Monday, September 13, 2021

MEMORIAL OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, BISHOP & DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life. JN 3:16

1 TIMOTHY 2:1-8 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are one body in You, redeemed by the ransom You paid for the remission of our sins. If we are one in You then we must pray for one another for we are family. St. Paul reminds us also that it is imperative to pray for those in authority, those who govern us, so we can live in peace and harmony according to God's law. 

God will receive our prayers of petition, intercession, and thanksgiving as we offer them to You our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. St. Paul also reminds us that there is only one intercessor and that is You, the Son of God. However, we are all called to intercede for each other and bring the needs of the whole world to You as we pray for one another and plead their cause before You who alone has the power to save.

Thank You for the Holy Spirit who helps us to live holy lives pleasing to God. He is our peace in the midst of turmoil. He is our calm when terrors threaten to overwhelm us. With God at our side, we are more than invincible as long as we know that we are dependent on You for everything. May we always carry the burdens of those that suffer and plead their cause before You for nothing pleases You than we love one another as You have loved us. 

PSALM 28:2,7-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Through the day I cry out to You for help not only for myself but for those I love who are hurting, who are far away from Your love, those who, because their faith is like a flickering wick and a bruised reed, and You will not fail to hear my cry and hasten to help for You are our salvation and our joy. You desire that all of us be saved.

Lord, if You were not beside me to fight my battles for me, if You did not put Your protective armor around me to shield me from the Enemy I would have perished long ago. But You help me always and I am strengthened by Your never-failing love and powerful protection. Your love for me puts a song in my heart and praise on my lips, mighty God.

Thank You for Your assurance that those who are too weak You will carry on Your shoulders. Thank You for being My resting place when the world gets too much for me. Thank You for Your loving-kindness, compassion, tenderness, and for understanding all the ways in which I am weak and frail. Thank You for doing battle on my behalf and for winning the victory for me.

LUKE 7:1-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

This centurion was a Roman but so different from those who cruelly oppressed the people of Israel this is why the Jewish elders came to plead his cause to You. They made known to You the reasons why You ought to listen to his plea and heal this servant of his whom he cared very much and was so ill they feared he would die. The centurion, they said, deserves this help because not only has he helped them but even built a synagogue for them. Here we see an example of how we are to make intercession for others, how we ought to approach You with the petitions of those who ask us to pray, and how we are to plead their cause. Not because You do not know what they need, but because we ought to have empathy for each other, this is pleasing to You, that we care for each other.

The centurion was a man of authority who commanded those under him and they obeyed him promptly and without question. When his Jewish friends banded together to pleased his cause, they assured him that You had the power to perform miracles. He believed them. When he knew that You were on Your way to his home to heal his servant, he sent his friends to convey such an astonishing message to You, that You commended him for his remarkable faith. He was a foreigner yet, he believed in You while so many of Your compatriots didn't. His message said,

‘Sir, do not put yourself to trouble; because I am not worthy to have you under my roof; and for this same reason I did not presume to come to you myself; but give the word and let my servant be cured. For I am under authority myself, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man: Go, and he goes; to another: Come here, and he comes; to my servant: Do this, and he does it.’ 

When the centurion's messengers returned they found the servant in perfect health. 

To this day, and until You return in glory, at every celebration of Holy Mass, from the rising of the sun to its setting, all the faithful will repeat his words that revealed not only his humility but his great faith in You and must reflect ours as well, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”  

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