FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who believed
that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. LK 1:45

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The greatest enslavement we experience as long as we are alive in the world is slavery to our passions. All habitual sin holds us in bondage. The more we indulge our weaknesses whether in small things or great we are slaves. We are set free in You, Christ Jesus, Son of the Living God but sin robs us of this freedom that belongs to the children of God. 

When the prophet Zephaniah was inspired to write this canticle of joyous praise for the children of Israel he was not speaking of her natural enemies around her, and there were many, rather he prophesied about a time when the Lord, the King of Israel, would be in the presence of His people. He would crush the real Enemy whose only purpose is to steal, destroy, and murder.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Visitation of Your Mother, the Blessed Virgin, to her cousin Elizabeth at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, for she too was with child. The world had no idea how earth-shattering this encounter was between the new mothers and more importantly the two babes in the womb. Your cousin recognizing God leaped with joy in Your Presence. 

We live our lives in shackles brought about by our fears, anxieties, addictions, our pain, suffering, and all our negative feelings that trigger responses that rob us of peace and joy which are Your gifts to us.

Today, let us allow the words of the prophet to resonate within us and rejoice at what God has done for us, His people. The Church is the New Jerusalem, God dwells in her. You have conquered, You are victorious, You exult over us, the new people of God from every tribe and every nation. 

We are free with the freedom that is conferred on all who believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God, whom the Father sent into the world to reveal to us His exultant and abiding love for us, His children. Amen! Halleluiah!

LUKE 1:39-56 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Every evening at Vespers all priests and religious pray or
sing the Magnificat alone or in community and many lay people in the Church around the world join them, hearts, minds, and voices resound as the people of God echo Mary's glorious hymn of praise to God. 

Today, in a very special way the Church recalls and celebrates in the Liturgy of the Holy Mass, the Visitation of our Blessed Mother to her cousin Elizabeth. Luke records this event in words that paint a vivid and vibrant picture and Church Fathers tell us that he would have got a personal reciting of the event from the very lips of Your Mother, Mary. 

St. Luke gives us a description of the events beginning with the Annunciation as one that reveals Your Mother as a young woman of contemplation and action. She was driven to action in the power of her Spouse, the Holy Spirit. So perfectly was her will in sync with the will of God, even though she often did know the why of His will, she yielded humbly and obediently to it. Her will was aligned to God's in all things so perfectly that it was just one will, the divine will, operating in her at all times from the moment of her conception. She was uniquely, and magnificently designed by the Triune God, and no creature ever created by God rendered Him such perfect praise in all things as Mary, the most sublime of all God's creatures. She mirrored God's perfect image, always. 

Beloved, one has only to read the words of the Magnificat to know that the words that she uttered came from an awestruck heart at the marvel God had wrought in her. She knew that it was God who chose her and raised her up above all His creatures to cooperate with Him and bear in her virginal and immaculate womb, His only Son. She was His vessel, the New Ark of the Covenant consecrated by the Most High to give Flesh to the Eternal Word of God. She made it possible for You to become like us in all things save sin. 

Luke records for all ages the epiphany revealed to both sets of cousins - Elizabeth who was cousin to Mary and the child in her womb who was Your cousin. By the power of the Holy Spirit were both made aware that they were in the presence of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God made Man. 

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Three whole months during which perhaps for the only time in her life she could exult openly and wholeheartedly with Elizabeth who knew her divine secret and shared completely in her joy.

MONDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand. COL 3:1

ACTS 19:1-8 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles reveals a roadmap that leads us into the Kingdom of God. Every baptized Christian is invited to live the Beatitudes with boldness and courage. A lukewarm, wishy-washy faith will not draw people into believing the power of the Gospel to save. Too often, the lives of Christians are a source of scandal within and without the Church.

In fact, there are many brothers and sisters outside the Catholic Church who live exemplary lives, know the Scriptures, and are able to teach and preach with the power of the Holy Spirit. They preach with boldness and conviction and are able to stir hearts into desiring what they possess - Your peace.

Yet, we who possess the fullness of Truth make not the slightest effort to know more about the faith we were privileged to receive as cradle Catholics. We are poorly instructed and in many cases have received no instruction at all. We go through the rituals without understanding Church doctrine and are ripe for the picking by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Numbers alone do not constitute strength when the vast majority are unable to articulate what the Church teaches because they are clueless. How then can we defend the Church as Paul, the apostles, and the early disciples did? They knew in whom they had placed their faith and were ready to suffer all kinds of trials even death. 

