FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

JEREMIAH 20:10-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Jeremiah and all the prophets experienced rejection, persecution, exile, threats, torture, imprisonment, and even death foreshadowing all that the Son of Man would suffer in order to redeem fallen mankind. The lamentations of all the prophets calling out the sins of the wicked and warning them of the chastisement that would come if they did not repent of their sins only resulted in hastening their murder. And so it was with You.

There is no human emotion You do not understand perfectly for You were fully human. You know what it is to be betrayed, to be persecuted, to be maligned by those who ought to have known better. They knew the Scriptures, they studied the Law of Moses, every word that came out of Your mouth was wisdom and they brought comfort, healing, and hope. You were not interested in just observing the Law and its precepts rather You desired that we do not separate love, compassion, kindness, and tenderness from the demands of the Law. You wanted Your hearers to understand that to love and to serve is far greater and receives greater merit from God than to be scrupulous about following the law.

How often You must have sighed with great sorrow at the blindness of those who were in positions of authority and had power. They were caught up and bound by their narrow interpretation of the Word of God that they failed to recognize the time of their salvation. God walked among His people and those who could have been Your friends and allies were instead Your greatest enemies. They were so obsessed with maintaining the status quo that they were prepared to commit murder in order to retain their stranglehold on the people. They refused to show mercy and they hated You for showing them up as hypocrites. 

But to those who believe, my Lord, You grant eternal life. You gave Yourself up into the hands of evil men paying the price for our salvation and gaining for us a Kingdom. Thank You.

JOHN 10:31-42 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The lamentations of Jeremiah and all the prophets who received only rejection and abuse, suffering, torment, and death at the hands of sinful and evil men who would rather wallow in their sins than repent and be saved, were experienced also by You. The Jews who raged against You hated You with a murderous rage. Your words revealed that they would rather serve a god of their own making and in their own image and likeness rather than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They rejected You for claiming to be the Son of the one true God whom You addressed as Father and as having been sent by Him whom You knew intimately. All the signs and wonders You performed clearly indicated Your divine power but they refused to believe. You were unafraid to speak the truth and pointed out their hypocrisies to their face. They jealously guarded the letter of the law failing to understand its spirit.

They threatened to stone You to death, they plotted unceasingly to trap You and do away with You because You disturbed their complacency and showed them up as blind leaders and teachers. Often we too are like them. We prefer our creature comforts and are unhappy when we are reminded that suffering is the lot of all who wish to follow You closely. There is no escaping the cross if we are to be authentic disciples. 

The world hates Christians because they first hated You. The world hates the Church because she follows You closely and does all that You have done. She heals the brokenhearted, binds the wounds of the suffering, opens the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and cripples leap, jump, and praise God. Prisoners are set free, the dead are brought to life and the power of God is clearly evident in her for You make Your home in Your Church, Your bride. The ungodly, the idolators, those who worship strange gods hate Christians with a demonic hatred and whether they know it or not they are pawns of satan.

Thank You, Lord, for Your assurance that the gates of hell will never prevail against Your Church for she is victorious in You. The Blood of the Lamb is her mighty protection and the devil is vanquished by the power of the Cross.

THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

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

GENESIS 17:3-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You, Yourself are the greatest Covenant that God our Father makes with all those who believe in You, hope in You, and are grafted to You. You are the New Covenant replacing every other Covenant for in You alone, my Beloved is our hope of eternal life and eternal joy. We who are members of Your Living Body, the Church, receive from the Holy Spirit Living Water that flows from the Church's Sacraments welling up to life in us.

Every Covenant ever made between God and man since the first one made with Adam is fulfilled perfectly in You. In You O Lord, is our hope of salvation. You stooped low in perfect humility and obedience to the Father's will and You drew the whole human race into the redeeming power of Your love. You are the atoning Sacrifice offered up to the Father in perpetuity on the Altar of the Cross until time shall cease. Thank You, Lord, for the free gift of faith that gives us the privilege of addressing God as Father because You have made us sons and daughters of the Most High and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

PSALM 104(105):4-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for Your wonderful assurance that You remember Your Covenant forever. We have no reason to be afraid, anxious, sad, or hopeless. Even when we forget, Your Word reminds us that You never forget us and there is nowhere we can hide from You. Your love seeks and searches us, finds us, embraces us, heals us, and restores us as children of God.

Every wondrous sign, and every miracle ever performed by You in the past continues to this day. Your love never fails even when ours does.

He remembers his covenant forever,

his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

JOHN 8:51-59 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is easy to doubt the incredible promises You make if we lack faith. But faith is a gift freely given to anyone who desires it, who asks for it, who is prepared to have an open mind, and who is willing to listen. These words that You say to the Jews are hard to understand if we lack faith in You the Eternal Word, the only begotten Son of the Living God.

