THE SEVENTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received him he gave power to become children of God. John 1:1-18 

1 JOHN 2:18-21

My Soul's Beloved,

Our faith was handed down to us by the Apostles, and the fullness of Your teaching is safeguarded in the rich treasury of the Church You established of which You are its Cornerstone and Peter the Rock on which it is founded. We have Your assurance, Beloved, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The world, those of the flesh, and Satan have tried in vain for over 2000 years to bring her down. 

Every heresy has been fought and refuted based on Your Word in Scripture and Your Word in Oral Tradition faithfully preserved by Holy Mother Church. The bark of St. Peter continues to sail the seas of evil and the waves buffet her on every side and sometimes, although it may seem You are asleep and we are left to weather the storm on our own, this is not true. You are always in control and You will guide her safely home to harbor in the Kingdom of God.

Antichrists abound even in the Catholic Church and sadly even among her shepherds and those holding high office. The many scandals that have rocked her are proof that Satan has entered her portals through weak and sinful men and women. But even the evil within cannot bring her down as history has shown.

Many of God's children are swayed by the rhetoric of the worldlywise especially those who have never been grounded in their faith. We have nominal Catholics and Catholics in name only who know nothing about the immeasurable treasury of graces that are ours through the awesome Sacraments You instituted. The greatest of which is the unfathomable wonder and awesome mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Calvary is made present to us here, we eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood, You renew and strengthen us in faith, hope, and love.

We are living at the close of the age, Beloved, and it is time for ignorant and indifferent Catholics to throw away the cloak of ignorance and make their own study of the Good News that Truth is a Person whose Name is Jesus Christ, the anointed of God and the only One with the power to save sinners. Now, before it is too late, let us take advantage of all the resources available at our fingertips, and ask the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Gifts given to us at our Baptism, to assist us to make a real study of the Treasure hidden in the field, and the Pearl of great price and make it our own.  Let us make a start now, for as long as today lasts and before it is too late.

PSALM 96:1-2,11-13

My Soul's Beloved,

You have come into the world and You have transformed it by Your love and Your Presence. The wonderful new song given to all is the song of our salvation. The Babe of Bethlehem came into the world to teach us the Way of God which leads to eternal life. 

All the baptized have a pressing mission entrusted to us. We have an inescapable and loving duty to make You known and loved so all can come to the knowledge of Truth and be saved by the power of Your Name. 

You have overcome the world through means by which those of the world can never understand - poverty, meekness, humility, and obedience. These are concepts that are foreign to those of the world but true wealth belongs to those who are despised by the world for Your sake and for the sake of the Kingdom.

You will come again, but this time in glory, majesty, and power. You will return as the righteous judge and all who have been harassed, oppressed, cast aside, trodden on, pushed to the peripheries where they do not disturb the arrogance of the wicked, will rejoice and be glad. To the consternation of the wicked, it is the poor in spirit who have God as their Father, Brother, Helper, and Friend.

JOHN 1:1-18 

My Soul's Beloved,

The Holy Spirit inspired the beloved disciple, John, Apostle, and evangelist to write so powerfully, movingly, and illuminatively about You. The opening verses of John's gospel thrill the soul with their beauty and majesty. He uses words that make the Eternal Word come alive, words that paint a picture of unimaginable beauty and grace on the canvas of our soul.

John was the disciple that leaned on Your breast, nearest to Your heart. You loved him more than the others because the love of creatures or created things did not obstruct and hinder his love for You. He heard the love song of Your heartbeat, and with the help of the Holy Spirit was given the words to describe it to us so we too could understand in some small measure the Light, Beauty, Goodness, and Truth of God made flesh who lived among us. 

Eternal Word of the Father, Word of infinite power and majesty, who laid the foundations of the world and through whom all that is came to be, we thank You for becoming small, weak, helpless, and dependent for our sakes. You have shown us that it is only through loving submission, obedience, and humility to the will of God, we enter the Kingdom of God. You stooped to come to us and we come to You by stooping low ourselves. 

Like John the Baptist each of the baptized is called to be a witness to the Truth. We must prepare the way as he did by training today's generation to know You, believe in You, and receive You. Many will reject You, just as Your own people did but we must not lose hope for, 'To all who do accept You, You give the power to become children of God.' 

You are not stingy with Your gifts. All who believe, receive from Your fullness, grace without measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. While it is true, Beloved, that no one has ever seen God; but You, His only Son, who is nearest to the Father's heart, You have made Him known to us for You are the visible image of the invisible God. 

THE SIXTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.

Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

1 JOHN 2:12-17

My Soul's Beloved,

The things of the world appeal to our baser instincts and our desire for instant gratification. Temptation, like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, is enticing and tantalizing until we give in to it, once we do we are trapped and enslaved. Today, the beloved disciple warns all disciples young and old in the faith to be on their guard against the threefold temptations that keep us from enjoying a life of union with God - the world, the flesh, and the devil.

