TUESDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him. JN 14:23

JAMES 1:12-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are called to be most steadfast when our faith is tested by trials and yet that is precisely when most of us fall to pieces. Our faith flees as we give in to imaginary fears and wallow in self-pity.  

Every trial when met with faith in You and Your Word has the power to move mountains but we do not experience this power because our frail faith is unable to withstand testing times. To stand firm in the midst of the storm confident that You are right beside us takes childlike faith and humility which we often lack. Satan is the tempter, not God. You desire that we keep our gaze fixed on You as to have confidence in God our Father who created us and desires that all His children believe in You and be saved.

St. James reminds us that the crown of salvation belongs to those who persevere in faith to the end. Sadly many of us fall by the wayside because at the time when temptations were at their strongest we failed to lean on You and the power of Your Word and gave in.

God our Father has given us every grace and blessing to ensure that all His children are saved. You, Beloved, are the First Born Son of the Living God, and all who believe in You are the first fruits of the gift of eternal life that we receive in and through You. 

PSALM 94:12-15,18-19 ©

My Soul's Beloved, 

We do not have to grope in the darkness in order to find You - God sent You into the world t show us the Way back to the Father's house.

The choice is ours whether or not to believe in You, His Son, whom the Father sent in order to save the world. We can either accept the wisdom of God and humble receive the unfathomable and incomprehensible gift of redemption and salvation or we can reject God's Gift of the incarnation of His Son whom He sent precisely to save fallen humanity.

But those who believe are assured of true bliss and ever-present help in the unsurpassable merits and grace that You won for us on the Cross for You are Emmanuel, God with us always.

MARK 8:14-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

How often You must feel as frustrated with us as You were with the disciples. They were privileged to witness Your power in all the miracles You performed. They heard You preach and teach. They lived with You and followed You closely. One would imagine that they were in a constant state of wonder and awe and had implicit faith in You.

Yet, today we see that this was not the case. When You caution them against the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod they thought that You were commenting on their shortsightedness in not carrying enough bread. Their minds were still carnal and unable to wrap their minds around the fact that God was truly, palpably, and wholly present in their midst. 

You had to remind them of both the miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand with only a few loaves of bread and fish and You asked them to tell You the number of baskets full of scraps of left-overs they collected - and they did.

It is easy to fault the disciples for their lack of faith even though they witnessed Your miraculous power. Yet we are not better. How easily I forget all the miracles in my own life and I moan and groan when troubles come.

Grant O Lord, that when storms arise in my life I recall all Your blessings and favors and trust You to continue to be my Jehovah Jireh.