MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

DANIEL 9:4-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The prayer of Daniel is the prayer of the Church, it is the prayer of all Christians, and it is the prayer of every individual Catholic and Christian. Our world is in shambles today, the Church has failed so many of her children because of bad, unholy, unfaithful shepherds. Parents have failed to raise Godfearing children because they were failed by their parents, or they were too consumed with making provision for the material needs of their family and neglected the greater spiritual needs. 

I strike my breast O Lord for my part in the state of the Church, in the family, in the community, in my parish, in my country, and in the world. I have been indifferent, neglectful, careless, uncaring, selfish, self-willed, ignorant, proud, greedy, vain, complacent and I ask for mercy and pardon. Forgive me Lord for I have sinned. Do not punish us as we deserve but for the sake of Your sorrowful passion have mercy on me and on the whole world. 

To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.

Change begins with me. You make grace available in abundance - align my will to Yours Lord and with the help of the Holy Spirit assist me in fulfilling God's purpose for my life. You have saved us and we are saved - may the Holy Spirit make actual what You O Lord have made possible by Your incarnation, life, passion, death, and glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like Yours. Amen.

PSALM 78(79):8-9,11,13 ©

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.

Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.

O God our saviour, come to our help.

Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.

Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;

let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks forever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.

Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.

LUKE 6:36-38 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We live in a world that believes that compassion means pretending normalcy and being tolerant when a minority of people who are wounded in heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit embrace sterile lifestyles. Everything that lives has to be fecund and fruitful according to the purpose for which it is created and exists. Any living thing that feeds on itself will wither and die. 

We are created by the Author of Love and Life for love and life. The lover's gaze is always on the beloved. Our gaze must ever be on our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, and for the sake of the great love shown to us, we are to love as we are loved. Unless we love You O Lord with our whole hearts, our whole minds, our whole strength, and our neighbor as ourselves this beautiful world will continue to cave in on itself as we devour each other. 

Grant us divine wisdom and simplicity of heart that we may be authentic witnesses of God's love in this fallen world and hasten Your coming again in glory. Amen. 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’