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