MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word,
because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption. PS 129:5,7

KINGS 5:1-15 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Too often, we wring our hands and wail when unfortunate things happen to us or tragedy visits us. This is because we are so absorbed in our own misery wallowing in our sadness and focused on our own narrow vision we fail to try and discern what God desires to teach us.

The little Israeli girl taken as a slave by the Arameans and given to Naaman's wife did not forget who she was despite her circumstances. She knew the Living God and was aware of her heritage. She did not allow her situation to dampen or destroy her faith instead she spoke boldly to her mistress suggesting that Naaman would be healed of his affliction if he sought the prophet in Samaria.

It took the faith of a slave girl and the courage of the servants of Naaman to convince him to obey the simple command given to him by the prophet Elisha. Naaman had to overcome his pride and listen to his servants' advice to follow the instructions of the prophet. ‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.’ Naaman had to exercise the virtues of humility and obedience for the miracle he desired to take place.

Miracles occur only when we are prepared to let go of our narrow vision and pride and humbly and obediently surrender to God's will and to His commandments. 

The Seven Sacraments that Holy Mother Church dispenses to her children enable us to navigate the treacherous and perilous journey we are called to make from this life to the life that is to come. 

PSALM 41(42):2-3,42:3-4 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

When I, like the psalmist, can make this beautiful prayer my own, when I yearn for You, my Beloved, as the writer of this psalm does then, and only then will I experience what he clearly has experienced, receiving of Your fullness and goodness.

It isn't enough to just desire You although this is the first step. My whole will and strength must be directed towards obeying You humbly and in all the circumstances of my life. I cannot cherry-pick when I will be pliant to Your will and when I stubbornly follow the paths that lead to destruction and death. 

The psalmist loved You despite the fact that the fullness of Life in You had not yet been revealed. I have no excuse to offer You my Lord when I stray from the path of Truth. Each time I do so I plunge myself in darkness and misery and yet, fool that I am, I do so repeatedly. 

Grant me wisdom O Lord, I implore You to come to my aid and help me 

And I will come to the altar of God,

the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.

LUKE 4:24-30 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Lacking humility, we refuse to acknowledge we are sinners. We are so filled with our own self-righteousness we are unable to accept the truth of our brokenness and our need for You, the Divine Healer.  We are blind and so caught up in our own selfish needs and wants we fail to see and seize the moment when You come to us - the moment of encounter with You.  

We convince ourselves like the people of Your hometown Nazareth, that we know God. We make You in our image and likeness. We domesticate You. We force You into a mold of our making and we are prepared to disown You when You challenge our idolatry.

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.

Now is the time, now is the hour of our salvation grant us the grace this Lent to wake up before it is too late.