‘I tell you most solemnly, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’

The Jews who refused to accept the wondrous miracles You performed as signs that You were indeed from God and even God Himself, would certainly accuse You of being deranged or demon-possessed. But even in the face of death threats and persecution, You refused to back down from the Truth that You are indeed who You say You are.

When You said, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day;

he saw it and was glad,’ the Jews jeered, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ And then there was no mistaking what You meant when You replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am.’

It is not surprising that when they heard what You said they picked up stones to throw at You. You hid Yourself and left the Temple since Your hour had not yet come. Only when that glorious hour of our salvation arrives would You give Yourself over into the hands of sinners in order to become the means by which You would redeem the whole world.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance. LK 8:15

DANIEL 3:14-20,24-25,28 ©

My Soul's Beloved, 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are shining examples and authentic witnesses to the Truth. All too often, through the ages, men and women have submitted to the power of men when put to the test out of fear of punishment. 

When King Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to bow down and worship the idol he had erected or be burned alive as there was no god who could deliver them, they boldly professed their faith in the Living God. This was their response: ‘Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.’

This so enraged the king that he commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter heated than usual. He had the three men bound and thrown into the flames. 

Evil rages impotently when faced with men and women of unswerving faith who are incorruptible whether or not You they will be saved from temporary difficulties or trouble because they know the One in whom they have placed their faith, hope, and trust. Sacred Scripture assures us that a mustard seed of faith in You has the power to move mountains as King Nebuchadnezzar and those with him witnessed in amazement that day. ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire? But I can see four men walking about freely in the heart of the fire without coming to any harm. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’

Over and over again, Beloved, You have worked marvels in our lives as well when we have had a childlike faith in You. But all too often we allow our circumstances to rob us of this faith and we drown in fear. In such moments grant us the grace to recall past favors when time and time again You rescued us and saved us and our faith will be strengthened anew.  

JOHN 8:31-42 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are only ever truly free when we refuse to be enslaved to the passions of the flesh, the culture we live in, the things we possess, and the insidious wiles of the ancient enemy. You speak to us clearly and plainly in the Gospel reflection for today - 

‘If you make my word your home

you will indeed be my disciples,
you will learn the truth
and the truth will make you free.’

You are the Eternal Word of the Father and by the power of the Word of God all things that are, came to be. All that the Father has to say is said in One Word, You, His Eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. You make Your home in us, Beloved if we permit Your Word to do so. You desire nothing more than to make our hearts Your abode and when we do we will discover that nothing in this world, no calamity that strikes us, no evil that threatens us will overpower us because You fight our battles for us. In all circumstances, You have the power to draw good because we are children of God and heirs to the Kingdom.

In baptism we are grafted to Your Body, we eat Your flesh and drink Your blood in the Holy Eucharist and receive divine life and grace, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are made a new creation each time we are forgiven and we can begin anew. Grace streams upon us because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We address God as Abba just as You taught us to and because we believe that You were sent into the world by God to save and redeem us by Your passion, death, and glorious resurrection into heaven. In You, O Lord, we place all our hope and trust. We are members of the Church You established which is Your body, and the Father is ever attentive to our voice and grants us all we ask for in Your Name because we believe.

TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain forever.

NUMBERS 21:4-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Just like the Israelites, when the journey gets difficult and troubles press around me when I am overwhelmed with worry, anxiety, and sorrow when I am distressed, I forget all the times You have been gracious to me and You have come to my aid and lifted me up and poured grace upon grace on me.  More times than I can count, my Lord, You have heard my prayers and have granted my petitions yet my memory is short and when I am troubled and afraid I cry aloud to You and beg You not to forget or forsake me. You never have my Lord. Forgive me when in times of trial tears are never far from my eyes and I drown in unhappiness as my faith dims.

The Lord punished the Israelites who were murmured against Him despite all the miraculous signs and wonders they had witnessed. He sent fiery serpents to sting them and they died. Sin kills. When the people repented of their sins and cried out to God to save them, You instructed Moses to make a bronze replica of the fiery serpent and to raise it up on a standard and all who were bitten by the serpent were asked to look at it and they lived. 

As the new Moses, You took upon Yourself the sins of all humanity and absorbed them into Your own sinless Body. You were nailed to the Cross, lifted high on the Cross, pierced by a lance, and all of us who were doomed to die in sin can now live because You died in our place. You paid the price and redeemed us. We live because You became the atoning Lamb of Sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to the Father. Thank You, Lord. 

PSALM 101(102):2-3,16-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I cry to You ceaselessly night and day begging You to hear and answer me. Have pity on us O Lord. Who do we have but You? Who has the power but You to do the impossible?  So often I feel that You are distant, far from the sound of my cries, far from the voice of my pleading. Do not forsake me my Lord I beg You. Grant me and those I love the help that I plead with You to send us. Do not hesitate O Lord, do not delay, but in Your great kindness, Your goodness, and Your tender compassion for us who are helpless and needy, reach out and enfold us in Your love and heal us in every way that we need healing.

