THURDAY OF WEEK FIFTEEN IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. MT 11:28

EXODUS 3:13-20 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We too hear Your Voice speaking to us constantly but we drown it out most of the time because we are busy with worldly things, with trivialities, with what perishes and we miss the times of Your coming. But You O Lord are a persistent God, You are a relentless Lover, You pursue us for as long as we have mortal breath, and in this is our hope. You do not give up on us. 

Not only do You come to us, not only do You seek us, not only do You tenderly and lovingly woo us, but You do not lose patience with us nor do You strike us down in righteous anger. This is the Name by which God told Moses You He was to be known -  ‘I Am who I Am.’ But You, my Beloved, have taught us to address Your Father as our Father, Your Dad as our Dad, Your Abba as our Abba. 

Thank You, Lord. Grant O Lord that I may always listen to Your Word for they are life, light, and truth. May they be my guide and the light that lights my steps all the way to eternal life with You.

PSALM 104(105):1,5,8-9,24-27 ©

My Soul's Beloved

May thanksgiving, praise, adoration, and worship flow from my heart constantly for You O Lord are deserving of all glory always. I live, move, and draw breath simply because You are gracious to me and You bless me. You are God's Covenant with me and it is irrevocable. 

Thank You, Lord, for every grace and blessing. Thank You for always hearing and answering my prayers. Thank You for Your loving kindness to me and to all those whom I love. Thank You for Your loving Presence in my life. Thank You for never giving up on me even though You would have been justified in doing so.

Thank You for calling me by my name and for inscribing my name on the palm of Your Hands. Increase my love for You, my Beloved, daily more and more.

MATTHEW 11:28-30 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Your yoke and your burden are light only when we surrender to Your will - in this is our true joy and consolation. Life is hard and suffering is the lot of all no one can escape the cross. When we embrace our cross in the spirit of true discipleship only then can we receive its immense merits and blessings. The unworthy sacrifice of our lives when united with the one, holy, perfect, and redeeming Sacrifice that You offered to the Father on Calvary has the power to obtain for us immeasurable graces and blessings. It is this grace that gives us hope and enables us in our daily struggles.

Suffering is our lot, Beloved, because of the sin of Adam and Eve.  You became one like us in all things save sin, to pay the price that redeemed us from the power of Satan. Original sin has made us prone to concupiscence and we fall from grace constantly. We are grateful my Beloved, that we do not have to walk the way the way of the Cross alone, You invite us to be yoked to You, and when we accept Your invitation, the journey becomes easier and our sufferings do not crush us even though they may sometimes overwhelm us because You are with us and provide all the help and graces we need to reach our eternal, heavenly destiny.