ST. JEROME PRIEST & DOCTOR, ON MONDAY OF WEEK 26 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many. MK 10:45

JOB 1:6-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Truly Satan has earned all his titles - the great deceiver, liar, thief, murderer, destroyer, and while he retains his intelligence he is no match at all for those who are little, humble, simple, lovers of goodness, beauty, and truth. Lovers of God and doers of God's holy will in all circumstances. Satan pretends that he knows everything and makes a great pretense of knowing us - but the truth is, he knows nothing. All he does is tempt and if we refuse to be tempted but resolutely keep our gaze fixed on You, O Lord, he is powerless.

Satan thought he knew Job, but he didn't.  God knew Job and this is why He confidently gave Satan the power to take away his possessions, his family whom he loved dearly, as well as his health but over his life, Satan had no power to take away his life. You alone O Lord are the Author and Preserver of Life. 

Satan did his worst to destroy Job's faith in You, his friends were no help at all. His wife was no better, she advised him to curse God and die. But You O Lord were vindicated in Your faith in Job's love for You and in Job's faithfulness.

Job is a testament to people in every generation that no matter how heavy the blows that life may deal us, if we cling to You through it all, if we trust You in all circumstances and with Your help O Lord do not allow our spirits to be overcome but continue to cling to You in faith, hope, and love - You O Lord will come to our aid and restore all we have lost a hundred-fold. In the end, O Lord, if we remain faithful in all circumstances and continue to trust in Your infinite mercy and love, we will taste Your goodness and we will triumph against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

So the Lord asked him, ‘Did you notice my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth: a sound and honest man who fears God and shuns evil.’ ‘Yes,’ Satan said ‘but Job is not God-fearing for nothing, is he? Have you not put a wall round him and his house and all his domain? 

But stretch out your hand and lay a finger on his possessions: I warrant you, he will curse you to your face.’ ‘Very well,’ the Lord said to Satan ‘all he has is in your power. But keep your hands off his person.’ So Satan left the presence of the Lord.

Job rose and tore his gown and shaved his head. Then falling to the ground he worshipped and said:

‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
naked I shall return.
The Lord gave, the Lord has taken back.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!’
In all this misfortune Job committed no sin nor offered any insult to God.

PSALM 16(17):1-3,6-7

Turn your ear to me, O Lord; hear my words.

Lord, hear a cause that is just,
pay heed to my cry.
Turn your ear to my prayer:
no deceit is on my lips.

From you may my judgement come forth.

Your eyes discern the truth.
You search my heart, you visit me by night.
You test me and you find in me no wrong.

I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God.

Turn your ear to me; hear my words.
Display your great love, you whose right hand saves
your friends from those who rebel against them.

Turn your ear to me, O Lord; hear my words.

LUKE 9:46-50

My Soul's Beloved,

Our fallen nature desires to shove and push our way to the top regardless of who we crush and even destroy in the process. When we are among our peers we all suffer from the disease of one-upmanship. We want more for ourselves. We make sure we are first at the table. We fill ourselves greedily taking more than we need and wasting the rest blind to the needs of others who may go hungry and in want because of our greed. 

The disciples were no different. They didn't get what true discipleship was about even though they were privileged to live for three whole years in close companionship with you, the Son of God. Concupiscence raised its ugly head now and then as it did when they argued about which of them was the greatest. Did You sigh Lord, that they didn't get it? Do You often sigh when I don't get it? When I so readily give in to laziness, to the desires of my flesh, to temptation? Calling a child to Your side You place the little one in their midst and You taught them what truly pleases God.

‘Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great.’

Childlike simplicity and humility, and a total and docile surrender to the will of God in all things is what pleases God the most. Obedience to the will of God is more pleasing to You than sacrifice.

It is only when we see ourselves as members of one family of God, all wording towards the same goal, which is to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, only then will be truly live as brothers and sisters and rejoice when we are united in this mission given to all Your disciples.

John spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘we saw a man casting out devils in your name, and because he is not with us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘You must not stop him: anyone who is not against you is for you.’

