SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:

‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Mt17:5

GENESIS 22:1-2,9-13,15-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved, 

Your word teaches us that our response to God's call must always be, 'Here I am,' just as it was the response of the great patriarchs and prophets Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, and Ananias. There is another thing that we must be certain about after we answer Your call a divine mission will be laid on us, it could be one that entails great suffering, great trials, it involves journeying with You from Gethsamane right though to Golgotha, as Abraham was to discover. But through it all Your Spirit will be with us, You will encourage us, You will be yoked to us. 

Abraham was asked to make the ultimate sacrifice - to slay his son Isaac in obedience to God's will. So great was his faith that he was prepared to give up his most precious and only son, in obedience to God's command. Isaac was a strong young man, he could have overpowered his old dad at any time during the journey to Mt. Moria, but instead, he carried the wood for the sacrifice and lay quiescent as his dad tied him and laid upon the wood to slay him.

The angel stopped Abraham before the knife could strike at the heart of his son, God our Father went through the agony of giving you up into the hands of sinful humanity You were offered up as a holocaust for the sins of the world The Father asked You to make the ultimate sacrifice and in doing so he made the same sacrifice.

My Lord and my God, grant that when suffering comes our way, the little every day crosses, disappointments, trials, temptations, persecutions, that we keep our gaze fixed on you and accept all that you send us for our greater good accepting all for Your sake and glorifying you always in all things. 

PSALM 116:10,15-19

My Soul's Beloved,

Suffering and sorrow are our lot, how we conduct ourselves during these times of trials makes the cross either heavier or easier to bear. We must keep our gaze fixed on You and Your passion will greatly strengthen us as we keep close to You.

Let us always keep strong in our faith that death is not the end of life but the beginning of life anew. We are grafted to You. We are members of Your Body, we are given Your Spirit, and our eternal home is in heaven we are only pilgrims on this earth. All Your faithful servants will live forever with You. 

Keep us faithful to the end, my Lord, so when this life comes to a close, and You receive us in Your Kingdom, the hymn of praise and worship we have begun to sing here on earth will continue as we join our voices to that of all the angels and saints in heaven.

ROMANS 8:31-34 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Even though we know that all flesh must perish we still wish to hold on to the ones we love so well here on earth - a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend. The separation caused by the death of a loved one is the hardest to bear.

Only a strong faith in You and Your word can offer us consolation and hope that death is not the end but only the beginning and in the end as sickness, old age etc. calls us one by one to our eternal home, we can be certain of this, that they are not lost to us forever. We will meet again. It is far better to die in the Lord than to live and die an eternal death.

The Father did not spare You great suffering and death for our sakes and for You sake, Beloved, He will gladly give us a share in Your inheritance. 

We believe, my Lord, those who belong to You will remain with You in this life and forever in the life that is to come. No power can ever separate us from You for we are members of Your Body. 

For Your Sake, the Father will hear all our prayers and grant us all we desire, when we ask in Your Name. Who can dare condemn the children of God who are bathed in Your Blood, and have received Your Holy Spirit? Thank You for being our most powerful intercessor before the Father.

MARK 9:2-10 ©   

My Soul's Beloved,

Often we do not understand the things of heaven and are overcome with fear just as Peter, James, and John were at Your transfiguration. 

The veil of Your humanity was briefly lifted so they could behold You in Your glorious divinity. They needed to be strengthened by this vision of heavenly things before they witnessed You given up into the hands of evil.

They saw You conversing with Elijah and Moses and Peter was so overcome with awe, wonder, as well as fear. He did not understand what the glorious vision they were privileged to witness meant and said, 'Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ It is a most human desire to hold on to the good things of life and to seek escape from suffering, pain, sickness, sorrow, sadness, and death. Yet these are inescapable facts of life. 

A cloud came over You and Your heavenly visitors, and the voice of Your Father was heard saying, 'This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ If we are to live in perfect joy and peace, we are to be attentive to Your voice, the voice of God, the voice of Your Holy Spirit. 

You took the three disciples closest to You up the mountain where God meets us and down the mountain as well. We cannot hold on selfishly to our faith and keep ourselves aloof from our brothers and sisters. We have a divine mission to share what we have received with those around us. 

You commanded the three disciples not to speak to anyone of what they had just witnessed. They were to speak of it only after Your glorious resurrection. And they did. Truly human You died and wholly divine, You rose from the dead, and as heirs to the Kingdom, we too can look forward to a share in Your glory.

FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. EZK18:31

EZEKIEL 18:21-28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We have examples of great sinners like St. Mary Magdalene and St. Augustine who became great saints. We thank You for the confidence we can have in God that no matter how gravely and how often we have sinned, when we approach You in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, You will wash us whiter than snow.

