Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son. ACTS 16:14
EXODUS 40:16-21,34-38 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
We might think how glorious it is that God was with His people in such a visible way. For the cloud of the Lord rested on the tabernacle by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night, for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey. God accompanied His people and they did everything according to the instructions that He gave Moses. But we would be absolutely wrong if we believed that Your Presence with the Chosen People of God was greater than Your Presence with us today.
We who are baptized and are grafted into Your Body, we who have received the fullness of grace and truth in the Catholic Church, we who while still on earth can enjoy the kind of intimacy that only those in heaven presently experience when we receive You in the Holy Eucharist are far, far more privileged than they were.
They only saw the Cloud and the Fire in the Cloud and they were filled with awe and wonder that God was in their midst in such a visible way. Yet we who eat and drink You in the Holy Eucharist, become with You in flesh and in spirit are more greatly and wonderfully blessed than they ever were.
The ark was brought and placed in the tabernacle and a screening veil screened the ark. This veil was ripped in two when You died on the cross and now we have direct access to You through the power of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Spirit. Grant the Church and the world, all fallen-away Catholics and all the baptized a true knowledge of living a life of grace and perfect union while we are still in the flesh. Only then O Lord will we be undaunted by the powerful forces of darkness that threaten to assail and destroy us. You are Emmanuel, God with us and You remain with us at every stage of our journey from this life to the one that is to come.
PSALM 83(84):3-6,8,11 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
The lives of the Saints reveal to us what God can and will do for us if we only grant Him permission to do so. Every moment of every day that we are alive we are free to choose whether or not we will dwell in Your Presence, give Your Holy Spirit total access to our lives, and humbly and obediently surrender our will and embrace God's will for our lives. This is the only way to enjoy perfect joy and peace in this life and receive eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Your dwelling place O Lord God of hosts is in our hearts. You desire to come into our sinful bodies and make us living tabernacles. You remain in our churches and in our Adoration Chapels around the world and anyone can have access to You.
In a world that is distancing itself from You and aligning itself daily more closely with evil, we who seek You will find You not only in Your Eucharistic Presence but in the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They walk with ever-growing strength,
they will see the God of gods in Zion.
for ever singing your praise.
They walk with ever-growing strength,
they will see the God of gods in Zion.
The threshold of the house of God
I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
How lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
MATTHEW 13:47-53 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
If we listen to the false narratives that din our ears day and night we will soon believe that the world is hurtling into the very abyss of darkness and hell. Evil is palpable and visible and its slimy tentacles grow longer and stronger as they reach out to stifle and destroy all that is holy, good, true, and beautiful.
This however is not true. You have won the victory. Your glorious right hand has triumphed. Salvation is ours and while You permit the evil You are very much in control. We are living in an evil age and while the wicked are rampant the good are also flourishing. You are with us. Your Holy Spirit empowers us. You will grant us all the graces we need to remain effective as salt and light in an increasingly darkening world.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word, for Your Church, and for Your Holy Spirit - the devil fights a losing battle. Alleluia is our battle cry, the Holy Rosary our powerful weapon, and the signs of victory are visible everywhere for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
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