26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth. JN 17:17

NUMBERS 11:25-29

My Soul's Beloved,

When we put on Your mind, 'the mind of Christ' then we will not be preoccupied or allow negative thoughts to govern our thoughts, words, or deeds, rather it will be You through the power of Your Holy Spirit who will direct all we think, say and do for all will be directed to Your glory, not ours. 

Joshua and the two men were jealous on behalf of Moses because Eldad and Medad were prophesying even though they were not in the Tent. Because they were chosen by God the spirit came down on them as well. We have the unfortunate tendency to box people up and constrain them with our narrow-minded bigotry often tainted with envy, unlike Moses who was righteous and understood that the work of God is greater than individual preferences, understanding, likes, and dislikes.

It is of paramount importance that we all do the work that God has called us to faithfully, obediently, gladly, promptly, and with a joyful heart and a willing spirit and we will hasten the Kingdom of God on earth. 

The young man ran to tell this to Moses, ‘Look,’ he said, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ Then said Joshua the son of Nun, who had served Moses from his youth, ‘My Lord Moses, stop them!’ Moses answered him, ‘Are you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!’

PSALM 18(19):8,10,12-14

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

abiding forever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.

So in them your servant finds instruction;

great reward is in their keeping.
But who can detect all his errors?
From hidden faults acquit me.

From presumption restrain your servant
and let it not rule me.
Then shall I be blameless,
clean from grave sin.

The precepts of the Lord gladden the heart.

JAMES 5:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

Truly the way of God, the plans of God, the purpose of God, and the final retribution from God are clearly enunciated in Sacred Scripture. Nothing is hidden but in plain sight yet only those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart, mind, and will to understand will turn away from wickedness, repent, and thus avert the terrible punishments that await the ungodly, the selfish rich who are obsessed with pandering to their own egos. Believing themselves untouchable by God and putting their whole trust in their possessions, their power, their wealth, and their status, they actually think they are invincible.

God gives us enough time to come to our senses. You speak to our heart and our conscience constantly but too often when sin upon sin, debauchery over debauchery slowly makes us impervious and insensate to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit. Once we reject You O Lord, we place ourselves on the road to eternal death and from hell there is no turning back.

An answer for the rich. Start crying, weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your clothes are all eaten up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body. It was a burning fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days. Labourers mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages that you kept back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content. It was you who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered you no resistance.

Gospel AcclamationJn17:17

MARK 9:38-43,45,47-48

My Soul's Beloved,

It would appear that the greatest tragedy is that there are so many well-intentioned, and good people who are outside the Church You founded on Peter and his successors. There is only one Church, one Rock, one Cornerstone, one foundation, and because those outside her lack the humility to seek the Truth with honesty and an open mind, they are doomed to die in error. Beloved, I am aware that many of them are ignorant of who and what the Church is and why, it is necessary for the salvation of their souls, to abide in her, for she is the true vine. Cut off from her they will eventually perish. Yet, we leave all judgment to You for God has appointed You, His Son, as the only righteous judge.

A vast majority of Christians love You wholeheartedly and these O Lord will be led into the whole Truth by the Holy Spirit. But there is an even a greater majority that loves You, love Sacred Scripture to the exclusion of all else. These can be frustrating because their vision is blinkered and they are unable to grasp that the infinite mysteries of God are beyond their personal interpretation of Scripture. They are like Eldad and Medad as well as the man whom John complained to You about: ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ 

You said: 

 ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.’

You have the power to make all things perfect and to work for the greater good. They are fulfilling a taste that is greater than any individual preference and in the end, Your mission to preach and teach the Good News to the ends of the earth will be fulfilled. True seekers will eventually come into and find their place in the bosom of Holy Mother Church and Your priestly prayer to the Father will be answered. There will be one flock and one shepherd.

Instead of getting caught up in what is unimportant let us remember that all our actions, both good and evil, have consequences, and let us lean on the Holy Spirit and on His help always. 

‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out.’

SATURDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News. 2TIM 1:10

ECCLESIASTES 11:9-12:8

My Soul's Beloved,

One thing is certain, one this we can count on, is that our days here on earth are numbered. From the moment we are conceived in our mother's womb the number of our days is already written by You. We cannot add a moment or take away a moment from the days, months, or years allotted to us by divine authority. This is why it is wise to keep eternity always before our eyes then we will keep our steps from folly.