Thank You also for reminding us that if a good and holy person strays from the path of purity and commits evil then he will be judged and punished for the evil done irrespective of all the good of the past. Sinners can be saints but there is no hope for saints who fall into the hands of Satan unless they repent and ask Your forgiveness. 

You are just as well as holy and all Your ways are just. This is why no one can sin with impunity presuming that Your love will save them. We must all make the choice to be holy and perfect just as You are holy and perfect. You promise to provide all the help we need if we ask for it and You will be with us every step of the way. Without true contrition, without approaching You in the Sacrament of Confession, we cannot be absolved of our sins. You instituted this Sacrament for us to receive as often as we need it and You will never tire of forgiving us because You desire that all God's children be saved.

PSALM 130 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You hear every cry even when it is in silence. The cry from the depths of a soul in anguish and sorrow for having wounded the Heart of our God will always be heard and the repentant sinner can be confident that You will forgive. 

Truly, Lord, we are grateful that You instituted this healing Sacrament that brings comfort and consolation to sinners. There is always hope for us no matter how far we have strayed from the path of righteousness. You constantly provide us with opportunities to approach You for You do not desire even one of the least of Your little ones to be lost. 

Your holy Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The repentant sinner will always find a welcoming embrace in the arms of our Father who waits with His arms wide open. For Your sake, He will not withhold His mercy to the sinner who falls prostrate before Him in humility and begs to be forgiven. 

May we use every opportunity of grace for the time of Your mercy will cease the moment we leave this world and stand before You as our Judge. Now is the time to repent, to confess, and to be reconciled.

MATTHEW 5:20-26 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.' 

We have all been hypocrites at one time or another. Too often we have girded ourselves daintily with a garb of conceit veiled in self-righteousness fooling no one but ourselves. 

Let us pay attention to Your stern warning today - without humility, without self-abnegation, without charity, without mercy, nothing we do will ever be pleasing to You. 

We are not exonerated when the poorest of the poor, the marginalized, the weakest among us have been victimized, used, abused, and discarded. Our lack of moral courage has played a part in rendering them invisible. To the extent that our apathy and indifference have contributed to their suffering, we are culpable.   

You have warned us in no uncertain terms that there is a hell, eternal damnation, and eternal punishment. If we refuse to believe we do so at our own peril. While there is yet time let us make amends, let us acknowledge our sins, let us bow in humility, and confess that we have sinned and beg Your forgiveness, mercy, and pardon. A humble, contrite heart, You will not spurn. Now is the acceptable time to reconcile with You and with our brothers and sisters lest we be cast from Your Presence until we have paid all that justice demands. 

(Memorial of Blessed Rani Maria, Virgin, Martyr) THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help. PS 50:12,14

ESTHER 4:17 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

There are times in the history of the world and in our lives as well when all seems desperate, all seems lost, our troubles seem insurmountable, and we are helpless in the face of the Enemy. Today we learn from Queen Esther how to approach God in prayer. 

Our help comes from You O Lord. There is no difficulty, no evil, nothing in this life that is not under Your authority, influence, or power, no matter how contrary it may appear to our limited vision.

You are God, there is no other. You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and Ruler of the universe. We live in very dark times much like the dark days of trouble that Esther and the Jews in exile experienced, yet, they never forgot that they were God's chosen people despite all the persecution and oppression they suffered. Our God saves.

It is in the very moment when we admit our complete helplessness and acknowledge that we are unable to save or help ourselves that You command Your angels to minister to us.

Armies may line up against us, the foe may charge at us, the war may rage around us, but we are invincible. You are our Warrior, our Stronghold, our Deliverer. The victory is won, You have conquered, and we are no longer strangers and foreigners but citizens of the new Jerusalem in the City of God.

PSALM 138:1-3,7-8 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

This psalm celebrates our confidence in You for You never forsake those who are called by His Name. I thank You for the gift of faith. 

I thank You for the joy of knowing that I can never fully either in this life or the life to come, know the extent of the inexhaustible riches that come from loving you, belonging to you, and being drawn into Your divine life. 

Eternity will not exhaust the unsearchable, unfathomable, wonders of our infinite God. This great adventure of living a life of grace with You in this life continues in eternity. How good it is to know You, to love you, to walk with You, to discover the riches and depths of Your beauty, your goodness,  the wonder that is You, and to never reach the end.

My Lord and my God may I never lose my soul to sin, may I never be separated from You, may I cling to You and depend on You always to keep me safe. I am weak, I am frail, I am easily tempted and fall often. Be merciful to me O Lord a sinner and hide me in your heart so I may never stray from You ever again 

You stretch out your hand and save me,

your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.