We who are baptized are grafted into Your Body and as children of the Father sealed in Your Spirit, we are heirs to the Kingdom of God. You came into the world to reveal the Father to us. You are the image of the invisible God - the Incarnate Word of the Father in whom all that is, came to be. You make Your dwelling in us through Your Holy Spirit this is why evil has no place in the hearts of God's children. Anyone who loves You and believes in You is saved by You. 

We have overcome the Evil One by the power of the Word that is in us and can have no part with the temporal things of the world. Anyone in love with the world can have no claim on the love of God, our Father, for all disordered desires are opposed to the transcendent, the eternal, and the divine.

We were created for God and nothing that the world has to offer such as: 

- the lust of the flesh:  “Lust of the flesh is not limited to disordered sensuality. It also means softness, laziness bent on the easiest, most pleasurable way, and any apparent shortcut, even at the expense of fidelity to God."
- the lust of the eyes: "the disordered desire for material things, as well as that deformation which views everything around us — other people, the circumstances of our life and of our age — in a merely human way."
- the pride of life: "this is the worst of all evils, the root of every false step. The fight against pride has to be a constant battle,..  It is the arrogance of the Pharisee whom God cannot transform because he finds in him the obstacle of self-sufficiency. It is the haughtiness which leads to despising others, to lording it over them, to mistreating them."

These cravings when we indulge them become an open, bottomless pit, and the more we feed them the greater our darkness and emptiness. God alone satisfies all the desires of our heart for we are made for Him alone. Let us abide in His will we will abide in His love forever.

PSALM 96:7-10

My Soul's Beloved,

We belong to You and offer You praise and thanksgiving for all  You have given us that our lives may be a continual hymn of glory and honor to You and the power of Your Name that saves.

We rejoice as we continue our celebrations of this glorious season of Christmas - a time when earth and heaven come together in wonder and awe at what God has done for His children in the Incarnation of His Eternal Word. 

What offering can we bring to our God as we enter His courts to praise and worship Him? We bring Him the eternal Sacrifice of His only, beloved Son, who became the willing Victim for our sins and paid the ransom with His Life for our redemption. This is why the demons tremble with fear and why they hate us so much; they will not rest until they drag as many souls as they can to hell.

But we have a King who is God and His Word saves us. You have overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. For freedom, we are saved - freedom to love God and to live in His love in this life and forever in the next. 

LUKE 2:36-40

My Soul's Beloved,

In today's liturgy, the passage selected from the Gospel of Luke trains the spotlight on Anna, a prophetess. We are told that she was the daughter of Phanuel and belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was married as a young girl and widowed after being married for just seven years. She teaches us that life is not over when we suffer personal loss no matter how devastating. She saw it as an opportunity to dedicate her life wholly to serving God. She was eighty-four years old and we are told that in all the time since she became a widow she never left the Temple but served God night and day with fasting and prayer. 

She was rewarded for her faithfulness by being led by the Holy Spirit to see You with Mary and Joseph. Recognizing You as the One sent by God to deliver His people, she began to praise God and spoke of You to all who were waiting with longing and expectant hope for the Messiah. United with God and filled with His Holy Spirit, she is part of a privileged few, the shepherds, the wise men, and Simeon, to receive the Good News of glad tidings and with them became the first of Your disciples and missionaries. 

The Word of God concludes by saying that after Mary and Joseph did all that the Law required they went home to Nazareth. Meanwhile, the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favor was with him. The Son of God and the Son of Man.

THE FIFTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS 

A light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel. LK 2:32

1 JOHN 2:3-11

My Soul's  Beloved,

The commandments make us aware of sin which leads to separation from You, a separation that means death. One can obey from love or fear. Obedience in love rather than fear is what pleases You best. The better we know You the easier it is to do as You command. Love prompts obedience especially when the beloved is God. 

You command us to be holy and perfect as the Father is holy and perfect and by obeying the Law of Love we can best reflect the image of our heavenly Father.

True knowledge of God helps us to love Him as we ought and only those who truly love Him obey all of His commandments. Obedience in humility to God's law is the hallmark of love. No one who truly loves You will do anything that will separate themselves from You - to do so is eternal death.

You came into the world to show us how to live in the Way that leads to perfection. All we need to do is to walk in Your footsteps, and imitate You by picking up our cross daily and following close behind You. There is no other way to the Kingdom but the way of suffering and the way of the cross.

It is hard to deny ourselves in a world that preaches a gospel of self-indulgence, and instant gratification. Perfect love makes itself visible in the laying down of one's life for a sister or brother in need. If we cannot or are unwilling to do so we condemn ourselves and You are not in us. We are warned that it is time to wake up for the Day of the Lord is almost upon us - may we not be caught sleeping when it arrives.

