ALL SAINTS - 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

APOCALYPSE 7:2-4,9-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today we reflect on the glimpse of heaven that John, the evangelist and the beloved disciple saw in a vision. The Kingdom of God is where God lives and reigns and where He is worshipped, praised, and glorified by the saints in heaven, the saints on earth, and the saints in purgatory. Unending praise and worship rises up to the throne of grace in a pleasing fragrance as we on earth offer to the Father, from the rising of the sun to its setting a Memorial of the Sacrifice of the Lamb for the salvation and redemption of humanity. We eat the heavenly manna and for a brief moment, we are transported to paradise in intimate union with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Beloved, we are living in dangerous and turbulent times. Such periods of violence, terror, and demon-induced horror have occurred all through the history of mankind. Such are the times now and this time it appears as if all the forces of evil have been unleashed on our world. Wars, conflicts, hunger, starvation, sicknesses of all kinds, and violence and horrific evil are perpetrated against the most vulnerable of God's children. There appears to be a well-thought-out plan to systematically eradicate whole groups of people in many parts of our world. 

But You, O Lord are God, and no creature has the power to crush Your people unless You permit it in order to draw a far, far, greater good.

We continue to pray, to hope, and we will not be anxious or troubled but will wait with confidence for the day when we too will be in Your Presence. If we are called to lay down our lives for the Gospel grant us the grace to do so joyfully. Bathed in the Blood of the Lamb we too will be robed in whiten and join the innumerable throngs that worship God unceasingly with exultant joy and gladness.

PSALM 23(24):1-6 ©

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.

He shall receive blessings from the Lord

and reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

1 JOHN 3:1-3 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The beloved disciple speaks again of the privilege that has been accorded to the Baptized to address God as our Father for we are grafted onto Your Body and have become members of the household of God.

The Holy Spirit has lavished on the children of God every grace, blessing, and virtue - all these are ours for the asking when we pray in faith confident that it delights the Father to grant these gifts to us. We don't ask and hence we do not receive. We are ineffective in our witness to the Truth of the Gospel because we do not desire these gifts as ardently as we should. God delights in giving us all that we need for our salvation for the Father longs for all His prodigal children to come home.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for revealing the Father's love to us. You are the Living Image of the unseen God made visible and tangible in the Flesh. The same Flesh that we eat in the Holy Eucharist and receive divine life.

Grant us this grace O Lord, to desire to be pure in thought, word, and deed and not just desire it but to strive valiantly to exercise this virtue. We long eagerly for the day Lord when You will call us home to Yourself - until that day arrives keep us vigilant and faithful. Let us shelter under Your wings and we will be safe.

MATTHEW 5:1-12a ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The lives of the saints were accorded special graces so they could show the rest of us poor, weak, sinful, frail creatures that it was possible to reach the heights of holiness if we not only desired it but we surrendered our whole lives to the Holy Spirit. 

The path to holiness is not easy it is a daily, moment-by-moment war against temptations that subtly and overtly wreak havoc on all our good intentions. We need to do the hard work required to gain mastery over our will. Every sincere effort we make to grow in holiness You will bless us with immense graces. Each time we succeed we will grow stronger in virtue and in our ability to combat the wiles of the enemy. 

You gave us a blueprint that will enable everyone to climb the mountain of the Lord and behold Him face to face. But it requires us to empty ourselves completely of our pride, ego, self-love, and the desire for self-gratification. We must love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It isn't easy but You never said that it would be. The road to Calvary is bloody, brutal, and filled with suffering - we need to keep our gaze fixed on You, we need to stay close to the Church, frequent the Sacraments, live in grace, go for Confession when we fail, and rise anew each time we fall.

You do not let us struggle alone but You provide us with all the assistance we will need to make the journey from this life to the next, all we need to do is ask sincerely and constantly in prayer and You will help us every step of the way.

Thank You, Beloved, for Holy Mother Church and for every member in it - as we pray for one another You will surely help us to reach our heavenly destination and share with You the crown of glory.