MATTHEW 7:7-12 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are constantly asking for favors. Most of the prayers that rise up to the throne of God's infinite grace and mercy are prayers of petition, prayers of intercession, an interminable litany of 'give me, give me give me.' Thank You for Your assurance today that God our Father never tires of this childish way of approaching Him and will gladly give us all that we need. However, You have taught us how we ought to pray. The Our Father puts our entire approach to prayer in the right perspective.  

Thank You also for reminding us not to lose our childlike simplicity in running to our Daddy God with our slightest need confident that He will gladly give it to us if it is not detrimental to our soul.

The last verse is a solemn reminder to us that we ought to treat one another as we ourselves want them to treat us. If we kept the two great commandments then we will be unfailingly good, kind, loving, respectful, courteous, and generous with everyone we meet each day. Love for God and love for our neighbor are non-negotiable in God's sight.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion. JL 2:12-13

JONAH 3:1-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

How consoling it is to know that the repentant sinner, the contrite and humble heart, no matter how many and how grievous the sins can always count on Your mercy and forgiveness. 

All the baptized have received the mandate to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. The consoling fact is that even if we fail to do so at first, like Jonah, You will keep asking until we comply. This is a necessary mission we ignore at our own risk. 

Too often we think that we cannot do much but this is because we are looking at our own meagre resources, our poverty of spirit, we focus on our own inadequacies. All You ask of us is faith, obedience, and humility, we can safely leave the outcome to You, for that does not concern us. All that is necessary is for us to get up, go, and do as You ask. Who can know what great things You accomplish through willing and obedient servants? The king of the great city of Nineveh called upon all his people including his cattle to fast and repent for three whole days and the entire city was saved from destruction because Jonah obeyed God's command. 

PSALM 51:3-4,12-13,18-19 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The greatest sinner who repents can experience God's unconditional love, mercy, and forgiveness. King David's conscience had first to be awakened to the grave sins he had committed of adultery and murder, but once he admitted his guilt and repented with all his heart You washed away his iniquity and took away his guilt. 

The same is true for each one of us, however, the very first step towards reconciliation is to acknowledge that we have sinned. We cannot make excuses for our lapses in immorality, we cannot make light of our sins for they bring death and sever our relationship with You who are the source of our life.

You forgive us time and time again and yet we foolishly expose ourselves to situations that guarantee our fall into sin, but each time we come to You in humility, with a contrite heart, and beg for mercy You give it readily and not only do You forgive You forget.

My Lord, and my God, grant me this grace, never to take Your love for granted, not to sin with impunity, to strengthen my resolve to avoid the near occasion of sin. I make the prayer of David my own, today:

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

No good work, no amount of prayer and sacrifice, will be pleasing to You if I do not first beg forgiveness for all the ways in which I have transgressed Your law of love. Help me to have a childlike spirit that is never afraid to run to You and beg You to forgive. A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

LUKE 11:29-32 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

St. Luke tells us that as more and more people came to know You the larger the crowds grew to hear You preach, teach, and to witness Your power to heal body, mind, soul, and spirit. Yet there were many who rejected You as well. They were jealous of You, envious of the multitudes that clamoured around You wherever You went, and they questioned You relentlessly hoping to expose and discredit You. 

There were only a small number of people in the crowd pressing around You who were genuinely seeking the truth, the rest were hoping to witness a miracle, among them were the Pharisees. Addressing these You point out that the only sign they would receive was that of Jonah - the three days that he remained in the belly of the whale representing the three days You were buried in the earth before Your glorious resurrection, which is the greatest sign of all. At Jonah's preaching, the Ninevites believed, repented, and were saved. But the Jews rejected You despite all the miraculous signs.

The Queen of Sheba travelled a great distance just to hear the acclaimed wisdom of Solomon but the incarnate Son of God, Wisdom incarnate, was rejected You even among them was something infinitely greater than Solomon in their midst.

In our generation, those among us who know You but continue to reject You as the people of Israel, did will be held to greater accountability than they, for to us You have revealed the truths of the Kingdom of God. 

TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. MT 4:4

ISAIAH 55:10-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Remember what I say to you today, engrave it on your heart and recall it often especially when you are feeling despondent and anxious. Never forget that I love you, I care for you as I do for the whole of creation. Created in love I watch over each one of My creatures. I provide all that is necessary for you to thrive and grow. Just as the rain and the snow fall upon the earth and soak into the earth, so do My blessings and graces rain on all My children. I AM the Eternal Word of My Father, I repose in His repose - He has but one Word and this Word He sent into the world. Buried deep into the earth,     I rose three days later and in My resurrection, I raise up the whole world to new and glorious life in Me.

