The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives. LK 4:18
EZEKIEL 2:2-5
My Soul's Beloved,
You O Lord are Prophet, Priest, and King and You are always with us. Even when we are unfaithful You are always faithful. When we turn our face away from You, Your Face is always turned toward us. When we deliberately and willfully walk away from the Way of Truth and Life, You do not abandon us but continue to accompany us. You wait for us to turn back to You. You will not force us to do anything against our will but You tirelessly and gently invite us to return to You reminding us that in You alone is lasting peace and joy.
“The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’
PSALM 122(123)
Our eyes are on the Lord till he show us his mercy.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
My Soul's Beloved,
In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations, and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
“The Lord says this.” Whether they listen or not, this set of rebels shall know there is a prophet among them.’
PSALM 122(123)
To you have I lifted up my eyes,
you who dwell in the heavens;
my eyes, like the eyes of slaves
on the hand of their lords.
Like the eyes of a servant
on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
till he show us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
We are filled with contempt.
Indeed all too full is our soul
with the scorn of the rich,
with the proud man’s disdain.
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
My Soul's Beloved,
In my head I know that suffering is a necessary part of life and when we accept it, embrace it, with faith we will receive the courage and strength to carry it without complaining, without allowing its weight to oppress and discourage us or doubt Your love and Your wisdom. In this valley of tears the way of the cross and the way of suffering is inevitable for we are sinners.
St. Paul begged that the thorn that was plaguing him be removed but You reminded him that to grow in holiness and perfection he should rely on Your help and endure whatever the suffering was that he pleaded with You to remove.
No Apostle was as highly favored as Paul and You, well aware of human nature, gave him a cross that would keep him from getting puffed up and proud. Once he understood the necessity for it he submitted with docility.
In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! About this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me, but he has said, ‘My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness.’ So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay over me, and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
O Lord, I find my cross particularly hard to bear. My trial is oppressing my spirit and it is robbing me of peace and joy. Help me, Lord, I beg You, help me. Please.
MARK 6:1-6
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
Despite all You have done for Me I am still weak, my faith is negligible, I am self-indulgent, and lack courage. I readily give in to temptation as I fritter away the precious time I have left instead of using it profitably to prepare my soul to meet You. Tomorrow is promised to no one - all we are given is the present moment and yet I squander away this precious commodity of time which I know will most certainly run out. And then Lord, how shall I face You?
I am no different from the people in Your home town. They heard all about Your wondrous miracles and they desired sensationalism. They thought they knew You because You grew up among them and their pre-conceived ideas stunted their hearts and souls. They were not open to the new thing God was doing among His people because they refused to see with fresh eyes. Familiarity is a vice when we lack the humility to embrace the truth that no one can comprehend the incomprehensible God. All too often we mummify people in the past, leaving them no room for growth, change, or conversion, and we reject them. This is what the people in Your hometown did as well; hence, they missed the time of Your visitation.
With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations, and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
Lord Jesus I know You, I love You, I have experienced Your amazing love in my life. But I desire You on my terms, not on Yours. I chafe at the suffering that is necessary if I am to grow in holiness, purity, and perfection, but I am unable to help myself. I am unable to rest quietly in You patiently until the storms in my life pass. Pity me, Lord, I beg You.
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