SATURDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you,
says the Lord. JN 13:34

1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31

My Soul's Beloved,

What is it that we possess especially of virtue that has not been given to us by Your goodness, mercy, compassion, and grace? All we have both material and spiritual has been given to us by a generous God. It is You, O Lord, who called us by name and grafted us into Your Body making us Your own. We are blessed My Lord, that we are considered nothing by the world for we can boast of nothing save in You and Your Name. 

St. Paul reminds us that it is the Way of the Lord to choose what the world despises, what the world considers useless, what the world considers foolish to pour upon Your little ones, the riches of Your wisdom so that the world is astonished and gives You the glory. We, O Lord, are nothing apart from You. It is You who touch us and transform us. It is You who make us a new creation. All that is good and praiseworthy in us is Your doing and we can boast of nothing save in Your goodness, mercy, and love. 

You have called us out of darkness into your own marvelous light and we are saved because You saved us. Apart from You, we are nothing but in You, and with You we are the power of God and the glory of God. May we never forget it Lord but always and everywhere give You all the praise honor and glory. Amen

The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

PSALM 32(33):12-13,18-21

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

They are happy, whose God is the Lord,

  the people he has chosen as his own.

From the heavens the Lord looks forth,

  he sees all the children of men.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

  on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

  to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

In him do our hearts find joy.

  We trust in his holy name.

Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own.

MATTHEW 25:14-30

My Soul's Beloved,

At our Baptism, we are grafted into Your Body and become children of God privileged to call Him Abba. We have access to the spiritual treasury of the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments, and grace upon grace is channeled into our souls. We are rich with Your riches, Beloved. What we do with them and how we multiply those graces is our response to the great and wondrous goodness of God. 

I am given a mission the world is my mission field but I must begin with myself and those around me. I must be light and salt to those who are closest to me and interact with me daily. The more I use the graces and gifts that You have given me the easier it becomes to make good choices and to share generously what is entrusted to me without cost. I am merely a steward and will be called to give a strict account of the gifts that You O Lord have entrusted to me. Grant me the grace to be faithful, Beloved so when I stand before You I will hear You say to Me as You have said to the faithful steward, You have been faithful in small things: come and join in your master's happiness.

FRIDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Stay awake, praying at all times
for the strength to stand with confidence
before the Son of Man. LK 21:36

1 CORINTHIANS 1:17-25

My Soul's Beloved,

St. Paul knows exactly what he is talking about in these passages taken from his letter to the Corinthians as this was his own experience before his personal encounter with You on the road to Damascus. He who once followed the Jewish faith he loved with a great passion bordering on fanaticism and was prepared to drag Christians both men and women and haul them into jail understood how belief in a helpless, crucified man on the Cross would look ridiculous to anyone outside the Christian faith.

But when we encounter You on the Way of Suffering, faith steps in, the scales fall from our eyes just as they did for St. Paul, and we recognize in You the Savior of the world, we too fall on our knees prostrate before You in awe, adoration, and worship. For all who believe, the Cross is the ultimate symbol of sacrificial love, for on it, You paid the ransom that set the whole human race free from eternal death.

St. Paul reminds us that we do not need eloquent words to preach the Good News all we need to do is preach the Good News of Christ crucified and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest. Our mission is to preach the Gospel through our lives and leave conversion of hearts and minds to God who alone can bring sinners to repentance.

And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

PSALM 32(33):1-2,4-5,10-11

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;

  for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,

  with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

For the word of the Lord is faithful

  and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

  and fills the earth with his love.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,

  he defeats the plans of the peoples.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

  the plans of his heart from age to age.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

MATTHEW 25:1-13

My Soul's Beloved,

The people in the world are like the ten bridesmaids some are wise - they hear the Good News, believe in it, and prepare accordingly to meet the bridegroom. When he arrives they are ready and will accompany him into the banquet hall. Others are foolish because despite hearing the word of God preached in some way, shape, form, or manner they refuse to accept it.

There was a time when the culture was conducive to living a life of Christian values and virtues. Children were raised by parents who taught them the faith and helped them to grow in their understanding of it. But with each generation and as the glitter of the world lured them with its false promises of happiness, many have fallen by the wayside we now live in a world of debauchery, chicanery, and mayhem and there are a greater proportion of foolish virgins than wise.