PSALM 96:1-3,5-6 

My Soul's Beloved, 

The eyes of a child of God are wide open to the wonder of creation, the heart of a child is filled with constant delight at the goodness of God, and the soul of a child is always in close communion with the Creator of all things.

This is why saints and little children are joyful. They see the imprint of the Creator in all things, and most especially in their neighbor. Every day is a new day and a new opportunity to discover the infinite and varied ways in which You reveal Yourself to us. 

A soul that is awake and alive sees God in all things and sings His praise unceasingly with every breath even when it is asleep and at rest. Lord, grant me a childlike spirit so I may never cease to praise You all the days of my life.

LUKE 2:22-35

My Soul's Beloved,

We live at a time in history when no one can claim ignorance of You. We can refuse to believe in the Light and Hope of the nations but we cannot deny that the Light has come into the world and has dispelled the darkness in the souls of all who believe. All who walk in Your Light walk in hope. 

Mary and Joseph knew You were God and yet they followed all the prescribed laws of Moses. Neither Mary nor You needed purification for You were both sinless. They made the prescribed offering of sacrifice, 'Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons'. Even though You are the first-born son of Your Father through whom we too are consecrated to Him 

I am certain that Mary and Joseph were in a state of perpetual wonder and awe from the moment of Your conception but most especially now as Simeon, inspired by the Holy Spirit reveals all that will take place as he turns to Mary and says, 'You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’ A shiver of trepidation must have run over her, yet she trusted as always, even though she did not fully understand. She was after all God's handmaiden whose response to Him unfailingly was, 'Let it be done to me according to Your word.'

FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS - MARTYRS, 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS  

We praise you, O God,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord;

the noble army of martyrs praise you, O Lord.

1 JOHN 1:5-2:2

My Soul's Beloved,

Only Your Blood has the power to purify, to wash clean, to make whole, to remove every stain of sin from our soul. Sin leaves the soul wounded, sick, dark, and the greater the sin the more impenetrable it is for the divine light of grace to enter it.  

You are the Light of the World while the sinner is in darkness and the two have nothing in common. We cannot be united with You if we choose to live in the dark night of sin and sinful desires. We are all sinners and unless we first root out our sinful desires we cannot embrace the truth. No one who is in sin can have union with You but the Good News is that You came for sinners and not the righteous and every repentant sinner will find forgiveness and healing in You. 

All of us without exception have sinned this is why the Father gave us a Savior. You plead for sinners night and day at the right hand of the Father and it is Your atoning Sacrifice alone that redeems us. However, only when we acknowledge our sins and confess them can we be forgiven and saved. 

The unholy alliance of the world, the flesh, and the devil come together to propagate the lie that there is no such thing as sin. Sin is real, and the consequence of sin is death, and anyone who claims otherwise calls God a liar. 

Let us close our ears to the lies, wake up to the truth, and stop sinning. Yes, we will fall, perhaps many times in a day, so let's not lose heart when we do for we have a Savior whose atoning sacrifice has the power to take away our sins and the sins of the whole world. 

PSALM 124:2-5,7-8

My Soul's Beloved,

We can never thank God, our Father enough for sending You into the world to save us. Had He not done so we would have lived dreary, desperate, unhappy lives devoid of all hope. Yes, we live in a world where it would seem that evil far outweighs the good, where the wicked triumph and prosper, and the poor, the weak, the good are trampled upon and cast aside.

Too often the evil in the world threatens to overwhelm us, we are caught in its currents and swept away by its force. The world looks increasingly bleak and hopeless, and yet this is not true. The Cross has broken the snares of sin that held us captive. Your victory over death has set us free and now all our help comes from You, our Lord, and our God who made heaven and earth. 

MATTHEW 2:13-18

My Soul's Beloved,

All human suffering finds an echo in Your life to a greater or lesser degree this is why You understand and empathize when we come to You in our personal pain, suffering, and misery. 

Although You are God, in perfect obedience to the Father, You came into the world in human likeness identifying with us in all things save sin in order that we might unite with You and become like You.

When Herod gave orders to search and kill You, Joseph, instructed by the angel of the Lord, flees to Egypt with You and Mary and stays there until he is informed it is safe to return home.  Yet another prophecy is fulfilled, 'I called my son out of Egypt,' for You are the new Moses who comes out from Egypt to deliver Your people from slavery to sin. 

Matthew gives us a description of what happens in the wake of Your departure to Egypt. Herod orders all male children two years old and under be slaughtered. The words of the prophet Jeremiah is fulfilled in the cries of the heartbroken women weeping and wailing at the massacre of their baby boys.

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loudly lamenting:
it was Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they were no more.

