WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming. MK 24: 42, 44

ROMANS 6:12-18 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Life passes by swiftly and before we know it childhood, youth, and adulthood have sped by. We look in the mirror and wonder where the years have gone. If we had to do it all over again, we tell ourselves armed with hindsight we would do things differently. Make different choices. Savor the things that we were too busy to enjoy and appreciate. 

Yet You, O Lord were present with me through the years and You remain with me now. Yes, I have sinned often and gravely and it was grace that helped me repent and return to You and I have always found a loving welcome like the prodigal son. Coming home to You after falling often has given me finally taught me that sin separates me from You and cut off from You I will surely die. 

Finally, through grace alone, You now keep me on the path that leads to the Kingdom of God. The way is narrow, difficult, filled with much sorrow, many many sighs and tears, and often I stumble but You O Lord are with me and You steady me and hold me up.

Thank You, Lord, for not only saving me and for Your steadfast love but also for providing all the grace I need just to be a slave of righteousness.

You were once slaves of sin, but thank God you submitted without reservation to the creed you were taught. You may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become ‘slaves’ of righteousness.

PSALM 123(124) ©

‘If the Lord had not been on our side,’

this is Israel’s song.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.

‘Then would the waters have engulfed us,

the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.’
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
a prey to their teeth!

Our life, like a bird, has escaped

from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

LUKE 12:39-48 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Many people die unexpectedly. Too often we only come to understand later in life that our life is a gift from God and that we will have to render a strict account of what we have done with this precious gift. Today's parable reminds us that we are only stewards of the gifts that have been lavished on us and are answerable to God for the way in which we have used them. Time slips by swiftly and before we know it we are old and have lost the physical vigor we once possessed. When that time is upon us may we not be filled with vain regret.

For as long as today lasts You give us time to repent and make amends for past, unrepented sins. As we wait in the evening years of our lives for the Bridegroom to come may we ready ourselves so we will not be taken by surprises no matter at what hour You arrive, Beloved.

O Lord my God, grant me this grace not to spend the time left to me either in vain regret or to worry uselessly about the things I do not have any control over. Rather, grant me the grace I need to trust You completely in all the circumstances of my life. Not to give in to needless worry, sadness, anxiety, fear, and gloom. May I remember always that I am a child of God, I dare to call Him Dad, the Son of God is my Brother, You loved me so much You laid down Your life for me so I could live with You forever. I am not left an orphan or widow to muddle along on my own but You have poured Your own Holy Spirit on me - He is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the Love of God who helps me moment by moment, providing enough light to take one step at a time in faith, until You come for me and take me home to Yourself. 

‘You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns.’

My beloved St. Joseph, foster father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and my spiritual father, God has made You master over his household and prince over all His possessions. Intercede for me and my family and obtain for us through your powerful intercession all that we need to be happy in this life and gloriously happy with God, with Mama Mary, You, and all the angels and saints forever.