TUESDAY OF WEEK 34 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Even if you have to die, says the Lord,
keep faithful, and I will give you
the crown of life. REV 2:10

DANIEL 2:31-45 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Through Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, You reveal to us that kingdoms come and go, rules, despots, dictators, rulers of all nations, and their rule will end. Nations will crumble and their legacy scattered to the four winds and their names will be lost in the ashes of time and will be forgotten. All that is material is temporal. The world is subject to decay and eventual death no matter how lovely created things may be their life span is short and their memory will ultimately be erased.  

We live in a world where men and women are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths sometimes even diabolical lengths to preserve youth, physical beauty, and health but all they succeed in doing is either make caricatures of themselves or buy a little extra time. The one thing that is certain is death - time marches inexorably and despite all our efforts to delay its hour death will meet us.

One thing alone is eternal - our soul and when time runs its course we will be judged and we will find ourselves either in eternal bliss with You in the Kingdom of God or cast into the pit of hell where the fire never goes out. 

You came into the world to establish the Kingdom of God in our hearts, in our midst, and this Kingdom will never end. Your Kingdom which is the Church You established on the Rock of Peter while You, O Lord, are its cornerstone, and with this Church, You have made a Covenant of Love sealed in Your Blood and the Holy Spirit. This Kingdom will have no end even though her enemies strive tirelessly within and without to destroy her. She is invincible for she belongs to You. The Church from the moment You instituted her has gone through many trials and upheavals, scandals and controversies, and will continue to do so until You return in glory, but she will never be overcome, overpowered, or destroyed for she is built on the invincible and Eternal Word of God.

 ‘In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’

RESPONSORIAL PSALM  - DANIEL 3:57-61 ©

All things the Lord has made, bless the Lord.

Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Angels of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Heavens! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Waters above the heavens! bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!

Powers of the Lord! all bless the Lord.
Give glory and eternal praise to him!

LUKE 21:5-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The Temple of Jerusalem, just as You had foretold, was destroyed so thoroughly that not one stone was left on another. When we reject You, Lord, nothing can withstand the onslaught of the Enemy whose envy of us is so great that he will stop at nothing to steal, pillage, and destroy our immortal souls. The Kingdom of God is not in beautiful structures, adorned with fine art, rich tapestries, and precious metals and jewels. All these are good in their place for they were built to give You glory and to raise our hearts and minds through beauty to the Author of Beauty.  

But if we forget You, if we disobey the Law of Love which is the Law of God written on our hearts, if we give our lives over to dissolution, fornication, drunkenness, carousing, lust, and depravity, if we value money, power, and carnal pleasure over obedience to God we will reap the whirlwind. Horrific tragedies and disasters both man-made and natural have regularly swept across large swathes of the globe in times past and they are happening now. You warn us time and time again to repent and to return to You with humble and contrite hearts and if we continue to ignore Your loving call to contrition we will experience what the people of God experienced when after having rejected the Savior of the world, after committing Deicide, the people of God became wanderers yet again as they were scattered all over the world. Having rejected the One that they longed for - the Messiah because You did not fit their preconceived ideas they lost everything. 

What You said then is true even now,

‘Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon. Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’

But Your faithful remnant also holds on with faith to Your assurance, 'Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'