Through the centuries this cry has not ceased as innocent babies are slaughtered in abortuaries. The rivers of blood that stained the streets in Bethlehem and the surrounding districts red continue to stain the consciences of innumerable men and women. The weeping and lamenting will cease only when this slaughter of innocents in the womb ceases. 

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

HOLY FAMILY OF
JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH

     At various times in the past

     and in various different ways,
     God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
     but in our own time, the last days,
     he has spoken to us through his Son. HEB 1:1-2

GENESIS 15:1-6,21:1-3

My Soul's Beloved,

Abraham had grown old and his barren wife too was long past her childbearing years and he wondered what good would God's promise of great reward since he was without a child and heir. All he possessed would be inherited by someone who was not of his blood. 

But You, our Lord and our God, drew him out of his own personal darkness and fear. You led him out into the open and directed his gaze at the myriad stars saying, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants.’ Abraham believed and his faith was rewarded. Sarah conceived the child of promise and bore him a son, his only son, in his old age. 

This son of promise is a foreshadow of the Son of Promise that God would send into our world making us. Through You, His firstborn, we would become His adopted children. All who believe in You are made righteous in You. God's children are as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. In You, we are members of the family of God and heirs to the Kingdom.

PSALM 105:1-6,8-9

My Soul's Beloved,

We are a people of praise and we ought to have a never-ending song on our lips telling the whole world of how good You are and all You have done to save us.

We ought never to be ashamed of the Name of the holy one of God for we are saved by the power of this Name. You are our boast in God and we must rejoice always, giving thanks to God for making it possible for mere humans to come into His presence and worship Him in spirit and in truth.

We are indebted to the Church, Your Bride, for through the Liturgical Cycles she keeps us mindful of the wonders our God has done for us in and through You. We celebrate as one body the sacred events that redeemed us and won for us so glorious an inheritance as Your sisters and brothers. We dare to call Your Father our Father and we have received from Your hand Your Mother as well.

You, Beloved, are the fulfillment of every covenant God made with His creatures from the beginning and this Covenant made with Your flesh and blood is an everlasting Covenant. It makes us one with You and irrevocably one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Thank You. 

HEBREWS 11:8,11-12,17-19

My Soul's Beloved.

Today the author of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that when we have faith in God we are unstoppable for then He can do the impossible in us, with us, and for us. Right through the pages of salvation history, we see how God intervenes in the affairs of humans and slowly but surely, despite all our errors, our stubbornness, our brokenness, he ultimately can make something beautiful and eternal with our lives through faith in You.

Abraham's faith wrought the impossible for him and Sarah. Mary's faith made it possible for You to be conceived in her womb. Joseph's faith enabled Him to take God at His Word and to embrace both Jesus and Mary as his own.

Faith in God gave Abraham the strength to sacrifice his only son Isaac. And Your implicit faith in Your Father made it possible for You to become the Living Sacrifice that brought about the salvation of the world. Abraham was spared the life of his son, Isaac. But God did not spare His only Son and because of it, we are saved.   

LUKE 2:22-40

My Soul's Beloved,

You, Mary, and Joseph teach us how to model our own homes on the home of Nazareth. All we need to be truly happy and content is to put God above and before all else and to spend our lives in loving service to each member of our family. Each spouse lays down his/her life for the other counting all they do, all they sacrifice as joy, for the good of one is the good of the other.

Our children are given to us as a gift by God - they are not a right that we demand to have no matter the cost. Once blessed with children we must raise them as Mary and Joseph raised You - in the fear of the Lord, in the shadow of the Lord's presence, obedient to God and to them in accordance with the Law.

Mary had much to contemplate through all the events in her life and she pondered all of them silently in her heart. We would do well to imitate her in this regard especially when the storms around us get rough and we are unable to make sense of it all. 

 

Joseph is the most wonderful role model for all fathers. His silence speaks of his strength of character. He was a man of action rather than words thus God could speak to him and act through him in caring for and protecting Jesus and Mary.

Mary and Joseph were poor and unashamed of it. They lived within their means, offering a pair of turtle doves in sacrifice as that was what they could offer at the presentation of Jesus.  

Simeon and Anna the prophetess also teach us to listen, discern, believe in God's promises, and proclaim His word in faith as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Although both Joseph and Mary did not understand much of all that Simeon said concerning their Son, they were filled with wonder and awe. Simeon blessed Mary and speaking directly to her said, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’ Her young soul would have trembled at his words but she treasured them all in her heart. 

The Gospel passage concludes by saying that once they had done all that the Law of the Lord required them to do, they returned to their home and both Mary and Joseph watched over the Child lovingly and he grew to manhood under their watchful, vigilant care. How proud they would have been with You, Beloved as You grew radiant with every grace, virtue, and wisdom. 

