THURSDAY OF WEEK 30 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens! LK19:38,2:14

EPHESIANS 6:10-20

My Soul's Beloved,

We take our cue from the lives of the saints, St. Paul, and from the Apostles, if we desire to live lives pleasing to God. These intimate friends of God were aware they were nothing without You but with You and the Holy Spirit, they lived lives of heroic virtue. 

We were created by God for God and not for the world. God has a marvelous plan for our lives. We can safely navigate the pitfalls that constantly tempt us to veer from the course that leads to life if we, like them, love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and give our lives completely to the Holy Spirit. 

St. Paul tells us that it is possible to resist the wiles of the Enemy, the world, and the flesh only when we put on the armor of God and rely on it to help us withstand the wiles of Satan who prowls throughout the world seeking the ruin of gullible, lazy, indifferent, ignorant souls. Today Lord, pour Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, clothe us with the graces and virtues we need. Listen to the prayers of Mother Mary on behalf of her wayward children as well as our Guardian Angels, and all the saints and angels in heaven and we will, at last, behold You face to face forever,

So stand your ground, with truth buckled round your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. And then you must accept salvation from God to be your helmet and receive the word of God from the Spirit to use as a sword.
Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to.

PSALM 143(144):1-2,9-10

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my arms for battle,
who prepares my hands for war.

He is my love, my fortress;
he is my stronghold, my saviour
my shield, my place of refuge.
He brings peoples under my rule.

To you, O God, will I sing a new song;

I will play on the ten-stringed lute
to you who give kings their victory,
who set David your servant free.

Blessed be the Lord, my rock.

LUKE 13:31-35

My Soul's Beloved,

You had a mission and nothing could stop You from fulfilling it. You were sent by Your Father to save His fallen children from eternal death. We know God loves us because He sent You into the world not to condemn it but to redeem it. Yes, Lord, we are sinners, we run away from You, we hide from You, and we prefer to gratify our own selfish, narrow sensual desires rather than choose the path that leads to freedom from sin and life. We run away from suffering, we refuse to carry the cross that God has prepared for us and is necessary to purify us and fit us for eternal life. We prefer the broad, easy, pleasure-seeking way that enslaves and leads to death.

You knew all the evil plans and plots being hatched against You but You did not run away. You used the time You had left in the world to fulfill the purpose for which the Father sent You. You laid the foundation for Your Church and You prepared the Twelve who would establish it after You returned to the Father. You knew that many, especially the chosen people would reject You and would in the end execute You. You came into the world to enter into our death so we could receive Your life that never ends.

As long as we have time on earth O Lord grant us the grace to use it wisely, to seek You, to listen to Your voice, to obey Your commands, and to discern Your will in all things and do it.  Gather us under Your wings, Beloved, and keep us safe from the day of evil and punishment that is to come.

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say:
‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’

WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 30 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

EPHESIANS 6:1-9

My Soul's Beloved,

The ways of the world are not the ways of God. This is a sinful, fallen world and the way we live, our culture, and our values are of the flesh, the world, and the devil. Yes, Lord, You have redeemed the world, You have sanctified and consecrated it with Your Blood and we are renewed, regenerated, made anew through the waters of Baptism. However, we are weakened by original sin and we have to battle constantly against concupiscence. 

St. Paul gives us godly wisdom on navigating the perilous waters of the world so we will not drown and perish. As children of the light, we are to keep ourselves from being tainted by the culture that celebrates and prioritizes the desires of self above the needs of others. We are called to live a life of servanthood and service in every walk of life whether we are parents, children, teachers lawyers, doctors, priests, religious, employers, or employees. We are to treat everyone as we want to be treated. You came to serve not to be served and to give Your life as a ransom for many. We will be judged on the law of God and not of man for the laws of God are eternal and life-giving, but the ways of the world are sterile and bring nothing but sorrow, decay, destruction, and death.

Work hard and willingly, but do it for the sake of the Lord and not for the sake of men. You can be sure that everyone, whether a slave or a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lord for whatever work he has done well. And those of you who are employers, treat your slaves in the same spirit; do without threats, remembering that they and you have the same Master in heaven and he is not impressed by one person more than by another.

