DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. JN 15:16
REVELATION 4:1-11
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The Old Testament is inextricably woven in the New. If we are ignorant of the Old we can make no sense of the New for it is veiled in the Old but reveals itself plainly in the New.
To understand the vision of John we have to be familiar with the visions of Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, and others in the Old Testament. These men of God were granted a glimpse into heavenly things for their times and so it is with the visions granted to John. However, they have something to say to us as well, for God's Word speaks to all times and to all peoples in every nation.
My Beloved, You assure us through this vision that there is a heaven, we have a Father in heaven, we have a Savior and Redeemer, and we have the Holy Spirit - the Triune God who holds the world and all the affairs of the world in His hand. We are under the power and dominion of the Lamb of God and nothing and no one can wrest us from the hand of God.
All times and all ages are present in the eternal now of God. There is no past and no future in heaven - all things, all peoples, all events are in the eternal present before the Almighty. There is nothing beyond the purview and the power of God.
The rainbow is the covenant God made with Noah never to destroy the earth again by water. The twenty-four thrones are the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles who are now seated on thrones circling the One enthroned as Eternal King. The prophets too who spoke God's word before You His Eternal Word, became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, are present around the throne and together with all the living, the angels and saints, the cherubim and seraphim, they praise and worship God ceaselessly as they sing, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; he was, he is and he is to come.’
We are also invited to take our place in the heavenly court, to feast at the eternal banquet of the Bridegroom, the Lamb of God, who lay down His life for His Bride, His Church whom He will wed for all eternity.
PSALM 150
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
The beauty of being alive, the beauty of being Catholic/Christian is that even now we have begun to sing the praises of our awesome God, it is a song that we will continue to sing with all the heavenly beings in eternity.
Heaven and earth praise You for all You have done for us. The Father who created us, You, His Son, who redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit who is our sanctification. Praise is fitting for all who know God. Praise increases our faith, our hope, and our love for You. Praise is inevitable when we contemplate You, Beloved, and all You have done for us, how You saved us, how You bore Your sufferings, Your passion, Your crucifixion, Your poverty in the world for our sake, for our salvation.
The more we contemplate You, Beloved, the more fervent will be our praise and worship of You. This is why the Church never sleeps - from the rising of the sun to its setting she offers to the Father the most pleasing, the most fragrant Sacrifice, the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We are truly happy, Beloved, for we are all invited to gather around the table of the Lord and feast at the Supper of the Lamb, the glorious Eucharist that sustains us and preserves us for eternal life.
LUKE 19:11-28
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Just like the people then we too can become obsessed with speculating about the time and date of the end of days and the coming of God's kingdom. This parable is in response to our need to know how future events concerning Your return to the world will unfold.
In Your first coming, You came hidden, in poverty and veiled in flesh. The Son of God made Man came in humility, in silence. The world was asleep, wrapped in night when the Light of World came quietly and simply into the world. And the people whom God chose to be His own knew You not and rejected You. In fact, You were on Your way to Jerusalem making the final journey where You would give Yourself over into the hands of a sinful world as a willing sacrifice.
The ten pounds distributed to the ten servants are each one of us who like the Apostles, are entrusted with the mission of evangelizing and making You known and loved. We are to make a good return for the gifts given to us.
Having been taken up in glory to the Father and appointed King over all the earth, You will return in glory and we who have received a pound will have to render an account of what we did with it. Those who refused to labor to increase what was entrusted to them will lose everything. Those who labored faithfully to share the Good News and obeyed Your command to spread it to the ends of the earth will receive a great reward.
Let us take heed of Your warning while we still have time and use the gift of faith given to us to draw many more to believe and be saved. To all who believe You assure the give of eternal life in Your glorious Presence.
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