DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
1 CORINTHIANS 12:31 - 13:13
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
St. Paul reminds us that You have shown us a better way - it is not just a way but it is the Way. It is You Yourself who is the Way. It is the Way of agape love.
My Beloved, only one who has suffered greatly, one who followed closely in Your footsteps, one who walked the Way of Calvary with You, could understand through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit granted to him and write this beautiful, divinely inspired hymn to the true nature of love.
So few of us love as love demands we do. The world's way of loving is tawdry, selfish, demanding, self-serving, servile, and false. Your way of loving however raises us far above the angels - love is a choice. Love is an act of will. Love loves even when it seems impossible. All the great saints knew that no matter how exalted the work they did and the words they spoke meant nothing if it was done without love.
It is a wake-up call to all who delight in showing up the weaknesses of others either openly or in subtle ways, Love takes no pleasure in the sins of others. Love is always ready to excuse. Love readily makes excuses for others, holds up a less exacting standard for others than for oneself. Love does not end - because genuine love is divine and all that is divine is eternal.
Christians must mature spiritually as they age. What can be excused in children cannot be excused in those who identify themselves as Your disciples. We are all journeying towards the eternal when finally we will see face to face and will know as fully as we are known. St. Paul concludes this beautiful ode to love reminding us that these three virtues faith, hope, and love are imperishable but of the three the greatest is love.
PSALM 33:2-5, 12, 22
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This psalm celebrates all who belong to God, all whom God Himself has chosen to belong to Him. By virtue of our baptism, we are grafted in You. We are called by Your Name. We are Yours. No matter how difficult life gets we must always remember that time is short and that we have an eternal destiny. No matter what we are called to endure in this life we must be faithful to the end.
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68
1 CORINTHIANS 12:31 - 13:13
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
St. Paul reminds us that You have shown us a better way - it is not just a way but it is the Way. It is You Yourself who is the Way. It is the Way of agape love.
My Beloved, only one who has suffered greatly, one who followed closely in Your footsteps, one who walked the Way of Calvary with You, could understand through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit granted to him and write this beautiful, divinely inspired hymn to the true nature of love.
So few of us love as love demands we do. The world's way of loving is tawdry, selfish, demanding, self-serving, servile, and false. Your way of loving however raises us far above the angels - love is a choice. Love is an act of will. Love loves even when it seems impossible. All the great saints knew that no matter how exalted the work they did and the words they spoke meant nothing if it was done without love.
It is a wake-up call to all who delight in showing up the weaknesses of others either openly or in subtle ways, Love takes no pleasure in the sins of others. Love is always ready to excuse. Love readily makes excuses for others, holds up a less exacting standard for others than for oneself. Love does not end - because genuine love is divine and all that is divine is eternal.
Christians must mature spiritually as they age. What can be excused in children cannot be excused in those who identify themselves as Your disciples. We are all journeying towards the eternal when finally we will see face to face and will know as fully as we are known. St. Paul concludes this beautiful ode to love reminding us that these three virtues faith, hope, and love are imperishable but of the three the greatest is love.
PSALM 33:2-5, 12, 22
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This psalm celebrates all who belong to God, all whom God Himself has chosen to belong to Him. By virtue of our baptism, we are grafted in You. We are called by Your Name. We are Yours. No matter how difficult life gets we must always remember that time is short and that we have an eternal destiny. No matter what we are called to endure in this life we must be faithful to the end.
All suffering, no matter how great, is but a preparation for the life to come when we shall see You face to face. We will know You as we are known by You and our joy will be so great that we will need immortal bodies for mortal bodies could not contain such joy.
Keep us in Your love, Beloved, and give us the grace to love You and each other to the end. May nothing, no matter how difficult, cause us to lose the hope we have in You rather may it serve to increase our faith. Keep us faithful to the end. Amen.
Keep us in Your love, Beloved, and give us the grace to love You and each other to the end. May nothing, no matter how difficult, cause us to lose the hope we have in You rather may it serve to increase our faith. Keep us faithful to the end. Amen.
LUKE 7:31-35
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
You lamented the hypocrisy of the people of the time and the lament continues to the present day. We live in a world that is so divided, so polarized, that neither side has the charity, the understanding, the wisdom to dialogue with the other.
Division is the work of the devil and it appears that he is having a field day in the present world. You call all Christians to unity in You, to peace in You, to fellowship in You but the world can no longer hear the voice of Wisdom.
Nothing pleases children - the minute they get what they demanded they lose interest in it and demand something else and when they don't get it they throw tantrums. The world it appears has not changed from the time when You described the people in that generation. There is no pleasing those who look for excuses not to believe and embrace the truth. John the Baptist was criticized for being too austere and You were criticized for mixing freely with all. It is all too easy to put dismissive labels on people so we can ignore them. Today we are called to reflect whether we too dismiss the Truth because if we didn't then we would have to accept it, embrace it, and live it.
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