Thank You, Beloved, that You always hear and answer those who are called by Your Name.

JOHN 8:21-30 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is just as You have said to the Pharisees, if we do not believe in You then we cannot follow You to the place where You live and reign eternally. So many of us look in all the wrong places, profess faith in gods of our own making, offer sacrifice to false gods made in our image and likeness and we stray further and further away from the path of truth, holiness, and righteousness. 

As long as we do not lift up our eyes, as long as our vision is focused on the things of the earth, as long as we refuse to recognize the truth that is emblazoned in the greatest of all signs, the sign of the Cross, we cannot be healed, we cannot be saved, we cannot live. It is only when we embrace the Cross and accept the healing that flows from it only then can we be saved. It is the will of the Father that only those who believe in His only Son will live with Him eternally.

‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He
and that I do nothing of myself:
what the Father has taught me is what I preach;
he who sent me is with me,
and has not left me to myself,
for I always do what pleases him.’

MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

DANIEL 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

All too often we allow our senses to enslave us and are prepared to descend into the depths of darkness in order to gratify these desires. These lecherous, shameless elders are prepared to destroy the reputation of an innocent and virtuous woman because she resists them and refuses to be bullied into submission. When they accuse her and threaten to destroy her with false accusations she refuses to allow fear of death to overpower her fear of God. She would rather die innocent than live with a stained conscience. It is the way of the world for those who are rich, powerful, and influential, but lack the fear of the Lord who shamelessly and wantonly wields that power to trap, coerce, subjugate, and render helpless the weak and the poor. 

Very rarely will a Daniel stand up against the status quo, risking all to challenge those whom the world panders and kowtows to. But Daniel also teaches us that if we are filled by the Holy Spirit and we allow the Spirit of God to reign in us giving Him total autonomy over us, we like Daniel will be a force for great good in the world.   

Susanna, a woman of great courage chose to place all her trust in God. She chose to die rather than to sin and God came to her rescue through the young Daniel. He refused to remain silent in the face of the treachery of two evil and godless old judges who were prepared to commit murder because a virtuous woman refused to allow fear to destroy her immortal soul.

O Lord, our God, grant us the grace to never permit fear, anxiety, and distress to possess us to such a degree that we fail to put all our hope and trust in You. Victory belongs to those who call on Your Name with faith, hope, and trust. 

PSALM 22(23) ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I thank You for the comfort that this psalm always brings to those who are walking in the valley of tribulation. You are my Shepherd and because I am the sheep of Your flock I shall not want. You are beside me to lead, guide, protect, feed, care for, and minister to me in every situation. 

Thank You for this blessed assurance that I can lie in peace and in safety knowing that You will never leave me or forsake me because You have carved me on the palm of Your hand.

Thank You for loving me infinitely and unconditionally. I am all Yours now and forever.

JOHN 8:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The scribes and the Pharisees who brought before You the woman caught committing adultery were blinded by their all-consuming hatred of You. They were pitiless in shaming and humiliating the poor woman just so they could trap You. They were certain that they finally had You on the horns of a dilemma either You would uphold the law and render all Your teaching on mercy meaningless or You would condemn Yourself publicly by rejecting the Law of Moses which clearly indicated that such a woman be stoned to death. 

Aware of the malice against You smoldering in their hearts You bent down to write on the ground with Your finger. Your enemies who surrounded You were clueless that this is the finger of God that wrote the commandments on the tablets of stone that were given to Moses. When they persisted in badgering You, You looked up at them gravely and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And You continue to casually write on the ground seemingly unaware of the murderous crowd clamoring around You. 

The evangelist reveals the dramatic events that follow when they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. A few moments later after each person in the crowd had shuffled away beginning with the oldest the woman finds herself alone with You only then You look up, and addressing the woman softly and tenderly You say, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ There is that beautiful word by which You address her, 'woman', it is the same word that You also use to address Your Mother in significant moments conferring on her the full dignity of what that word represents. And then You add healing salve to her wounds when in response to Your query she says, ‘No one, sir’ and she is healed completely in every way when You reply, ‘Neither do I condemn you, go away and do not sin any more.’

Thank You, Lord, for instituting the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation where every repentant sinner is given an opportunity to begin anew. 

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die. JN 11:25, 26

EZEKIEL 37:12-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the new life that we receive through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and Savior.  How good it is to be reassured constantly that we are precious in Your sight and that You will woo and pursue us relentlessly, lovingly, tenderly, and tirelessly until we surrender and allow ourselves to be taken captive by You.

Thank You, Lord, that You never give up on us. Thank You for redeeming us and saving us. Thank You that while we were yet sinners and deserving of eternal death, You nevertheless came into the world to raise us to new life and to give us Your own Spirit and the promise of a share of Your glory in Your Kingdom. Thank You for setting us free and making us daughters and sons of God.

