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.