Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty. 2 COR 8:9
EZEKIEL 28:1-10
My Soul's Beloved,
This is a prophecy that is being fulfilled right now in all those nations that thought they did not need You. They set themselves up as a law unto themselves. They amassed wealth and the more powerful they grew the more they distanced themselves from You. With faux compassion, they opened their borders to a people alien to them in every way and they boasted that they were being merciful and gracious to the viper they welcomed and embraced in their bosom. And now, the Enemy has turned against them in a manner that is so utterly vicious and demonic, and yet they refuse to acknowledge their colossal error in judgment and take measures to rectify their folly.
This is divine retribution for their arrogance. They who turned their back deliberately and willfully to worship a modern-day version of mammon and Baal are reaping the evil that they continue to sow. The Christian world can still turn back to You while there is yet time but it is running out and perhaps sooner rather than later the whole world will face divine retribution in a manner that will erase with one swift, sure, sweep of God's right hand a third of the people's of the world from the face of the earth.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, for the sake of Your sorrowful passion, show us mercy and bring us back to our senses before it is too late.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
Since you consider yourself the equal of God,
very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you,
the most barbarous of the nations.
They will draw sword against your fine wisdom,
they will defile your glory;
they will throw you down into the pit
and you will die a violent death
surrounded by the seas.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.
Responsorial Psalm
DEUTERONOMY 32:26-28,30,35-36
My Soul's Beloved,
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
How else could one man rout a thousand,
how could two put ten thousand to flight,
were it not that their Rock has sold them,
that the Lord has delivered them up?
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
MATTHEW 19:23-30
My Soul's Beloved,
It is not the possession of riches that causes the eternal damnation of those who have them but being possessed, obsessed, and ruled by them to the extent that they believe themselves to be gods that will be their ruin. This is why You warn us that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. We have only to look at the lives of the rich, famous, and powerful, those who have deceived, raped, pillaged, and plundered the world's resources for their personal benefit, and the obscene way in which they flaunt their wealth and power to understand the wisdom of Your cautionary advice.
This advice is not just for the rich but also for all whose lives are riddled with envy and covetousness. Genuinely happy people are content with what they have, praise God for everything, and share generously what they have received. We are only stewards of Your bounty Lord and are accountable to You for our stewardship.
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Beloved, You call many to serve in Your vineyard as priests and religious but they do not hear Your invitation. Their gaze is caught by the glamor of the world and their ears are filled with the beguiling sounds of the world and they miss the moment of their calling to a deeper, more intimate, and fulfilling life in the service of God and people. But to those who say 'Yes' to the divine call but who are sometimes anxious like Peter, ask:
‘What about us?’ We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’
You reply:
‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’
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