So many of us helpless hapless parents who truly strived the best way they knew how, to raise holy and godfearing children launched them into the world hoping they would be leaven in it only to find that they succumbed to the values of the world. All we can do now is pray as St. Monica did relentlessly and unceasingly that God may, in His tender mercy, compassion, and goodness pursue them and carry them back into His fold.

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

THE BEHEADING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, THURSDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Happy those who are persecuted
in the cause of right,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MT 5:10

JEREMIAH 1:17-19

My Soul's Beloved,

The battle belongs to You we are but Your soldiers, Your servants, ready to carry out Your commands and go out into the world to battle the Enemy. We put on Your armor Lord and we are invincible. You supply all our needs. You fit us for battle. You empower us with Truth and we are emboldened by faith.

Like all the prophets of old culminating with the greatest of all prophets John the Baptist, we will be rejected, we will be persecuted, we will be scorned and maligned, we will be threatened and every effort will be made to silence us, but we know that this world is passing. Those who stand firm to the end will share in Your glory and victory. In the end, Lord, we know that the battle belongs to You and You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The victory is won, the devil is in the final death throes and has unleashed the last of his evil forces which will soon be spent. Until then O Lord keep us safe in Your love. 

‘Brace yourself for action.
Stand up and tell them
all I command you.
Do not be dismayed at their presence,
or in their presence I will make you dismayed.
‘I, for my part, today will make you
into a fortified city,
a pillar of iron,
and a wall of bronze
to confront all this land:
the kings of Judah, its princes,
its priests and the country people.
They will fight against you
but shall not overcome you,
for I am with you to deliver you –
it is the Lord who speaks.’

PSALM 70(71):1-6,15,17

My lips will tell of your help.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

  let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me, free me:

  pay heed to me and save me.

Be a rock where I can take refuge,

  a mighty stronghold to save me;

  for you are my rock, my stronghold.

Free me from the hand of the wicked.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,

  my trust, O Lord, since my youth.

On you I have leaned from my birth,

  from my mother’s womb you have been my help.

My lips will tell of your justice

  and day by day of your help.

O God, you have taught me from my youth

  and I proclaim your wonders still.

My lips will tell of your help.

MARK 6:17-29

My Soul's Beloved,

Good and holy men and women are anathema in the world we live in and so it has been since the beginning since Cain slew his brother Abel. Just as You were a Sign of Contradiction so too are we who are called by Your Name or at least we ought to be. We cannot run with the wolves and hunt with the hounds, once we have taken a stance to stand for You then we must be prepared to go all the way to the Cross following You every step of the way.

Those who are in love with sin, with the world, and the flesh are the greatest enemies of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty and they will not rest until they do all in their power to extinguish these Godly virtues. But it is like fighting windmills for good has overcome evil and vanquished it all we need to do is stand firm against the final onslaught of the Enemy. 

Those who sleep with the Enemy like Herodias want their sins to be condoned but John the Baptist would have none of it. He was unafraid to name their sin and shame them by calling them out publicly for breaking the law and in doing so he made an implacable enemy of Herodias. 

As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

Herod was a weak man who cared for the good opinion of Herodias as well as of his peers and that was his downfall. He knew John to be a good and holy man yet he gave into Salome's request (at the instigation of her mother) and asked for the head of John the Baptist. The spineless man could not refuse her as he had sworn before his guests to give her anything she asked for and although he was deeply distressed as St. Mark tells us, he did what she asked.

Pilate too knew that You were innocent and yet, to appease the crowds, he gave You up to Your enemies, to be crucified. The world continues to hound, torment, persecute, punish, imprison, and put to death those who stand on the side of Truth. Lord Jesus Christ Son of the Living God, in a world that is being overwhelmed by darkness, grant us the courage, the grace, and the strength to be light and salt in the world. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and we will, like St. John the Baptist, be unafraid to speak the truth despite the consequences. 

FEAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE, BISHOP & DOCTOR, WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You have only one Father,
and he is in heaven;
you have only one Teacher,
the Christ. MT 23:9, 10

1 JOHN 4:7-16

My Soul's Beloved,

To love is to will the good of the other. You are the epitome of Love, You are Love. Your Name is Love, Your nature is Love and You love without limit, without counting the cost. You pour Yourself on the beloved, the Church constantly and immeasurably. There is never a moment when You do not love for if You stopped loving us Lord, we would die.

