MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT - 2022

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation. 2 COR 6:2

LEVITICUS 19:1-2,11-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

If only, from the first when Moses uttered these words, Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy, the people of God did all in their power to obey this command, then there would be a natural progression towards complete understanding and docility when You came into the world as the incarnate Son of God to make Your dwelling place among us. So much grief and heartache would not have been their lot. But God permitted it so we could hear the Good News of salvation and be drawn into His covenantal love.

The Ten Commandments were not given to us to pick and choose those that we were willing to keep and discard the rest because they were too hard. They are all to be obeyed and if we did the world would not be in the sorry mess that it is today with nation against nation and division upon division based upon the most trivial and inconsequential of reasons.

The first three commandments are directed to a right relationship with You and the rest to a right relationship with each other. The fruit of obedience in humility to the Commandments is perfect peace and harmony. But what Moses said to the people of God applies to us too, we are a stubborn and stiff-necked people and our world is in shambles. 

It would seem, Beloved, that we are hell-bent on blowing the world entrusted to us to smithereens and we are well on our way to doing it. But You have redeemed the world by the saving power of Your Blood and this is why we can hope that You will save us from our collective madness.

MATTHEW 25:31-46 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

What we hear in today's Gospel about the judgement of the world at Your Second Coming, will take place whether we believe it or not. The Word of God is Truth - You warn us in no uncertain terms what we can expect if we have lived lives that a contrary to the commandment of God. 

We have been warned, we are given time, and we must take You at Your Word for Your Word is true. If we decide not to, we do so at our peril. 

There is a hell. You spoke of it often during Your short ministry on earth and Your Apostles have recorded it. We are warned that if we deliberately, purposefully, willingly turn our face from You and refuse to believe in the Good News, we invite damnation on ourselves. What is hell? It is eternal separation from the God of Love.

Grant O Lord at the time when You separate the sheep from the goats, I will be numbered among the sheep at Your right and I will hear You say to me, 

“Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.” 

But if I want to be invited to stand at Your right, my Lord, then I must remember always that I minister to You when feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and the imprisoned. For You assure me solemnly, “In so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” 

And if we have neglected works of mercy we will hear You say:

“Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 

I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”

You will pass judgment on us and we will receive the punishment for our indifference in hell where the fire does not go out and the worms do not die. Whereas the virtuous will receive eternal life and a share in Your glory.