This Pentecost O Lord, hear the prayers of the Church and send down Your Holy Spirit mightily upon the Church and the world. 

JOHN 16:29-33 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The Church has never compromised on the Truth and she
never will this is why her enemies are legion many of whom are like vipers in her bosom. They work ceaselessly to bring her down but will never succeed because she has Your assurance that the gates of hell will never prevail against her. They strive mightily against her but in the end, they are destroyed not her. 

You O Lord, are Head of Your Body, the Church sent into the world by the Father to accomplish His will and do His work - the salvation of the world. We are saved despite all the wiles of the Enemy whose head You crushed under Your heel.

Beloved, we are living the in the last days - it is the age of the Holy Spirit, and although it may seem that the battle is being lost more and more to the culture prevailing in the world the war is won. Victory belongs to the Lamb upon the Throne seated in glory at the right hand of the Father.

But we who are called by Your Name must continue to fight the good fight in the power of the Holy Spirit. We do so with indomitable courage because our faith sustains us. The warning You gave Your disciples is a warning to us as well. Just as You were never alone, we too are not alone for we are united with You. Nothing in this life and certainly not death has the power to separate us from You. You have warned us what to expect in the world but we will not be afraid for You, O Lord, have conquered the world.

In the world you will have trouble,

but be brave: I have conquered the world.’

SATURDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Lord, who hung for us upon the tree,
has risen from the tomb.

ACTS 18:23-28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

As we reflect in the first reading on the Alexandrian Jew, Apollos who preached eloquently, quoting from Scripture, demonstrated that You were the Christ, I am reminded of all the Spirit-filled Christians who preach and teach with knowledge and power. They love sacred Scripture, know it well, and have committed a large portion of it to memory, they are truly remarkable and deserving of our praise. However, there is something distinctly lacking, like Apollos whom St. Luke describes in this way, 'He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures, and yet, though he had been given instruction in the Way of the Lord and preached with great spiritual earnestness and was accurate in all the details he taught about Jesus, he had only experienced the baptism of John.'

Every baptized person must pursue Truth until the end of life's journey. The more we drink at the fountain of Truth the greater the vistas that open up on the spiritual horizon of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness - it never ends for God is infinite and no one can know or experience the Triune God completely in this life. 

Beloved, we pray that many Catholics like Priscilla and Aquila boldly step out to these brothers and sisters of ours who enter the gates of Wisdom and Truth and are so captivated by the beauty presented to them they make no further progress to enter the abode of the Presence of God wherein You delight to dwell, the Church You founded. In the bosom of Holy Mother Church, all God's children dwell and God has ordained that through her alone His children will enter into His Kingdom. 

May we like Priscilla and Aquila encourage our Christian brothers and sisters to never cease in their pursuit of Truth which will ultimately lead them home where Truth abides. 

JOHN 16:23-28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We have this assurance from Your lips, that anything we ask of the Father in Your Name we will receive because we love You and believe that He sent You into the world to redeem it.

The joy You offer us is abiding because it is not dependent on our circumstances - we are joyful despite them no matter how painful they are. It is a joy that no one can take from us. It comes from knowing that we are Yours, we are ransomed by Your Blood, and our names are carved on the palm of Your Hands. 

The most priceless gift we can ask the Father and be confident He will grant it to us because we love You, we believe in You, and in all the promises You have made, is eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Nothing else matters. 

May this be my daily prayer, Beloved, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that the Father gives me the grace to love You more and more. I desire to love You with the blazing passion of the apostles, St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Therese of Lisieux, and every Saint that has been beatified and canonized by the Church. I am aware Lord, that I am a weak, wilful sinner but I also know that nothing is impossible for God. 

FRIDAY OF THE SIXT WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Christ has risen, he who created all things,
and has granted his mercy to men.

ACTS 18:9-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

When we have Your assurance that no harm will come to us because we are under Your mighty protection, then we will speak the truth boldly and with courage.

You do not tell Paul that wherever he went on his apostolic journey that he would not meet with hardship, persecution, cold and cruel rejection, and suffering. But in this particular place in Corinth, You assure him that he will be able to carry out his mission in relative peace and no one would even attempt to hurt him. 