My Lord, the folly of youth is that we live recklessly thinking death is far from us and will not touch us but the days fly and before we know it, we are old, weak, feeble, sick, and the things that we once did confidently we are no longer able to do anymore. Our steps falter. Our back is bent. Our body is frail. And if we have not lived holy, spirit-filled lives we begin to look back on the many ways in which we have strayed from the path of holiness and wisdom. We see how straying from the path of righteousness contributed to our present miserable state but it is too late to do anything except be filled with remorse and regret for the terrible consequences of our wrong choices. 

All we can do now Beloved, is to throw ourselves on Your mercy and cry out to You ceaselessly to have pity on us and forgive us and assist those who have been affected by our carelessness and lack of wisdom. 

But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement.

Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, 

.....while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street
before the silver cord has snapped,
or the golden lamp been broken,
or the pitcher shattered at the spring,
or the pulley cracked at the well,
or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.

PSALM 89(90):3-6,12-14,17

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You turn men back to dust

  and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

  are like yesterday, come and gone,

  no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream,

  like the grass which springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers:

  by evening it withers and fades.

Make us know the shortness of our life

  that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?

  Show pity to your servants.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:

  give success to the work of our hands.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

LUKE 9:43-45

My Soul's Beloved,

Except for the great saints, Lord, who took all that You said to heart, paid heed, and made Your Word the rule of their lives, the rest of us, frail, broken, sinful humanity, prefer to live with blinkers on. We hide from reality that it is necessary to choose the narrow way, to carry our daily crosses with fidelity, and to walk humbly in the fear of the Lord. 

The disciples were no different. They basked in reflected glory. They enjoyed being the ones who lived with the miracle worker, the divine healer, the One whom the winds, the waves, the seas, demons, sickness, and death trembled before and obeyed. They wanted the name and the fame that came from being associated with You and being part of Your entourage.  

But You knew that Your public ministry would last only three short years and You wished to prepare them for the ultimate reality, the whole purpose for which God the Father sent You into the world. The redemption of mankind. Time and time again You spoke of what would happen to You but they did not want to hear it. Their minds were veiled and they were afraid to ask what You meant because the truth was hard to bear.

It is so for us as well, Lord. We can hide from the truth but only when we face it, accept it, and allow Truth to form and inform our thoughts, words, and deeds, only then can the Truth set us free. Fear enslaves and the longer we allow fear to rule our lives the longer will we remain in chains. Grant us the grace O Lord not to shy away from the Truth but to embrace it and live in the freedom that belongs to the children of God.

At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, PRIEST, ON FRIDAY WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many. MK 10:45

ECCLESIASTES 3:1-11

My Soul's Beloved,

All too often, it is only in hindsight that we begin to understand how all the events, in our lives, our lived experiences form and complete the entire mosaic of our lives. The choices we made, those that were inevitable, those that were imposed on us. Our mistakes, and failures, are sins of commission and omission, the things we were hell-bent on doing knowing that our choices imperil our immortal souls, and yet we were too weak to resist concupiscence. The good we did when we obeyed the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the choices we made that were divinely inspired, and our faithfulness when we cooperated with grace. The good, the bad, the ugly the heartbreak, the anguish, the joy, the laughter, the innocence, the delight we experienced, and the plunging into the dark dungeons of hopelessness and despair when we chose to walk the way of unrighteousness. All in the end, when we finally make a choice, an act of the will to walk in the Way of Life and Truth, and You supply all the graces we need to strengthen our will and to be faithful, only then we can begin to glimpse that You, O Lord, are God and You do the impossible in using all for Your glory. You O Lord can draw good from the worst situations and choices we have made and this, when we finally understand it, gives us reason for joy and reason to hope. Thank You, Lord.

A time for giving birth,

  a time for dying;

  a time for planting,

  a time for uprooting what has been planted.

A time for killing,

  a time for healing;

  a time for knocking down,

  a time for building.

A time for tears,

  a time for laughter;

  a time for mourning,

  a time for dancing.