Your love is life-giving, redeeming, salvific love. We must will to love for we do not always feel loving. We are sinners, broken, selfish and to love as God loves we cannot be navel-gazing. Love does not turn inwards on itself but is always gazing at the beloved and seeking their good always no matter the cost to oneself. The lover is always available and accessible to the beloved.

You taught us to love as You love. The Cross is the greatest lesson of death do self and life to the beloved. To love as You do, Lord, we need Your Holy Spirit and You have given Him to us this is why we have no excuse not to strive to love as You have loved us.

Teach me Your ways O Lord, guide me in Your paths, and never let me be parted from You until You call me home to Yourself.

God is love
and anyone who lives in love lives in God,
and God lives in him.

PSALM 118(119):9-14

Lord, teach me your statutes.

How shall the young remain sinless?

  By obeying your word.

I have sought you with all my heart;

  let me not stray from your commands.

I treasure your promise in my heart

  lest I sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord;

  teach me your statutes.

With my tongue I have recounted

  the decrees of your lips.

I rejoiced to do your will

  as though all riches were mine.

Lord, teach me your statutes.

MATTHEW 23:8-12

My Soul's Beloved,

No one can usurp Your place, Your authority, Your dominion over us - You are the Rabbi, the Teacher, the Father, the Master and no man or woman can set themselves above You or against You. Many have come in Your Name and distorted Your teachings. They have taken Your Word, Your Teaching, Your signs and wonders out of context and built a house of cards made of half-truths and outright distortion of the truth. They have fragmented Your Body and continue to do so leading the gullible, the ignorant, and the foolish away from the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Lord Jesus, You are the Cornerstone of the Church You founded on Peter whom You named Cephas - the Rock. The successors of Peter are the visible head of the Church while You O Lord are its invisible Head. You have given Peter, the Twelve, and their successors Your own authority to bind and to loose and You guarantee that whatever they bind and loose will be bound and loosed in heaven as well. Anyone or group of people who choose to cut themselves from Your Body are like the branches lopped off the Vine and eventually will shrivel and perish. 

Many have exalted themselves and taken upon themselves the Church's teaching authority granted exclusively to the Twelve and their successors and have been humbled and disgraced. Faith, obedience, and a docile childlike spirit that is gladly and willingly yoked to You guarantee salvation. It is the little ones who will be saved.

‘The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

FEAST OF ST. MONICA, TUESDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

ECCLESIASTICUS 26:1-4,13-16

My Soul's Beloved,

In a topsy-turvy world with topsy-turvy values here is a dose of truth and reality that most of the world rejects. Many women have bought into the lie that hearth and home are to be despised and the self and the needs of the flesh are to be prized above all else. In the process of proving to the world that anything that a man can do they can do as well they have lost sight of the truth that it is the other way round. Their calling is to do what men cannot do and to do it with grace, dignity, love, and sacrifice. A good woman has the power to be a force for good in the world. 

A good wife, a good mother, a good sister, a good teacher, a good friend, a person who models her life after the Mother of God, who permits the Word made Flesh to dwell in her, who is shaped and formed by the Holy Spirit in thought word and deed and who knows with absolute conviction that God is her Father and with God on her side she is invincible. Such a woman can change the world as she lovingly, docilely, submissively, and quietly shapes the affairs of children who are entrusted to her care and raises them up to be godly and Godfearing men and women who will transform the world and hasten the Kingdom of God on earth.

Mother Mary conceived and bore the Word of God. She was Your first teacher at her breast You heard the Word breathed from her lips by the breath of the Holy Spirit and God was in the love that she poured out on You who Yourself is God. the Word of God, the Incarnate God, the Word made flesh who dwelt among us. She was full of grace, the handmaid of the Lord who took You by the hand and walked with You until You took her by the hand and walked with her into the Kingdom of God.

A perfect wife is the joy of her husband
Happy the husband of a really good wife;
the number of her days will be doubled.
A perfect wife is the joy of her husband,
he will live out his years in peace.
A good wife is the best of portions,
reserved for those who fear the Lord:
rich or poor, they will be glad of heart,
cheerful of face, whatever the season.
The grace of a wife will charm her husband,
her accomplishments will make him the stronger.
A silent wife is a gift from the Lord,
no price can be put on a well-trained character.
A modest wife is a boon twice over,
a chaste character cannot be weighed on scales.
Like the sun rising over the mountains of the Lord
is the beauty of a good wife in a well-kept house.