PSALM 129(130) ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The psalmist has expressed the sentiments of all souls who cry out to You ceaselessly for help and relief as we sojourn from this valley of tears to our eternal home. Who do we have but You O Lord? You alone have the power to set us free from the miseries of our earthly existence, to forgive our sins, to assist us with Your grace for we have no strength of our own to withstand the wiles of the enemy, the world, and above all our concupiscence.

Thank You for showing us mercy and granting us pardon when we cry out to You. Thank You for keeping no records of our sins once You have forgiven them. Thank You, Lord, for instituting the Sacraments and for ensuring Your Presence among us until the end of the age.

Thank You for the longing that You have put in every human heart for You and for leading us gently to the knowledge that You alone satisfy our hungry hearts. Only in loving You and allowing ourselves to be wholly Yours can we be happy in this life as we prepare ourselves for the life to come.

ROMANS 8:8-11 ©

My Soul'sBeloved,

Thank You, Lord, for the wisdom and understanding You have given the writers of Sacred Scripture in expressing and making known to us the things of God and of heaven. Nothing is hidden from those who desire to make their home in You and in whom You make a home. Our bodies are Your living temples. Your Spirit makes it possible to discern and to choose wisely the things that give life and to resist the things that kill the soul.

In baptism, we are made children of God and heirs to the Kingdom. In all the Sacraments that follow we are given the power and the grace to live in the shadow of God with childlike trust and simplicity. Only the little ones are pleasing to You. Today I pray O Lord that You grant me the grace I need to be little, humble, obedient, and docile to the promptings of Your Spirit always. Amen. 

JOHN 11:1-45 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is impossible to plumb the richness of all that this beautiful account of the raising of Lazarus reveals and teaches us even if we possessed the wisdom of Solomon. 

That You love Your friends and share their joys and sorrows is clear. You mourned with Martha and Mary at the death of Lazarus. You wept and shared their grief even though You knew that You would raise him to life again. This family returned Your love. They considered nothing to be too good for You as Mary's actions proved when she anointed Your feet with expensive ointment and wiped Your feet with her hair. Now their hearts were broken at the loss of their brother and they chided You for not coming when they had informed You that he was ill. They knew that had You come You could have healed him.

Often, Lord, we complain when You do not answer our prayers in the way that You ask You to. Instead of surrendering to Your wisdom, we instruct You how to answer us. But as both Martha and Mary were to find out, You had something far greater in mind. This miracle would prove definitively that You are God.

Through all our misunderstands, through all our doubts, our impatience, and our murmurings, You quietly support us, listen to us, correct us, and reveal to us that Your ways are far, far better than anything we could hope for or conceive of. If we are truly Your disciples then like Thomas, we will desire to follow You all the way even to death.

These words of comfort and reassurance are addressed not just to Martha and Mary but to everyone and anyone who hears You and believes: 

‘I am the resurrection and the life.

If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?’

If we have eyes to see and we believe no matter how dark the road, the depths of our grief, the sadness that seems to fill every crevice in our hearts if we cling to You through every situation we believe is impossible, we will witness the glory of God.

‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ 

You can roll away every stone, every block, every sin that prevents grace from penetrating into our soul because Your prayers of intercession to Your Father on our behalf will always be heard.

‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
I knew indeed that you always hear me,
but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’

And Your Father always hears You and answers You and then we are set free from all that binds us and enslaves us and destroys and kills us.

We believe Lord, may our lives be a powerful witness to Your love so all who see us will believe in You and be saved.

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory. JN 1:14

ISAIAH 7:10-14,8:10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You, my Lord and my God for the greatest of signs, the Sign of the Cross, and that most wondrous sign that God Himself desired to make known when he spoke to Ahaz and prompted him to ask for a sign. When Ahaz refused the Lord God speaking through the lips of Isaiah made known the sign that he prophesied would herald the dawn of the second creation. God would start over with a New Adam and a New Eve and through perfect obedience and humility would untie the knot of our first parents' sin of pride and disobedience. 

Our first parents desired to be like God and so lost paradise but You, O Lord our God, who so loved the world, reversed the taint, the blight, the wound inflicted on the whole human race by starting over. The sign that was to be given is this:

‘Listen now, House of David:
 the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.’

God is with us because of the obedience and humility of a young virgin who emptied herself so she could be filled with God. Thank You Mother Mary for your willingness to be the handmaid of the Lord, for your fiat to the will of God, and for giving the world the Son of God and the Son of Man so God could become one of us and thus redeem us. 

HEBREWS 10:4-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that although the Law required animal sacrifices their blood was incapable of making atonement for sin. These sacrifices however foreshadowed the one, holy, and perfect Sacrifice that the Son of God and the Son of Man would make of Himself that would indeed wash away the sins of the whole human race and bring redemption to us all.