All that My Father willed Me to accomplish, is accomplished - remember what I said as I hung between heaven and earth? - It is finished. Let these words console and encourage you.

PSALM 34:4-7,16-19 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I thank You for creating me so I, together with all of creation can glorify You, praise and worship You, and give You thanks for You are an awesome God. You are worthy of adoration and love. I am my best self when my will is aligned to Yours and I accept all that You give me with a grateful heart. 

Thank You for always answering my prayers. Thank You for breaking the chains that enslaved me and help me captive. Thank You for taking me by the hand and leading me to the place that God has prepared for me from all eternity.

Thank You, for the gift of Yourself to me in the Holy Eucharist, thank You for being available to me in the Adoration Chapel where I can behold the radiance of Your countenance and be filled with Your light and life. Thank You that You make no distinction between the rich, and powerful, and the poor and lowly - all are equal in You loving and holy sight.

Let us not grow impatient, anxious, and distressed when we see the wicked prosper, rather, let us pray for their conversion and entrust them into Your holy hands to do with them what You will. As for us let us keep our gaze fixed on you. You are our salvation and those who are grafted to You will never do so in vain, Thank You! 

MATTHEW 6:7-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is good to pray often the beautiful prayer You taught us. These words issued forth from You divine lips and they are taught to us by One intimately united with God, for You are God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father. 

It is a complete prayer and is taught to us by One who not only understands the human condition well but knows the One to whom the prayer is addressed. It encompasses all that we ought to pray for, beginning with how we are to approach the Holy One, the all-powerful one, the almighty God, the One who is, who was, and ever will be - the everlasting God.

When we think of who God is, Beloved, we tremble as Moses and all the great patriarchs and prophets did in His presence, but You changed all that when You taught us to address Him as Papa, Abba, Dad. From this opening address, we know that we can run to Him as a child runs into the arms of a loving father who cares for His little one. 

Finally, never let us forget that You desire us to forgive one another from the heart no matter how grievously we have been betrayed, wounded, or how cruelly we have been hurt - it is not impossible, You showed us how it is done when You hung between heaven and earth. Thank You.

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! MT 4:4

GENESIS 9:8-15 

My Soul's Beloved,

Over and over again God reaches out to us, His ungrateful creatures, and establishes Covenants with us sinners, and over and over again we have gone against Him and broken each one of them.

When Noah, and his family, along with all the creatures he had taken in the ark at God's command, came out of it and on to dry ground, He spoke to Noah and his sons saying, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’

God does not desire the death of the creatures He created and loves. It is we who willfully disobey our great God. In order to assure Noah and his descendants for all time, He placed a sign of another Covenant in place of all the ones we had broken, saying, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.' 

Each time we see a rainbow in the clouds we are reminded of God's faithfulness and our unfaithfulness. How often He must have stayed His hand in wiping us off the face of the earth when the stench of our iniquities was unbearable. 

Our loving God, in order to stop Himself from ever destroying us gave us a new sign, an indestructible, an everlasting sign, a permanent sign that nothing we do no matter how egregious, would or could sever our bond with Him. He gave us You, His only, beloved Son, and He gave us the Sign of the Cross. You, my Beloved, are the Sign of the New and eternal Covenant that God makes with us for all eternity. Thank You.   

PSALM 25:4-6,7b-9 

My Soul's Beloved,

All who desire to enter heaven are welcome. The way is not hidden, it is not obscure, it is not uncertain, but clear, unmistakable, visible, and everyone is invited to walk in it. You Yourself are our teacher and our guide. You have not only walked the Way but You are the Way.

So how do we know Your ways, Beloved, we have Your Word,  Your Holy Spirit, and Your Church to teach and guide us. 

Your mercies O Lord are inexhaustible as is Your love. You never tire of standing before Your Father interceding for us sinners. Your wounds are a reminder of what it cost both Him and You to redeem us. May we never take for granted Your horrific crucifixion. You suffered unimaginable agony in Your passion that culminated in Your being nailed to the Cross. There You hung for three long, agonizing hours in torment until You bled and died and with Your final breath commended Your Spirit to Your Father. 

Let us never for an instant forget that we cannot attain salvation without You. We cannot be pleasing to the Father if we do not strive to be like You. Grant that we keep on the right path no matter how difficult, rough, and narrow it may get. May You remain ever before us and in us and may we always be docile to the promptings of Your Holy Spirit as long as we live.