PSALM 144(145):10-14

The Lord is faithful in all his words.

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,
to 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 faithful in all his words.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.

The Lord is faithful in all his words.

LUKE 13:22-30

My Soul's Beloved,

As the liturgical year comes to a close and we draw near to the season of Advent the Church reminds us that we are not created for the world but for heaven. While there is time yet we are invited to repent, to turn away from sin, and return to You. For as long as it is today, Lord, You woo us tenderly. You seek us relentlessly, You pursue us tirelessly and lovingly. You abide in Your Church, in the Sacraments You instituted. We have only to sigh in sorrow, longing, and repentance for our sins and You hasten to our side providing all we need to make a new beginning.

In the three years of Your public ministry, You laid the foundation and built Your Church on the Rock of Peter, the Twelve, and their successors. You are the Cornerstone that will not be moved and Your Bride receives her life and her fruitfulness from You and the Holy Spirit. This is the will of the Father that the whole world, saved by You, gives You glory, honor, worship, and adoration and proclaims unceasingly from the rising of the sun to its setting that You O Lord, are God to the glory of the Father. 

Beloved, as long as it is day You will seek us and call us by name but time will come to an end for every one of us. When it does, and we close our eyes in the sleep of death and find ourselves at the gates of heaven, O Lord, may we not find ourselves locked out and we hear the terrible voice of the Bridegroom saying to us, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”

You O Lord are full of compassion, slow to anger, and rich in mercy but for only as long as the day lasts. Hear our prayers for ourselves and those we love and the whole world that we may all be saved and together praise, worship and glorify You, face to face, eternally.

‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”
‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
‘Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’

TUESDAY OF WEEK 30 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children. MT 11:25

EPHESIANS 5:25-33

My Soul's Beloved,

If there is no order, no chain of command, and no hierarchy chaos will surely ensue. The smooth functioning of any organization or system requires that everyone knows who they are, is aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and the gifts they possess, and uses them to benefit all. In a family, the father is the head of the household, and the mother holds the family together with her own special gifts to nurture and care for all who depend on her. The children obey and help each contributing according to their ability.  

Both husband and wife are equal in value but are not the same. God created them male and female and united they make a whole. Each brings their uniqueness and gifts making their union life-giving and fruitful. All that comes from God and is created by God abounds with life, possesses the possibility of life, is fecund, and bears fruit according to their nature and purpose. Anything barren and sterile is good for nothing, will eventually wither and die, and be tossed aside.

God desires that husband and wife love as He loves; He desires husband and wife to be fruitful. He makes them co-creators with Him in bringing forth new life. There must be harmony between husband and wife, each contributes gifts that are unique to each. They must be united in heart, mind, and will so they will raise their children after the mind and heart of God.    

Unless the husband loves his wife as You, O Lord, love Your Church and gave Yourself up for her we cannot hasten the establishment of Your Kingdom on earth and hasten Your coming. There is no 'I' in love there is only 'you'. There is a continual outpouring of self in love for the other. The needs of the wife take precedence over the needs of the husband and vice versa. 

Marriage is a holy and divine institution and unless we see it as such - a Sacrament that has You at its heart and center the world will continue to descend into chaos and annihilation as society disintegrates into madness and mayhem. This is the work of Satan,

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. In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. 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. To sum up; you too, each one of you, must love his wife as he loves himself; and let every wife respect her husband.

PSALM 127(128):1-5

O blessed are those who fear the Lord.

O blessed are those who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways!
By the labour of your hands you shall eat.
You will be happy and prosper.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine

in the heart of your house;
your children like shoots of the olive,
around your table.

Indeed thus shall be blessed

the man who fears the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion
all the days of your life!

O blessed are those who fear the Lord.

LUKE 13:18-21

My Soul's Beloved,

Unless we allow the Kingdom of God to flourish in our lives, in our families, in the Church, and in the world we will continue to hurl ourselves down the precipice of anarchy and annihilation.

You O Lord are the yeast, the mustard seed that we must allow to be planted in us, to be mixed in us until Your fragrance O Lord, fills our lives, our Church, our institutions, our societies, our families, and the whole world.