CHRISTMAS DAY - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down upon the earth.

ISAIAH 52:7-10

My Soul's Beloved,

In a world where good news, joy, and peace is sadly lacking there are those, who for Your sake, bring consolation, joy, and peace in their wake because they love from the heart and are not afraid to speak the truth in love. The Good News of our salvation is the only News that can give the world hope and light - let us not be afraid to proclaim it always.

In these grim months of the pandemic, life has changed dramatically for so many. Those with nothing have suffered most. Yet, Your shepherds have not failed us. Your Church has been a bulwark to many who turned to them to feed us, nourish us, teach us, and strengthen us, not on the Bread of the Eucharist but on the Bread of the Word - and we have been strengthened, nourished, and satisfied. You are a generous God who feeds us with both Your Flesh and with Your Word.

The enemies of the Church who hoped to use the current events to destroy her have found to their consternation that the Church will survive anything that evil and the forces of darkness unleash upon her, for we have Your assurance that You are with her always, until the end of the age.

The song of the Church is, 'Hosanna, glory to God in the highest, peace on earth to people of goodwill.' Our God, Emmanuel, walks with us and will never forsake those who are called by Your Name.

PSALM 98:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

It is a mystery to those in the world who do not believe that the strength of God is made manifest in a helpless little Baby, in poverty in a stable among the beasts of the field, with donkey, ox, and sheep. And that victory was won by a Man flagellated within an inch of His life, crowned with thorns, spat upon, mocked, jeered at and ridiculed, stripped naked, nailed to a cross where He suffered agonizingly until, after forgiving His enemies, He gave up His Spirit to His Father. In doing so He changed the world and every man, woman, and child forever. You won back for God as the new Adam that which the old Adam lost irrevocably. 

So yes, as the psalmist proclaims we

Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.

God has made known His salvation to all and all who believe receive eternal life.

As we recall Your Birth today, and as the Church and the world celebrate this Holy Night, we fall on our knees in adoration, worship, praise, thanksgiving, and love. Our hearts are filled with gratitude that God so loved us that He sent You, His only Son into the world to save us. Thank You, Lord.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, the Lord.

HEBREWS 1:1-6

My Soul's Beloved, 

This gift of the Holy Spirit to speak eloquently and with great clarity about all God has done for us through You, His Son, has been given to just a few and one among them is the writer of this letter to the Hebrews. 

Beloved, anyone who approaches the Word of God made Flesh with the heart and spirit of a child will have no difficulty at all in embracing the Truth that sets all who believe in You free. 

With just a few bold strokes of his pen, the writer paints a vivid picture of how God pierced space and time and clothed in the flesh, came to us in the weakest, most helpless form imaginable, a baby. 

It is something the worldly-wise, the blasé, the jaded, will never understand for it is beyond their capacity to do so. This is why God chose a young Virgin in a little unknown town, Nazareth, to be the Mother of His Son and sent His angels to announce the Good News of His birth to a group of poor shepherds. Their open hearts and childlike spirit gladly embraced this mystery, they were capable of wonder, of being awestruck, of knowing that with God nothing is impossible. It also reveals to us the heart and mind of God who has a preferential love for the poor, and the poor in spirit.

In You, Beloved, the Father makes us heirs to the Kingdom of God. All that is Yours is ours as well.  

The letter to the Hebrews tells says:

He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

The wonder of it all is this -  You taught us that God who is Your Father is our Father too and we can approach Him through You day or night, calling Him Abba. For Your sake, He will deny us nothing - and most especially He will not deny us a place in His Kingdom. 

O come let us adore You, Christ, our Lord, our King, our Savior now and forever more.

JOHN 1:1-18

My Soul's Beloved,

Inspired by the Word and by the Holy Spirit, it has been to a few including the beloved disciple, John, to part the clouds separating earth from heaven, and revealing to us just who the Word of God is. The Word made flesh lived among us, walked with us, touched us, healed broken bodies, broken spirits, broken lives and You continue to do so to this day and for as long as time will last. 

The opening verses of John's Gospel is a celestial poem inspired by Wisdom who was present even before God laid the foundations of the world. The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. 

You, Beloved, are God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. God created nothing without You, for You are His Word which uttered but once, accomplishes all God wills.

Every blade of grass, every drop of rain, every sunrise, and sunset, every flower, fruit, and grain, every animal and bird, every baby conceived in the womb is created by the power of the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us. 

The Word is the light that illumines the heavens and illumines the hearts of all who believe. The Word is the life that sustains all life. Like John the Baptist we are all invited to be witnesses to the Light of the World so the world no longer walks in the darkness of sin. 

No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

By Your redeeming sacrifice, we are now children of God and heirs to His Kingdom. Thank You.

THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Morning star, radiance of eternal light,

sun of justice,

come and enlighten those who live in darkness

and in the shadow of death.

