The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News. MK 1:15
HOSEA 10:1-3,7-8,12
My Soul's Beloved,
When we lose ourselves in the world and get caught up in the noise and distractions that clamor constantly for our attention, and we seek the giddy pleasures that our senses seek then we lose sight of You. We cannot have You and the world. You will have no part of a divided heart. You want all of us or nothing at all. You are a jealous lover. You gave us all and in return demand all and it is what You rightly deserve. For what do we possess that has not been given to us by the Father? All we have is Yours and You can take away what has been given to us freely anytime You so desire. How much more, Lord, when we prove unworthy, faithless, and we undeserving.
Thank You, Lord, for seasons of deprivation, of sorrow, of spiritual hunger and thirst for it is only in these moments that we begin to understand that we need You. If we lose everything but have You we have everything. Wisdom comes only when we like Job, are stripped of everything that God has so generously showered on us.
Israel was a luxuriant vine
yielding plenty of fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
the richer his land became,
the richer he made the sacred stones.
Their heart is divided;
very well, they must pay for it.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
the richer his land became,
the richer he made the sacred stones.
Their heart is divided;
very well, they must pay for it.
The idolatrous high places shall be destroyed –
that sin of Israel;
thorn and thistle will grow on their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’
and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’
Sow integrity for yourselves,
reap a harvest of kindness,
break up your fallow ground:
it is time to go seeking the Lord
until he comes to rain salvation on you.
PSALM 104(105):2-7
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Constantly seek the face of the Lord.
MATTHEW 10:1-7
My Soul's Beloved,
The Twelve disciples were chosen by God. They were handpicked by the Most High. Yes, they were imperfect men. Most of them were unlettered, they worked with their hands, they were mostly fishermen, they belonged to that class of people that the great ones of the world ignore, and when they do they are looked down upon contemptuously. You knew them. You knew their characters. You knew that on their own they were nothing but God and with the Holy Spirit they would be the fulfillment of the 12 Sons of Israel - the Apostles with Peter at the helm of the Bark, guiding it with the power of God and the Spirit of God's Presence abiding in it until the end of the age.
To the Church is given Your power in its entirety and You assured the Twelve that they would do even greater things than You did because You go to the Father. In the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of Your Life, Passion, Death, and glorious Resurrection and Ascension into heaven would abide in the Church empowering her and drawing into her bosom more and more souls. They would nest in her branches and find in her safety and refuge and nourishment and strength.
We thank You, Beloved, that You did not come for the rich, the powerful, the influential, the worldly-wise, but for the sinner, the forgotten, the destitute, the humble, the anawim of the Lord have God as their mighty protector and defender.
Today, more than ever, when many Catholics have lost their way, You say to the Church once again to look now to her own. To seek them and woo them back. This is the age when the faithful must pray like never before for those who have wandered far from home. We are not to lose heart but pray with confidence and faith and all we ask for in prayer You will sure grant O Lord, for everyone in Your Father's house desires that all God's children be saved and not one of the little ones for whom You lay down Your life be lost. Alleluia! Amen!
‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
No comments:
Post a Comment