Send forth Your Spirit O Lord and renew the face of the earth. Without Your Holy Spirit O Lord, we are doomed to die. Listen to the prayers, the supplications, the moans and groans of Your faithful remnant O Lord, and bring about a new dawn filled with Your love, life, and Presence.

The kingdom of God is like the yeast that leavened three measures of flour
Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’
Another thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with? It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

STS. SIMON & JUDE, APOSTLES, ON MONDAY OF WEEK 30 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
The glorious company of the apostles praise you, O Lord.

EPHESIANS 2:19-22

My Soul's Beloved,

There is no privilege and gift greater than being born into a Catholic family and being raised in the Catholic faith and because this is true my accountability is greater. Much is demanded of me for much is given to me. If, as a Catholic, I take the greatest gift given to me for granted then I will suffer greatly not only in this life but in the life to come until I have paid fully for taking the gift of faith, freely given to me, lightly or for granted.

The minute a Christian or any human being of any faith begins to wonder or question if their faith is true or if there is something more, then the burden and the responsibility to seek answers sincerely with an open heart and mind, until they arrive at the truth, rests on their shoulders. They cannot shrug away any doubts they may have. If they make excuses or seek compromises out of fear or any other reason, they will be accountable. They will be liable to strict, stern judgment, and punishment. However, they need only ask the Holy Spirit for help and He will come to their aid, and with great and unmistakable signs, He will lead them to the Truth. Only the truly ignorant who had no way of knowing will be judged lightly

Every one of us is created to belong to the family of God. Those who belong have been given a mission to preach and teach the Good News by the witness and testimony of their lives. This duty is laid on us for the privilege and gift of being Catholic. I have a distinct identity as a member of the household of God and God desires that I spend my life drawing others to believe and to belong for this is the will of the Father. May I never take this gift of grace for granted, Beloved but share the joy of being espoused to You so others too may desire what I have received.

You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

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.

LUKE 6:12-19

My Soul's Beloved,

In today's Gospel passage, we see how You are beginning to establish Your Church. It was not done lightly. It was not a decision You took on Your own. No. You spent the whole night in the hills, in isolation, in union with Your Father, listening to His Heart, resting on His Bosom, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal to You who Your Father desired to be the 12 Foundation Stones on which You would build Your Church. Once You knew the heart and mind of Your Father it was day. You came down to where Your disciples were. You called them to You and from these, You picked the Twelve. 

Each is called by name beginning with Simon whose name You changed to Peter, (Rock) for he was to hold the primacy of place among Apostles. We then have the names of the rest ending with Judas Iscariot who will, for all time, be labelled the traitor. You then came down with the Twelve and the rest of the disciples where a large crowd had gathered, these signify the whole world, waiting for the Good News to be announced to them. And You show them what the Church You founded must busy herself with. The Church has always been a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints and this is why all are welcome. All will be healed, fed, nourished, cleansed, strengthened, and made whole, and together the Church will glorify God in You, His Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. We, the Church, Your Bride will be busy doing the work of God entrusted to her until You, our Bridegroom return in glory and majesty to claim her for Yourself eternally.

Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’: Simon whom he called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who became a traitor.
He then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. People tormented by unclean spirits were also cured, and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him because power came out of him that cured them all.

30TH SUNDAY 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

JEREMIAH 31:7-9

My Soul's Beloved,

I thank You for speaking to me so powerfully through Your Word which like a double-edged sword cuts through bone and marrow revealing truth and bringing life to all who believe. We have Your assurance that all who walk with You on the narrow will walk in the light and they have no fear of stumbling.

You take those who are Yours, those called by Your Name, by the hand and You lead them to green pastures besides running streams and You give them rest for their souls. No matter how far Your children roam You, the Good Shepherd will pursue us relentlessly and tirelessly and You will find us no matter in what perilous situation we have placed ourselves.

We bring about our own misery, Lord, we call down sorrow on our own head by our willful sinful choices and when we have to bear the consequences of our stupidity and foolishness we cry to You for help  But You understand us O Lord. You know we are weak. You know that we are easily tempted and when You run to You, You will not despise us or draw away from us in disgust, rather, You will pick us up, wash us, cleanse us, feed us, restore us, and like the prodigal son restore all according to the riches of Your glory and splendor.