2 SAMUEL 7:1-5,8-12,14,16

My Soul's Beloved,

Like David, we are reminded today that we can do nothing for You - it is You who do it all for us. The Lord chose David, the youngest of his father's sons who was a shepherd tending his father's sheep. It was the Lord who anointed him and raised him up as king over His people. It was God who fought his battles and defeated all his enemies and united his kingdom. When David expressed a desire to build God a temple and lay the Ark of God in it he was reminded that it is God who decides, chooses, and appoints who He wills, not we. 

God made an everlasting Covenant with David and his heirs. Of all the kings to rule Israel David was the one beloved of God. He foreshadowed the perfect King who would come after him, a Shepherd-King who would rout the enemy and triumph victoriously over evil forever. His Kingdom, His rule, His dominion will have no end.  

PSALM 89:2-5,27,29

My Soul's Beloved,

All who live in the shadow of Your Presence, have a song on their lips that nothing can silence. 

We were lost and unable to return to our Father's house so He sent You, His only Son, His Firstborn, His Beloved. You became like us in all things save sin in order to take us by the hand and lead us back to that place of perfect love and perfect rest in our Father's bosom for all eternity. 

You are the Father's Covenant with us. Through You, we are saved, through You all come to the knowledge of Truth. You alone, there is no other. To You is given an eternal and everlasting Throne and to You is given all rule, dominion, and kingship. 

The Father has one Son, You, but because we are grafted to Your Body, He is our Father too. He is Your Rock and You are ours. The Father makes an everlasting, covenantal love with us because we belong to You. 

LUKE 1:67-79

My Soul's Beloved,

Zechariah had nine long months of silence in which to contemplate this miracle of life burgeoning in Elizabeth's once barren womb, wrought by God in their old age. There was an explosion of praise, wonder, worship, and thanksgiving going on in his heart and soul as each day progressed. Finally,  his son was born. All the desires and longings of his heart were here in the flesh, in this little baby boy. Yet he knew through the Holy Spirit that this was a child of promise, destined by God for far more than just the fulfillment of all his hopes. This child was to be the herald of a new dawn. 

As soon as he wrote on the tablet, 'His name is John.' His tongue was set loose. Nine months of wondrous, rapturous, silent contemplation of this great thing that God had done burst forth in a canticle of praise and thanksgiving. 

Zechariah's Benedictus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is an obligatory prayer that for centuries has been recited daily in the Divine Office by all priests, religious, monks, as well as laypeople who desire to unite with the Church in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a celebratory prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for His everlasting love and faithfulness in caring for, protecting, watching over, and redeeming His people.   

Prophesying his own son's destiny as God's Herald, he says,  

And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord
to prepare the way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins;
this by the tender mercy of our God
who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,
to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.’

Each one of us, by virtue of our Baptism, is given the same mission of preparing our own hearts, souls, and lives, first, and then those around us by the authentic witness of our lives, for Your coming again. This time not in poverty, in humility, as a helpless, defenseless little Baby but in glory, power, and majesty to judge the living and the dead. May we not be caught asleep when that day arrives.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

King of the peoples
and cornerstone of the Church,
come and save man,
whom you made from the dust of the earth.

MALACHI 3:1-4,23-24

My Soul's Beloved,

Your word constantly urges us to repentance, contrition, true sorrow for our sins so we may turn once again to You and receive forgiveness and healing. You come to us constantly, inviting us to return to You. As long as 'today' lasts You plead with us, You send messengers to us to wake up before it is too late and the terrible Day of the Lord is upon us. When the days of mercy draw to a close we will stand before You as the righteous judge to give a strict account of how we have spent this gift of life bestowed on us as children of God. 

Grant O Lord, that while there is yet time before You come to separate the sheep from the goats, we may purify and cleanse ourselves of all unrighteousness. Open our ears to hear the messengers You send to us, open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds to the knowledge that apart from You there is no salvation, before it is too late.  

Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before my day comes, that great and terrible day. He shall turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the hearts of children towards their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.

PSALM 25:4-5,8-9,10,14

My Soul's Beloved,

The psalmist's prayer is answered - You are the Way, You are the Truth, and all who walk in it are instructed by God Himself who came into the world to save all who are called by Your Name.

Beloved, You came for sinners, for those who stray from the Way of Truth that leads to fullness of life in You. Only the repentant sinner can cry out for help aware that nothing is possible without You and Your saving grace. You stoop low over those who reach out to You in poverty of spirit, You take them by the hand, and lead them to the Father.

You are our salvation, You are our liberation, You set sinners free and restore our kinship with the Father.  Only with You, in You, and through You, can we stand erect and with heads held high as children of God and members of Your Body.