PSALM 130(131)

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

O Lord, my heart is not proud

  nor haughty my eyes.

I have not gone after things too great

  nor marvels beyond me.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

Truly I have set my soul

  in silence and peace.

A weaned child on its mother’s breast,

  even so is my soul.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

  both now and forever.

Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

LUKE 7:11-17

My Soul's Beloved,

Every mother who weeps, wails, and laments the loss of her child or children who are dead in the spirit is more sorrowful than the poor widow of Nain who had lost her only son. The cries of mothers who know that their children have strayed, have sinned grievously, and are walking in paths that will surely lead to their eternal destruction stay awake at night afraid that they will be separated from their children eternally. 

How great is the sorrow of such mothers?  They shed copious tears, they are inconsolable, and they fall prostrate in spirit and truth before the throne of mercy and grace pleading for the salvation of their loved ones. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Savior and Redeemer, Brother, Friend and Spouse of the Church will You not be moved with pity just as You were moved with compassion when You saw the widow of Nain as she accompanied the funeral bier of her only son? Will You not approach and say to me as You said to her, 'Do not cry". Will You not put out Your Hand and say to each of my children, 'Young man, young woman, I tell you to get up' and restore them to grace, to virtue, to holiness as You restore them to the sacramental life as healthy and fruitful members of Your Body?

Look with compassion on me too, Beloved, just as You looked at the widow, and grant me my heart's dearest, deepest desire, the conversion of each of my children. Thank You, Lord. 

Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.

MONDAY OF WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27

2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-5,11-12

My Soul's Beloved,

The Church, Your Body which is the community of believers prays constantly and continually from the rising of the sun to its setting for the Church as a whole as well as for its individual members. Without this prayer which is wholly pleasing and acceptable to the Father, since we pray with You and through You as the Head, we are certain that all we ask for is heard and will be answered for the glory of God and for the good of His people.

We thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for establishing Your Church in the way that You did with Peter as its head followed by the Bishops, priests, and the laity. This hierarchy is essential if the Church, Your Body, Your Bride is to be fed and sustained from age to age until You return to claim her.

In a world that gets increasingly evil, violent, and frightening we trust in You and we know that You will carry us all safely in Your Sacred Heart through all the terrible storms that threaten to destroy the world and all who live in it. By Your Word O Lord, You uphold and sustain us. Thank You, Lord, we rest in You in confidence and peace.

We feel we must be continually thanking God for you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for one another never stops increasing; and among the churches of God we can take special pride in you for your constancy and faith under all the persecutions and troubles you have to bear.

Knowing this, we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

PSALM 95(96):1-5

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

O sing a new song to the Lord,

  sing to the Lord all the earth.

  O sing to the Lord, bless his name.

Proclaim his help day by day,

  tell among the nations his glory

  and his wonders among all the peoples.

The Lord is great and worthy of praise,

  to be feared above all gods;

  the gods of the heathens are naught.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.

MATTHEW 23:13-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Not much has changed since You called out the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites for not practicing what they preached. We have bishops, priests, and religious, leaders in the Church who while preaching the Gospel to the flock lead unholy hidden lives. Ultimately when their sins are made public they cause scandal to the little ones resulting in many leaving in disgust and anger. Too often, desiring to be popular the Gospel and the Commandments of God are watered down to wishy-washy platitudes that do not challenge us to be holy and perfect as our heavenly Father is holy and perfect. 

Lord Jesus, without holy priests and religious, and without holy men and women who are unafraid to live the Gospel as well as preach and teach it despite the persecution that is sure to follow, unless they are prepared to shine like stars in an increasingly darkening world, we will perish. 

It is time Lord, for all of us who are baptized into Your Body and are called by Your Name to take up our cross daily and follow You with humility and courage. We cannot do it without the grace and strength that You provide us daily in the Sacraments. 

Help us, Lord, lest we sink and we perish. 

