Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious on Wednesday of week 11 in Ordinary Time - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

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

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today we are reminded to share generously what we have received so generously from You. The shorter our hand the more sparse will be the blessings and graces we receive to live the abundant life You desire to heap on us. In the measure that we give we will receive.

The poor are always with us and there are always opportunities to share not only our material resources but our spiritual resources as well. We are called to share not only from our abundance but from our need for unless our giving costs us something it is not true giving.

We are assured that God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift will ensure that we will never be in want. He will enlarge our hearts and spur us on to be even more generous for He who is our provider will multiply seven-fold all that we give so we will never run short of all that is needed.

PSALM 111 (112):1-4,9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Keep my gaze constantly on You and not on my weaknesses, my lack, or my propensity to sin. The more I lean on You the more will I learn the necessity to rely on You for everything for of myself I have nothing and I am nothing.

Give me a holy fear so I will never grieve You. Fill me with Your graces and Your Holy Spirit so I may not stumble and should I fall, my Lord, hasten to pick me up and help me to begin anew with true repentance and contrition. I desire to be holy, I desire to be perfect but sadly I often lack the will to put my good intentions to action. Help me Lord for without Your help I will perish.

MATTHEW 6:1-6,16-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

My flesh is weak and has been indulged for too long making it difficult for me now to exercise self-discipline and gain mastery over myself. Too long have I desired the approbation of others. Too long have I desired to be noticed for any good that I have done which in truth were nothing but filthy rags before You.

True giving comes so naturally, so quietly, so unostentatiously that no one notices. In fact, You say it so well, "When you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

All that we do according to our state in life must be done purely out of love for You and because without prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we will never love You as we ought. A love that goes far above and beyond the call of satisfying the prescriptions of the law is possible only when the Commandment to love God first and our neighbor as ourselves is engraved on our hearts.