Thursday, March 4, 2021

THURSDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance. LK 8:15

JEREMIAH 17:5-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are created by God for God and we are guilty of ingratitude when we turn away from Him and place our faith, hope, and trust in creatures and the things of the world. All human flesh and everything in creation will decay and die. The more we lean on the things of the world the greater will be the void and aridity in our soul for we are made for You and You alone. Our world is filled with lost souls because they are either ignorant of You or they choose to trust the world rather than You.

We are created to cleave to You. A glorious and eternal destiny is ours when we fulfill the purpose for which God created us which is to know Him, love, Him, serve Him and be happy with Him in this life and forever.  All who are grafted to You receive life from Your Holy Spirit. All who receive life from the Holy Spirit bear good fruit in abundance in every season. No matter how difficult life may be, at their core, they enjoy perfect peace. Nothing alarms them because their roots are deeply embedded in You.

Sin entered the world after the fall and deceit and cunning are the legacy impressed upon the human heart by our first parents. Just as they tried to shirk responsibility for their sin so too are we adept at blaming everyone and everything except ourselves for our sins. But You cannot be deceived. You know our deepest secrets, You can pierce through and penetrate our innermost soul and You lay our spirit bare before You. Each will be judged according to their actions and each will be given what they deserve a just reward or a just punishment. Anyone who thinks they can escape Your judgment is a fool.

PSALM 1:1-4,6 © 

My Soul's Beloved,

God has hidden nothing from us, His creatures. He revealed Himself and His perfect love for us in You, His Son, the Incarnate Word. You were sent into the world to show us how to be happy in this life and eternally happy in the life to come. 

You summed up the entire law and the prophets in the two great commandments of love and when we follow them we are guaranteed divine help in all things. The Word of God is food and drink to the one who chooses God for a friend, abides in Him, and has fellowship with Him. 

All who are grafted in You are like the tree that is planted beside the flowing water. Our food and drink are assured for we drink deep from the life-giving streams of grace that flow from the Holy Spirit. The members of Your Body thrive and yield the fruits of the Spirit in every season and they are assured of always being filled with His life-giving gifts.

Our life here is brief and in this short span, we are invited to live a life of holiness and perfection. We are given a mission and all the help and grace necessary to accomplish it. Each of us can freely decide to walk with You or with the world but let us also remember that the choices we make have eternal consequences. There is a heaven and there is a hell and while we are in this mortal body we can choose our final destination - eternal life or eternal death. 

LUKE 16:19-31
© 

My Soul's Beloved,

Today let us pay close attention to the parable You told the Pharisees about the unnamed rich man and Lazarus. One lived in a palace and was so absorbed in himself he did not notice the poor man who lay outside his gate hungry, covered in sores, lacking the strength even to shoo away the dogs who licked his sores.

Both died - Lazarus was carried away by the angels and the rich man was in torment in Hades. Seeing Lazarus in Abraham's bosom he begged him to send Lazarus with water to cool his tongue. Now that their roles are reversed he recalls the name of the man he was oblivious to when he lay outside his gate. 

There is a heaven and a hell and our deeds decide where our final destination will be. Being rich does not condemn us, it is a lack of compassion and indifference to the poor that does. As long as we live there is hope. We can be saved even at the last hour like the good thief. But once we die our destiny is fixed. There will be no mercy for the unrepentant sinner.

As Christians, we are given all we need to make the pilgrim journey safely from this life to the next. If we fail to walk in the way of love we will condemn ourselves to eternal damnation.

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