The Lord says this:

See, I will bring them back
from the land of the North
and gather them from the far ends of earth;
all of them: the blind and the lame,
women with child, women in labour:
a great company returning here.
They had left in tears,
I will comfort them as I lead them back;
I will guide them to streams of water,
by a smooth path where they will not stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my first-born son.

PSALM 125(126)

What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,

  it seemed like a dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter,

  on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels

  the Lord worked for them!’

What marvels the Lord worked for us!

  Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage

  as streams in dry land.

Those who are sowing in tears

  will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,

  carrying seed for the sowing:

they come back, they come back, full of song,

  carrying their sheaves.

What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.

HEBREWS 5:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

What a great privilege it is to be Catholic and receive all the wondrous benefits  You bestowed on this Church You founded on Peter. Without the priesthood that You instituted at the Last Supper when You also instituted the Eucharist we would not have the Bread of Angels, the Heavenly Manna, Your Flesh and Blood as food and drink and we would wither and die.

You are spotless, eternal, High Priest appointed and consecrated by God. You in turn called the Twelve and You continue to call men to serve and minister to Your people in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. From the beginning, the Twelve laid hands on men chosen by the Holy Spirit and continues to do so. Every priest in the Catholic Church is consecrated and anointed for service to the people of God by the laying on of hands and this can be traced all the way back to the Apostles. 

We are truly grateful for all the priests who generously said 'yes' to Your invitation and we ask O Lord that You keep them safe from the world, the flesh, and the devil. May we pray for them and support them for You assure us that if we give even a cup of cold water to Your anointed our reward will be great.

Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.

MARK 10:46-52

My Soul's Beloved,

Your ears are always attuned to the cries of Your suffering brothers and sisters. Every prayer raised up to You with sighs too deep for words, with tears, moans, and groans, with hearts that are breaking will move You to pity and tender compassion. You hasten to hear and to answer, to wipe away our tears, to touch, soothe, heal, restore, to make whole once again. 

All who call on Your Name with faith, sincerity, hope, and even despair like Bartimaeus the blind beggar seated at the side of the road, will be heard. Once he knew that You were passing by he began shouting with all his might saying, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me.’ The people in the crowd tried to shut him up but he cried out even louder. No one was going to stop him from his one chance of receiving from You the gift of sight.

Beloved, Bartimaeus teaches us the value of perseverance in prayer. We must ask without losing heart, without giving up no matter how long we have been praying and asking, seeking and knocking. You will hear, You will answer when the time is right. We will hear these blessed words, ‘Courage, get up; he is calling you.’ When we do we must cast aside anything that would hinder our progress to You just as Bartimaeus threw of his cloak, which was his only possession, lest he tripped and fell as he ran to You. Then unencumbered he was able to say in response to Your question, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Rabbuni, Master, let me see again.’ And You will respond to us as You did to him, ‘Go; your faith has saved you.’ And like him, after receiving our sight, we must follow You along the road that leads to salvation. 

SATURDAY OF WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man,
says the Lord,
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

EPHESIANS 4:7-16

My Soul's Beloved,

The world is filled with men and women who are nothing more than immature children obsessed with living a life of selfish pleasure. Hedonism does nothing to fill the emptiness in the soul and no amount of mindless distractions can give us the happiness that our hearts crave.  The world ruled by Satan and the powers of darkness have unleashed a great force of evil and the stench of decay and death is everywhere. We take consolation O Lord in this truth that where sin abounds grace abounds even more. The Church and all its members are partakers of the divine life of grace poured upon all God's children. We are children of the light. We are the salt of the earth. We belong to You and we have Your assurance that all whom the Father has given You can never be snatched from You.

