TUESDAY OF WEEK 23 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord. JN 15:16

1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-11

My Soul's Beloved,

In the litigious culture of the 21st century when people are constantly suing each other for personal gain it is good for Christians to reflect on what St. Paul is saying to us today. The world is full of crooked lawyers who abuse the law. More often than not, in the secular world, justice is not always served. This is why as Christians, we have God's law written on our hearts and we must bring our grievances to the ministers in the Church who will help us redress them justly and in the light of God's revelation, wisdom, and charity.

It is truly a scandal to see how Christian families have allowed property disputes to sow evil and sour relationships. St. Paul is right when he upbraids us and reminds us of what is truly important. The salvation of our souls. If Christians lived their faith in the light of the Gospel then peace would surely reign in our families as well as the world.

It is bad enough for you to have lawsuits at all against one another: oughtn’t you to let yourselves be wronged, and let yourselves be cheated? But you are doing the wronging and the cheating, and to your own brothers.
You know perfectly well that people who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God: people of immoral lives, idolaters, adulterers, catamites, sodomites, thieves, usurers, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers will never inherit the kingdom of God. These are the sort of people some of you were once, but now you have been washed clean, and sanctified, and justified through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.

PSALM 149:1-6,9

The Lord takes delight in his people.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

  his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,

  let Zion’s sons exult in their king.

Let them praise his name with dancing

  and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.

  He crowns the poor with salvation.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

LUKE 6:12-19

My Soul's Beloved,

You teach us the necessity of prayer. We are to pray always but even more when we are met with challenges. In times of worry, we are to pray. In times of sadness, we pray. When our hearts are broken, we pray. When the world gets too much for us we pray. When we are required to make important decisions regarding our lives or the lives of others, we pray. In times of joy, we pray. When all is well with us we pray. In sickness, health, happiness, and sorrow we pray. 

You teach us not only the necessity of prayer but the power of prayer. You taught by example. You taught us the Lord's Prayer, which is a blueprint for how we should come before God and praise, worship, give thanks, and make know all we desire through intercession and supplication. 

The greatest and most sublime act of worship, most pleasing to God, our Father, is the Holy Mass. Thank You, Beloved for being the Altar, the Sacrifice, and the High Priest and for making our own poor sacrifice of our lives, united with Your one, holy, perfect, redemptive Sacrifice as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world always acceptable and pleasing to Him.

You chose the Twelve - they are the 12 pillars on which the Church stands and it will not be moved. We have Your guarantee that the gates of hell can never prevail against it. United as members of Your Body, the Church, we will share in Your final, glorious victory when You come again. Maranatha! Lord Jesus, Maranatha!