SATURDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God. LM 3:4, 6

ECCLESIATICUS 48:1-4,9-12 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Elijah in his day was a power to be reckoned with for God was with him. Anyone who like Elijah has handed over their life to You to be used as Your instrument in whatever way You desire can change the world. All it takes is one life willing to be used in any way that You command the lives of the saints testify to this truth. 

John the Baptist also spoke truth to power in his day. He prepared the way for You. He made the people aware of their sins and their need for a savior. He preached that the time of repentance was now. Now is the hour in which we can and will be saved for tomorrow is promised to no one.

Each of us is invited to be an Elijah in our time - most of us like me are fearful, afraid to challenge the status quo, preferring to let things be instead of standing up and raising our voice. This is why evil thrives because we have opted to take the easy route - to live and let live and this is why we are spiraling into the bottomless pit of hell. Stir our hearts O Lord, awaken our conscience, at least in our own homes, among our relatives, and in our neighborhood let us speak up and make a difference regardless of the consequences. Now is the time to do everything we can to turn the hearts of those around us back to God, to preach the Good News by our uncompromising witness to the truth by the way we live, and to be a sign of contradiction for our time like Elijah and John the Baptist.  

PSALM 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19 ©

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

MATTHEW 17:10-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today, just as in the time of Elijah the world is guilty of idolatry in all its varied forms. People worship the idols of the flesh, wealth, fame, power, and more. The more we worship everything and anything other than the Triune God the more degenerate we become as is clearly visible in our culture.  

Thank You, Lord, for the many sane voices in the Church and in the world. Thank You for the good shepherds who preach and teach the truth without sugarcoating it or diluting it. Thank You, for the many lay voices in the Church who have devoted their lives to studying the Truth, meditating deeply, and sharing it with those who hunger and thirst for it. 

Let us recognize the many Elijah's who are currently in the world and support them with our prayers as well as in any way we can. Are You calling us to be an Elijah? If You are Lord, You warn us that we will suffer and perhaps greatly. 

‘Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.

The world is currently under the dominion of the father of lies, and many are deceived by him but not for long.  This may be his hour of evil but You O Lord have won the victory. You have crushed the head of Satan and by Your Blood O Lord, You have set us free. You assure us that everyone whom the Father has chosen will not perish but will receive eternal life through the merits that You have won for us. We long for the day of Your return O Lord. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come.