THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Behold, our Lord will come with power
and will enlighten the eyes of his servants.

ISAIAH 11:1-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The tragedy of our lives O Lord, my God, is that peace is already given to us. The knowledge of God is revealed to us. The Spirit of Wisdom is poured upon us and makes a home in us when we are baptized and comes alive in us when we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and are commissioned and sent out to make disciples. However, because we choose sin over obedience to God's command, we choose death over life, we choose to reject Truth and embrace half-truths, and outright lies because we do not desire to walk in the Light but prefer the darkness of self-will, self-indulgence, and the desires of the flesh we find ourselves in a world that is spiraling into the deepest darkest pit of hell. Wisdom has fled. Innocence is sneered at. Sin is celebrated. Instead of being encouraged to seek health and wholeness in heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit, every kind of aberration is sought, espoused, and encouraged with feverish, maniacal, and demonic fervor.

But to those who seek Your Face, Beloved, grant this Advent be a cool, fresh, breeze that brings calm and peace into our souls and our lives as we prepare to celebrate Your birth, Your incarnation, the Presence of God among us and who continues to live in us, move in us, and abides in us.

You O Lord are the Eternal Word of the Father in whom and through whom by the Breath of the Spirit He created all things. The prophet says of You, 

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,

faithfulness the belt about his hips.

You O Lord have come into the world as the Prince of Peace yet, it appears that there never has been a time in history where peace is a mirage and those who speak of peace only pay lip service for their hearts are bent on war and division among people and nations.

Isaiah speaks of a time to come that seems like a pipe dream but it is God's word and it will be realized some day. Hasten that day O Lord so we can experience the Kingdom of God in our midst now.

The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion feed together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair
the young child puts his hand.
They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters swell the sea.

That day, the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.

PSALM 71(72):1-2,7-8,12-13,17 ©

O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.

In his days justice shall flourish

and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.

May his name be blessed for ever

and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

LUKE 10:21-24 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

God is humble, Mary is humble, all the great saints that the Church holds up to us for emulation were humble. Humility is the hallmark of God and of those who desire to follow Him closely. To see ourselves as we are and not as we imagine ourselves to be is wisdom. We are nothing and have nothing except our sins. All we have is given to us to be used for Your glory and as stewards of these gifts we will have to give an account of our stewardship.

Unless we are childlike in our approach to God and to our neighbor we will be roundly rejected by both God and neighbor. The arrogant and the boastful, the conceited and the vain, the loudmouthed bully, and those who are violent in word and deed are repulsive and disliked heartily by all. We are called to be peacemakers in the world not sowers of dissent. When we approach God we must do so like the tax collector or publican and not the Pharisee, The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Beloved, the kingdom of God is already in our midst. You gave Your Church the authority and the power to do all that You have done and You assured us that we would do even greater things since You are now Your Father in heaven. He sent You into the world as His Icon to reveal to us just who He is. In You, we see the Father for You are in the Father and the Father is in You, and just as Your Father asked You, You have revealed Him to those who believe in You, adore You, love You,  hope in You, and place all their trust in You.

We are truly blessed, Beloved, for we eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood and we enjoy an intimacy with You in the Holy Eucharist that is unparalleled. There is no greater intimacy between God and man than the intimacy we are granted in the Sacrament when God and I are one. What You said to Your disciples then, You say to every disciple in every age:

‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’