DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. MT 5:10
1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Holy Mother Church takes very seriously this truth that God's favor rests on the poor. This is why she has a preferential love for those who are outcast, marginalized, weak, voiceless, pushed to the peripheries so they remain unseen and unheard. God loves the poor, reaches out to them, and invites them to enter a personal relationship with Himself. As Mary, put it so succinctly in her hymn of praise to God, 'he scatters the proud in the conceit of their hearts, he puts down the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly, He fills the hungry with good things, the rich are sent away empty.'
Today's passage from St. Paul to the Corinthians reminds us that it is often the poor, the humble, and the childlike of heart who are more receptive to God's call to discipleship. He says, ''Those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything."
All the great saints remind us that, we have nothing to boast about. All is grace. We did not choose You, You chose us. You called us by name and it is purely through this gift of faith that is freely bestowed on us that we believe and believing we are saved. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord. It is salutary to remind ourselves often that we are nothing but for the grace of God.
PSALM 33:12-13, 18-21
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
All the readings selected for today's Liturgy of the Holy Mass remind us that those whom God chooses to be His own are the ones who are happy. God's loving gaze is on His little ones who have responded to His invitation to place themselves wholeheartedly in His hands. Like Mary, our prayer must always be, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.' It is only when we are completely pliant to God's will that He can form us in Your image and likeness.
Grant, my Beloved, that we whom the Lord has chosen to be Your disciples, who have made You their help and their shield, who wait on You, will be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit for we have placed all our hope and trust in Your Name which is above every other name.
MARK 6:17-29
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The world has always sought to persecute Christians and muzzle Christianity because it shines the light of Truth on a world that prefers to slink in darkness. Truth by its very nature makes the world uncomfortable. It has the power to get under the skin, irritate, worry, and disturb the conscience of those who would rather kill and bury it. Today's Gospel passage recounting the beheading of St. John the Baptist, is a powerful reminder of this.
We live a world that has always been inclined toward hedonism. We often think that the sins of our time are exclusive to our age but this is not true. Every sin no matter how grave or small has been committed since the fall of our first parents, we just dress differently and talk differently. All that sin can do is take us deeper and deeper into the black hole of emptiness and despair. The more impervious we are to grace the less we pay attention to the voice of reason and a well-formed conscience.
Herodias committed one grave sin and subsequently, every grave sin she committed got much easier until she was oblivious to the horror of her wicked actions. Not only did she sin and lead Herod to sin with her, she even inveigled her daughter into participating in her heinous act of the murder of an innocent, upright, holy man.
Once the flesh wins over reason we become depraved. When Salome, the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests so much; he said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’
Herod made vows that were unconscionable and he found himself unable to back down because of a false sense of pride and honor. The result was that he ordered the beheading of John the Baptist, something that his conscience warned him not to do.
Too often, once we walk down the slippery slope of sin, we find it hard if not impossible to return to the Way of Truth without Your direct intervention. Keep us safe, Beloved, so we may not stray from the path of life.
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. MT 5:10
1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Holy Mother Church takes very seriously this truth that God's favor rests on the poor. This is why she has a preferential love for those who are outcast, marginalized, weak, voiceless, pushed to the peripheries so they remain unseen and unheard. God loves the poor, reaches out to them, and invites them to enter a personal relationship with Himself. As Mary, put it so succinctly in her hymn of praise to God, 'he scatters the proud in the conceit of their hearts, he puts down the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly, He fills the hungry with good things, the rich are sent away empty.'
Today's passage from St. Paul to the Corinthians reminds us that it is often the poor, the humble, and the childlike of heart who are more receptive to God's call to discipleship. He says, ''Those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything."
All the great saints remind us that, we have nothing to boast about. All is grace. We did not choose You, You chose us. You called us by name and it is purely through this gift of faith that is freely bestowed on us that we believe and believing we are saved. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord. It is salutary to remind ourselves often that we are nothing but for the grace of God.
PSALM 33:12-13, 18-21
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
All the readings selected for today's Liturgy of the Holy Mass remind us that those whom God chooses to be His own are the ones who are happy. God's loving gaze is on His little ones who have responded to His invitation to place themselves wholeheartedly in His hands. Like Mary, our prayer must always be, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.' It is only when we are completely pliant to God's will that He can form us in Your image and likeness.
Grant, my Beloved, that we whom the Lord has chosen to be Your disciples, who have made You their help and their shield, who wait on You, will be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit for we have placed all our hope and trust in Your Name which is above every other name.
MARK 6:17-29
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The world has always sought to persecute Christians and muzzle Christianity because it shines the light of Truth on a world that prefers to slink in darkness. Truth by its very nature makes the world uncomfortable. It has the power to get under the skin, irritate, worry, and disturb the conscience of those who would rather kill and bury it. Today's Gospel passage recounting the beheading of St. John the Baptist, is a powerful reminder of this.
We live a world that has always been inclined toward hedonism. We often think that the sins of our time are exclusive to our age but this is not true. Every sin no matter how grave or small has been committed since the fall of our first parents, we just dress differently and talk differently. All that sin can do is take us deeper and deeper into the black hole of emptiness and despair. The more impervious we are to grace the less we pay attention to the voice of reason and a well-formed conscience.
Herodias committed one grave sin and subsequently, every grave sin she committed got much easier until she was oblivious to the horror of her wicked actions. Not only did she sin and lead Herod to sin with her, she even inveigled her daughter into participating in her heinous act of the murder of an innocent, upright, holy man.
Once the flesh wins over reason we become depraved. When Salome, the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests so much; he said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’
Herod made vows that were unconscionable and he found himself unable to back down because of a false sense of pride and honor. The result was that he ordered the beheading of John the Baptist, something that his conscience warned him not to do.
Too often, once we walk down the slippery slope of sin, we find it hard if not impossible to return to the Way of Truth without Your direct intervention. Keep us safe, Beloved, so we may not stray from the path of life.
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