The Jews though continued to instigate the authorities against Paul because of their envy of him and the number of their own people who came to believe in You through his work of evangelizing. But their attempts to haul Paul before the Roman proconsul came to nothing. Paul continued to preach and teach until it was time for him to move on.

When we are faithful Lord, You are even more faithful. You will keep us safe in Your love and even if we have to face persecution for the sake of the Gospel we will experience great peace and joy that nothing and no one can take away from us. 

THURSDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I go, but I will come back to you,
and your hearts will be full of joy. JN 14:18

ACTS 18:1-8 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The lives of the apostles, of St. Paul, and all Your earliest
disciples and followers were zealous in preaching and teaching the Gospel. The fire of the Holy Spirit burned within them and they were prepared to lose their lives at the hands of the enemies of Christianity rather than deny their faith in You and the Gospel. 

Today, the world is full of nominal Christians, cafeteria Catholics, and those who are Catholic in name only. If every member of Your Body had the same fire and zeal as the early Christians, the world would experience the peace that You came to give, and the Kingdom of heaven would come among us. 

My Lord, and my God, grant that I make a start with my own life. You and I both know how little I possess the apostolic zeal and what a poor example I am of the faith I profess. Let this be the day Lord, with Your help, Your grace, Your Holy Spirit that I resolve, one small step at a time, to be the person that God created me to be. May the Holy Mother of God, and all the angels and saints intercede for me and obtain for me all that I lack to make a start. Amen.

JOHN 16:16-20 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Every Catholic is called to live in intimacy with You - this is because You are present with us day and night, in season and out of season in the Blessed Sacrament in all the tabernacles in the world and exposed in all the Adoration Chapels in every corner of the globe.

You say to Your disciples,

‘In a short time you will no longer see me,

and then a short time later you will see me again.’

As Catholics go about their daily lives doing all the things that fill our days until we go to sleep at night, it is possible to live in union and communion with You through all our waking and sleeping moments. 

We ought to wake up with Your Name on our lips and gratitude in our hearts for the gift of another day to love, serve, and do Your will. Those who can, ought to begin their day with Holy Mass. Receiving You in the Holy Eucharist we become living tabernacles and as we step out of the church, transformed and transfigured by the rich graces You make available to us after each worthy reception of the Eucharist our lives ought to shine Your light illumining a darkening world. 

While we wait O Lord, for the close of our own earthly existence as well as for Your coming again in glory, let us keep Your promises ever before our eyes and minds, recalling them frequently. In this way, our faith, hope, and courage will increase and our love for God and neighbor will abound.

‘I tell you most solemnly,

you will be weeping and wailing
while the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy.’

Thank You, Beloved, for the grace of being Catholic but also may I never forget that my judgment will be even greater for You warn us that to those whom much is given much will be asked. Holy Spirit of God, help me to be a good steward of God's immeasurable gifts and graces to me in the Sacraments.

MONDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Spirit of truth will be my witness;
and you too will be my witnesses.  JN 15:26, 27

ACTS 16:11-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Give me a heart like Lydia's and all the great women in the Bible beginning with Your Holy Mother, Mary. She and all the women of renown in Scripture were attuned to the Holy Spirit and docile to the will of God.

St. Paul, who was preaching to the women noticed Lydia's openness to the Word of God. She drank in all that Paul was preaching and teaching about You. She was a leading woman of the town and not only did she open her heart to You but she opened her home as well to Paul and his companions.

Grant me O Lord, not just a receptive heart, and a docile spirit that is always submissive to the will of God but greater generosity in sharing the spiritual and temporal gifts that You have so graciously given me.

 

JOHN 15:26-16:4 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You submitted to Your Father in perfect humility and accomplished all He asked of You from the least to its most sublime detail. The Way to Heaven is to follow the template of Your life, if we do, You assure us that we will be co-heirs with You to the Kingdom of God and will receive a share in Your glory.

Being an authentic Christian in a crooked and evil world is impossible without divine assistance. This is why You gave us the Holy Spirit. You call Him the Advocate and the Spirit of Truth. Truth is sorely lacking in our world. Our world is in shambles because the world peddles lies. Lying has become second nature to both religious and world leaders and the gullible, lacking the wisdom to withstand the onslaught of deceit, are easy prey. 

