey the call to 'put out into the deep.' Let us respond to the sense of urgency that life on earth is short and the life to come is eternal. Let us be unafraid to go out and sow the seeds of the Gospel in tears so we can return from reaping with joy, laughter, singing, and our hands laden with sheaves.


MATTHEW 20:20-28

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In Your Agony in the Garden, You pleaded with Your Father to take away the cup of suffering if it were possible, but You concluded that plea with, 'Yet not my will, but your will be done.' The cup of suffering is bitter and no one willingly drinks from it, yet You drank it to the dregs in order to fulfill the purpose for which You came into the world. 

The mother of James and John approached You along with her sons to request that You give them places beside You in Your Kingdom. Very gently You corrected their misconceptions. ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ Both James and John replied that they could. You assured them that they would indeed drink Your cup, they would have a share in Your sufferings but that was all You could grant them. To be seated beside You is a privilege that only the Father can accord to those whom He chooses.

When the rest heard this conversation they were angry and upset with the brothers and once again You revealed to them the Way of Truth leading to Life. This is the rule of those who belong to the Kingdom of God, and it is the complete opposite of the rule that governs the world, 'Anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

FRIDAY OF WEEK SIXTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are those who, with a noble and generous heart, take the word of God to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance. LK 8:15




JEREMIAH 3:14-17


My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We will never understand why God loves us so completely and irrevocably even though we are lukewarm, hardhearted, stubborn, and unfaithful. All we have is given to us by Him, yet generation after generation, following the example of Adam and Eve, have been disobedient, have willfully turned away from You, have closed our ears to His  Voice and yet He ceaselessly and tenderly woos us back. 

That first sin cost us complete separation from Him yet He would not accept our rejection but sought a way to repair the irreparable damage through the Gift of the Incarnation of His Eternal Word, His first born, His Son whom the world crucified. Even this unspeakably, horrendously evil act which ought to have been the final catalyst causing our complete annihilation was used to save and redeem us by the very Flesh we tore and the Blood we spilled. 

Each time we consume this Flesh and Blood in the Eucharist we become the Ark of the Covenant. Who can fathom such love? It is a mystery beyond our understanding, our response can only be dumbfounded, eternal gratitude and a constant striving in every possible way to be holy and perfect as our heavenly Father is holy and perfect. Thank You for Your assurance that through a tiny, but faithful remnant You will cause a new springtime of faith to blossom and grow.

JEREMIAH 31: 10-13

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

No matter how dark, ugly and sinful the world gets we know that God is in control.  The Eternal Word has triumphed. You are our Good Shepherd and You guard Your flock vigilantly. You will keep us safe and You will not permit even one of Your little ones to be lost for we are sealed in Your Blood and marked by Your Holy Spirit. Too great a price has been paid for our freedom and the Father will not permit the price of our redemption to be in vain.   

Yes, the world is racked with turmoil, violence, sickness, terror, death, and evil but there is also much that is good, beautiful, noble, life-giving. There are weeds but there is wheat as well and in Your time, after the tribulation, You will turn our mourning to dancing, our sorrow to joy, our moaning to song and laughter. Nations will hear Your voice and choose life.


MATTHEW 13:18-23

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In times past, in the present, and most assuredly in the future my heart  has resembled each of the soils You speak of in this parable of the Seed and the Sower. 

Just as You are always standing at the door of my heart and knocking so too is evil biding its time to gain a foothold. Too often in the past I have given free rein to sinful impulses. I have been beguiled by evil. There have been many times when I have been excited by Your Word, and have desired to follow You faithfully only to find the initial fervor melt like ice in the heat of my weaknesses and I have succumbed to the wiles of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  

Thank You Beloved, for Your persistence in continuing to sow good seed irrespective of where they fell. In time, the seed that fell in the areas of good soil in my heart have taken root. With much help from Your Spirit and through immense grace they have yielded some good fruit and for this, I praise and thank You, my Lord and my God.

THURSDAY OF WEEK SIXTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. MT:11:25






JEREMIAH 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

How is it that we have wandered so far away from revealed Truth when God Himself has stooped low over His creation from the moment He uttered the Word by which all that is came to be? The reach of the effects of Original Sin continues from one generation to the next. God created us and gave us life with His Breath, even when we disobey and reject Him He continues to pursue us. The further we drift to our destruction, to chaos, and death, the more determined He is to save us for He who is Love cannot help Himself. He sent You into the world, His Word became Flesh and dwelt among us and we did what we do best, we crucified You, we put You to death but God used this greatest of all our sins as the means to redeem the world.

Thank You, for Your immense patience with us and for not giving up on us but for continuing to woo us back. May we hear Your voice, repent, and be saved.

PSALM 36:6-11

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

May the song of the psalmist be mine. To love You is to live in Love. Your love for us draws us up to the highest heavens. To those who choose to live in Love You give Light in the darkness, Bread in the time of famine, Water in the time of drought, and joy in the midst of sadness.

Nothing created can give us life for all that lives receives life from You who alone are the source of Life. Keep us safe in Your love, Beloved, for as long as we live so when we draw our last breath on this earth we will draw our next breath in Your Presence in eternity.

MATTHEW 13:10-17

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You planted a mustard seed of faith containing within it all we will ever need to grow and to bear fruit that will last. The Seed of Your Word was buried in the Church You founded and over 2000 years later, as Holy Mother Church treasured this Seed within her, and pondered on it like Mary, it has grown immensely and birds of all kinds nest in her.

Truth in its fullness is found in her teachings for they are Your teachings preserved faithfully in her Living Tradition. To Peter's successor is given Your authority and infallibility in all matters pertaining to faith and morals. Our shepherds may fail because they are flesh and blood and prone to sin like the rest of humanity, but we have Your Word that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her for it is You, her Bridegroom that guards her.

