SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - 2022

LENT 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord. PS 94:8

HOSEA 5:15-6:6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

How is it that we continue to be so stubborn, hard-hearted and repugnant in the face of such tender love pleading with us to return to Him? When did we become satisfied with just going through the motions of worship while our hearts are far from You? How much longer will You tolerate our willful ignorance of You because we are afraid the cost of discipleship is too high and we are quite content living unholy, undisciplined, self-centered lives full of vanity and self-deception? 

All through salvation history we see how God woos His people through blessings and sufferings to get their attention and bring them back to Himself. Our own past teaches us that when we remain close to You we are happy and blessed and when we stray darkness envelops us yet we continue to separate ourselves from You by our sins.

You have done everything to ensure that we are saved, redeemed, sanctified, and blessed so we can reach our heavenly destination safely but we refuse to be led on the narrow path that leads to the Kingdom of God.

Will it take a catastrophe, Beloved, before we will give You our undivided attention? Or will our hearts become softened by Your persistent, tender love that does not give up on us no matter how much we offend You? I know You will never abandon us, Lord, too great a price was paid for our salvation.

What am I to do with you, ---- mine?
This love of yours is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that quickly disappears.
This is why I have torn them to pieces by the prophets,
why I slaughtered them with the words from my mouth,
since what I want is love, not sacrifice;
knowledge of God, not holocausts.

LUKE 18:9-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

This parable reveals how perfectly the penetrating gaze of God pierces through the shallow, self-righteous Pharisees' vainglorious prayer that focuses on himself and that of the tax collector who does not dare to lift his face to God but is aware that he is aware confesses his sins in humility to God.

We live in a world full of Pharisees and tax collectors. The former makes a great spectacle of their piety, their almsgiving, and their virtues so all can see and hear them in all their pomp and circumstance and praise them.  They sit in the front rows and are fawned upon obsequiously, while everyone else who is present becomes faceless and is pushed to the periphery. And the Pharisee delightfully laps it all up as his due. 

Sinners on the other hand who confess their sins aware of their weaknesses, their inability to help themselves without divine assistance, and are filled with contrition are forgiven completely and are given all the graces they need. Peace is Your gift to the repentant sinner who is humble and contrite.