We need the Holy Spirit and He is conferred on us at Baptism and He empowers us when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. With the power and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the world. 

This is what You say of the Holy Spirit whom You will send: 

‘When the Advocate comes,

whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father,
he will be my witness.
And you too will be witnesses,
because you have been with me from the outset.’

We live in a world where our faith is shaken constantly not only by the scandals that have rocked the Church but by Catholic Christians and Christians who profess with their lips that they are Your followers but every word that issues forth from their lips is of satan. They are pawns of evil who are blind and deaf to all that is pure, good, true, and beautiful. Earthly dominion is given to them for a season and they use their power to snuff out Truth and erect false gods before which they demand we worship.

You warned the apostles and disciples what to expect from the enemies of Truth and the warning holds true to this day and until You return: 

 

‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken.’

All around the world, we see churches being desecrated, and the Eucharist is often stolen for evil purposes. People of some faiths actually believe that when they kill us they think that they are doing a holy duty for God.

You also give us the reason why they act as they do:

‘They will do these things
because they have never known
either the Father or myself.
But I have told you all this,
so that when the time for it comes
you may remember that I told you.’

Thank You for warning Christians in every age what to expect from the devil's aides so we will not be taken by surprise but be vigilant and rely totally on the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. With His help, the true, the good, and the beautiful will prevail. 

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.’ JN 14:23

ACTS 15:1-2,22-29 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Within and without the Church there will always be wolves in sheep's clothing waiting to devour Your flock. Some are well-meaning but half-formed in the Truth and are oftentimes blissfully unaware of the great harm they inflict on the Body of Christ. Catholics unformed and ignorant of the faith handed down to them from You through the apostles and their successors are easy prey and ripe for the picking.

Today, Beloved, we praise and thank God not only for the Church and the Magisterium but also for the many, many Catholic men and women who have made it their life's work to study extensively, delve deep into salvation history, pray on it, meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to illumine their hearts and their minds and they, in turn, illumine the hearts and minds of anyone who truly desires to walk in the Way of Truth leading to Life.

From the very first Council that took place in Jerusalem to settle a dispute that arose between trouble-makers who sort to sow seeds of dissension, to this day and to the end of time, the Church will always be the sole arbiter of faith and morals and we can rely on her always to steer us safely to harbor through every storm.

‘Accordingly we are sending you Judas and Silas, who will confirm by word of mouth what we have written in this letter. It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials: you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from fornication. Avoid these, and you will do what is right. Farewell.’

The Church's doctrines are handed down to us by oral tradition and by the written Word - both, not either-or. And she alone has the authority to proclaim that when she speaks on matters of faith and morals she does so in union with the Holy Spirit. 

REVELATION 21:10-14,22-23 ©

MySoul's Beloved,

We long for the day when we will see with our own eyes the new heavens and the new earth descend on Mt. Zion, the City of our God - the one, holy, catholic apostolic Church - Your Body with You as her Head. What a glorious day it will be.

John sees this glorious City of God in a vision. He sees the Lamb upon the Throne, he sees the 12 Apostles representing the 12 Tribes of Israel, and he sees the Lamb that was Slain whose light is so great, so brilliant it needs no other to illumine the heavens and the earth. 

We thank You, Beloved, for the great privilege accorded to us at every celebration of the Holy Mass to glimpse the City of God and to partake of the Wedding Banquet of the Bridegroom as His Bride. All glory and honor to You my Lord and my God.

JOHN 14:23-29 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I am a liar if I profess to love You but I do not keep Your words. Grant me this grace to remember this when I balk at doing things Your way rather than mine. When I refuse to align my will with Yours. When I pay lip-serve to the faith I affirm but my life is a far cry from holiness and perfection. 

Lord, You know that I love You. I would lay down my life for You at least that is what I believe yet I also know that I am a great coward who turns tail and rains at the first sign of suffering. You command me to love and You command me to keep Your Word in season and out of season. I fail miserably at this more times in one day than I can count.

Thank You, Beloved, for knowing perfectly well that no one can live righteously without divine assistance hence You have given us Your Holy Spirit to be our Helper, our Paraclete, our Guide, our Teacher who will supply all that we lack.

