DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
ISAIAH 26:6-10
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Even as we walk in this valley of tears, even as we seem to be engulfed in darkness, we know who walks with us and that You, who abides with us are the Lord of Light. You have lifted us up to the mountain, the place where You dwell, in the Church that You founded, at the summit where heaven and earth are united. God made Man draws all who are called to Himself and are called by His Name, the God who lay down His life for His people invites us to be seated at the banquet table with Him and to dine on heavenly food and drink.
At this heavenly banquet, we feast on that unites us with God. We are drawn into Yourself. Made one with You, we receive Your life and Your help. You wash us with Your Blood, You give us Your Holy Spirit who clothes us with virtue and grace. Set free from all the things of the world that weigh us down, we are lifted up to the highest heavens and in the presence of all the angels and saints we offer to the Father, You, His Son, who lay down His life for us.
This is why even while we mourn we rejoice, even while we weep we exult, for we know that Your victory and Your triumph is ours as well. You shared in our humanity so we may be drawn into Your divinity. By Your hand, we are saved, and having been made one in You we have God Himself for our Father. Alleluia!
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
My soul to You I raise,
Prostrate before Your Majesty,
My heart sings hymns of praise.
My inner being sweetly rests,
In pastures fresh and green,
My spirit’s thirst is satisfied,
In waters cool and clean.
The Lord is my good Shepherd,
No evil shall come near,
I know my God walks with me,
His staff strikes down my fears.
I sup at His own table,
I feast on Bread and Wine,
His mercy, love, and goodness,
Thru’ all my days are mine.
PHILIPPIANS 4:12-14, 19-20
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
St. Paul experienced such sublime union with You that nothing about the human condition, bodily needs, and desires, had power over him. He yielded his whole being to You so completely that nothing mattered to him but to carry out faithfully, the mission You entrusted to him. Just as it was food and drink to You to do the will of Your Father, to preach the Good News in season and out of season, was food and drink to him.
He knew the secret of living a life infused with joy. He trusted You and Your Word implicitly. He knew first hand that Your Word is Spirit and Life. He lived the Word, he feasted on it, He trusted it, he celebrated it, he was consecrated in it, he was nourished by it, it lifted him up, it was his consolation and strength. It never failed him because the Word was alive in him.
What is the quality of my faith? Is it weak and wishy-washy, a pale listless thing powerless to accomplish anything? I receive only as much as I desire - it is up to me to use my faith with conviction only then will I set the world on fire with Your love.
MATTHEW 221-14
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
This parable of the Wedding Feast is a commentary on how the Jewish people God chose as His own, refused to accept that the fullness of time had finally dawned, that every prophecy ever uttered was fulfilled, the long-awaited Savior of the world, the Messiah that they had yearned for, prayed for century after century while living under foreign rule, was finally really and truly present in the Flesh among them.
They expected God to accommodate their expectations of how the Messiah would come, and the manner in which he would liberate them from the hands of their enemies. They had grand visions of a powerful King who would establish the kingdom of David and they would live happily ever after in perfect peace. when You arrived and tossed out all their pre-conceived ideas they were filled with murderous fury they would have their kind of Messiah or none at all and so they resolved to kill You and did not rest until they did.
Am I any different, Beloved? When I pray do I not ask You to fall in line with my plans, to grant what I want? Do I not want You to yield to my will and become petulant and angry when I do not receive what I ask for and in the manner in which I ask for it?
How blessed I am to be born into the Catholic faith, to be given the gift of faith as an infant, to grow in it, to receive the Sacraments, and be nurtured by them. To receive life-giving grace in abundance. To eat Your Body and drink Your Blood. To participate and celebrate in the Sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist, the only acceptable Sacrifice the Father accepts for the salvation of the world. Grant my Beloved, that I never divest myself of the wedding garment that I received at my baptism, nor sully it by grave sin. May I and all those I love and pray for who are called, be also numbered among the chosen.
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