1 PETER 3:18-22

My Soul's Beloved,

We will never fathom God's love. He had no reason to save us and not at the price that He did. We certainly are not worth it. At any time He could have tossed us out as a bad bargain and started over again or not at all if He so wished. God does not need us. We certainly add nothing to His glory, and we can take nothing away from it. He is who He is.

This is why we must NEVER FORGET the price that was paid to ransom us from the clutches of Satan.

Innocence took on guilt, Life took on death, Goodness, Holiness, and Purity took on the overwhelming weight of the sins of the world and was crushed by them like grapes crushed in the winepress, like wheat ground in the millstone.

We live because death and the grave could not hold You. Paying our ransom to Death by becoming like us and drinking the cup of suffering to its dregs. You defeated death on our behalf and saved us. 

St. Peter tells us that the floodwaters on which Noah's ark floated, are a type of baptism that saves us now for it has the power to wash away original sin and restore a right relationship with God. Seated at God's right hand in heaven, all power, all rule, all authority is given to You. We enter heaven only through You for You are the gate by which we are permitted into the Kingdom of God.

MARK 1:12-15 

My Soul's Beloved,

God permits us to be tempted in order to strengthen us in virtue. You were not preserved from it and neither can we. The angels too were given a one-time choice either for or against God and Lucifer along with a third of the angels who rebelled were thrown down from heaven. 

Temptations are a necessary touchstone through which the quality of our faith is tested. We are able to gauge how strong or weak we are only when we battle them and either conquer or give in. 

You show us how it is done. Immediately after You were baptized in the Jordan, the Spirit drove You out into the desert, and there You remained fasting from food and drink for forty days. We too need to fast if we are to discipline and conquer the flesh.

You were able to vanquish Satan because You spent the entire time in the desert praying and fasting. He retreated defeated for while. The more we distance ourselves from the world the easier it is to draw nearer to You, drawing strength from You to resist temptation. 

All who stand firm in the face of evil can expect persecution and suffering. Now is the time to declare our faith, to witness to it, to press on in it, and we will be given the grace to endure to the end. The world needs the Good News from God that You came into the world to reveal - this is the moment, ‘The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’

SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man

– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

ISAIAH 58:9-14 

My Soul's Beloved,

The prophet Isaiah reveals how we can live in heaven while still on earth. While none of what he recommends is possible on our own, all is possible with the help of grace and the aid of Your Spirit. We can rid ourselves of the yoke of sin, anger and greed, selfishness and violence, pride and lust and replace each vice with its corresponding virtue. When we do we will find an oasis of peace in the midst of turmoil, and light in the darkness. 

You have shown us the way, grant us the resolve to walk in it. You are the Prince of Peace, and You have left Your peace with us. We are given the commandments the greatest of which is love for God and the next which is love for neighbor. When we keep these faithfully we will be peacemakers and breach-menders, and as Your disciples work to establish Your Kingdom in our midst.

We are weary of our sinful pastimes, that draw us away from You and bring us only discouragement, anxiety, heartache, and dissatisfaction. Grant us the grace to keep the commandments faithfully and we will find life delightful instead of burdensome. Keep us from using our tongue to curse instead of bless, to raise up and build rather than to tear down and destroy. Lead us on the narrow, difficult, but straight path that leads to our inheritance in the Kingdom of God. 

PSALM 86:1-6 

My Soul's Beloved,

It is only when I realize that I am nothing and possess nothing without You, and turn to You for help that I will know that I am needy and all I need is You to be happy. Keep me safe in Your love.

Turn Your Face to me Lord, hear my cry and answer me. Come to my aid as You have always done in the past and give me joy  as I lift up my whole being in praise of You, my Lord and my God.

Thank You for not keeping an account of my offences. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Thank You for Your ear that is always pressed against my lips and for answering even before I complete my prayer.

LUKE 5:27-32 

My Soul's Beloved,

Too often we forget that You came for sinners. To reveal to sinners that all is not lost that we can begin anew. We can be born again in You and receive Your life in abundance.

Levi, the tax collector was considered scum by fellow Jews as well as the Romans. Jews avoided them, hated them and considered them unclean. Not You. You noticed him and You spoke to him, all it took for him to be transformed into a new creation was Your invitation addressed to him personally, 'Follow me.' Just two little words and that was enough. Without a backward glance, grateful to be noticed by You whom he knew by Your reputation which had spread all over Israel, whom he never imagined would wish him to be a disciple, and an Apostle no less, left everything behind and followed You with gladly. 

In his great joy he held a great reception in his house in Your honor, inviting family, friends, and a large number of tax collectors. You were happy to accept and to fellowship with them. This is why You came into the world, for sinners, not the righteous.

