MEMORIAL OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST &, DOCTOR OF OF THE CHURCH - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help. Ps 84:8

NUMBERS 24:2-7,15-17 

My Soul's Beloved, 

Even as Adam and Eve fell from grace, God who so loved us, His flawed, willfully disobedient, sinful children, already began to reveal the wonderful, incomprehensible, utterly unfathomable thing that He was planning to do sometime in the distant future. He was prepared to go to unimaginable extremes despite what it would cost Him to save us.

The pagan prophet, Balaam, opened his mouth to curse the tribes of Israel as instructed but instead found himself prophesying, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the wonderful new thing that God would do in the distant future to save His children. He spoke of a time when the gates of paradise would open and the Kingdom of God would flourish among us. Life-giving water would flow once more from the Source of all grace and all the virtues would flourish bearing an abundance of good fruit. 

A prophecy spoken a long time ago is fulfilled. God sent You into the world as one like us in all things save sin. You are the hero from the stock of David that saved the entire world. Salvation comes from none other than You, my Lord, and my God. 

A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.

His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’

I see him – but not in the present,
I behold him – but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.

PSALM 25:4-6,7a-9

My Soul's Beloved,

We would not know the Way to the Father were it not for You. We would not know that the narrow path leads to salvation, were it not for You. We would be unaware of what truth is were it not embodied in You, the Son of God, and our Savior and Lord.

You came to show us the Way, You came to reveal the Truth, You came to give us Life in all its abundance. Your Name is the Way, Your Name is Truth, Your Name is Life - all who are called by Your Name are saved. You are the hope of all the nations. The goodness, mercy, and tender compassion of God take away the sins of the world by washing away every trace of personal sin in the life-giving waters of baptism. You plunged into our death in order that we may freely receive new life in You. 

Thank You, Beloved, for Your unequivocal yes to Your Father's plan to save His stubborn, willful, disobedient children and for opening the gates of heaven to us. Thank You for Your Name that saves. Thank You for pointing the way, leading the way, and being the Way that takes us to our Father's house.

MATTHEW 21:23-27

My Soul's Beloved,

Cafeteria Catholics, Christians, and most people of every other faith know the Truth for it is written in the natural law that is inscribed indelibly on all hearts. We know that murder is evil. We know that all human life is sacrosanct and must be protected at all costs, especially the lives of the least and most vulnerable. We know that all life begins at conception and human life above all others must be guaranteed safety and security against all deliberate and willful harm. Human life in the womb is helpless against assault. 

Human duplicity will reign for as long as we refuse our moral responsibility to stand firmly on the side of Truth. Like Pilate, we too will ask disinterestedly, 'What is truth?' even though it stands before us. Instead, like him, we will wash our hands although nothing can wash away the taint of our guilt in our complicit denial of the truth. 

The chief priests and elders in the Temple who questioned You were hypocrites who chose silence rather than answer Your question on authority before You answered theirs. They argued among themselves and decided their best defence was to feign ignorance, so they said, "We do not know."  We too are hypocrites unwilling to stand for truth. We are a morally bankrupt world unwilling to hear the Voice of Authority that says to us, 'Here is the Way, walk in it.'