TUESDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

GENESIS 13:2,5-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

When our gaze is dominated merely by our senses we are unable to discern truths invisible to the flesh - and so it was with Lot.

Abram was a man with a large heart and a generous spirit whose faith in God directed his footsteps. Recognizing that the land they lived on could not support his nephew Lot's needs and his without leading to real conflict and destroying their relationship he decides that it would be wiser for them to live separately. 

Rather than picking the best land for himself, being the elder of the two, he gives Lot the first choice. Lot, seizing the advantage looks around and feasting his eyes on the fertile plain of the Jordan chose it for himself and moved away from Abram to settle there.

Making the right choice often requires us to discern God's will for us. The one that is most pleasing to us may not necessarily be the right one. Lot did not look beyond what his senses perceived and chose to live in the vicinity of a place that was notoriously evil. It is a mistake we too are prone to make to our ruin.

Abram, after being parted from his nephew, heard the voice of God renewing the covenant He had made with him: 

‘Look all round from where you are towards the north and the south, towards the east and the west. All the land within sight I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants like the dust on the ground: when men succeed in counting the specks of dust on the ground, then they will be able to count your descendants! Come, travel through the length and breadth of the land, for I mean to give it to you.’

Beloved, when we are attuned to the Holy Spirit our lives will be centered on and anchored to Your Word, we will obey God in all things, we will walk in His Presence overshadowed by Your Spirit of Truth and we will live God's grace all the days of our lives. 

PSALM 15:2-5 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Those who are ignorant of Your Word are condemned to walk in ways that are abhorrent to God. Nothing is hidden from those who seek the Light. Truth shines from the mountain top as a beacon to the world's weary inviting all to come into its warmth. 

The sad fact is that people are unwilling to seek the Light. They prefer the known and familiar bleakness of their lives fearing what they will be asked to give up. The beggar would rather fill his belly with scraps rather than leave the certainty of receiving them from the waste bins rather than make the journey to the place where a great banquet awaits all who desire to feast freely on the best of fare.

What is required of those who wish to walk with You, talk with You, dine with You, live with You, and love and be loved by You?  The psalmist's answer is clear, it is what every human heart longs for - justice and truth.

We receive what we give. All who desire to live serenely must first know You it is only by knowing You that we will experience the joy of discovering that we have been known and loved by You before You laid the foundations of the world.

Once we discover this truth then our only response is to love You ardently in return. Grant us a burning desire to please You in all things. May we endeavor to align our lives with Your will. May we abhor sin as much as You do. May our greatest fear born out of our great love for You be never to do anything that would displease or wound You so we will be privileged to be counted among the just who live in Your Presence always.

MATTHEW 7:6,12-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's Gospel passage reminds us that anyone who is steeped in the world and its culture is unworthy of the treasures of the Kingdom of God for they do not know its worth. This is why we must discern what we may share with it. 

To some, no sermon, no passage from Scripture, will be more powerful than the witness of a life that lives out that sermon or that sacred passage in Sacred Scripture. Talk is cheap and often the treasures of God's word are lost when tossed into the muck of unholy lives.

Only those who are willing to embrace the Cross as You did understand the value of redemptive suffering. Only those who live the Gospel truths will know that the ungodly will not profit from it but will commit sacrilege against it instead. There are many in the world who prefer ignorance to the truth because they are riddled with fear of what they will be required to give up.   

Your word to us is clear, we are to treat everyone as we would like to be treated and there is no easy road to the Kingdom of heaven. We can choose the way of the world leading to death or the narrow and difficult way leading to life - there is no middle ground.