I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die. JN 11:25, 26
ISAIAH 49:8-15 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
You are so good and I am so blessed. All that You have said to me this morning is confirmed in these consoling verses from the prophet Isaiah. I know Lord, that I deserve to die. I am unworthy of so great a love that You lavish on me awake or asleep. Your love O Lord is constant mine is inconstant and changeable, I grow hot and cold but You O Lord are faithful, patient, kind, tender, merciful, and compassionate.
When You created the world You looked at the work of Your hands and said behold it is very good, but original sin tainted everything, and from that moment on we seem hell-bent on spiraling headlong into eternal damnation. Thank You, Lord, for Your words of consolation and comfort. This is Your world and we are Your people. It is precisely because God did not desire to annihilate us as we deserve that He sent You into the world to redeem us.
We have hope because of You. Thank You Father for creating us and loving us even at our most unlovable. Thank You, Beloved Son, for laying down Your life to save us. Thank You, Holy Spirit for making it possible to live a life of grace and truth by Your power aflame in us and in the Church.
All glory to You - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now and forever. Amen.
Thus says the Lord:
PSALM 144(145):8-9,13b-14,17-18 ©
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
Thus says the Lord:
At the favourable time I will answer you,
on the day of salvation I will help you.
(I have formed you and have appointed you
as covenant of the people.)
on the day of salvation I will help you.
(I have formed you and have appointed you
as covenant of the people.)
They will never hunger or thirst,
scorching wind and sun shall never plague them;
for he who pities them will lead them
and guide them to springs of water.
For the Lord consoles his people
and takes pity on those who are afflicted.
For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me.’
Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish the son of her womb?
Yet even if these forget,
I will never forget you.
scorching wind and sun shall never plague them;
for he who pities them will lead them
and guide them to springs of water.
For the Lord consoles his people
and takes pity on those who are afflicted.
For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,
the Lord has forgotten me.’
Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,
or fail to cherish the son of her womb?
Yet even if these forget,
I will never forget you.
PSALM 144(145):8-9,13b-14,17-18 ©
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
How good is the Lord to all,
compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
JOHN 5:17-30 ©
My Soul's Beloved,
Knowing that Your Father and You are always at work is calming and comforting. Just as His eye is on the sparrow it is on us and we can rest in Him as a weaned child on its mother's lap.
All You did while on earth was what You had seen Your Father do. You did nothing on Your own for in Your own words You have said,
‘I tell you most solemnly,
the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees the Father doing:
and whatever the Father does the Son does too.’
he can do only what he sees the Father doing:
and whatever the Father does the Son does too.’
You and the Father are eternally one, consubstantially one in being. You are God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God - the breath of love between Your Father and You is the Ruah of God, the Holy Spirit. The love of the Holy Spirit also draws us into the divine love of God and whosoever believes in You will not perish but will have eternal life.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything he does himself,
and he will show him even greater things than these,
works that will astonish you.
and shows him everything he does himself,
and he will show him even greater things than these,
works that will astonish you.
All who believe in You, my Beloved, are raised from death to life. All life comes from the Father the Creator of all things and as is His Son You have the power to give eternal life to whomever You choose to give it. You laid down Your life for us while we were yet sinners, we can count on You being a merciful judge for You bore our iniquities, You were pierced for our sins, and by Your stripes, we are healed. While our sins demand justice O Lord, it will be tempered with mercy for You paid in full the debt we owed which is so great that it condemned us to eternal death. Thank You, Lord, for saving me and for the hope I have in You.
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