There will always be in our midst, those holier than thou folk, who pridefully believe themselves better than those they consider to be sinners. Sadly they are the ones most in need of a Savior although they do not know it. To them You say, as You did to the Pharisees and Scribes who complained, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

I acknowledge O Lord, that I am a sinner, and I need You. Thank You for coming into the world and for dying willingly for me so I may live. 

FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READING 

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and that the Lord God of hosts may really be with you. AMOS 5:14

ISAIAH 58:1-9

My Soul's Beloved,

Today, the prophet invites us to declare aloud all our sins, our transgression, as long as we hide them they will enter the very marrow of our bones and debilitate us. Grant us the wisdom O Lord, to confess our sins and be cleansed of our wickedness.

The desire for You, Beloved, is embedded deep into every soul. We not only need Your commandments of love, but we also need to keep them. If we ignore Your law of love towards God and neighbor we will be bereft of all joy and peace. 

You will condemn us if our fasts are exterior and superficial designed to disguise the inner rot in our soul. There is no spiritual profit if there is no interior transformation. A fast that does not do violence in disciplining our spirit and our flesh is meaningless.

Without a transformational change of heart, a metanoia, we will not give up our bad habits; our sins will multiply, we will continue oppressing the poor, we will continue being bigots, and wallow in the trough of concupiscence.

If we break God's law with impunity we ought not to be surprised when our prayers remain unanswered. Let us first resolve to set our own spiritual house right before sitting in judgment on others.

Pulling long faces, robing ourselves in black, and sprinkling ash on our heads is hypocrisy if there is no real sorrow for our sins, no proper contrition, or repentance.

What You desire of us is to come to You and beg Your help to break the chains that keep us enslaved and yoked to our baser instincts. Only You can set us free.

Give us a generous heart to share gladly the abundance with which You have blessed us. Give us open hands that are prepared to give without thought of self or worry whether we will have enough for ourselves. As freely as we have received let us give. 

Let us share not only the bread that sustains life but the light of our faith so those who walk in the night of ignorance and error will embrace the light of truth. When we do, You will be pleased with us, accept our fasts, and hear and answer our prayers.

Help us O Lord to live in total submission to Your Spirit only then we will hear You say, 'I AM here.' when we cry out to You. 

PSALM 51:3-6,18-19

My Soul's Beloved,

Without Your mercy, Your benevolence, Your kindness, Your compassion, we would have no hope of being forgiven and freed of our guilt. Only You can wash us, cleanse us, and restore us to a right relationship with You. 

It is foolish to hide my sins from You, a false sense of shame before You is ridiculous, although You hate the evil I have done You never stop loving me. The truth is - no matter how gravely I sin You never cease pursuing and wooing me back to Yourself. 

May I never ever make the grave error of believing my sins too grievous to be forgiven. Satan's greatest lie is to convince me that God will withhold His mercy and forgiveness from me. True, You will not accept my prayers when they come from a sin-hardened, unrepentant heart, but I have Your assurance from the Cross that You do not withhold Your mercy to sinners. 'A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.'

MATTHEW 9:14-15

My Soul's Beloved,

We are living in the age of Your Second Coming. It is a time for the bride, the Church, to wait with an unwavering spirit of expectation and preparedness, ready and alert for her Bridegroom's return. 

Of this, we are assured, You will return, and while we wait we pray, fast, and care for one another in joyful anticipation, for the dawn of Your glorious return to claim us for Yourself eternally. 

‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? It was truly a time of unbelievable grace for Your Apostles, disciples, followers, and all who encountered You. They beheld You face to face, they touched You and were touched by You. They heard You preach, teach, they conversed with You. They ate with You, laughed with You, shared their hopes and dreams with You as You shared the divine vision of Your bride with them. But the time did come when You were taken away, from them. 

The Church waits with intense longing for Your return, and while we wait, we will fast, pray, and strive to love You and one another as You commanded us to. Maranatha! Lord Jesus, Maranatha!

THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. MT 4:17

DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20 

My Soul's Beloved, 

Our entire life is a constant battle between choosing You over self and more often than not, because we are so weak, we choose to indulge our sinful impulses rather than walk the narrow and difficult path that leads to life.

Moses laid out clearly what God's chosen people must do in order to receive the promised inheritance. If they followed God's commandments they were assured of His blessings and they would live a happy and prosperous life. 

The choice is always ours - we can choose blessings or a curse, disaster or success, life or death. The Truth is revealed to us more fully than to Moses. They received the Commandments written by the finger of God, we have received the Eternal Word of God in the Flesh. They behold God in a cloud, we see You face to face, we eat Your Body and drink Your Blood and are sustained by You, the Word of God, and by the Breath of Your Spirit.  

