MONDAY OF WEEK 10 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Rejoice and be glad:
your reward will be great in heaven. MT 5:12a

2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-7 ©

My Soul's Beloved

When we are visited by a season of suffering we cry aloud to You to take away the cross, the burden of sorrow, the weight of our crushing pain, and there is no shame in that for we know that in the flesh You too cried out to Your Father saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ This is key, my Lord. It is ok to moan and lament and cry out to You for relief but in the end, we must know as You most certainly did, that our salvation depended on You laying down Your life for us sinners. May I always conclude every cry for help and relief as You did, 'Yet, not what I want, my Beloved, but what you want.'

In times of joy and laughter, when we are full of the good things that You so generously pour into our laps, the edge of our devotion gets blunted. We so easily forget that we are dependent on You for every breath that we breathe. When we weep it is usually because those we love so much are undergoing great tribulation, suffering, and sorrow and we who lovingly accompany them are helpless for we can do little to ease their pain. This is why, Lord, recognizing that You are only only help and hope we run to You, we clutch the hem of Your garment and we do not let go, begging You to heal and restore those whom we love, those whom You Yourself have given to us to love and to cherish.

Thank You for the wisdom of St. Paul who reminds us that when we undergo sorrow and You bring us through the valley of tears to a place of rest, peace, and restoration, and we recognize that we are the better for it, we can offer the same consolation and hope to others who are suffering as well. We are members of Your Body, Beloved, when one hurts the entire Body is in distress. So let us never hesitate to listen, to empathize, to comfort, and accompany anyone who is hurt and suffering offering them the same comfort that we ourselves have received. 

PSALM 33(34):2-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

My own soul sings exultantly with the psalmist who praises and blesses God for all the goodness and mercies He has shown him. I too have tasted Your goodness, my Lord. You are faithful and Your mercies are unending. It is right and fitting that in all circumstances we render You praise, thanksgiving, adoration, and worship.  Praise lifts up the spirits of the members of Your Body especially when our praise wells up from our lips when our eyes overflow with tears and our hearts are broken with sorrow, suffering, and grief. 

You always answer us when we call on Your Name. No one can ever say that they sought You and You ignored them. They called You and Your ears were deaf to their cry. You answer and You set us free from all our terrors both real and imagined.

Thank You, Beloved for the privilege of literally eating Your Body and truly tasting and seeing for ourselves how good You are in the Holy Eucharist. You feed us with the finest wheat and You fill our mouth with the sweetest honey of Your Word.

You have commanded angels to watch over us, to protect us, to rescue us from the snares set to trap us by the Enemy. Thank You for the diligent care of our Guardian Angel.  

The angel of the Lord is encamped

around those who revere him, to rescue them.

MATTHEW 5:1-12 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's Gospel passage for our reflection is the Sermon on the Mount. The Catholic Church is the one set high on Mt. Zion to which the people of all nations ascend. Here is where You desire to live, to make Your dwelling place, it is here that we are nourished by Your Word and by Your Flesh and Blood. We need both if we are to be strengthened in every way as we make our journey on the narrow path that leads to eternal life with You.

To this day, the Teaching Authority of the Church, the Magisterium, teaches faithfully, clearly, without muddying the waters of doctrinal truths, and thus the Bark of St. Peter is able to navigate safely through the turbulent seas of the demonic culture we are living in.

Thank You, Beloved, for giving us a blueprint that help us to keep our eyes on the prize that is worth everything. The world and all in it is well lost for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’

Never in the history of the Church nor in the lives of both Catholics and Christians have Your people, those who are faithful and keep Your commandments, been subjected to such discrimination, persecution, stripped of their rights, have their homes taken from them, imprisoned, beaten, threatened, and even murdered. Our places of worship and our Sacred Altars on which the Living Sacrifice - one, holy, and perfect is offered to the Father in unending praise and thanksgiving are desecrated, destroyed, and burned. 

This should come as no surprise to us Lord, for while all the filth within the Church is being exposed as it rises to the surface, the blood of the innocent in union with Your passion and death, makes atonement for the sins of those who have been appointed to be good shepherds to Your flock. Once Your Church is purified, Lord, You will grant Your remnant a new springtime of grace, joy, hope, and growth.

‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.’