You promised Your disciples that the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in Your Name will teach them and remind them of everything You said in the three years they were with You and this same Spirit dwells in fullness in the Church and will do so to the end of time. Leading, guiding, inspiring, strengthening her, and providing all she needs and the gates of hell are powerless against her.

Peace is Your wondrous gift to all who believe in You and are called by Your Name. It is a peace that abounds in tribulation, persecution, suffering for Your Sake, and the sake of the Gospel even unto death.

The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us and this is why You assure us that we need not be afraid or troubled about anything. The enemies of Truth may kill the body but they have no power over our soul - those who belong to You body and soul have nothing to fear.

SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand. COL 3:1

ACTS 16:1-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Paul was so deeply committed to total submission to the Holy Spirit, so committed to being an apostle to the Gentiles, and so in tune with You that his dedication in carrying out the mission entrusted personally by You to him was single-minded and unswerving. He permitted nothing to distract him from the call of preaching and teaching the Good News no matter the cost. according to the plans he made he would change if he found that it was not in keeping with the will of the Spirit. 

He knew when to hold fast and when to let go. He was never afraid to take a stand for what was right even if it meant boldly confronting Peter with fraternal correction. If it was right, if it was Your will, if it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that was all he needed to know and he would do it no matter the cost.

He recognized that there would always be a short supply of fervent, ardent, believers and when he did find one he did not hesitate to encourage them and include them in the mission. He was careful not to allow any needless controversy to hinder his work and this is why Timothy was circumcised lest it became the cause of strife with the local Jews as his mother was a Jewess and his father a Greek. Every Christian should likewise know when it is ok to give in and when to stand firm as Paul did on many occasions.

What we ought never to forget is that we are servants of the mission entrusted to us and we must always be docile to the Master who commissioned us

JOHN 15:18-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

If we understood as the disciples did when You made known to them the cost of true discipleship we would not whine and complain. They rejoiced and counted it all joy when they faced persecution, hatred, exclusion, injustice, even imprisonment, torture, and death. The servant is not greater than the Master and the lives of the apostles testify that they considered it an honor and a privilege to endure suffering for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel.

We live in an age where we are too easily cowed down, too easily bullied into submission. Too often we watch in silence when others are being bullied and when the day comes when we are bullied they in turn will remain silent. 

Beloved, You told us clearly we can expect to be hated by the world if we follow You, model our lives on Your teaching, and love as You loved. The world is full of adulation for those who mirror its culture but those whose lives are a contradiction in the world, who refuse to belong to it, who hold themselves to a divine standard will be hated with a hatred that is pure, satanic hatred.    

You speak to every authentic disciple when You say in today's Gospel:

‘Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.

If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too;
if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well.
But it will be on my account that they will do all this,
because they do not know the one who sent me.’

FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father. JN 15:15

ACTS 15:22-31 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The apostles and elders wrote the first pastoral letter to their flock and the practice continues to this day. No religious institution in the world apart from the Catholic Church can write a letter, or an encyclical, or proclaim a doctrine that is binding, accepted, and followed by its members. The Church speaks with the voice of Peter ex-Cathedra on matters concerning faith and morals, all the faithful are bound to listen and obey. Peter speaks with the authority conferred on him by You as the visible head of Your Church.

The letter written by the apostles and elders was sent to the faithful through Paul, Barnabas, and the delegates chosen by them - Judas and Silas. The newly baptized Christians of pagan birth rejoiced to receive a letter addressed to them personally by the Church in Jerusalem acknowledging them as brothers in Christ and confirming once and for all time that circumcision was not a requirement to belong to the family of God. 

To this day, ignorant Christians continue to disturb and unsettle the minds of even more ignorant Catholics, who are as plentiful as weeds, and they sow seeds of division and confusion among them. Every Catholic ought to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is no religious institution in the world apart from the Catholic Church that can make the bold claim that the apostles and the elders made in that letter when they said, 'It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves....’  And on reading the contents of the letter the community of believers was delighted and encouraged. 

The Church continues to accompany the faithful, encourage them, and speak in the same manner today and will do so until You return in glory. She speaks with the authority of the Holy Spirit and this is why we obey for to her is given the power to bind and to loose and this power is bestowed on her by You.

JOHN 15:12-17 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The largest number of people in the world consider themselves Christians and fifty percent of them identify as Catholics. If every Christian and Catholic Christian lived this commandment of love that You give to every disciple an era of peace such as the world has never known would reign among us.  