Blessed are those who listen to her voice and are guided by her wisdom for they are given understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

All those who reject the Church will eventually find that they have grown coarse over time. Their faith grows lax and their morals flaccid for they bend to every popular whim in every age. The prophecy of Isaiah continues to apply to all those who reject Your Church as well as those who worship false gods. You will listen and listen again, but not understand, see and see again, but not perceive. For the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, for fear they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed by me.

Thank You, Beloved, for the undeserved privilege of being born Catholic, for the free gift of the Catholic faith, and above all for not abandoning me even though I abandoned You often. Thank You for the Church for it is through her that we  rejoice. ‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

FEAST OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Tell us Mary, what did you see on the way?
I saw the glory of the risen Christ, I saw his empty tomb.




SONG OF SONGS 3:1-4

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Mary Magdalene knew what it was like to be lost and found. She was aware of life before You and life after You. When our lives are cut off from grace there is a gnawing agony of soul for it is bereft of joy and peace. In our restlessness there is a feverish search to assuage that longing and fill that aching void with things other than You and the more we try the more we sink into misery. 

It was only when she found You and unashamedly repented of her past sins, washing Your feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair and breaking the alabaster jar of perfume and anointing Your feet, that the beautiful fragrance of forgiveness  and healing washed over her, cleansed her and made her a new creation. She had found her Beloved, the Bridegroom of her soul. 

‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

PSALM 63:2-6, 8-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

How good it is to know You, to love You, to belong to You but even more wonderful is the knowledge that You, who are God, desire to be known and loved by me. The great tragedy of our human existence is to live without ever knowing You or knowing You so little that we scarcely make any effort to make room for You in our life - a life that we received from You. 

The psalmist knew the joy of knowing and loving You - it is a love that is unlike and beyond anything that humans have for one another. How well the imagery he uses describes this longing of the human heart for the divine Presence.

Without You life loses its meaning and savor. Without You life is arid and parched. Without You our lives are without flower or fruit. Without You there is a heavy, dull sadness that weighs down our spirit. We are joyless. But with You, Beloved, living is a delight. Nothing compares to the joy of knowing You, loving You, discovering that we can never plumb the mysterious, glorious depths of the divine who is unbelievably passionately in love with us sinful creatures. Nothing compares to being known and loved by You and in spending our whole life in getting to know You and love You more and more each day. Above all, Beloved, thank You for the wonder of perfect intimacy and union with You in the Holy Eucharist.

My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

JOHN 20:1-2, 11-18

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Mary Magdalene, she is the icon of a true disciple. Having been forgiven all her sins and encountering the divine Lover, she surrendered her whole life to loving and serving You. Her reward for faithful discipleship was the privilege of being the first person to whom You revealed Yourself after Your Resurrection.

She came while while it was still dark, heartbroken, weeping, with no clear knowledge of what she would do when she reached the tomb that was sealed shut. What she discovered was an open, empty tomb and as she stayed there weeping the Light of the world came to her and said: ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ 

She did not recognize You, but when You spoke her name, 'Mary,' she did. Beloved, despite all the ways in which we distance ourselves from You, You constantly call us by name and when we finally hear Your voice we discover that it is You whom we were seeking and in finding You we find the One whom our heart loves.

TUESDAY OF WEEK SIXTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READING

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




MICAH 7:14-15, 18-20

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

The prophets always speak of the Father's heart as being full of tenderness, mercy, compassion and love for His people. In the pages of Sacred Scripture we encounter ourselves. We are wayward, stubborn, hardhearted, sinful, and lukewarm. We blow hot and cold. Like sheep we are in constant need of the guidance of the shepherd's crook, his watchful care, his wisdom in leading us to good pasture. It is You who watch over us with care and keep us from safe from ravenous wolves who are constantly on the prowl.

The Father has shown us unequivocally and for all time how much He loves us even though we are unworthy of His love. Thank You for making the Father's love for us visible in You. Thank You for forgiveness of sins in You and for restoring our dignity as children of God.

PSALM 85:2-8

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Once again the world finds itself in a time of turmoil, fear, distress, and anxiety. No one knows how long this will last. All that was familiar, all we took for granted has changed, our lives are disrupted and no one knows the best way to move forward. The more vulnerable among us are at a much greater risk. 

In this time of uncertainty You are our steady Rock. You have permitted this pandemic so You can draw from it a greater good. Grant us the desire to reflect and understand how we can best use this trial to conform our will to Your own. To draw closer to You. To get to know You and love You more and in turn grow to know and love our neighbor as ourselves for Your sake. Then we will surely experience Your mercy, Your never-ending love, and we will come through this time of testing better and stronger. 

MATTHEW 12:46-50

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Thank You for revealing to us that we can all have as personal a relationship with You, as a mother, a brother, or a sister, if we do the will of God in all things.

The disciple par excellence is Your own Mother Mary. She is the 'Cause of our Joy' in the truest sense because it was through her fiat that the power of God could come upon her and overshadow her so she could conceive You, our Savior and Redeemer, in her womb. All who come to Your Mother are directed to You and to each she says, "Do whatever he tells you to do." She gives us the same spiritual direction that was the rule of her life.

The Light of God was upon her even before she drew breath. She conceived the Light of God in her womb and gave Him the Flesh that we consume in the Holy Eucharist. She is the Mother of the Light of God, the Word of God, the Truth of God, the Love of God.  Thank You Beloved, for giving us Your Mother at the foot of the Cross to be our Mother and a worthy model for our lives. If we walk in her footsteps she will lead us to the throne of her Son who is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father forever.