We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord. - Te Deum
EPHESIANS 4:1-7,11-13
My Soul's Beloved,
You created me to be me, unique, loved, and called by name. I am yours. I am a sinner, imperfect, I have failed constantly. I have been unfaithful. I have strayed from the path of righteousness often. I have been negligent in carrying out the work assigned to me alone and to no other and I failed miserably. The fruit of my negligence is visible not just to me Lord but most glaringly to You and my soul is filled with great sadness for my many sins of commission and commission.
I have lacked nothing. You provided me with every grace and blessing that I needed to faithfully carry out the mission entrusted to me but I was careless, lazy, inattentive, and selfish. The bitter fruit of my folly resulting from my many mistakes fills me with sorrow and robs me of peace.
All I can do now, Lord, is to throw myself at the foot of the cross and plead for mercy not just for me but for those I love. The beauty of Your goodness and mercy is that we can arise and begin anew no matter how often we fail and fall. In the short time that is left to me, I desire to lead a life worthy of my vocation. Despite how late the hour is Lord, I implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
I believe in You, I hope in You, and I trust You and I will not be put to shame because I have no one else but You, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Lord, my God, my Brother, my Friend, and the Bridegroom of my soul.
PSALM 18(19):2-5
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
MATTHEW 9:9-13
My Soul's Beloved,
We are called. We are chosen. You meet us where we are Your glance is tender and compassionate and You say invite us as You invited Matthew a tax collector and public sinner, saying, 'Follow Me.' You pay particular attention to those of us who are sick, needy, sinful, and broken, and You do not reject and judge as the world does instead, You extend an unexpected and loving invitation to come to You and to belong to You.
Matthew, like the other Apostles whom You called to become a prince of the Church, was a most unlikely candidate. He was a misfit, a reject, despised by his fellow Jews and he kept company with fellow misfits and rejects of society like himself. How grateful we ought to be that You do not see who we are but what we can become when called by name, forgiven, cleansed, filled with grace, and given an opportunity to become a fruitful member of Your Body.
To those self-righteous Pharisees who all too readily judge and despise the sinner, You say:
‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’
I am a sinner in need of forgiveness, healing, and mercy. Thank You for coming for me, calling me by my name, and inviting me to follow You. Here I am Lord, do with me as You will.
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