FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTERTIDE - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me, and I live in him,
says the Lord. JN 6:56

ACTS 9:1-20 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

While Saul was busily and feverishly making plans and arrangements to terrorize and persecute the new people of God mistakenly believing that what he was doing was pleasing to God, God was making greater plans for him. None of us is worthy - You choose who You will and You make us worthy O Lord. 

You can break through our blindness, our bigotry, our selfishness, our hard-heartedness, and You can make us a new creation in an instant just as You did with Paul. You continue to make new Pauls in every generation. You come to us with great power and majesty as You appeared to Saul or You can come to us in more hidden, quiet ways but the effect is always the same. Grace is able to transform us in an instant or more slowly - just as You will.

When Saul heard Your voice admonishing him gently, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' He knew that he was experiencing a direct visitation from God and responded, 'Who are you, Lord.' And You revealed who You are - ‘I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.’ 

To Paul, You entrusted the great mission to go out into the world and bring the message of the Good News of our salvation to the Gentiles. In the eyes of the world, he was the most unlikely candidate but as always, You do not judge as the world does for Your ways and Your thoughts are so much higher and greater than ours.

Three days and nights Saul fasted taking neither food nor drink because he was aware that something extraordinary had happened to him, God had visited him, and God had an extraordinary mission for him - why? He did not know but You chose him. 

We need never be afraid, Beloved. Your plans are perfect. All we need to do is surrender completely and step out in faith to do all that You ask of us great and small. Perhaps we will never be required to do anything really spectacular like  Paul but all that You entrust to us, no matter how humble, is necessary. Each of us is a chosen instrument. Each of the baptized is sent on a mission, which is the proclamation of the Good News, by our lives.

You will equip us with all we need just as You equipped Paul all we need to do is say yes and to surrender wholeheartedly to Your will. What is the message - it is simple - Jesus is the Son of God. This is the Good News that the Son of God was sent into the world not to condemn it but to redeem it and to make the children of Adam and Eve the children of God. 

JOHN 6:52-59 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It took Your death on the Cross, the Sacrifice of the Son of the Living God to make it possible for us to eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Son of Man. You took on our death so we may receive Your life, eternal life. Eternal death was our lot but You came into the world to wrest from the grip of evil that which Satan had won through trickery and chicanery. The foolish and deadly pride of our first parents to desire to be like God made them willing pawns of Satan. They chose to believe the father of lies rather than God.

The answer to the Jews who were arguing, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ is found on the Cross, and at the foot of the Cross is Your Mother who gave You Your Body, e the Beloved Disciple who represents the whole of believing humanity, and Mary Magdalene who represents every forgiven sinner. 

Thank You for the Church where we can go daily to eat Your flesh and drink Your blood and have divine life in us. Thank You for Your solemn assurance that we who partake of the Eucharist will be raised to life on the last day and share in the glory of Your resurrection eternally.