We know the consequences of willful disobedience. If we love You we must keep Your commandments. If we don't we invite death to our soul. We gaze at the Cross and we see You who became a Curse for our sakes so we might receive blessings from God. 

As we enter another season of Lent we are given the opportunity to choose life or death, blessing or curse, to obey You and cling to You or stray from the path of righteousness. If we are drawn into worshipping and serving false gods we will suffer eternal separation from You. Grant us the courage, the will, and the grace to choose life now and always. 

PSALM 1:1-4,6 

My Soul's Beloved, 

As long as we are alive in this world we have the freedom to choose the path of life and light or the path of darkness and death. God does not force us to love Him. He has shown us the Way, the Truth is revealed, and grace is available if we choose Life. 

The Word of God in Sacred Scripture reveals clearly what we can expect when we choose to walk in Your footsteps - happiness will be our lot. God will delight in us and we will find our delight in Him. Unsurpassed joy is ours when we dwell, meditate, and contemplate God's Word.

The deeper we are rooted in You the more fruitful we will become. The more we love You the less will we desire the company of those who offend You. Having placed all our trust in You we will be youthful in spirit and joyful in hope. All we do will be inspired by Your Spirit, Your Word, and Your Life and we will strive always to be like You.  

If the whole world chose to be planted beside the streams of lifegiving water flowing the throne of God we would soon discover the Kingdom of God in our midst. May this Lenten season cause us to draw ever closer to You and hasten the time of Your return. Amen.

LUKE 9:22-25

My Soul's Beloved,

We are living in an age where people will do anything to avoid suffering. They indulge in every excess in order to blunt the edge of sorrow to the ruin of their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. 

You came to show us the Way to eternal life, You did not just point to it You are the Way but only a few choose it for it is narrow, rough, and difficult.

You describe the destiny of the Son of Man with words that are anathema to those who are of the world - grievous suffering, rejection, and death. We are prepared to do anything, pay any price to avoid it. Disdaining the cross, the vast majority miss the promise that comes after the suffering, the rejection, and the death that follows martyrdom. The promise is that we will be raised to new life and will share in Your resurrection.  

Today, the second day in Lent, You extend the invitation once again to all who wish to be Your disciples. ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.' The paradox of the cross is this -  'For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it.' 

In a world where the vast majority has made getting, spending, wasting, consuming, acquiring, and discarding their sole purpose in life, they will discover too late, that they have lost their soul forever. 

ASH WEDNESDAY - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord. PS 94:8

JOEL 2:12-18

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for this time of refreshment granted to us by the Church, the season of Lent, a time to turn our gaze to the Cross and contemplate the work of our salvation You wrought on it.

May we use this time to appreciate God's goodness in giving us so wonderful a Savior. You took our iniquities, You bore our guilt. On You was laid a punishment that was ours. Grant us the grace to return to You with our whole heart, to realize that the sins of each of us individually and collectively were borne by You. 

Mine the guilt, mine the punishment, mine the suffering You bore in my stead. You spared me from eternal death. May my fasting, almsgiving, and penance offered from a heart truly repentant and broken with sorrow find favor in Your sight.  

Thank You for Your tenderness, compassion, and Your graciousness in not keeping a record of my iniquities. Grant me the grace to appreciate the price paid for me on Calvary so I never cease to offer You a heart always overflowing with praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving all the days that may be granted to me.

PSALM 51:3-6,12-14,17

My Soul's Beloved,

The very first step towards repentance is to acknowledge our sins and our transgressions, to be truly sorry for having offended You, after which follows all the other steps that complete our reconciliation. To confess the sins we have committed, to resolve with Your help to sin no more, do the penance given to us. You, in turn, will blot out our offences, wash away our guilt, cleanse us from our sin and restore us once again as members of God's family. 

It is foolish for us to hide our sins from You for they are all known to You. Rather, give us a childlike simplicity to trust You to forgive us when we return to You as the prodigal son did.  May we never make light of our sins, for any sin against our neighbour You consider as a sin committed against You. 

Only You can create a pure heart in me and give me a steadfast spirit that does not fall as soon as I am tempted. Keep me in the shadow of Your love and under Your protection so evil will not come near me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I will always have Him as my Guide.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:20-6:2

My Soul's Beloved,

We cannot sin with impunity and expect God to make light of our wickedness, too great a price was paid for our salvation. God Himself became incarnate in order to become the Lamb of Sacrifice. From the moment You were conceived until You breathed Your last breath and commended Your Spirit to the Father, Your earthly existence was one of intense longing to complete the work of salvation, for which You were sent into the world, and to return to Your Father. 

