SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

ROMANS 8:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

In the Sacrament of Baptism, we are grafted into Your Body and we become children of God. As God's children, the Holy Spirit lives in us and helps us to discern the things of the Spirit so that in all things we may be pleasing to God. 

When we give in to the demands of the flesh we sin and we condemn ourselves to death. As children of the Spirit, we must live according to the dictates of the Spirit, not the flesh. The Spirit gives life the flesh death. The more we sin the weaker we become and the more difficult it is to uproot ourselves from the pit of iniquity. 

The sin of Adam condemned us to eternal death but God sent You in our likeness, pure, blameless, without blemish, perfect as only God is perfect, and as the Lamb of Sacrifice, the sins of the whole world were laid on You. You made perfect restitution for our sins because You were like us in all things save sin. You were condemned to death in our place and in exchange, we could share in Your life in the Resurrection.  

Too many in this world prefer a life of the flesh and are given over to the things that are of the flesh. The more we sink into the miry pit of the sins of the flesh the bleaker and more hopeless our lives become. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Anyone who chooses sin chooses death chooses to displease the God of all goodness who is full of compassion, goodness, tenderness, mercy, and love. 

As children of the Light God makes His dwelling place in us through His Spirit and because we are in the Spirit sin and death no longer have dominion over us. God who raised You from the dead has given us a share in Your life in Baptism. 

Thank You, Father, for all You have done for us in Jesus, Your Son. Thank You, Beloved, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit.

PSALM 24:1-6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

As children of God, we must seek His Face which is visible in You always. We cannot cast aside our sins without the help that comes from the Spirit of God. 

The whole of creation was created to give glory to God and we are part of creation, created by the Father to exult in the work of salvation that was accomplished by You on the Cross. We look at the Cross, we look at Your mangled Body nailed to it and we see the price God paid for our iniquities.

All who believe in You, hope in You, and place all their faith and trust in You can approach the Mountain of the Lord with clean hands and pure hearts through the merits that You won for us.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.

Only by grace can we approach You who are holy and this grace is obtained only to those who acknowledge their sins and accept the free gift of salvation that You purchased for us by Your suffering, passion, and death.   

LUKE 13:1-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You are the God of the last chance. Thank You for not treating us as we deserve but according to Your rich graces and mercies that are unending.

All of us are guilty, all are deserving of death, but by Your merits, we are given any number of chances to accept Your invitation and enter into a glorious relationship with God Himself. Thank You for never giving up on me even though I fall any number of times in a day. Thank You for Your patience with me, Help me remember how kind and gracious You are to me always, and grant me the grace to extend the same kindness and graciousness to everyone I encounter each day.

Stay me with Lord, until I breathe my last breath and then take me to Yourself to remain with You forever.