The teaching of the Church on the manner in which she was born is this: 

The Church is born primarily of Christ’s total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross. “The origin and growth of the Church are symbolized by the blood and water which flowed from the open side of the crucified Jesus.” “For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the cross that there came forth the ‘wondrous sacrament of the whole Church.’” As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross. (CCC, no. 766, citing LG, no. 3, and SC, no. 5)

Ever since You laid down Your life for her, the blood of martyrs since the dawn of Christianity is mingled with Your own. Imitating You they lay down their lives for Your sake and for the sake of the Gospel and You ensure that their blood is the seed of Christians.

Few Christians today have the kind of conviction that the early Christians did. They endured persecution, torture, imprisonment, and death with courage and joy because they knew in whom they had believed and they also understood that death was not the end of life.

The greatest test of love is the pouring out of oneself as a libation for the beloved, just as You did for us on the Cross.

You will no longer consider us Your servants but Your friends if we obey Your commandment to love one another as You have loved us. Authentic love is eternal, nothing can quench its fires and certainly not death.

If I truly love my brothers and sisters then I will share the best news the world ever received with them, the Good News of the Gospel that guarantees every believer eternal life in union with God.

THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27

ACTS 15:7-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

A delegation led by Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem to confer with Peter, the apostles, and elders about whether or not the new Christians had to obey the Mosaic law of circumcision. A Council led by Peter had lengthy discussions at the end of which Peter stood up and addressed the members of the Council and made the following proclamation as the Head of the Church, 

‘My brothers, you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.’

The testimony of Paul and Barnabas and the words of the scriptures were enough to convince James that Gentiles also were to belong to the new people of God. The revelation that God was just as powerfully at work among the pagans through many signs and wonders convinced the assembly that the prophecies concerning pagans in scripture were being fulfilled.

After that I shall return
and rebuild the fallen House of David;
I shall rebuild it from its ruins
and restore it.
Then the rest of mankind,
all the pagans who are consecrated to my name,
will look for the Lord,
says the Lord who made this known so long ago.

James addressed the Council as well saying: 

‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’

The Church is and has always been a wise, tender, and loving Mother who will not lay unnecessary burdens on her children.

JOHN 15:9-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

To be a disciple we must remain in Your love - this means that we keep Your commandments.  What is the commandment that we are called to keep? It is to love You in the same measure as You love us and that measure is the Father's love for You. Just as You remain in Your Father's love by keeping His commandments You invite us to remain in Your love by keeping Your commandments. 

Your Father's commandment to You was to submit Yourself to death on the Cross so we could live. To become one like us and take upon Yourself the weight of the sins of the whole world and St. Paul tells us that we must be like You:

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross.

Perfect joy in this life is possible if we submit to Your will in all things, and love one another as You love us. Grant us the Holy Spirit in full measure, Lord so we may remain in Your love till the end.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,
says the Lord;
whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty. JN 15:4-5

ACTS 15:1-6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Ever since the birth of the Church, there have been and there always will be those who hold tenaciously on to the way things were done, or to their notions of how things ought to be done and can either be close-minded or are so absorbed and enamored by their own personal take on Scriptural texts they leave no room for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who has been operating in the Church since its birth at Pentecost. 

Today we are given a glimpse of how some Pharisees are shackled to the Mosaic law that they are unable to make room for the Holy Spirit. You came to fulfill every aspect of the Mosaic law and the natural progression of the law of circumcision for all male Jews is no longer relevant as all believers are now grafted on to You by virtue of our baptism. The old law has passed. We are not made children of God through being baptized into Your Body.

Paul and Barnabas had long arguments with those who insisted they hold on to the tradition of circumcision while they insisted that it was no longer required in order to be saved and since neither party was able to make any headway they decided to take the problem to the Apostles and the elders. 

This is the way matters were settled during Apostolic times and this way of settling problems concerning faith and morals has continued to this day and will continue until You return. The authority given to Peter along with the bishops to bind and lose comes directly from You. You established the hierarchy in the Church in order to keep her united. When Peter speaks we hear Your voice and we listen and obey whether we agree or not. We trust the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. 