A time for throwing stones away,

  a time for gathering them up;

  a time for embracing,

  a time to refrain from embracing.

A time for searching,

  a time for losing;

  a time for keeping,

  a time for throwing away.

A time for tearing,

  a time for sewing;

  a time for keeping silent,

  a time for speaking.

A time for loving,

  a time for hating;

  a time for war,

  a time for peace.

What does a man gain for the efforts that he makes? I contemplate the task that God gives mankind to labour at. All that he does is apt for its time; but though he has permitted man to consider time in its wholeness, man cannot comprehend the work of God from beginning to end.

PSALM 143(144):1-4

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

He is my love, my fortress;

  he is my stronghold, my saviour

my shield, my place of refuge.

Lord, what is man that you care for him,

  mortal man, that you keep him in mind;

man, who is merely a breath

  whose life fades like a passing shadow?

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

LUKE 9:18-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Today You ask me, 'Who do you say I am?' You do not say 'Who do the crowds say I am rather You say, who do you say I am? You are interested in knowing whether or not I truly know who You are at this moment in my life.

Beloved, with Peter I profess what I believe about You, what I know of You from my lived experience of You and Your very real presence in my life, You are the Christ of God. The older I grow the more certain I am of Your identity. In this sojourn, I have passed from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy, from sin and shame to contrition, repentance and forgiveness and restoration. I have walked the way of the cross often, I have stumbled often, I have fallen often, I have given into temptation often. I have sinned over and over again and each time You pursued me resolutely and relentlessly. You picked me up. You healed my bruises and my wounds. You have wiped away my tears. You have reprimanded me and punished me when I need to be punished but You have also consoled me and blessed me. You have taught me that it is far, far better to obey God's commands with docility and promptly, and in doing so I have discovered that walking the narrow way becomes a challenge that is satisfying in every way.

As I grow older my spirit grows young. The older I get the more I understand that while death is certain I need not fear it for it is the doorway to eternal life.  Only if You stay with me Lord until my last breath can I hope with confidence of beholding You face to face eternally. Stay with me Lord, stay with me.

It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.
‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

THURSDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me. JN 14:6

ECCLESIASTES 1:2-11

My Soul's Beloved,

The wise know and understand that everything is fleeting. Our lives here are brief but we are so self-absorbed that we make our whole of life about ourselves spending the better part of it navel-gazing and barely lifting our eyes to look at the world and those in it. The more we are closed in on ourselves and on our needs and wants, grasping greedily and accumulating as much as we can for ourselves we will never know true peace and joy. 

We come and go like mist in the sun and our names are not remembered. We are born, we live, we commit the same sins in every generation. We are scandalized by the wicked ways of the world and we are aghast when we read how depravity flourishes in the lives of some and imagine that evil has not ruled the hearts of people in the measure that it is in our day and age. But history repeats itself with predictable certainty. There are no new sins for all sins are as old as Satan, the great deceiver.

The Church is to be commended for she keeps alive in her memory, for all generations, and until the end of time, the lives of the great saints, both women and men, great and small, rich and poor, intellectual giants, and the humble, simple illiterate who have all discovered the one great infallible truth - that the only way to true joy is to follow You closely and model our lives on You and the Blessed Virgin. Our gaze must be fixed on You and we must follow humbly and closely in Your footsteps only then can the Holy Spirit make us like You - alter Christus. 

What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Take anything of which it may be said, ‘Look now, this is new.’ Already, long before our time, it existed. Only no memory remains of earlier times, just as in times to come next year itself will not be remembered.

PSALM 89(90):3-6,12-14,17

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

You turn men back to dust

  and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’

To your eyes a thousand years

  are like yesterday, come and gone,

  no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep men away like a dream,

  like the grass which springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers:

  by evening it withers and fades.

Make us know the shortness of our life

  that we may gain wisdom of heart.

Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?

  Show pity to your servants.

In the morning, fill us with your love;

  we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:

  give success to the work of our hands.

O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.