You are the Father's Covenant of Love with His children purchased by Your Blood. You are the ransom paid for our liberation because of God's faithfulness to His promises. He formed us from the dust of the earth. All who love You fear separation from You for they know that apart from You there is no salvation, no hope of everlasting joy and peace.

LUKE 1:57-66 

My Soul's Beloved,

When Elizabeth gave birth their neighbors and relations crowded their home rejoicing with them for the singular blessing and kindness God had shown them. Zechariah was struck dumb for his unbelief in God's promise. When asked what name they were to give the child, Elizabeth said, ‘He is to be called John.’ There was a chorus of objections, ‘But no one in your family has that name.’ They approached the child's father to ask him what he wanted to name his son.  He asked for a writing tablet and wrote on it, ‘His name is John,’ as instructed by the angel and in obedience to God's will and immediately he received his power of speech. 

Luke narrates that all their neighbors in the whole hill country of Judaea were amazed and astonished at the wonderful miracles concerning this child and they praised God. He goes on to say that all who heard of it treasured it in their hearts, for it gave them hope. 

Today we too are reminded not to forget all the amazing things God constantly does in our lives and to never cease praising Him for His goodness and mercy to us. We, who are called by Your Name, have a mission which is to make You known and loved by the witness of our lives. We have a glorious destiny for the hand of God has been laid on us at our Baptism. You are the Face of the invisible God and each day we must strive to grow more and more in Your image and likeness. 

TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

He has pulled down princes from their thrones
and exalted the lowly. LK 1:52

 King of the peoples
and cornerstone of the Church,
come and save man,
whom you made from the dust of the earth.

1 SAMUEL 1:24-28

My Soul's Beloved,

The Lord heard Hannah's prayer and satisfied all the hungry longing in her heart for a child. Having been blessed with a son, she did not cling to him, spoil him rotten, treat him like the world revolved around him. Instead, once the infant was weaned, she took him back to the temple and gave him to God to serve him all the days of his life.

She came to Eli the priest, who had heard her cry out to God pleading for a child and said, "I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord." And then we are told, 'There she left him, for the Lord.' 

If every parent did as Hannah did and entrusted their children to the Lord, directing their footsteps in His Way, the world we live in would be a happier, more peaceful, more loving place. 

Hannah teaches us that we are to cling to God alone. He alone must be our heart's dearest and only desire, anything we place before Him makes us idolators.

1 SAMUEL 2:1,4-8

My Soul's Beloved,

The echoes of Hannah's hymn of praise on receiving the gift of a son, the child of her great longing conceived after many tears and sighs before the Lord, reverberates through the centuries until another Woman, would sing a hymn much like it and make it singularly her own. 

You, My Beloved, are the fulfilment of every prayer, every dream, every longing, every desire. You are the Father's answer to everything. You are the One that every heart is hungry for - but many are not aware of it. 

In You are our hearts exult for You are our strength. What can anyone do to us Beloved, when we walk with You and receive  Your saving help when we cry out to You?  

We live in a terrifying world right now - those who have been entrusted with the duty of governing have abdicated their responsibility to wealthy, powerful, wicked people who care for nothing but themselves. While we wait for Your judgment on the world we will keep vigil like the shepherds on the hillside.  We will watch and pray as You instructed the disciples on the night of Your Agony in Gethsamane. The bows of the mighty will be broken. The proud and conceited of heart will be cast down onto the dungheap. The wealth of the wicked will not satisfy their hunger but those who mourn now, those who weep now, those who are forgotten, those trod upon, those who are persecuted, the voiceless who lack the strength even to whimper, will be vindicated and clothed in Your strength.

You feed the hungry, You make the barren woman fruitful. You give life where there was only death. You raise the humble and give them glory and honor. All who were despised in the world will share in Your victory and good will ultimately triumph over evil. Ours is a God whose ear is close to the brokenhearted.

LUKE 1:46-56

My Soul's Beloved,

The Magnificat, Mary's hymn of joyful praise to God comes from a soul that was immersed in God and with the grace of God from the moment of her conception. There never was a moment in her life when her whole being was not focused on God and the normal state of her soul was one that was always raised to Him and lost in Him in delightful contemplation. 

Every line of praise that bursts forth from her lips is steeped in Scripture and the psalms revealing her intimate knowledge of the Word of God - the same Word that took flesh in her and became incarnate of her. 

All Mary's children would do well to be handmaidens of the handmaid of the Lord. It would do us well to keep our gaze fixed on her always for there is none better than this lovely creature of God to direct us in the way and the will of the God she has always loved better and more perfectly than any human creature. She is the disciple par excellence and there is none among the daughters of Adam created like her, sinless and pure except for Eve - our first mother, who like her, was created sinless. Unlike Eve, who was the instrument that brought us death, Mary was the instrument that brought us life.

