Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation. 2 COR 6:2
DEUTERONOMY 26:16-19 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
Yes, Lord, I believe Your Word that it is You who chose us to be Your own. You called us by name from eternity to be a people who are consecrated to You, anointed by You, grafted into Your Body, and fed by the Flesh and Blood of that same Body that You received from Your Mother, Mary.
Knowing our weaknesses personally, since You became a Man like us in all things save sin, You instituted the Sacraments. Through them, we receive all the graces we need in this life to persevere in faith hope, and love, with the help of Your Holy Spirit, until we come to the end of our pilgrim journey on earth. Without Him, it would be impossible for us to say You are Lord.
At our baptism, our parents and Godparents made solemn vows on our behalf that we would be raised in the faith, when we attained the age of reason we confirmed our acceptance of these vows. We have broken Your commandments often, Lord, but thank You for the Sacrament of Reconciliation - no matter how many times and how grievously we fall every day, when we are truly contrite and resolve to sin no more, You forgive us all and restore Your friendship with us.
Thank You for giving us the Bread of Angels, without this weekly sustenance and for those who desire it, daily, we would fall by the wayside and be trampled upon or devoured. Grace waters our good intentions, and enables us to keep our will aligned with Your. The Sacraments help us with all our needs - physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental. Continue to take us by the hand and guide us safely through this wilderness, this valley of tears, until we reach safe harbor.
‘And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’
PSALM 118 (119):1-2,4-5,7-8 ©
‘And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’
PSALM 118 (119):1-2,4-5,7-8 ©
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.
You have laid down your precepts
to be obeyed with care.
May my footsteps be firm
to obey your statutes.
May my footsteps be firm
to obey your statutes.
I will thank you with an upright heart
as I learn your decrees.
I will obey your statutes;
do not forsake me.
I will obey your statutes;
do not forsake me.
They are happy who follow God’s law!
MATTHEW 5:43-48 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
We long for peace, we pray earnestly for it. We hanker for the good old days, looking at them with rose-tinted glasses we believe that they were better than the present, but we are mistaken. True peace is in every heart that steadfastly keeps Your Word. It is not shaken or affected by the actions of others, whether good or bad, because it is anchored in You.
We are called to be unfailingly good, kind, charitable, gentle, long-suffering, and generous with all irrespective of who they are or how they treat us. Every human being is a child of God created in His image and likeness. God loves each one of us individually and You died for all. We may not all be actually saved but we are all potentially saved. This is why we are called to preach the Gospel and make it come alive by the way we live our lives and the way we treat one another.
More often than not those who are assigned the task of being teachers, elders, and leaders often fall far short of the mark, and as a result, the whole Church is maligned. We can make a difference when each of us begins to love as You have taught us to love. Self-sacrificial, agape love saved the world and continues to save it.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
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