DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me. JN 14:6
JEREMIAH 28:1-17
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
False prophets abound and they are popular because they tell the people what they want they want to hear. When we close our ears to the truth we set ourselves up for disaster. Hananiah lulled the king, the priests, and the people of Judah into a sense of security by falsely prophesying peace, the destruction of the king of Babylon, and the restoration of the sacred vessels stolen from the Temple.
The prophet Jeremiah responded saying, 'I hope the Lord will do as you have said.' But he also asked them to recall how all the prophets of old had prophesied not peace but war, famine, and plague. The Prophet of Peace will be recognized as one truly sent by God because He will fulfill His Word of peace. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you."
God foretold Hananiah's death within the year, so too are all false prophets condemned to spiritual death, and not only they but their followers as well. 'Know the truth and the truth will set you free.'
PSALM 119:29,43,79-80,95,102
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
We can twist and bend ourselves out of shape blaming everyone else for our ignorance of the truth but we are all given the gift of reason. We can ponder on the things that matter, the things that give life and make life worth living. We are all capable of using our ability to reason logically, examine what we believe, and come to a better understanding of the principles of truth.
All the knowledge we seek is available at our fingertips, the problem is we are all too busy obsessing about things that pass into oblivion. The sincere cry of every person who cries out to know the Truth is always, always, heard, and answered.
The psalmist in the verses of the psalm selected for today's liturgy prays from the heart asking God Himself to be his teacher and guide so he will be kept from false teachings that lead to grave error in thought, word, and deed.
MATTHEW 14:22-26
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
It is an inherent human weakness to desire to be lauded by the world. The adulation of the crowd is an addictive drug that never satisfies. We crave appreciation, acceptance, and desire to be told repeatedly how wonderful, gifted, and special we are. True wisdom comes from knowing that whether or not the world recognizes us, our true identity is who we are in the eyes of God - unique, unrepeatable, and loved by Him beyond our wildest imaginings.
After the miracle of the feeding of the multitude, You made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of You to guard them against the ephemeral adulation of the crowds. You, Yourself stayed behind to send the crowds away and spend time alone in prayer.
It is the fourth watch of the night, the boat with the disciples in it is far out on the lake and a strong wind stirs the water. As the disciples struggle to steady the boat they see You walking on water and are terrified believing they are seeing a ghost. You speak at once, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ Peter, the impetuous says, ‘Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ You said, ‘Come’ and Peter got out of the boat and started walking across the water towards You but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, became afraid and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried and You put out Your hand at once and held him saying, ‘Man of little faith, why did you doubt?’ As soon as You and Peter got into the boat the wind dropped. Witnessing this second miracle and Your power over the elements of nature, the awestruck disciples worshiped You and said, 'Truly, you are the Son of God.'
A large crowd was waiting for You on the other side as news of Your arrival spread like wildfire. People came from everywhere with their sick. The crowds were so great they begged to touch just the fringe of Your cloak and all who touched it were completely healed.
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me. JN 14:6
JEREMIAH 28:1-17
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
False prophets abound and they are popular because they tell the people what they want they want to hear. When we close our ears to the truth we set ourselves up for disaster. Hananiah lulled the king, the priests, and the people of Judah into a sense of security by falsely prophesying peace, the destruction of the king of Babylon, and the restoration of the sacred vessels stolen from the Temple.
The prophet Jeremiah responded saying, 'I hope the Lord will do as you have said.' But he also asked them to recall how all the prophets of old had prophesied not peace but war, famine, and plague. The Prophet of Peace will be recognized as one truly sent by God because He will fulfill His Word of peace. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you."
God foretold Hananiah's death within the year, so too are all false prophets condemned to spiritual death, and not only they but their followers as well. 'Know the truth and the truth will set you free.'
PSALM 119:29,43,79-80,95,102
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
We can twist and bend ourselves out of shape blaming everyone else for our ignorance of the truth but we are all given the gift of reason. We can ponder on the things that matter, the things that give life and make life worth living. We are all capable of using our ability to reason logically, examine what we believe, and come to a better understanding of the principles of truth.
All the knowledge we seek is available at our fingertips, the problem is we are all too busy obsessing about things that pass into oblivion. The sincere cry of every person who cries out to know the Truth is always, always, heard, and answered.
The psalmist in the verses of the psalm selected for today's liturgy prays from the heart asking God Himself to be his teacher and guide so he will be kept from false teachings that lead to grave error in thought, word, and deed.
MATTHEW 14:22-26
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
It is an inherent human weakness to desire to be lauded by the world. The adulation of the crowd is an addictive drug that never satisfies. We crave appreciation, acceptance, and desire to be told repeatedly how wonderful, gifted, and special we are. True wisdom comes from knowing that whether or not the world recognizes us, our true identity is who we are in the eyes of God - unique, unrepeatable, and loved by Him beyond our wildest imaginings.
After the miracle of the feeding of the multitude, You made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of You to guard them against the ephemeral adulation of the crowds. You, Yourself stayed behind to send the crowds away and spend time alone in prayer.
It is the fourth watch of the night, the boat with the disciples in it is far out on the lake and a strong wind stirs the water. As the disciples struggle to steady the boat they see You walking on water and are terrified believing they are seeing a ghost. You speak at once, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ Peter, the impetuous says, ‘Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ You said, ‘Come’ and Peter got out of the boat and started walking across the water towards You but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, became afraid and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried and You put out Your hand at once and held him saying, ‘Man of little faith, why did you doubt?’ As soon as You and Peter got into the boat the wind dropped. Witnessing this second miracle and Your power over the elements of nature, the awestruck disciples worshiped You and said, 'Truly, you are the Son of God.'
A large crowd was waiting for You on the other side as news of Your arrival spread like wildfire. People came from everywhere with their sick. The crowds were so great they begged to touch just the fringe of Your cloak and all who touched it were completely healed.
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
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