Of all women, God chose Mary to collaborate with Him to bring salvation to the world and she was perfectly aware that all the glory belongs to God alone. The superabundance of grace granted to her was not through any merit on her part - it was all God's gift to her. 

She knew it was God who cast His gaze on her, it was God who clothed her exquisitely with every virtue and grace. It was God who raised her up and exalted her giving her a place high above every creature and just below You, her Son. She understood that because of this great dignity accorded to her by God she is blessed in every generation and eternally.

It pleases Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to honor Mary, to raise her up, and crown her Queen of heaven and earth. Nothing pleases and delights God more than to channel His graces and blessings through her and nothing gives our Mother greater joy than in taking all our prayers to her Son. Answers received through her are always accompanied by rich graces and blessings for the Mediatrix of all graces loves to bless her little ones. 

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home. Let us resolve to keep Mary with us in our home and hearts always and like her we will always exult and make our boast in God alone. 

MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Emmanuel,

our king and lawgiver,
come and save us,
Lord our God.

SONG OF SONGS 2:8-14

My Soul's Beloved,

How is it possible for so many in the world, especially Christians, to be so hard and cold that it ignores the God of Love? It is deaf to divinity's song of infinite love, and blind to Love Incarnate who woos, cajoles, and seduces His beloved with words that are sweeter than honey - a Lover who gives all, laying down His life for His beloved in order to raise her up to Himself.

You come in search of us, You dog our footsteps, You remain closer to us than our shadow. You lift us up, You stretch out Your hand to steady us, and when we have no strength to go on You lift us up and carry us. You give us a song in the midst of sorrow, laughter in the midst of tears, give us joy in the midst of mourning. You lift us higher than the wings of an eagle and give us repose in Your Sacred Heart, that place of sweet, and quiet rest where we every desire and need is satisfied completely.

No one loves as You do, Beloved, and yet we are stubborn and indifferent even though none can love us as wholeheartedly and perfectly as You do.  

Come then, my love,

my lovely one, come.
My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
in the coverts of the cliff,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet
and your face is beautiful.’

PSALM 33:2-3,11-12,20-21

My Soul's Beloved,

The joy of this season of Christmas is like young love, it is new, exciting, full of wonderful possibilities. It is like starting on a wonderful journey with the expectation that only great things will happen. It is a time for singing, rejoicing, dancing, coming together with loved ones, exchanging the gift of ourselves to each other in friendship and kindness. It is a time to give thanks for this wonderful new thing that God is beginning in the world and in the hearts of all who receive Him.

This is the season for fresh starts. It is a time for knowing that God has a plan that He desires us to embrace wholly that we may have life. Who can fail to have room in the heart for a beautiful baby? A baby brings with it hope with so many wonderful possibilities. This Baby is a chance for a do-over. An opportunity to shift the gaze from ourselves and to look out to another who makes Himself helpless so we will not be afraid to pick Him up, caress Him, kiss Him, and hold Him tenderly and press Him to our heart.

Easter is the season where love has reached maturity. It is a deep, fulfilled love after a time of separation and intense and unimaginable sorrow. But Christmas is the fulfillment after a time of joyous waiting, longing, wooing, and being wooed. It is a time of total wonder - the world is astounded at the goodness of divinity, of immensity, who makes Himself little for our sakes. 

This Christmas may we accept Your invitation to come in from the cold and receive, accept, and embrace You with all the fervor of our soul.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.

LUKE 1:39-45

My Soul's Beloved,

After Mary gave her consent to God to conceive and bear His Son, the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her and You took flesh in her womb. From then on she was as surely one with God as You are one with Your Father and the Holy Spirit. 

Once Mary conceived You her life was no longer her own but Yours to direct, instruct, and command for as long as she drew breath. Prompted by You, she set out quickly to visit her cousin  Elizabeth who was pregnant and in her sixth month. Being advanced in years she would surely need Mary's help and service and Mary went to her quickly and joyfully. 

Luke narrates vividly all that occurred when the cousins met. Entering Zechariah's house her young voice calls out with a glad greeting to Elizabeth, who on hearing her is filled with the Holy Spirit and with a loud cry says, ‘Of all women, you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.' She is humbled by Mary's visit recognizing that she is the mother of God. Elizabeth was the first to give her that title. 

Just the sound of Mary's voice caused the child in Elizabeth's womb to leap for joy and she, prompted by the Holy Spirit confirms Mary's blessedness which is so unlike her husband

Zechariah's for 'she believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

Let us always have this confidence that just the sound of Mary's voice in heaven causes joy, for she is 'The Cause of our Joy' in truth. All our prayers to her will be heard and answered by God. You can refuse her nothing for she refused You nothing. If we believe and embrace all God's promises to us, we too like Mary will be blessed.