TUESDAY OF THE SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain forever.

EXODUS 33:7-11,34:5-9,28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The Catholic Church is the fullness of revealed Truth. All her liturgical actions, her worship, her relationship with You, have their roots in the Old Testament. She invents nothing. Born from Your pierced side on the Cross she is the first fruit of Your redemption.

God gave Moses detailed instructions on how His people were to approach Him, how the priests had to prepare themselves to present His people to God, how every sacrifice offered, and every act of worship should be conducted. God assured Moses that He would be present with them and the Sign of His Presence would be 'the pillar of cloud' and He would descend and speak with Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend. 

The old Tent, the old Temple of God's Presence among His people is still very much visible now in a new and far more tangible way than it was then and will be visible until the end of time. You are truly Emmanuel at every Holy Mass, You repose in our tabernacles in every Catholic Church, and You are worshipped and adored in our adoration chapels all over the world. The world's weary come to You and You speak with us as You spoke with Moses, face to face as with a friend.

My Lord and my God, ever since You created mankind You have desired to show us Your Face and to reveal to us that You are a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness; for thousands he maintains his kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin; yet he lets nothing go unchecked, punishing the father’s fault in the sons and in the grandsons to the third and fourth generation.’ 

Abba Father, I want to thank You once again today with all the fervor of my poor soul for sending us Jesus, Your Son, so we can know definitively, comprehensively, and beyond a shadow of all doubt, that You are Love and that Love was made manifest for all time at the incarnation. In Jesus, Your Son, we obtain forgiveness of sins and are adopted as Your heritage. Thank You!

PSALM 103:6-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Anyone who oppresses the poor ought to tremble with fear for You will ensure that justice will finally be granted to the poor, to widows, and to orphans who too long have been held hostage by the greed of the powerful. 

You are full of compassion, love, and mercy for the weak. All repentant sinners can count on Your forgiveness, healing, and restoration to the family of God.  

We can never be grateful and thankful enough for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this sweet Sacrament where the Mercy of God is tangible, You take away our sins and drown them in the ocean of Your love, never to be recalled or remembered again. A good confession guarantees that every repentant sinner revels in this truth: 

As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him.

MATTHEW 13:36-43 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Let us never forget that the day of reckoning will come upon us all. We will all be called to account for all we have said and done. For our sins of omission and commission. For all the times when our hands have been too short to reach out in love. When we have been silent when a word or a look would have brought healing, reconciliation, comfort, and reassurance. When we failed to listen attentively and with a sympathetic, empathetic ear. When we refused to go where we have been called in order to help another carry a heavy load. 

You see all. You know all. The time will come when we will have to account for all the Good Seed sown which we have not permitted to take root and grow and for all the opportunities we gave the devil to sow seeds of evil allowing it to take root in us. 

What You said to Your disciples then You say to Your disciples today:

 ....at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’