21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

JOSHUA 24:1-2,15-18

My Soul's Beloved,

More and more we see in our benighted world how Satan has infiltrated every Christian nation and those who were Yours have allowed themselves to be emasculated by faux compassion and wisdom. As we sow we reap and the world is reaping violence, mayhem, sin, corruption, and evil in all its demonic forms. There is one sure remedy, Lord, that we return to our senses and turn to You with all our hearts with humble and contrite hearts.

May that day come quickly upon us when we, like the chosen people in the day of Joshua, say with them,

‘We have no intention of deserting the Lord and serving other gods! Was it not the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples through whom we journeyed? What is more, the Lord drove all those peoples out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’

Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, our redeemer and Savior, our Beloved Master, Teacher, Bridegroom, Brother, and Friend, we acknowledge that we have sinned and strayed far away from You. We thank You for relentlessly pursuing and wooing us to return to You. Grant the grace here and now, Lord, to say to You with all our hearts, 'We too will serve the Lord, for He is our God'. Have pity on Your foolish sheep O Lord and restore us to the fold where there is but one flock and one Shepherd.

PSALM 33(34):2-3,16-23

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

I will bless the Lord at all times,

  his praise always on my lips;

in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.

  The humble shall hear and be glad.

The Lord turns his face against the wicked

  to destroy their remembrance from the earth.

The Lord turns his eyes to the just

  and his ears to their appeal.

They call and the Lord hears

  and rescues them in all their distress.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;

  those whose spirit is crushed he will save.

Many are the trials of the just man

  but from them all the Lord will rescue him.

He will keep guard over all his bones,

  not one of his bones shall be broken.

Evil brings death to the wicked;

  those who hate the good are doomed.

The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.

  Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

EPHESIANS 5:21-32

My Soul's Beloved,

The Enemy has sown weeds among the wheat and this is why we are witnessing Satan's final attack on marriage and families. Once the last bastion of God's desire for His children to lead a holy, fruitful, and joyous life is destroyed, the end will come quickly. The all-consuming fire of divine wrath will fall down from heaven and a third of all that lives will be destroyed and those that survive will have to sift through the ashes and debris to revive and with Your help begin anew.

Yet, Lord, there is still time and while there is yet time we can humble ourselves, confess that we have sinned, harden our hearts, and do what is necessary to restore Christian values with implacable resolve. A right order is necessary for us to follow if we are to thrive. This is possible only when we obey God's Law for they are divine instructions that are necessary because the Creator who made us knows that if we live as He has created us to we will be happy, fruitful, and enjoy peace and harmony with God, with each other, and with nature.

There is God's Way and there is the way of the world - one leads to life the other to death. You O Lord have given us free will to choose. If we choose the former we will live and if we choose the latter we sign our own eternal death warrant.  As members of Your Body, Beloved Bridegroom of our soul, when we remain in You, live, move, and have our being in You we will receive life in its abundance. Grant us wisdom O Lord that we may choose rightly and live.

Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. 

Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words, so that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless. 

A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church, because it is his body – and we are its living parts. For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body. This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.

JOHN 6:60-69

My Soul's Beloved,

Satan is wily, slimy, and deviously clever. He slithers his way into the lives of us foolish men and women promising us what he has no power to deliver. He does this smoothly deceiving us into choosing that which is evil and will destroy us. He lies, he cajoles, and preys on our weaknesses. Satan does not sleep and is relentless in plotting our downfall. He despises and hates us but not as much as he hates You O Lord, who has redeemed the world. 

Beloved, God loves us dearly and refuses to rob us of our freedom to love Him freely and without coercion. You are Truth and anyone who believes in You has Life. When we accept that Your Word is Truth we will walk in the Way, the narrow and difficult way of suffering, that leads to eternal life.

The road to hell and eternal damnation is wide and easy and many choose it and You have shown us that the only Way to the Kingdom of Heaven is the Way of the Cross. You have not only shown us the Way Lord, but You have given us food for the journey. Food that will sustain and preserve us from the wiles of the Enemy. When we refuse to eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood which is offered freely to all who believe, then we fall into the trap of Satan and become easy pickings to the evil spirits.

Today O Lord, as we hear the Word of Truth and Life let us accept it, believe it, embrace it, and live it and we live happy, joyous, and fruitful lives. You have given us all O Lord, it is up to us to receive it and live.