Beloved, our hearts are filled with dread when we see the great evil that abounds in the world, those with wealth, power, and influence have sold their soul to the devil. They prey on the innocent and the weak, and they use their seemingly limitless power to establish the reign of Lucifer in the world. It might appear that evil has won the day but the truth is that the victory is won. The Cross has triumphed. The world is consecrated by the Blood of the Lamb and the hour is coming, it is almost upon us, when You will appear in dazzling glory and power to claim what God has given You when You ascended into heaven and given a seat at the right hand of God. Each one of the faithful has a place in Your Body and in Your Kingdom and each, with the help of Your Holy Spirit will fulfill the destiny for which we were created by the power of God and the grace of God. We have nothing to fear for You, O Lord, have overcome the world.

When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.

If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love.

PSALM 121(122):1-5

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:
‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built as a city

strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.

For Israel’s law it is,

there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

LUKE 13:1-9

My Soul's Beloved,

We are all sinners. Anyone who says he is without sin is a liar and is doomed to eternal death. Unless we repent, Lord, we will all perish. We are all destined for eternal glory provided we repent, and believe in You and in the Gospel, if not we will perish. God has a wonderful plan for our lives if we live according to His will we will receive the gift of eternal life.  

The lives of saints witness to us that it is possible to choose to live a life of grace, pick up our cross daily, and follow You. You showed us how to love by laying down Your life for us. Unless we die to ourselves, unless we are prepared to pour out our lives for those we love, daily, hourly, moment by moment, we can never become another Christ. We cannot do it on our own. We need help. We need the Holy Spirit, We need the Church. We need the Sacraments. 

You have patience with us. You know we are weak. We know how easily we fall this is why You take us by the hand and You yoke Yourself to us. If we lean on You, Lord, You will help us every step of the way. Like the fig tree that did not yield fruit, You will give us all the time we need, and even after all that You have done for us we remain barren then we invite eternal damnation. God sends no one to hell we decide to go there when we refuse His invitation to remain one with You and the Father.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us time to repent and to return to You with a humble heart and a contrite spirit. You will not spurn those who desire You. You will supply all the graces we need to choose life, to choose You, to choose to belong to You and to the Father.

 ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

FRIDAY OF WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children. MT 11:25

EPHESIANS 4:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

There is a marvelous unity in the Trinity, in the divinity and humanity of the Son of God and the Son of Man, between the Bridegroom and the Bride, the Church founded on the Rock. We were created for union with God and for us to enjoy this great privilege and grace of God we must have unity among Christians just as there is perfect unity between the Catholic Church and with her Rock and Cornerstone.

You O Lord, made an impassioned prayer to Your Father on the night of the Last Supper when You instituted the Holy Eucharist, offering Yourself as a whole and pleasing Sacrifice to the Father so we could be one in You and one in God. This Sacrifice was consummated on the Altar of the Cross. We were given new birth when You gave Your disciples Your Mother. In Mary's immaculate heart, all her children find a home and a resting place in Your Sacred Heart for her heart is nestled in Yours.  

As children of God and children of Mary, we receive through her maternal intercession from her Son and through her spouse, the Holy Spirit, all that is needful for the Church to remain in perfect union with Christ, our Bridegroom, through the Sacraments.

I, the prisoner in the Lord, 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.

PSALM 23(24):1-6

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

  the world and all its peoples.

It is he who set it on the seas;

  on the waters he made it firm.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

  Who shall stand in his holy place?

The man with clean hands and pure heart,

  who desires not worthless things.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

He shall receive blessings from the Lord

  and reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the men who seek him,

  seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

LUKE 12:54-59

My Soul's Beloved,

The Catholic Church is not perfect but because of her union with You, she receives a share in Your perfection. She is a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints. Her religious leaders from the greatest to the least have been a source of many scandals throughout her long history and she has never made a secret of her sins. She publicly reveals for all to see and know that she has sinned and sinned often and grievously and she has always, always repented, made amends, and she always remains the Bride of the Bridegroom.  

If the world were honest, it would recognize that it is precisely because the Catholic Church is divinely instituted she has not crumbled, splintered, or vanished like so many other institutions that were started by men or women and have not stood the test of time. The Church You founded has Your guarantee that she will withstand all the onslaughts of evil both from within and without. 

