I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12
2 KINGS 19:9-11,14-21,31-36
My Soul's Beloved,
How amazing is our God of love power and wonders - we can trust Him always for He is always good, kind, compassionate, and full of love for His little ones. If we turn to Him as trustfully as little children He will hear, He will forgive, He will bless for such is our God who is love and who cannot but love His weak, frail, willful, sinful children when they run to Him and ask His help.
The defiant, the deceitful, and the one who defies God will find that he has indeed taken up an adversary against which he has no hope of prevailing. Often, liars and cheats set themselves up against God and against the anawim of God. They do so to their peril as Sennacherib found out when God routed his army and destroyed them without the Chosen people of God lifting a finger. God will always fight for His own all we are required to do is trust Him and keep His commandments of love.
‘It is true, O Lord, that the kings of Assyria have exterminated all the nations, they have thrown their gods on the fire, for these were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, and hence they have destroyed them. But now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, I pray you, and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone are God, Lord.’
God heard Hezekiah's prayer of trust and confidence in God and this is the answer of the Living God.
‘This, then, is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
‘“He will not enter this city,
he will let fly no arrow against it,
confront it with no shield,
throw up no earthwork against it.
By the road that he came on he will return;
he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks.
I will protect this city and save it
for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’
‘“He will not enter this city,
he will let fly no arrow against it,
confront it with no shield,
throw up no earthwork against it.
By the road that he came on he will return;
he shall not enter this city. It is the Lord who speaks.
I will protect this city and save it
for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”’
You Oh Lord our God will fight for Your children all we need to do is rest quietly in You.
PSALM 47(48):2-4,10-11
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
God upholds his city forever.
MATTHEW 7:6,12-14
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
Today You ask us to be wise, to discern to whom we speak of sacred things of things that they cannot understand not only because their minds are closed but because they are given up to evil. We can only pray for them that You, O Lord, will soften their hearts and prepare their hearts in time to receive the treasures of faith. Often we may find that we may not be able to teach and preach the Good News aloud but we can always do so by our lives. The quiet witness of loving service, of humility, of picking our cross daily and receiving all manner of persecution with docility of spirit for love of You, will, in the end, win souls for You.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’
It would appear that the whole world has chosen the way of pleasure, self-indulgence, avarice, and self-love. The Way of the Cross is anathema to those who have chosen the broad road that leads to hell. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way to the Kingdom of God is the Way that leads to Calvary, to crucifixion of our will, death to our flesh, and a life of service to others. We cannot be born anew in the Spirit unless we die to ourselves this is impossible for us to do on our own, but You make it possible through the abundant grace You give us through worthy participation in the Sacraments You instituted. Thank You, Lord.
Beloved, hear our prayers not just for ourselves and for loved ones who have strayed, but for the whole world. Grant O Lord that every sinner is found by You, the Good Shepherd, and restored to the fold. Amen.
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