LUKE 9:7-9

My Soul's Beloved,

There will always be a new John the Baptist, a new Elijah, new voices in the wilderness calling people, in every age and in every generation, to repentance and conversion. Will one of these voices be mine? By virtue of my baptism I have been given the same mission that You entrusted to the Apostles and disciples - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ Yet, Lord, how many of us who are baptized into Your Body, grafted on to You, take this mandate seriously? Too few.

But we do have Your assurance O Lord that the Church will survive all the storms that batter her relentlessly. There will even be periods in history when it appears that evil has finally won and she will be destroyed but that will never happen for we know that the Church is Your Bride. The Holy Spirit will constantly raise holy men and women from the hierarchy as well as the laity to speak boldly, lead fearlessly, and readily lay down their lives for You. Many will be called to shed their blood as You did for us, and their blood will bring forth new sons and daughters of God and members of Your Body. Kill one member of Your Body and a hundred more will arise. Let us not lose heart but pray for the grace and courage to willingly, boldly, and joyfully preach the Gospel in season and out of season even if it will cost us our lives. 

Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.

WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News. MK 1:15

PROVERBS 30:5-9

My Soul's Beloved,

It is wise to have just enough to satisfy us and not to be preoccupied and obsessed about accumulating and possessing anything that the world has to offer for everything temporal is passing, only the eternal remains. We were made for You, Lord, and only in You will we be happy. If we spend our lives chasing people, pleasure, possessions we open ourselves to heartache, heartbreak, and disappointment. People will let us down even those who love us simply because they too are human and sinners as we are. People will break the promises they make. People will disappoint us because they are constrained and limited by how much they have to give. It is understandable because they are human and just as broken, and sinful as we are. 

You alone, O Lord, are the same yesterday, today, and always. You are the alpha and the omega, Your are the Living Word of God, the Eternal Word of the Father, heaven and earth will pass away but Your Word O Lord will stand. You are enough. Having You O Lord we need nothing for You will supply all we need out of Your riches in glory.

Give me grace sufficient for the day, Lord, and the grace to say always and in all circumstances, "Not as I will, O Lord, but as You will." Grant me the grace to choose the narrow path, pick up my cross daily, and follow You.

Two things I beg of you,
do not grudge me them before I die:
keep falsehood and lies far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches,
grant me only my share of bread to eat,
for fear that surrounded by plenty, I should fall away
and say, ‘the Lord – who is the Lord?’
or else, in destitution, take to stealing
and profane the name of my God.

PSALM 118(119):28,72,89,101,104,163

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

My soul pines away with grief;

  by your word raise me up.

The law from your mouth means more to me

  than silver and gold.

Your word, O Lord, forever

  stands firm in the heavens:

I turn my feet from evil paths

  to obey your word.

I gain understanding from your precepts

  and so I hate false ways.

Lies I hate and detest

  but your law is my love.

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

LUKE 9:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

When we set out on a journey we carry all that we may need and often more than we require just in case. We want to be prepared for any eventuality. In today's Gospel, we reflect on what You taught Your Apostles about trust in Your providence and relying on God to supply all our needs. 

It is easy to see Lord that the Church, while doing more good than all the institutions in the world put together, is all too often guilty of excess by some of her Bishops, priests, and religious. This is a blot and a stain on her character for she must follow and imitate You, her Head in every way. 

If we are to be the Church that You founded, on Peter and his successors, if we are to be the City of God set on Mt. Zion where the whole world goes up to worship God, then we need to heed and follow Your instructions.  Now is the time. Now is the hour. This is the day. The longer we delay the more swift, the greater and more crushing will be the punishment that will bring the Church to her knees and all of us in it, both shepherds and sheep, who have abandoned the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For the sake of Your sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. But if we do Lord, then we will set the world on fire with the power and love of the Holy Spirit and hasten Your second coming as the whole world will fall on its knees and declare that You are Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.

TUESDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it. LK 11:28

PROVERBS 21:1-6,10-13

My Soul's Beloved,

You O Lord my God are my King, my Savior, my Redeemer, my hope, my song, my desire, my greatest good. You O Lord are good, kind gracious, merciful, compassionate, and tender. You are slow to anger but bountiful in mercy and I can trust You always. You know me. You know that I am weak, frail, I fall constantly and had You not taken my hand and held it firmly in Yours I would have fallen into the pit of destruction and been lost forever. 