One like us, but without sin, could alone make atonement for the sins of the world. But all the children of Adam and Eve are born with the taint of original sin and this is why God had to start over by choosing a new Woman without blemish so she could bring forth the sinless Son of God and the Son of Man who then would become the atoning Sacrifice by taking upon Himself the sins of the world, paying the price for our iniquities, and redeeming the whole human race.   

You, my Beloved, said, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will,’ and so did Mary. She gave You Your Body making it possible for You to offer that same Body as an atoning, once-for-all Sacrifice that has redeemed the world. 

LUKE 1:26-38 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

At the dawn of creation, the Triune God was present and now at the dawn of the New Creation, the Triune God is also present. God starts over after the first man whom He fashioned from the dust of the earth and the first woman He fashioned from the rib taken from the man's side deliberately, wantonly, and foolishly, disobeyed God and irrevocably separated themselves from Him. 

The evangelist St. Luke paints a vivid picture of the mystery of the Annunciation where God and the entire heavens wait with bated breath for the fiat of a young virgin whose home was in the little town of Nazareth. It is God's way to always choose the least, the lowest, and the last, in order to do His most incredible work for then all the glory belongs to Him alone.

The drama of the Annunciation is the most romantic and the greatest love story of all time. and it will continue to stir our hearts and imaginations. Thank you, dearest Mother for saying yes to God's plan to cooperate with Him in giving the world our Savior. Through your most powerful intercession with Your Son obtain for your poor children the grace to submit to the will of God in all the events of our life.

FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. MT 4:4

WISDOM 2:1,12-22 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is mind-boggling to read how accurately the author of the Book of Wisdom in these verses prophecies what You would endure at the hands of the Pharisees, Scribes, as well as those in the Sanhedrin. You were fearless in challenging and exposing them as hypocrites. Often those who wield power guard it jealously and zealously. They are also cruel, vengeful, and vicious when it comes to destroying those who oppose, ridicule, or challenge them as You did. You stirred up a murderous rage in Your enemies and they plotted constantly to kill You.

Truly good people are like a burr in the shoe of the wicked. The virtuous are seen as the enemy because they make those given over to evil, uncomfortable, threatened, and judged by those who live holy lives that are pleasing to God.   

The author of this book accurately foretells all that You would endure at the hands of the Jewish authorities because You exposed them as hypocrites and undermined their power. We continue to see how true this is in our world today. Thank You, Lord, that we know the end of the story. You are victorious and we are victorious in You.

THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life. JN 3:16

EXODUS 32:7-14 ©

My Sou's Beloved,

You are the new Moses. You stand in the breach and plead for us night and day before the Father. One can lose heart when we look at the diabolic evil that is spreading its putrid tentacles all over the earth. No matter where we look on the globe we see a culture of death being celebrated by those who have given themselves over as slaves to the devil.

The cup of iniquity overflows and it would be right and fitting if God wiped us off the face of the world just as He wanted to do in the time of Moses when the people He had chosen for His own worshipped as god an image of a calf that they made of molten metal and worshipped. How eloquently pleaded with God to spare His chosen people when His anger blazed against them. With a mighty arm, God liberated them with awesome signs and wonders and yet so quickly they forgot their Liberator. He pleaded with God to remember how He saved the people He had chosen for His own and how He from them from slavery to liberation. He reminded You of the promises You had made, the oaths You swore to make of this people a mighty nation.

In the same way, my Lord and my God, You stand in the breach until the end of time and plead with our heavenly Father to remember the price that You paid for the redemption of the world and the Father looks at Your wounds, Your sufferings, the Cross on which You were raised and drew upon Yourself and into Yourself the sins of the whole world and redeemed us. And the Father relents and does not destroy us as we deserve. 

PSALM 105(106):19-23 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Night and day, Your faithful servants cry out to You not to forsake us, not to forget us, and to remember the price that You paid to liberate us from slavery to sin. There is a remnant who remain steadfast in faith but the rest of the world is given over to diabolic slavery to the sins of the flesh and to worshipping the things of the world. We are an evil and idolatrous people who deserve to be punished severely for our wanton disregard for the good, the true, the noble, and the beautiful. We prefer the fleshpots of Egypt rather than to worship the God who loves us and has given His life for us in order to save us.

Thank You for always keeping before the Father the price You paid to save us. Your redeeming sacrifice on the Cross pours torrents of mercy upon us and prevents the wrath of God from consuming us.

Grant us this grace O Lord, to keep the Cross ever before us and we will never forget the extent to which God has gone to save us. Thank You, Beloved, for standing in the breach night and day and turning back the righteous and justified anger of God, and keeping us from destruction.

