MONDAY OF THE THIRTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

REVELATION 1:1-4, 2:1-5

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

As the Liturgical year draws to a close, Holy Mother Church repeatedly reminds us to prepare ourselves for Your Second Coming. Ever since Your Ascension into heaven, we are living at the end of the age and the hour of its arrival is ever at hand.

John, for whom the curtains were parted and who was given a glimpse of the things to come, wrote all that he was privileged to see and swears an oath that all he writes is true. 

Beloved, thank You for the angels that guard Your churches and who are under their powerful protection. Thank You for our bishops and priests. Yes, some are weak shepherds and endanger their flock by their bad example however, You never abandon those who are sealed in Your Blood. Let us keep in mind John's cautionary words, Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first. May we renew our love and our zeal for You, and for Your Church, and grant us a greater fervor and constancy until the end. 

PSALM 1:1-4, 6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We live in a world where the counsel of the wicked is rampant in every sphere of our lives and it is so easy to fall into the traps that are laid everywhere for the weak, the lazy, and the ignorant. The first verse of the first psalm reminds us that the vigilant are happy for they keep themselves safe from the snares of the enemy by delighting in Your Word, meditating on it always, and making Your Word the rule of life.

You are the Vine and we are the branches. You are the Tree of Life and grafted to You we put roots deep into the Holy Spirit. You provide food and drink which is Your own Body and Blood, and we are made rich in grace and fruitful in works because we live and move in You and have our being in You. Life in abundance is ours because we are Yours.

Now is the time, this is the hour for the wheat to be separated from the chaff. It is time for repentance, a time for turning away from the world, and turning back to You. Keep us from the dangerous lure of the world that can separate us eternally from You for the way of the world is the way of the flesh that leads to darkness, terror, doom, and eternal death. Grant us the grace, the strength, and the will to keep our gaze fixed on You and our roots deeply embedded in You and we will live.

LUKE 17:35-43

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Luke narrates the miracle of the blind beggar who was seated at the side of the road leading to Jericho. Being blind his sense of hearing was acute and while You, Your disciples, and the great crowd following You drew nearer, he picked up the excitement in the hum of voices of the crowd and a surge of inexplicable hope filled his heart. As soon as the crowds were near he asked what was happening, and was told that You were passing by. Your fame as a miracle worker had spread and so he would have certainly heard of You. He must have longed to meet You and had perhaps woven many fantasies in his head imagining an encounter with You and how You would perform a miracle for him too and restore his sight.

You were actually passing by and he knew this would be his only chance for a miracle; so he shouted as loud as he could in order to be heard over the din of the crowd,  ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ There will always be those who will shush the poor, the afflicted, the marginalized, those that Pope Francis calls, on the peripheries. It has always been so because they make us uncomfortable. We prefer not to see them and to acknowledge their existence let alone their pain. But despite the scolding of many in the crowd he was not to be stopped. The more they tried to shut him up the louder he shouted, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ 

And then miracle of miracles, he heard the crowd stop and a dear, kind, authoritative voice commanded they bring him to You. Another evangelist tells us his name was Bartimaeus. They do. The blind man stands before You quivering with excitement, and then You say to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replies, ‘Sir, let me see again.’  Your response is instantaneous, You say, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ Your Word is power. It affects what You word commands and we are told that his sight was restored instantly. You praised him for his faith and affirmed that it was his faith that had saved him. The greater healing, the greater miracle was that he became a disciple and followed You praising God. Following his lead, all the people who witnessed the miracle gave praise to God as well.

We have been cured of our spiritual blindness over and over again. You have restored us to sight repeatedly. Strengthen our faith. May we be joyful and faithful witnesses and never cease to praise You as we proclaim to the world all that You have done for us, how You saved us, so all can believe and join in our praises to God.