FRIDAY OF WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand. LK 21:28

WISDOM 13:1-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The writer of the Book of Wisdom is right when he says that we have no excuse not to know God for His imprint is impressed all around us first and foremost in human beings O Lord whom He created in His image and likeness, and then in the beauty of creation that surrounds us. Who can look at the night sky studded with stars, or at a full moon with its reflection glinting on the water, or a deep blue sky with billowy white clouds and not praise the One who created all this beauty that surrounds us? The colors and variety of flowers, birds, fish, and butterflies, all living and inanimate things that fill our world all cry out in praise of the Creator. Who can look at a newborn baby, hear the delighted and innocent laughter of a child, see a mother's tender gaze as she looks at her child, or a father's protective love for his children, the love of husband and wife and not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is One who transcends all that He has made? Only a fool could refuse to believe that there was a God for You O Lord are everywhere. You are in all that You created and You are in us. If only we saw You in all our brothers and sisters the Kingdom of God would already be in our midst. 

You have blessed mankind with intellect and we are meant to use it not only to increase our knowledge of the material world but first and foremost to seek You and to find You because You do not hide Yourself from us - You want us to know You and love You just as we are known and loved by You. Our days here are numbered O Lord may we not spend them in useless pastimes but use them gainfully to grow in the knowledge of Truth so we will not stray from the path of holiness that will leadus to You. 

PSALM 18(19):2-5 ©

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

LUKE 17:26-37 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Ever since Your ascension into heaven, we have been urged by the Church to prepare for Your Second Coming in glory. At first, the Apostles thought Your return was imminent but over 2000 years have gone by and we are given ample time to get ready so we will not be taken by surprise when that hour finally arrives. 

The tragedy though is that we have become lax in our faith. Many have fallen by the wayside. To this day people live their lives just as they did when Noah warned the people that the day of destruction was drawing near but they would not listen. They carried on sinning and carousing until the flood washed them away and only Noah and all in the ark that he built according to God's instruction survived. 

Only the faithful in the Ark of the Church You founded will be saved. But even these cannot take their salvation for granted. We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in union with the Holy Spirit every moment of every day that we are alive. You warn us that death will come like a thief in the night and many are caught off-guard and unprepared. 

Beloved, let us not waste time on the things that are passing but strive to grow in holiness and perfection. You have not left us to struggle on our own but have made available to us in the Church the Sacrament to help in our sanctification. Let us be faithful O Lord in obeying the Commandments and when we fail to be reconciled to God as often as necessary in the Sacrament of Reconciliation so on the day of Your return we will be like the 5 wise virgins ready with lamps trimmed and full of oil and we will accompany You to the wedding banquet. 

Just as You foretold the destruction of Jerusalem came about with terrible violence and bloodshed and we pray my Lord and my God that You will find many faithful souls awake, alert, and ready for Your return and where the vultures gather to feed on those that are spiritually decaying or dead. 

There is no Salvation outside the ‘Church’, So let us stay with the ‘Ark’ that bore Jesus Christ.