Satan is on active duty 24/7 ensuring that the divisions between Christians remain for only then can error flourish and as long as error flourishes can manipulate those who believe that Scripture is the sole arbiter of faith and practice. There are as many interpretations of Scripture as the number of people in the room - they can all be wrong but they cannot all be right.

You have given us one clear voice - she has been guided from the first by the Apostles and their successors. The Church listens to all her children as she listened to Paul, Barnabas, and the Jews and elders who held contentiously to the matter of circumcision but once Peter spoke the matter was settled and so it will be until time shall cease. 

JOHN 15:1-8 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

To remain in You to the end is possible only when we are one with You. Grafted into Your Body we receive the life of the Holy Spirit that flows from You to us. We are fed on the Holy Eucharist and we are strengthened by the Sacraments You instituted and are able to remain faithful only because we remain in You.

But there is a very real danger that the Father, who trims all the dead branches can trim us from the Vine if we refuse to receive the life that You came to give and bear good fruit that will last. 

We are constantly being trimmed and pruned by the way we live our lives, the choices we make, and the effects of those choices on us and those around us. As long as we remain humble and obedient and submit to the will of God and the plan of God for our lives we will remain in You.

We have Your Word, we have Your Church, in Her, the fullness of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are found for the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling place in Her. We can choose to be a part of her or to be cut off from her, however, You make it abundantly clear to us that unless we make our home in You we will be barren. With You and in You alone will good fruit abound. Never let me be parted from You, Beloved, help me to remain faithful to the end.

TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory. LK 24:46, 26

ACTS 14:19-28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Unless we keep our gaze fixed on You we will be unable to endure the persecutions that we routinely experience as Catholic Christians. Enemies of Your Church abound within and without seeking ceaselessly to destroy her with Satan's help. It is only Your assurance that the gates of hell will never prevail against her that gives us confidence, for Your Word is true. 

The virulent hatred for the Apostles, as well as Paul and Barnabas by some Jews, continues to this day except that today her enemies are enemies of justice and truth for she stands in solidarity with the poor, the marginalized, the outcast, the sinner, and victims of every kind of barbarity and is unafraid to let her clear voice of reason, mercy, and compassion be heard over the venomous voices that promote division, hate, violence and even death. 

The need of the hour is for the Church to encourage all her children to pray and fast and to stay close to each other as members of the family of God. Fear destroys, love unites. Strengthen us so we may be faithful and fearless in the face of persecution. It is only by the powerful witness of our lives as we live the Gospel that the door of faith will open so others will come to know You and believe.

JOHN 14:27-31 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is impossible to possess peace if we allow external circumstances to dictate how we think and feel. Peace comes from within from a place of confidence in You that no matter what difficulties we face, what tragedies we experience, what crosses we are called to carry, the knowledge that You are with us will enable us to endure all with serenity. 

Peace is a gift given to all who are called by Your Name but the tragedy is that we will not receive it and give it a home in our hearts. We have Your own words to every disciple in every age that it is Your own peace that You desire to give us. The world is filled with dysfunctional people desperately looking to the world to give what it does not have - peace. 

All that is needed is to listen to Your words and believe:

‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,

a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.’

The Father sent You to redeem us and You have sent us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and to help us every moment we are alive to be pure and holy until we reach our final, eternal destiny.

For a while, the prince of this world was permitted to have his way but even in this, he had no power over You for You chose the hour in which You would give Yourself up to death in order to vanquish it forever. Death had no power over You and through the merits that You won for us, it has no power over us too. Let us then be unafraid to be witnesses to the Truth always and do all You ask us to just as You did exactly what Your Father told You. 

MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you. JN 14:12

ACTS 14:5-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Hostile authorities have always joined forces with evil men and women to destroy the good, the true, and the beautiful. The enemies of God will use every lie, subterfuge, and all the power available in their arsenal of deceit to disseminate misinformation. The gullible and ignorant are easily manipulated with half-truths. 

Belief in the Gospel transforms lives. Miracles are performed by the power of Your Name. The enemies of Truth recognize that they are unable to refute what people have experienced and witnessed with their eyes, the blind see, the lame walk, people are healed physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and the dead are brought to life. The power of the Gospel and the power of Your Name brings about an explosion of joy in the believer that cannot be contained or denied. 

This is why Christianity is hated by the enemies of Truth. The power of evil is alive and well in the world because evil thrives in a climate of division. We live in a polarized world. The greater the division between people and nations the greater the dysfunction in the world.