JOHN 5:31-47 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Apart from You, O Lord, there is no salvation. We can spend a lifetime studying the Scriptures but if we do so with myopic vision and refuse to embrace the whole Truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition we will only perceive You dimly as through a veil. 

The triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from the dawn of creation is immanent in the world and in every event that has taken place in salvation history. Each Person of the Trinity is uniquely different, each is wholly God, they are One in Three and Three in One. Each testifies to the Other. The Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Holy Spirit and the work of our redemption is the work of God. 

All that God has to say He has uttered through His Eternal Word and that Word cannot be contained within the confines of the Scriptures alone. God's Word is alive, it breathes with the breath of the Holy Spirit. One Word uttered by the Father and sustained by the Holy Spirit so it can be heard by all who listen with a humble and obedient heart as it reverberates from eternity to eternity. 

Who are we to deny what God desires to reveal in the whole of salvation history? The Wisdom of Solomon is the Wisdom of God, Apostolic Tradition handed down to the Church is the revelation of God and the Wisdom of the Church Fathers is the wisdom given to them from God. We will never fully grasp the mysteries of God; we receive insights, and we may have a clearer understanding, and a fuller perspective but the finite mind can never know completely. There is always more. 

We thank You, Lord, for Holy Mother Church, through whom the Holy Spirit speaks uninterruptedly in every age and she is always attentive to the voice of God, the movement of the Holy Spirit. She is the bride of the Bridegroom and the fullness of God dwells in her.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die. JN 11:25, 26

ISAIAH 49:8-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Your promises are true and they are eternal. Sometimes it seems that You are long in answering us and while we wait we grow restless and despondent. Hope dims. But we must always remember that Your Word is true. You are God - the same yesterday, today, and forever. You always hear and at a time of Your choosing You will answer perhaps not quite in the way we asked for or expected but Your answer to all our prayers and petitions will always be far, far better than anything we could have hoped for or imagined.

So often we have no idea how You are constantly working in our lives. Grace upon grace is poured upon us and in all our struggles You are right behind us, above us, below us, around us, and above all, You are in us. Your Holy Spirit makes our body His dwelling place. God is always at hand and hears every prayer, and every sigh, He knows all. Through all our difficulties, sorrows, doubts, fears, anxieties, and grief, You not only care, You understand, and You are with us. You take us by the hand and walk with us. Even when we do not feel Your Presence You are there.

Only a God of love could inspire the prophet to speak such tender words of assurance to us who so often are hard-hearted, rebellious, lukewarm, and sinful. Like Zion I always complain that You do not hear me, You have abandoned and forgotten me, and You lovingly assure me:

Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish the son of her womb?
Yet even if these forget,
I will never forget you.

PSALM 144(145):8-9,13b-14,17-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for assuring me today, when my heart is heavy, sad, and lonely when my heart aches for the agony both physical, spiritual, and mental that those nearest and dearest to me are currently suffering that You speak to me reassuring and comforting me in the consoling words of the psalmist chosen for our reflection today.  

Even though I try Your patience a hundred times a day You are full of kindness and love. You are constantly at work to draw good out of all the difficult situations that my loved ones and I face daily.

You are faithful even when You seem distant the truth is that in moments like these, You are closer to us than ever. Thank You for walking beside me, for taking me by the hand when I struggle, and for carrying me when I no longer have any strength of my own.

Finally, my most beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for always dealing with me and those I love not as we deserve but with understanding compassion, and love. Thank You for assuring me once again that You are close to all who call on You - every desperate cry, every silent sigh, every troubled thought and fear You know and You are present encouraging, healing, assuring, comforting, and healing.

JOHN 5:17-30 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Your enemies hated You with a hatred that was palpable and murderous. They were enraged with You because they had no power against You. You exposed them as hypocrites who used the law as a weapon against the poor, the marginalized, and the outcast. They branded everyone who did not kowtow to them and their narrow interpretation of the law, as sinners and each time they did so in Your Presence, You did not hesitate to point out their own duplicity in interpreting the law. 

They were powerless against You because You spoke the Truth. You enraged them because You claimed God to be Your Father. You stirred up a murderous rage in their souls against You because You not only exposed their hypocrisies but they had no weapons to counter against You whose awesome powers pointed clearly to divine origins.  

They could not bully You, they could not shut You up, all that they could do was grumble loudly, threaten You publicly, and plot deviously against You behind Your back. They could not trap You because You knew exactly what was in their minds.

You did not back down for an instant but reiterated even more firmly and forcefully the truths that were vinegar and gall to them. The long-awaited Messiah was finally among them but because You did not fit the mold of their expectations they rejected You. They refused to accept that indeed the One that the chosen people of God had been waiting for centuries was in their midst. The works that You did clearly pointed out that You not only came from God but were God but they wanted a Messiah made in their own image and likeness and they were prepared to commit Deicide rather than accept that God chose to come to us in a way that was so much more incomprehensible and unimaginable that they could know or understand. 

