DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
See, the king, the Lord of the world, will come.
He will free us from the yoke of our bondage.
ISAIAH 35:1-10
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Your Holy Spirit makes the arid, wilderness of our lives bloom with virtue and graces. He turns the desert of our lives to verdant land that bears good fruit in every season. He puts a song in our hearts and exultant joy in all circumstances.
Beloved, when You make Your home in us the glory and splendor of God radiate from our hearts and we are made strong in every way and are unafraid for we know we are not alone. The Lord our God is with us.
You fight our battles, You are the God who saves, You are the righteous judge who will pronounce judgment on our oppressors.
You will heal our blindness and we will see. You will open our ears and we will hear the Good News. You will loosen our tongues so we can boldly, and courageously proclaim Your Name so all may believe that You alone have the power to save.
The Holy Spirit will cause life-giving water to flow from us and we will revive and our land which was a barren wasteland will bloom again with rich virtues and graces.
We who were once sinners will become a signpost for all who desire to walk in the Way of Truth and Love. We will proclaim with conviction and joy, 'This is the Way of Life, walk in it.'
Your mighty protection will cover us so no harm will approach us, or snatch us from You for we are redeemed and ransomed by Your Blood.
Thank You for Your Church where all who believe in You find a home. Here on Mt. Zion, the people from every nation will ascend with songs of rejoicing, worship, thanksgiving, and praise as we offer to the Living God, the only, holy, perfect, and acceptable Sacrifice that alone has the power to take away the sins of the world.
PSALM 85::9AB & 10, 11-12, 13-14
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Our greatest tragedy today is that many do not know You and because of their ignorance they do not experience the power of God who saves. They are trapped by their fears, their weaknesses, and their helplessness at their inability to give up bad habits which drives them even deeper into the dark pit of despair. To each of these, You speak assuring us that the God of Peace is here and He reigns.
You are the Christ, the anointed of God, You are Jesus, one who saves, You are Emmanuel, God with us. You have come into the world to reveal the Face of God in the flesh. Incarnate of the Virgin Mary, You took Your Body from her. The same Body that would be like ours in every way save sin.
In this Body, the world witnesses the mercy and faithfulness of God. The poor find a voice, the oppressed receive justice, and the peace of the kingdom of heaven is established on earth.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
LUKE 5:17-26
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
One can picture the scene - it is a bright day and people have come from all around to hear You teach and to look at the Man from whom such great power emanates. Among those who form the crowd are Pharisees and doctors of the Law - their only purpose is to find an ah-ha moment so they could condemn and discredit You.
There is only standing room in the house which is packed with people. Some may have only out of idle curiosity but the greater number are here because they believe that You are from God. They have heard You before and have followed You hungering for the words of hope and consolation that satisfies the deep and hidden longings of their soul.
They hear a commotion outside and a few minutes later they see an opening made on the roof and they watch as a paralytic on a stretcher is lowered down until it comes to rest in front of You. There is a palpable excitement in the crowd, they expect a miracle. Faith precedes miracles and You are touched by the faith of the paralytic's friends. When they hear You say to the paralytic, ‘My friend, your sins are forgiven you,’ one wonders who was more stunned the scribes and the Pharisees or the people in the room.
You read their thoughts accusing You of blasphemy for they know that God alone can forgive sins. You take them on directly by making their secret accusations public and saying, ‘What are these thoughts you have in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say, “Get up and walk”? And to prove to them that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – You said to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their very eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
Miracles fill our lives if only we have eyes that see and ears that hear, and hearts filled with faith. If we do, we will always be astounded and will never cease praising You, our Lord, and our God.
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