St. Paul tells us that being ransomed and delivered from the Enemy we are now Your ambassadors. We must proclaim the Good News that the Son of God, the sinless one, became sin for our sake so they, in turn, might receive the goodness of God.  

We have received a divine mandate as members of Your Body, to make disciples of all nations so all may come to the knowledge of truth and be saved. God desires that not a single soul be lost and to us is given the mission to ensure that many come to believe in You through our witness and testimony. Today is the day to preach and teach God's Word by our lives. Today is the day of salvation and tomorrow will be the day of judgment - the favorable time of our salvation is now.

MATTHEW 6:1-6,16-18

My Soul's Beloved,

The more we parade our piety and good works before the world in order to win praise and honor the less merit they have in Your eyes. The praise of the world will be our sole reward.

The Pharisees made a great show of publicly giving large sums of money in alms in public. They prayed aloud telling God how good they were and how faithful in keeping to the smallest detail the letter of the law. Everyone knew when they were fasting for they made sure that it was evident to all.

All these forms of praying, almsgiving, and fasting are displeasing to God, and find no favor with Him. Instead, You teach us how we ought to pray, fast, and give alms. All must be done in secret so no one but God sees and God who knows all we have done in secret will reward us.

Far better to be rewarded by You than to be heaped with every praise and honor the world can give. 

TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him. JN14:23

GENESIS 6:5-8,7:1-5,10

My Soul's Beloved,

Every now and then we are grief-stricken and cut to the heart when we read the Word of God. Today's first reading is an example of this: The Lord regretted having made man on the earth, and his heart grieved.

As the number of men and women multiplied so did the multiplication of their sins. The effects of original sin rendered humanity so weak that concupiscence dominated the spirit and enslaved them. The further they sank into depravity the further they distanced themselves from God until He would have no more of it and vowed, ‘I will rid the earth’s face of man, my own creation,’ the Lord said ‘and of animals also, reptiles too, and the birds of heaven; for I regret having made them.’ 

Too often we forget that God is sovereign over us and over creation. As easily as He created us He can just as easily sweep His hand across the world and send us into oblivion. And while He is a God of justice He is also a God of mercy and compassion and will not destroy the good with the wicked. One man, Noah, found favor with God and for his sake, God would start over with him and his family.

Noah is an archetype of You, Beloved, and the ark that he was commanded to build is the archetype of the Church You founded. Within that Church all who are cleansed by the waters of Baptism and embrace the fullness of Truth are welcome. The unclean too who are willing to believe are welcome to enter the ark of the Church. All who do have the responsibility to propagate the Truth and spread the Good News, for they are the remnant of God. 

To the Church, You have given this assurance, 'You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.' No matter how high the waters of the flood of evil rises to destroy all who are given over to it, the Ark of the Church will rise above it and all within her will be safe. 

Noah did all that the Lord ordered and so did You, Beloved, accomplishing perfectly all that the Father ordered and this is why no one is saved except through You. 

PSALM 29:1-4,9-10 

My Soul's Beloved,

Peace is Your gift to those who desire it, it is not the peace that the world promises which is hollow and ephemeral, Yours is an everlasting peace that nothing and no one can steal. This is why those who are called by Your Name and belong to the family of God offer unending adoration, worship, thanksgiving, praise, and glory to the power of Your holy Name. 

Though the terrors of the night threaten us, though the immensity of evil in the world surrounds us, God's Eternal Word thunders across the universe and keeps evil at bay. His children are safe by the power of His Word and the Breath of His Spirit.

Ceaseless praise rises up to the throne of Glory, filling the highest heavens with its fragrance. It is a Sacrifice offered by all God's people, from the rising of the sun to its setting - it is the only acceptable and worthy. It is the Sacrifice of Calvary offered by You, the Son of God, who is Lord and the King of Glory and is now seated at the right hand of the Father forever and forever, Amen.

MARK 8:14-21

My Soul's Beloved,

Nothing is as abhorrent to You as hypocrisy, all the seven deadly sins are at its core cunningly concealed in a veil of duplicity. This is why You gave this warning to the disciples,  ‘Keep your eyes open; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ 

The fact that the disciples were unable to grasp what You meant indicates that they were really simple people who thought perhaps You were commenting on the fact that they had forgotten to carry any food with them.

You knew they hadn't understood.  Using their lack of perception in order to fix in their minds Your divine power that made it possible to perform these wonderful miracles and to open their minds to comprehend divine things.  

Similarly, we need the Holy Spirit to open our minds, our eyes, and our ears in order to hear the Word and discern its meaning. We need the wisdom of God to understand the words and the works of God.