ST. ANTHONY, ABBOT - WEDNESDAY OF WEEK TWO IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people. MT 4:23

1 SAMUEL l 17:32-33,37,40-51 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for this most consoling word that despite the evil that has currently descended on the whole world, You speak to us through the lips of Your servant David, who said to Saul,  ‘Let no-one lose heart on his account; your servant will go and fight the Philistine. The Lord who rescued me from the claws of lion and bear’ will rescue me from the power of this Philistine.’ 

The staff of David symbolizes Your Cross, the five smooth stones from the river bed are Your five wounds O Lord - these are the weapons with which You O Lord have vanquished the Enemy. Your Precious Blood O Lord has consecrated our earth and You have restored the world created by God and wrested from Him by the wiles of the Devil and the sin of disobedience, back to Your Father and our Father.

Satan scorns that You come to destroy him only by the power of Your Body, Blood, Your wounds, and Your scars just as the Philistine mocked David for coming to him with sticks. The power of the wood of the Cross has destroyed evil and vanquished the world, the flesh, and Satan forever.

Today, O Lord, I unite by song of victory with the words of David and I sing Your praises O Lord, for You have delivered us and destroyed the chains of sin that enslaved us to the Enemy. It is not by sword or by spear that You have won the victory for us O Lord but by the power of the Word made Flesh and by the power of the Cross. Death is conquered forever and freedom now belongs to us, Your sisters and brothers for we are now adopted children of the Living God.

PSALM 143(144):1-2,9-10 ©

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,

who trains my arms for battle,
who prepares my hands for war.

He is my love, my fortress;

he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
He brings peoples under my rule.

To you, O God, will I sing a new song;

I will play on the ten-stringed lute
to you who give kings their victory,
who set David your servant free.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

MARK 3:1-6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today You remind us that it is always a good time to do good and fight evil. There is so much misery and sadness in our world today. So many in our world are broken and filled with anguish, sorrow, loneliness, and pain and they do not know that help,  consolation, and mercy are available for the asking but they do not know it.

We live in a world where evil is celebrated and division is encouraged. People are becoming more and more isolated in their misery and seek relief from what can only provide momentary release from their pain. The world is in desperate need of You my Lord, and yet those who know You, refuse to share You for different reasons one of them being fear of persecution.

Let this be the day Lord, this the hour, the moment for a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit so we can renew the face of the earth. Beloved Father, I beg You, declare that it is enough - evil has had its day - now Father, bring an end to the works of darkness and herald the hour of Your Son, the Light of the World to overcome and overpower the rulers of darkness and begin an era of peace in our world.