The tentacles of evil have spread into every area of human existence. The power of Satan is unleashed. Natural and man-made calamities abound. Wars are raging everywhere, barbaric religious fanaticism is targeting Christians and innocent blood is being spilled. These are the signs that warn us that the end is near. Grant us the grace O Lord to repent and turn away from our sins before it is too late lest we are thrown into the furnace and there we will have to pay the price for squandering the gift of life that we freely received.

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?

‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’

TUESDAY OF WEEK 29 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

EPHESIANS 2:12-22

My Soul's Beloved,

How much longer will those I love so dearly be alienated from You, Lord? When will you hear my prayers and answer me? When will You allow my tears to stop flowing and heal my broken heart and my spirit? I cry to You all the day long. I raise up my heart, mind, soul, and spirit to You but You seem far away. Your Word O Lord assures me that by Your Blood we are healed, cleansed, and made a new creation. But sin has separated them from You, their choices take them further and further from You. Is there no end O Lord to their terrible dilemma and seeming inability to escape from the clutches of the Enemy? Will You not intervene and save? The further they move from You the unhappier they are. They are caught in a web of their own creation and now it appears even to me that there is no way out. They are trapped and getting deeper and deeper into the miry pit.

Are all the assurances and promises given to the Ephesians be realized also for those I love? Will they who were once Yours return to You? How far will You let them wander? How much longer must they suffer because they are separated from You? When will they experience the peace that comes from being reconciled to You, Lord? Answer Lord! Answer!

But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. 

So you are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

PSALM 84(85):9-14

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.

The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.

The Lord speaks peace to his people.

LUKE 12:35-38

My Soul's Beloved,

How can I be happy Lord when those I love have separated themselves from You? I cry out to You but there is no answer. I plead with You but it seems You do not hear. Have You turned Your ear away from me? The blows that fall on them strike me, Lord, and I too, with them, am brought low with grief and sorrow. 

My lamps are lit, Lord, and I am waiting for You. I long for You but I keep looking back for my loved ones to come with me, watch with me, wait with me for You, beloved bridegroom of my soul.

I will wait patiently. I will trust You. I hope in Your promises and while I wait I will pray. You will not allow Your own, poor little nothing, to ask without receiving, to seek without finding, and to knock without having the door opened and receiving an answer to my supplication. Grant O Lord that everyone I am praying for will return to You and together we will be waiting joyfully for Your return and You will lead us all joyfully to the Father's house.

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. I tell you solemnly, he will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch he comes, or in the third, but happy those servants if he finds them ready.’

MONDAY OF WEEK 29 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MT 5:3

EPHESIANS 2:1-10

My Soul's Beloved,

It is precisely because the Father knows how desperately we need help that He gave You to us as our Brother, Friend, and Spouse, who is always with us. Were it not for You, Beloved, and Your abiding Presence in us we would never be able to navigate the perils, the storms, and the dangers that lurk everywhere waiting to rob, destroy, and kill our very souls.

All of us have sinned and continue to sin. We are tempted on every side. Circumstances trap us and render us incapable of doing what we know we ought. Too often we are ensnared by our own poor decisions and have no one to blame but ourselves for our poor choices but each of those decisions and choices have repercussions sometimes making it impossible to extricate ourselves from its consequences. But You, O Lord are God. Nothing is too difficult or impossible for You - in this truth, I place all my hope. I know that in the end, Beloved, Your strong, mighty, right hand, will deliver and save.

But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.

PSALM 99(100)

He made us, we belong to him.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

He made us, we belong to him.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.

Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

He made us, we belong to him.

LUKE 12:13-21

My Soul's Beloved,

Bishop R. Barron said in his homily yesterday, 'It is never a good idea to tell God what we think He ought to do.' It is prideful, stupid, foolish, and idiotic to demand that You do as we ask. You are God, You know best how to bless us with graces, gifts, and blessings far beyond our expectations. 

Every breath we breathe is dependent on the love, the will, and the generosity of God. If we live we live because He desires it, if we die, it will be because He commands and wills it. Life and death are in the hands of God and all we can and must do as long as we have breath in our bodies is to discern Your will O Lord, and beg for the grace to do it. Knowing Your will is only the first step, the second is to have the courage to do it despite the cost. 