‘It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.
‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’

FEAST OF ST. BARTHOLOWMEW, APOSTLE - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Rabbi, you are the Son of God,
you are the King of Israel. JN 1:49

APOCALYPSE  21:9-14

My Soul's Beloved,

The Church has her roots in Israel, she has for her inheritance the 12 tribes of Israel who come from the sons of Jacob. The names of the tribes of Israel are written on the 12 gates of the holy city that comes out of heaven from God. The fulfillment of the 12 tribes are the Apostles and they are the foundation stones on which You have built the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church. There is only one and no other and salvation is found only in and through her. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, there is no other. You are the Gate of this Church and all who desire the fullness of grace and truth find it by entering through this Gate so they may walk in the Way, believe in the Truth, and receive Life in abundance. 

The Lamb of God, the Bridegroom of the Church, is found in the holy City of God and has come out of heaven when You O Lord were raised between heaven and earth on the Cross, and from Your open side flowed the life-giving waters from which the Church was born. The Church is espoused to You and You will return again in glory, splendor, majesty, and power to claim her and present her to the Father and the wedding feast will begin and will last eternally. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, come! Do not delay.

PSALM 144(145):10-13a,17-18

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,

  and your friends shall repeat their blessing.

They shall speak of the glory of your reign

  and declare your might, O God.

They make known to men your mighty deeds

  and the glorious splendour of your reign.

Yours is an everlasting kingdom;

  your rule lasts from age to age.

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.

Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.

JOHN 1:45-51

My Soul's Beloved,

What a glorious day it is for the soul who after seeking for You finds You when they seek You with all their heart as Nathanael did. It is the duty of the one who finds You as Philip did to make You known to everyone they encounter. This is the mission entrusted to us who, on finding You, proclaim the Good News to the whole world. Let us learn how to do so from Philip who filled with excitement said to his friend Nathanael (Bartholomew), 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ The response may be one of prejudice or resistance like Nathanael whose response was, ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ And then like Philip, we invite them to, ‘Come and see’ and to discover for themselves how good You are, and true and lasting joy comes from having a deep and meaningful relationship with You personally and in the community found in the Church You established.

My Lord and my God, when we long for You when we hunger and thirst for You, You will seek us, find us, and satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. You know us better than any human ever will just as You knew Nathanael and You will welcome us as You welcomed Nathanael. 

My Jesus, with each day, draw me closer and closer to You. Reveal Yourself to Me and help me, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to know myself - my flaws, my weaknesses, my frailties, and to rely more and more on Your help and strength and to lean on You always, trusting that You will take me by the hand and lead me slowly but surely to the Kingdom of God.

FRIDAY OF WEEK 20 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth. PS 24:4, 5

EZEKIEL 37:1-14

My Soul's Beloved,

My glorious God, You know all things, You bring life where once there was only death. You are the Eternal Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that is infused in the Word made Flesh and who dwelt among us, can do all things. By the power of Your passion, death, and glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, Lord, You have the power to heal, restore, and make all things new. 

The dry bones of our lives, our spiritless and listless existence, You can transform with just a Word. You can breathe life into what is seemingly dead and You can raise to life, a life of abundance for Your love O Lord, and the giver of life is able, with just a Word, to make new, to refresh, and make fruitful where once there was only death and decay. 

For You, O Lord my God, nothing is impossible. I believe and believing, I rejoice.

‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, “The Lord says this: Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead; let them live!”’ I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army.

“The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.”

PSALM 106(107):2-9

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

Let them say this, the Lord’s redeemed,
whom he redeemed from the hand of the foe
and gathered from far-off lands,
from east and west, north and south.

Some wandered in the desert, in the wilderness,
finding no way to a city they could dwell in.
Hungry they were and thirsty;
their soul was fainting within them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress
and he led them along the right way,
to reach a city they could dwell in.

Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men:
for he satisfies the thirsty soul;
he fills the hungry with good things.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

MATTHEW 22:34-40

My Soul's Beloved,

The world has made a parody of the commandments of love. It has reversed the right order for which God created us and in doing so we have handed it to the power of evil, darkness, decay, destruction, and death. Willful and woeful ignorance of God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier of the world has brought us to the very brink of hell. We are teetering over the edge and we are in imminent danger of keeling over into the very pit of hades where the fire never goes out and the worms do not die. 