For all the times that I too tried to domesticate You and tried to put You in a mold conceived in my own image and likeness, my Lord and my God, forgive me. Only by believing in You and Your Word O Lord can we be saved.

TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help.PS 50:12, 14

EZEKIEL 47:1-9,12 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of the Church, the Sacraments, and the streams of Living Water that flow from You to all who are washed in the waters of baptism You are the living Temple, and from Your pierced side streams Blood and Water which have the power to heal, to restore, to rejuvenate, and to renew. The angel made the prophet wade through the water that flowed from the right-hand side of the temple. (The Shroud of Turin displays a wound on the right side of the Man who was wrapped in it. John's Gospel (19:33-34) tells how in Jesus's case instead of breaking his legs, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance and immediately out came blood and water.) The further he waded the greater the depth of the water until the stream became a river impossible to cross.

We alone can make the choice on the extent to which we wish to commit our lives to You. The more we give our lives over to the Holy Spirit readily submitting to Him, the easier it is for Him to empower us and lead us where He wills. 

When we allow God to fill every area of our lives with His Holy Presence we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God who alone can satisfy all our needs. It is only in the Church You established that we are fed, we are nourished, and we are healed.  No matter how often and how gravely we have sinned and strayed from the path that leads to eternal life the Sacraments of healing that she administers to her children have the power to make us a new creation each time we repent of our sins and beg for forgiveness. 

Grant O Lord that living in Your sanctuary we may receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and bear good fruit that never withers and never fails. 

JOHN 5:1-3,5-16 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The passage from the Gospel of John chosen for our reflection in today's liturgy today's describes the miracle of the sick man who was lying at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem waiting for the waters to be stirred. The evangelist tells us that You saw the man, You knew that he had been there for thirty-eight years waiting hopelessly for a miracle he was sure would never happen. Yet he lay there. One can only imagine his state of mind, and the level of his depression, loneliness, helplessness, and frustration and then we are told that You saw him and on seeing him You knew all about him. Addressing the man You say, ‘Do you want to be well again?’  The sick man's response is, ‘Sir,’ I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ You then say to him,‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.

All it took was a command from the Eternal Word of God and the man was healed in an instant. He did just as You asked him to, he picked up his mat regardless of the fact that it was the sabbath and he walked. Of course, the Jews who saw him censured him for breaking the sabbath rule, but the man explained that the one who cured him told him to pick up his mat and walk. 'Who is the man?' they asked, and he said he had no idea who it was. The man met You again in the temple and You told him not to sin again or something worse could happen to him. From this, we know that sometimes our sins can have a detrimental effect on our physical health. Keep us safe in Your love O Lord and grant us the grace never to sin so gravely that we cut ourselves from You and eventually wither and die. 

St. Joseph Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary - LENT 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord,
forever singing your praise. PS 83:5

2 SAMUEL 7:4-5,12-14,16 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph at the halfway mark of Lent, and we her faithful interrupt for a day, the penitential season to rejoice that God chose him to be an integral part of the fulfillment of the hope of Israel and through Israel all the nations on earth.

The Liturgy today celebrates God's total commitment to redeeming the world after the fall of our first parents and reveals how meticulously God planned the entire course of salvation history in order to untie the knot of Adam and Eve's disobedience and how St. Joseph, from the house and line of David, was an integral part of that magnificently incredible plan.

God swore oath after oath with the patriarchs and prophesied through the mouth of prophets of the coming of His Son who would redeem His people and establish His reign forever. 

The word of the Lord came to Nathan:
‘Go and tell my servant David, Thus the Lord speaks: “When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure forever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established forever.”’

ROMANS 4:13,16-18,22 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Faith in You and Your Word will number us among the righteous in Your sight. You desire us to place all our hope, trust, and belief in You first, and above all else, everything else follows. All the other rituals, our good works, and the fulfillment of all that Holy Mother Church demands of her children flow from our faith.

The foremost example of one who put his faith in God above and before his love for his only son is Abraham. St. Paul tells us that he was counted as righteous because he believed and believing was obedient even to offering his son in sacrifice as commanded by God. Faith comes before all else for without faith we cannot please You.

It does not matter how much we pray, give alms, and fast, all of it is like dirty rags if offered to God without faith.

You assure us that faith in You has the power to move every obstacle we will face in life and Abraham is our father in faith because of his unswerving faith in God's promises to him. Even when, on the face of it, it seemed that if he acquiesced to God's demand the oath that God swore to him and the covenant that God had made with him and his descendants would be thwarted, he still put his trust in God. 

 

Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’

Beloved, take away my cowardly, wishy-washy, puny, lackluster faith and replace it with a towering faith like that of Abraham our father in faith. Thank You. 

