Friday, July 17, 2020

FRIDAY OF WEEK FIFTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS



The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, says the Lord, I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27





ISAIAH 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Hezekiah was a good king and now was ill and the prophet Isaiah told him to prepare to die but he was not ready for death yet. Dejected he prayed earnestly to live recalling that he had served God faithfully. God heard and answered his prayer by adding fifteen years to his life, even working a miracle at Hezekiah's request as proof that it would so.

Beloved, You always answer our prayers and You are generous in giving us all we need. Our lives are full of signs of Your favor, so many blessings are strewn on our path daily and oftentimes we get so used to these blessings we take them for granted. Today, I want to say I am sorry for not thanking You promptly when You answer my prayers. 

Holy Spirit keep me aware and sensitive to the wonderful ways I am blessed from moment to moment by the awesome love of our Father in heaven. I resolve with Your help to be prompt in acknowledging and giving Him thanks. Thank You, Lord, for hearing and answering my prayers, not always as I will but as You will which is always best.

ISAIAH 38:10-12, 16

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In response to his prayer You healed Hezekiah and in response, he sang this canticle of praise and thanksgiving to You for not only healing him but for adding years to his life. 

He was afraid of death because there was no hope yet of being raised from the dead, since You had not yet come into the world to win victory over it. While he was alive he could praise God, in death he would be silenced. But when his prayer and he was healed he rejoiced.

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, You heal all our illnesses and You restore us to health. If we die while in a state of mortal sin we are doomed to eternal separation from You. This is why, Beloved, I ask in Your great mercy to keep me from grave sin, and if in my colossal weakness I do fall do not let me die in my sin, but grant me time to seek Your forgiveness in this  Healing Sacrament, so I may live with You forever. Do not forget, Beloved, that You created me for eternal life not eternal death. 

MATTHEW 12:1-8

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Too often we can be over zealous in fulfilling the letter of the law; we freely criticize those we believe are breaking it, forgetting that by acting in mercy and compassion rather than with narrow minded hypocrisy, we are far more pleasing to God. 

Bigotry in Christians is unattractive and ugly just as it was in the hostile Pharisees who stalked You and Your disciples. Too often we do not pause to listen, to understand, to empathize, to offer help because we are far too absorbed in criticizing, judging and condemning. 

Thank You for reminding us today that it is better to err on the side of mercy and compassion and that God has appointed You alone as the righteous Judge. 

No comments:

Post a Comment