TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people. MT 4:23

ISAIAH 35:4-7 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

God's way of choosing, loving, raising up, and blessing is contrary in every way to the way the world views and values people. 

You choose the little one, the lowly, the humble, the least and He raises them high. This is why if the world chooses to overlook us, oppress us, ignore us, persecute us we must have courage, we must be unafraid, for You are our warrior who fights our battles for us. You save all who are marked with the Blood of the Lamb without stain or blemish and You crush the enemy on our behalf. You are a God who saves.

The Word of God is all-powerful. God speaks and His will is accomplished. He speaks and the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame jump, leap, and dance for joy, the dumb sing songs of praise to our God who saves.

Raised high above the earth on the standard of the Cross, impaled for love of us, Your Heart was pierced with a lance and living waters gush forth creating sweet, cool, refreshing streams that flow over our tired, arid hearts and bring new life, new vigor, new hope.

PSALM 146:7-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Millenia before the incarnation prophets spoke of You and the
psalmist wrote songs of You foretelling all that God would accomplish for us through the Word made Flesh who would become Emmanuel - God with us. The Christ, the anointed one of God, Jesus - the one who saves, heals, restores, and makes us whole.

They spoke about the faith that would be God's free gift to us. They spoke of Food that would strengthen us with supernatural life so we could combat evil. They foretold that You would bring freedom to all who were imprisoned by sins and shackled by sinful desires.

They assured the little ones that God had not forgotten them. The widow, the orphan, the oppressed, the marginalized, the persecuted, the stranger, the refugee, the ostracised, would be raised above all who used their power to render them invisible because they considered them to be without value.

This is our God who sent His Son into the world in a way that makes us catch our breath in stupefied awe - a little baby, conceived in the womb of a young virgin, born in a stable and laid in a manger. Truly God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. The ways of our Lord are far higher and far more sublime and wondrous than our puny little thoughts and vision.

May we who are called by Your Name be faithful and tireless in establishing Your Kingdom on earth and so begin Your glorious reign that will never end. 

JAMES 2:1-5 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Faith is God's rich, free gift to all who are baptized into Your Body. However, ignorance of You makes it easy for those with power, rank, wealth, and privilege to manipulate us and use us. St. James warns us that as Christians we must never make distinctions between people based on the haves and the have nots. Those of the world do this all the time and even members in the Church who ought to know better are guilty of this and giving rise to scandal and ill-will. 

We are never to make distinctions between people based on what they have, their appearances. When we welcome everyone in Your Name we may have the privilege of welcoming angels.  Let us engrave the words of St. James on our hearts so we will always remember that: It was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.

MARK 7:31-37 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's Gospel speaks to us of Your healing of the deaf man who also had a speech impediment. From the narration of this miracle by the evangelist Mark we learn that:

You took the man aside away from the crowd: You invite us to get away from the crowds and the noise of the world and spend with You alone in prayer. You desire intimacy with us. 

You put your fingers into the man's ears and touched his tongue with spittle: Often You healed with just a word, in this miracle You put Your finger in the man's ears and touch his tongue with spittle. When You touch our ear our ears must be opened to hear Your Word, ponder on it, permit it to touch and heal us. , and we are commanded to speak Your Word with clarity.

You looked up to heaven and sighed. You are loving kind and compassionate, You know our needs and make them known to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Sigh the Holy Spirit into my life, my Lord.

You touched the man's tongue with spittle and he could speak clearly. You then spoke to the man saying, 'Ephphatha', meaning be opened and the miracle occurred. 

The fruit of prayer and intimacy with You is the courage to speak Your Word boldly and with clarity and all who hear us will be astounded by Your goodness, Your power, but above all by Your incomparable, incomprehensible love for sinners.