WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Remain faithful until death,

and I will give you the crown of life. REV 2:10

REVELATION 15:1-4

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In the final analysis, we discover that we have brought upon ourselves all our troubles and calamities. Many blame God for everything that ails our world - this beautiful world that was given to us to care for, to tend, to nurture, and to bear fruit for Your glory. The sad truth is, it is we have failed our stewardship in every way because we have been spiritually blind and deaf. Our sins have made us leprous and we are unclean. Yet, we refuse to face the truth of what we have become - the further we stray from You, from Your Word, from Your Church, the more we distance ourselves from beauty, truth, and honor.

There will always be the faithful remnant who preferring death rather than compromise with the world, will fight the good fight to the end. It is they, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who will conquer the Enemy even to the shedding of their blood. Fighting on the side of Truth they will win and through their sacrifice, many will believe in You and be saved. You are Truth and Truth is invincible. 

PSALM 98:1-3, 7-9

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You have given us a new song, You have put the praises of God on our lips and worship of Him in our hearts for You have won the victory, You have wrought our salvation. You have obtained life for us by tasting our death and vanquishing it forever. 

All who are governed by Your Word You keep safe in truth and love. You will judge us in fairness and all will see the triumph of justice for all people everywhere.

When the evil presently rampant in the world weighs us down and wearies us, when we feel powerless because we are outnumbered by the wicked, let us recall that good has triumphed over evil. The Day of the Lord will arrive and the world and all its peoples will rejoice at Your coming in glory to establish Your rule and reign over all the living. Alleluia! 

LUKE 21:12-19

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

You foretold with stark clarity what would happen to Your disciples and what You said occurred in every horrific detail. The persecution of Christians has not abated since the enemies of the faith first tortured, persecuted, and crucified You. Their bloodlust was not satisfied with killing You, they went after Your followers systematically seeking them out, persecuting, imprisoning and putting them to death. Next came the Romans with their barbaric methods of torture of Christians followed by others in every age and it goes on to this day. In some nations, the persecution is covert, in others it is overt but it is present in some form or other everywhere. 

But You assure all who are prepared to lay down their lives for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel that they are not to worry because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. 

As long as we are in the world we will have to face the enemy in one way or another but we are not alone You will be with us every step of the way. We can already see in our day how the enemies of Truth are spreading the slime of deceit in every institution hidden in innocuous words and phrases and the ignorant and gullible are taken in by their perfidy.

Thank You for Your blessed assurance that the faithful need not be afraid for Truth always triumphs, You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’