MATTHEW 1:16,18-21,24 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Scripture tells us little about St. Joseph. We know that he is the husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, and a dreamer of dreams like his namesake Joseph in the Old Testament. The Gospels do not record a single word uttered by him but despite the apparent silence in Sacred Scripture of this well-beloved servant of God, the Church offers us a luminescent spirituality based on the life of this silent, humble, obedient man, called by God to share in the most intimate and most sacred mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. 

The more we contemplate the hidden years and the hidden life of the Holy Family in Nazareth the more we are in awe of the singular privilege accorded to Joseph to guard, protect, raise, provide, and offer himself in total sacrifice in Your service and the service of Mary his most chaste spouse and Your Mother.

Each time the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and instructed him he acted promptly in doing all that God asked of him.  Whatever misgivings he may have had he aligned his will with the will of God. He lived to serve You and Mary with all the fervor of his being. St. Joseph is the best role model for husbands and fathers, he is the gold standard by which all fathers can measure their own fatherhood. The Church also recognizes Your foster father as the protector and guardian of the Church which is Your Body because he was the protector and guardian of the Head of the Church. 

Joseph always did what God wanted him to do and at the end of his earthly life he had the singular privilege of being held in the close embrace of the Son of God and the Mother of God this is why he is also the patron of a good and holy death.

Dear St. Joseph, accompanied by Mary, please take all the prayers and petitions we make through you to Jesus. He who was obedient to you on earth will deny nothing that you ask of Him in heaven. Thank you.

SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - 2023

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,

So often in our lives, we find ourselves seeking You most ardently when our hearts are broken, we are grief-stricken, and surrounded by thick darkness. In the season of our suffering, You are our only lifeline. In desperation, we wail unceasingly to You to hear and answer us. We cry to You for relief even when we think all hope is lost. Day and night, in all our waking moments we grope for You, we seek You ardently and prayer alone provides some measure of comfort because faith in You assures us that in the end, at a time of Your choosing, dawn will break on the night of our gloom and You will save.

The prophet Hosea articulates more eloquently than I ever could how well You know and understand our human nature. When all is well with us we take Your blessings for granted and like the prodigal son, we forget that we owe God everything. In the house of God, all our needs are met. He protects and keeps us safe in His love. It is only when we become selfish, disobedient, and conceited and we deliberately and willfully turn away from You that we wither and die.  Cut off from You, Beloved, we soon find ourselves to our dismay foraging for food in the pigs' trough, that wisdom dawns and we begin to appreciate our Father's love for us. 

No matter how far we stray from the paths of wisdom and goodness, holiness and truth, when we return, humble and contrite of heart resolving to sin no more, You quickly forgive all our sins. You restore a hundred-fold all the graces that we so foolishly and recklessly squandered in loose living and sin. Thank You for loving us unconditionally and for never tiring of forgiving us when we are truly repentant, humble, and contrite of heart. 

How wonderful it is to have this confidence in You, my Lord, that no sooner do we pray, 

‘Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds;
after a day or two he will bring us back to life,
on the third day he will raise us
and we shall live in his presence.’

Grant us this grace O Lord, to never take Your love for us for granted.

LUKE 18:9-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Your parables bluntly reveal truths about our weaknesses because they are based on our own experiences. If we are honest we will see ourselves reflected in the characters portrayed in them. Which of us at some time or other not preened before God and others like the Pharisees, crowing in self-righteousness. Our self-deception is so deeply ingrained that we fail to recognize that all is grace and that any good we do is because through grace we align our will to Yours. 

People around us who see us wrongfully conclude that we are virtuous because we are seen prominently at all religious gatherings. We sit in the front pew, we attend daily Holy Mass, we belong to many parish groups, and play an active and visible role in the community. We make sure we are seen and we are thrilled when we receive recognition and adulation when we give of our time and our money and become peevish and critical when our efforts and good works go unremarked and unnoticed. 

How often, my Lord, I come to You in prayer with great expectations, believing that You owe me as I hold out for Your inspection the filthy rags of any good I think I have done. I stand before You like the Pharisee and pray unto myself and I am like a noisy gong. You do not hear me because of the deafening clanging and crashing of the cymbals of my self-adulation. 

It is the prayer of the tax collector who is fully aware of his unworthiness, sinfulness, and weaknesses and who confesses them before You deeming himself unfit to even raise his eyes to You whose prayer is heard and answered. He is justified before You because he recognizes that he is a sinner in need of redemption, salvation, healing, and grace.

Each time I come into Your holy presence my Lord, may I come to You like the tax collector acknowledging that I am a sinner and that I need You. Keep me ever mindful that without You I am nothing and can do nothing. It is You and the grace that You lavish on those who are humble that makes all things possible. May I never forget what You say to me this day and always, ‘Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’ Stay with me Lord every moment of every day for as long as I live, take me by the hand, never let go, and guide my halting and faltering steps daily as I sojourn from this life to the life that is to come. Amen.