But You O Lord keep me ever in Your sight. Your unwavering gaze is always on me and not just me but on all those I love. These souls You have entrusted to me and I have failed You often. But I need not be anxious for You are the Author of our lives and the finisher of our faith - where I have failed You will bring success. Where I have fallen short You will provide and complete. I acknowledge O Lord that I need You and I declare that my faith in You and in Your goodness fill my soul with peace, hope, and joy. My Lord and my God, I trust You to do for me and my loved ones what I am unable to do. Thank You. I praise You. I glorify You. My life is Yours do with it and with me just as You will. 

Like flowing water is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord,
who turns it where he pleases.

PSALM 118(119):1,27,30,34-35,44

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

They are happy whose life is blameless,

  who follow God’s law!

Make me grasp the way of your precepts

  and I will muse on your wonders.

I have chosen the way of truth

  with your decrees before me.

Train me to observe your law,

  to keep it with my heart.

Guide me in the path of your commands;

  for there is my delight.

I shall always keep your law

  forever and ever.

Guide me, Lord, in the path of your commands.

LUKE 8:19-21

My Soul's Beloved,

Lord, You remind us today that there is no merit in simply knowing Your Word, hearing it preached and taught, studying it assiduously, and memorizing whole sections of it with number and verse if we do not make it the rule of our lives. We have to be both hearers and doers of the Word.

The world is full of people within the Church and outside it who make a great and lucrative success of writing books, preaching to large audiences in conferences, have lively podcasts that many listen to, but if they lack humility, if they do not practice what they preach if they are more concerned with selling the Word rather than living it, they have already received their reward and what a puny, worthless reward it is.

The one most worthy of praise is Your Virgin Mother, Mary, who having heard the Word of God kept it in her heart, pondered on it, reflected on it, fed on it, was nourished by it, was strengthened by it, and which became the foundation on which she built her life. No one on God's green earth has ever heard the Word of God as she did and lived it as fully as her. Not only did she give consent to conceive the Word made Flesh who dwelt among us, but she spent her whole life in living her entire life in joyful, obedient, and humble service to the Eternal Word. Her whole life from the moment of her conception to her glorious assumption into heaven was a quiet 'Yes' to the will of God. 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to Your will.'

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you.’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

FEAST OF ST. PIUS OF PIETRELCINA (PADRE PIO), PRIEST, ON MONDAY OF WEEK 25 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your light must shine in the sight of men,
so that, seeing your good works,
they may give the praise to your Father in heaven. MT 5:16

PROVERBS 3:27-34

My Soul's Beloved,

God has hidden nothing from those who desire to live righteous lives. The Word of God is written in our hearts and even those outside the Christian faith know in their conscience what is good and what is wicked and they have it in their power to choose. All too often, when we desire to do what is displeasing to You, we pretend we cannot hear the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit deep within our soul. Every day and all the time we can use the opportunities given to us to do what is good, right, holy, wise, true, beautiful, and pleasing to God or to give in to the flesh, the devil, or the world that constantly beguiles us with lies. 

You have shown us the way, all the saints walked in it so we cannot claim ignorance. We are all brothers and sisters, sojourners and pilgrims on earth, and at our journey's end, we will be judged very strictly on the choices we make today.  If all our actions and choices are prompted by love for God and neighbor You will welcome us home.

My son, do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it,
if it is in your power to perform it.
Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time!
I will give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now.
Do not plot harm against your neighbour
as he lives unsuspecting next door.
Do not pick a groundless quarrel with a man
who has done you no harm.
Do not emulate the man of violence,
never model your conduct on his;
for the wilful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord,
who confides only in honest men.
The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the virtuous.
He mocks those who mock,
but accords his favour to the humble.

PSALM 14(15):2-5

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue.

