ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, PRIEST, ONE WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News. MK 1:15

EZRA 9:5-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We echo the prayer of Ezra, yes Lord, we have sinned and our sins are as scarlet but You have not punished us as we deserve but in Your great and tender compassion You have taken pity on us and shown mercy. We deserved to be crushed and annihilated because of our offenses but You O Lord have revealed how good and gentle You are slow to anger and full of abounding love. Thank You, Lord.

I believe Lord, with all the fervor of my soul, that You will not abandon the sinner to their sins to their ultimate destruction, but You will pursue the sinner relentlessly and carry them back home on Your shoulders. I entrust every member of my family to You, Lord, confident that just as You moved the heart of King Cyrus and made a way miraculously for the exiles to return home to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, so too You will make a way for all those I love and pray for each day to return to Your house O Lord, the place where You dwell in fullness. You will receive them once again, fill them with Your Holy Spirit, and they will flourish and bear abundant good fruit for Your glory and for the glory of Your Kingdom. Thank You, Lord.

‘For we are slaves; but God has not forgotten us in our slavery; he has shown us kindness in the eyes of the kings of Persia, obtaining permission for us to rebuild the Temple of our God and restore its ruins, and he has found us safety and shelter in Judah and in Jerusalem.’

TOBIT 13:2,4,6-8 ©

God punishes, he also has mercy,

he leads men to the depths of the grave,
he restores men from the great destruction.
No man can escape his hand.

It is he who scattered us among the nations.
Among them must we show forth our greatness
and exalt him in the presence of all living;
for he is our Lord and our God,
our Father and our God forever.

Now think what he has done for you,

give thanks to him with all your voice.
Give praise to the Lord for his justice
and exalt the king of all ages.

In this land of exile I will thank him,

and show forth his greatness and might
to the race of sinful men.

Blessed be God, who lives forever.
Sinners, come back to him,
do what is right before him.
Who knows but he will receive you with pity?

Blessed be God, who lives forever.

LUKE 9:1-6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Too few of us dare to take You at Your word, 'Take nothing for the journey.' We are so used to holding tightly onto our comfortable crutches certain we could not survive without them and yet the great Saints who adorn our Church are proof positive that if anyone who possesses genuine faith even if it is the size of a mustard seed, can move heaven and earth.

Today's Gospel passage shows us clearly that when we respond to Your call as the Twelve did, You will not only empower us to do the work that You assign to us but You will also instruct us every step of the way on how we are to carry out the task entrusted to us. 

Working to establish the Kingdom of God requires zeal and commitment and is not for the fainthearted. However, if we respond as the Twelve did we can trust You to provide all we need. Leaning on the strength of the Holy Spirit and not on our own understanding, we will be awestruck at what You can do with those who are humble and willing to trust You. The work is not ours but Yours and You will ensure its success.