MEMORIAL OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST & DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come, Lord! Do not delay.
Forgive the sins of your people.

ZEPHANIAH 3:1-2,9-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is no surprise that the days we live in are evil for evil has existed since the fall of a third of the angels and our first parents and Satan will not rest until he drags as many as he can seduce and lure with lies to hell.

The stubbornly deaf and blind who have deliberately stopped up their ears to the truth because they prefer to live defiled lives will bring about their own ruin and will damn themselves eternally. 

But those who repent, who strive for purity of heart will be cleansed by Your Blood and restored to fellowship with God. Yoked to You we will gladly serve You all the days that are allotted to us.

It is the little ones, the humble in heart, the childlike in spirit, the ones who recognize that without You they are nothing, can do nothing, who are beloved of God. But the proud, the haughty, the boastful who are convinced they do not need You, will be crushed, destroyed, and annihilated. Only those who believe in You, the Eternal Word of the Father, will be saved. We are unable to save ourselves but You can and will save all who call on Your Name. All who live in the shelter of Your wings will be unmolested by evil for You Yourself will be our Shepherd and will keep close watch over those who are Yours.  

PSALM 34:2-3,6-7,16,18-19,23 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You will always hear the prayers of those who rely on You for help, those who cling to You in their sorrow, those who trust You to hear and answer and provide all they need. Praise is the sure way to acknowledge God's goodness, His providence, and in praising You the floodgates of grace open and are poured out on us.

The beauty and wonder of living a life of total surrender to You, Lord, is to possess deep within our soul great peace for we know that You hear every cry, every sigh, and answer us and nothing can separate us from Your love.

The unrighteous will be crushed but those who cling to You aware of their poverty spirit and their inability to do anything on their own will have God as their Protector, Defender, Savior, Redeemer, and Friend. You O Lord, are a God who saves all who call on Your Name.

MATTHEW 21:28-32 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's parable is directed at those who only pay lip service to You but are unwilling to actually commit themselves to a life of goodness, holiness, and obedience to Your Word. These are the whited sepulchers who make a great outward show of doing God's will while in fact, they do just the opposite. 

The parable that You narrate to the chief priests and elders of the people illustrates this fact. The father asked both his sons separately to go and work in the vineyard one said no but on reflection did as his father asked. The other glibly said yes but did not. John the Baptist, a righteous man and a prophet of God was rejected by the religious hierarchy of the day. They paid no attention to him when he urged them to prepare for Your coming. However, sinners heard him, believed his message, turned to God, and were saved. This alone should have convinced the religious hierarchy of the power of John's message yet, they still rejected him, and ultimately they rejected You, their Messiah as well. 

Many of us are like the son who said yes to his father but did do as his father asked him to. We are baptized, we have received the Sacraments, we call ourselves Christians, but we only make an outward show of our faith whereas our hearts are unconverted and we are far away from You. To us is directed this warning: I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you, while the ones who are Christian in name only are on a perilous road to destruction.