For over two thousand years the enemies of Truth have tried to wipe out Christianity from the face of the earth and have not succeeded because Your Word is true. Truth is invincible.

PSALM 115:3-6

But our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he wills.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.

JOHN 14:21-26 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We need the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - we need the Father who created us, the Son who redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us - we need the Triune God always so we can live grace-filled lives that are pleasing to God.

Having revealed all that Your Father asked You to Your disciples they, in turn, revealed all to those in the bosom of Holy Mother Church. We are the children who are born of her and to us, God holds nothing back. 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for the children of God to live our ordinary lives extraordinarily well by living the virtues of faith, hope, and love, heroically.

You say to us, 

‘Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them
will be one who loves me;
and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Our love for You becomes visible when we believe Your Word and obey it. 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER - 2022

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.JN 13:34

ACTS 14:21-27 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Paul and Barnabas were tireless in their mission to spread the Good News and establish churches wherever they went. Once a new Christian community was formed they did not abandon them but returned time and time again to encourage them, strengthen their faith, correct them if any errors had crept in, and admonished them ensuring that they did not stray from the path of Truth.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of the churches today. Members of the church receive perfunctory catechesis, many fall between the cracks and are lost to her forever. While many members of the laity are stepping up and doing the best they can to fill in the gaps of woeful ignorance only those who are interested to learn benefit.

The sad truth is that poorly catechized parents raise even more poorly catechized children and the spiritual aridity is handed down from one generation to the next. 

Lord God, raise up an army of young men and women filled with fervent desire to spread the Good News, on fire with the Holy Spirit and prepared to lay down their lives for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel so the children born in the bosom of Holy Mother Church are not lost to her forever. 

Use those who are faithful to do their part by praying, fasting, and doing what they can to encourage the brothers and sisters around them by their witness to the Truth that saves.

REVELATION 21:1-5 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The vision of the new heaven and the new earth is a vision of the Church You established. She is impeccable and peerless because You, her head, and her bridegroom have adorned her with all the merits You won for her when You lay down Your life for her. Because You are worthy and she belongs to You, You can present her worthily to Your Father. She has no merit on her own for she is made up of sinners - You redeemed her, You take her up to Yourself and share with her the glory of Your resurrection.

The Catholic Church is the new Jerusalem, the holy city of God, the bride adorned with every grace, virtue, and merit because God the Son is her Bridegroom. New members are constantly being added to her and someday, Beloved, Your prayer that all believers be one, will be answered. God always hears Your prayers.

Thank You for the Church You established - You make Your home among the people of God. You live among us. You call us by our name which You have carved on the palm of Your hand. We are washed in Your Blood and sealed in Your Spirit and no one can snatch us from You.  

We pray and long for the day of Your return, Beloved when You will wipe away our tears. Mourning and sadness will end and the whole of creation made new will resound with worship, praise, and thanksgiving to our God who saves. 

Maranatha! Lord Jesus, Maranatha! Come quickly and renew the face of the earth.

JOHN 13:31-33,34-35 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's Gospel passage begins with the words, 'When Judas had gone.' What a terrible tragedy it is when we deliberately, willfully, and knowingly separate ourselves from You. Nothing good comes apart from You save death. Just as Judas chose to have no part in You so do many Christians hold themselves aloof from You. They identify as Christians but their hearts are far from You - they are neither hot nor cold and the terrifying truth is that You are about to vomit them out of Your mouth. Sadly, many of them think they are good people. You are goodness incarnate and yet because the rich young man did not know who You were You said, 'Why do you call me good, only God is good.' 

How can we dare to call ourselves good when we refuse to obey Your commandments? We can hope to have a full share of Your glory only if we are humble and obedient to the will of God in all things.

As You continue Your final discourse with those closest to You  Your heart is filled with deep and tender love from them. Addressing them as Your little children soon You urge them to love one another with the same deep and abiding love You have for them. What You said to them You say to all of us who are privileged to be Your disciples.

It is only when we witness agape love for each other, the kind of love that puts the needs of others before our own, a love that is willing to die to itself for the good of the other, then and only then can the whole world become convinced that we are truly Your disciples.

‘My little children,

I shall not be with you much longer.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another;
just as I have loved you,
you also must love one another.
By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples.’