The Pharisees and the Sadducees of this world reign and control much of the large majority of people with lies, slander, blasphemy, and pandering to the basest of desires in human beings. Lord Jesus, the human spirit when ordered to God can live in heaven while still on earth. You have paid the price of our redemption. We are no longer slaves but free and in this complete and wondrous freedom, we have the power to choose life or death. To walk with God and the angels or to turn our gaze inward on ourselves and shrivel and die.

True love, the love which God has demonstrated, the love of God that became incarnate, is saving love, redeeming love, sanctifying love, fruitful love. Almighty, eternal God grant us wisdom to love as You love and we will live an abundant life filled with grace and truth.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

OUR LADY, MOTHER AND QUEEN, THURSDAY OF WEEK 20 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!
Blessed art thou among women. LK 1:28

ISAIAH 9:1-7

My Soul's Beloved,

Most of us O Lord will never begin to fully grasp the magnanimity of God in raising His creatures to the dignity of sons and daughters. We are the children of Adam and Eve. We inherited their tainted nature. Concupiscence is our lot and we struggle with sin and the battle would weary and crush us had not we been re-born of water, the Holy Spirit, and with Fire. 

The flower of creation is the Virgin Mother. In her is found the fullness of perfection for she is endowed by her Spouse, the Holy Spirit, with every grace and virtue. He has ravaged her with the power of His divine love - she on her part keeps her gaze ever downcast aware that all she is has been given to her. She was chosen by God to be the Ark of the Covenant and to give flesh to the Son of God when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. From that moment on she was one with the Father, the Son she conceived and was born of her, and the Holy Spirit. She is the promise of the inheritance that we will all receive when You come again in glory to claim all creation for Yourself and You will establish Your Lordship over all. You are the King of Kings and You, O Lord have crowned Your Mother, Mary, as Queen of heaven and earth. All her perfection flows from the goodness of God and she knows it that is why she rejoices as she extols the goodness of God and when we look through her soul we see God magnified in glory, splendor, and majesty. 

For there is a child born for us,
a son given to us
and dominion is laid on his shoulders;
and this is the name they give him:
Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,
Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.
Wide is his dominion
in a peace that has no end,
for the throne of David
and for his royal power,
which he establishes and makes secure
in justice and integrity.
From this time onwards and for ever,
the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this.

PSALM 112(113):1-8

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

  praise the name of the Lord!

May the name of the Lord be blessed

  both now and for evermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting

  praised be the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord,

  above the heavens his glory.

Who is like the Lord, our God,

  who has risen on high to his throne

yet stoops from the heights to look down,

  to look down upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly,

  from the dungheap he raises the poor

to set him in the company of princes,

  yes, with the princes of his people.

May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore!

LUKE 1:26-38

My Soul's Beloved,

If there is just one thing that we remember it ought to be this - that God scorns the haughty but the little ones He raises up and lavishes with tender love. 

Nazareth was held in low esteem and it was said, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' And yet it was to Nazareth that the angel Gabriel was sent by God, to fulfill the Messianic prophecies through the fiat of a lowly little virgin, Mary.

Beloved, we thank the wisdom of Holy Mother Church who at various intervals in the liturgical calendar refreshes our memory of what God has done for us and Mary's immense role in His plan of salvation and the redemption of the human race.   

The greeting of the angel Gabriel sets the tone of how the whole world must view Mary for it is in sync with how God and heaven view her. ‘Rejoice, so highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ There never was a moment in Mary's life from her conception until her assumption and coronation in heaven when God was not with her. He was woven in the warp and woof of her heart, her mind, her soul, body, and spirit. From the moment she breathed her first breath she breathed the breath of the Holy Spirit to whom she was espoused.  

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God - when we honor Mary, Your Mother, we honor God. The greater our praises of Mary, the greater our understanding of what God can do if we only live as Mary did humbly and totally submissive to the will of God. She often did not understand what God was doing but did not doubt or grumble or complain instead she meditated, pondered deeply, and contemplated everything in her heart. She conversed with God and waited patiently for His plan to unfold. She knew the Scriptures, she knew every prophecy and waited with Israel for the fulfillment of the Messianic promises and when heaven revealed to her that she was chosen to conceive the God-Man - Mary said 'yes'. ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God may I too, never forget that nothing is impossible to God and that in time every one of Your promises for the children of God will be fulfilled.