He who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbour,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honours those who fear the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm forever.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

LUKE 8:16-18

My Soul's Beloved,

Light dispels darkness. Every disciple receives the Holy Spirit and He provides us with the oil of grace to keep the Fire of God's love shining in us. The Love of God is poured freely and generously into the hearts of all His children. You instituted the Sacraments and are perfect channels through which graces stream into our soul. Today You remind us in the Gospel of St. Luke that no one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or puts it under the bed. Sin is the bowl that covers the lighted lamp and extinguishes it. When we are beguiled with temptation and we flirt with the possibility of giving in to it we place the lamp under the bed so we can pretend that we cannot hear the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit to resolutely turn to God and refuse to walk on the broad way that leads to destruction.

You see all. You know all. All we have to do when we are tempted is to turn to You and ask for Your help and then we must take the first step by firmly resolving to never associate with people or places that tempt us to sin. If we do that, Lord, You will do the rest. The more we lean on You as trustingly as a child the greater the graces we will receive to make the right choices and Your Light will shine brightly in us and lead others too to walk in the Way of Truth.

Jesus said to the crowds:

‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’

25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2TH 2:14

WISDOM 2:12,17-20

My Soul's Beloved,

For a while the world is given over to Satan, for just a brief while, and because he is aware that his time is fast coming to a close he has unleashed the full force of darkness, terror, violence, decay, and death on the world. Slowly but surely, little by little, moment by moment, the great deceiver has slinked and slithered into hearts that were closed to God and grace having chosen to separate themselves from the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Having opened themselves to evil, they seek ceaselessly to lure as many souls as they can to be enslaved by the Enemy.  

Long before God's divine plan to rescue and save us through You, His Beloved Son, the Holy Spirit already made it known to all who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind and heart to understand what You would have to endure at the hands of evil to vanquish the Prince of Darkness forever.

Two thousand years ago this prophecy came to pass and the time of darkness is swiftly coming to a close but until then the devil continues to work feverishly to deceive, to pillage, to murder, and to destroy. Thank You, Lord, for the Church, for the Sacraments, for the community of believers, for faith, for the Holy Father, Bishops, Priests, religious and holy laity - we are light and salt of the earth. We who have already received a foretaste of heaven in the Holy Eucharist have Your assurance that the gates of hell shall never prevail against Your Church, Your Bride.

The godless say to themselves:

‘Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
‘Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’

PSALM 53(54):3-6,8

The Lord upholds my life.

O God, save me by your name;

  by your power, uphold my cause.

O God, hear my prayer;

  listen to the words of my mouth.

For proud men have risen against me,

  ruthless men seek my life.

  They have no regard for God.

But I have God for my help.

  The Lord upholds my life.

I will sacrifice to you with willing heart

  and praise your name for it is good.

The Lord upholds my life.

JAMES 3:16-4:3

My Soul's Beloved,

You have given us Your Church if only the whole world were guided by her we would all live as brothers and sisters in perfect harmony. Sadly, within the Church, many are corrupt and St. James enunciates clearly not just the extent of their corruption but how they became corrupt in the first place. He also tells us what makes for holiness, goodness, perfection, peace, and joy. 

If only the Church were the City on the Hill that she ought to be then nations would go up to her and be blessed by her. Grant O Lord, that we who are members of Your Body may be ready to give joyful witness to the Truth in a world that is under the dominion of the great liar and deceiver.

Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.

MARK 9:30-37

My Soul's Beloved,

The greatest virtue we can strive to cultivate and increase is the virtue of humility. It is the mother of all the virtues. Nothing we do no matter how praise-worthy it may seem is meaningless if it is not underpinned and undergirded by this virtue. God is humble He stoops low over His children tirelessly. He willed that You, who are God, become like us in all things save sin. He willed that You, innocence itself, be given up into the hands of sinners to die the death of a criminal. What do we, worthless sinners have to boast of? And if we must boast, as St. Paul says, we ought to boast in You.

Your mission was always before Your eyes. You did not shrink from it but set Your Face like flint to it and prepared Your disciples in advance for all awaited You at the hands of Your enemies but they were too afraid to accept or understand what You were saying to them. We are no different, we too prefer not to dwell on things that are uncomfortable or difficult. Yet it is wise to be prepared for any hardship that we may have to undergo and pray for the grace to accept and submit humbly and patiently to trials.

Instead, like the Apostles we are distracted by trivialities. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Yours. Amen.  

They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’