Too often we spend our lives desiring, getting, accumulating, driving ourselves to obtain what is fleeting, and neglecting to store for ourselves treasure in heaven where thieves cannot enter nor moth or rust destroy. Our avarice brings about death in every sense of the term and God forbid, Beloved, we will spend eternity regretting all the terrible choices we made instead of keeping the two commandments that guarantee our happiness in this life and eternal happiness with You in the Kingdom of Heaven.  

A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’

29TH SUNDAY 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. MT 10:45

ISAIAH 53:10-11

My Soul's Beloved,

Suffering entered the world with the fall of our first parents. By their disobedience, they forfeited heaven for themselves and their descendants. This fruit of willful sin is death and eternal separation from God of Love who is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. The justice of God demanded that we be punished for our sins but the mercy of God, knowing that it was impossible for us to save ourselves, made a way by sending You into the world as one of us, true God and true Man, sinless, holy, and perfect, to pay the ransom for our salvation.

You O Lord, became the Victim, the Holocaust, and the Sacrifice, the Cross became the Sacred Altar on which You offered Yourself as a whole burnt offering, once and for all time. Your perfect Sacrifice brought forgiveness, healing, and restoration to the entire human race. We have hope because of You. We live because of You. We inherit a share in the Kingdom of God because You generously and wholeheartedly share all that Your Father has given You with us. Love sent You into the world to make perfect atonement for our sins. Love willingly laid Himself down on the Wood of the Cross and gladly entered into our death so we could enter into Your Life.

My Jesus, forgive me for my cowardly approach to suffering. For my desire to flee as far as possible from the daily cross that You desire me to pick up daily and follow You. Thank You for the rich graces You make available to me in the Sacraments through which abundant grace is given to every member of Your Body in the Church. 

Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are Yours now and always.

The Lord has been pleased to crush his servant with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life
and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.
His soul’s anguish over,
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
taking their faults on himself.

PSALM 32(33):4-5,18-20,22

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

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.

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.
May your love be upon us, O Lord,
as we place all our hope in you.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

HEBREWS 4:14-16

My Soul's Beloved,

The reason why I am such a reluctant cross-bearer is because I forget that You have shown me how to accept and endure suffering. I take my gaze off of You and focus on my lack of courage and become consumed with fear and anxiety and give up and run away. I wallow in pathetic self-pity making my cross heavier than it needs to be. I am deaf to Your invitation to, 'Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden.’ 

You know how we feel - every one of us, every man, woman, and child can look at the Cross and find meaning and purpose in life. When the world and all its ugliness, violence, destruction, evil, and death become too much for us we must find comfort in the truth that we have a high priest who knows what we have to endure because You took upon Yourself all the suffering and grief of the world. Thank You, Lord.

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

MARK 10:35-45

My Soul's Beloved,

We see how from the very beginning as You were teaching and forming Your Church on the Twelve, they were as squint-eyed, and narrow in their vision as we are. We all jostle each other and elbow each other out of the way in order to be the first. To stand at the head. To have a position of authority and power over others. Like them, we are prepared to knock down people, step over them, and even on them to race ahead, get the most, and have access to the things of this world before everyone else. This is the way that leads to death, not life. 

Let us, O Lord, who desire to follow You closely imperfect as we are, take heed, pay attention and listen to what You say to the Twelve - it is what You say to Your Church as well and to all of us in it and all who desire to belong to it.

The Way to Life is the Way of the Cross. There is no other.

When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the pagans their so-called rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

SATURDAY OF WEEK 28 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Spirit of truth will be my witness;
and you too will be my witnesses. JN 15:26, 27

EPHESIANS 1:15-23

My Soul's Beloved,

The great mysteries of our faith were revealed to St. Paul by the Holy Spirit and he in turn has revealed it to us. All who believe in You, Lord, and in the great, glorious,  work of salvation that the Father wrought in and through You, His Eternal and only Son in the power of the Holy Spirit, leave us wonderstruck and in awe that God so loved us, unworthy sinners, He was prepared to give You up into the hands of the enemy to redeem and save us from the slavery and treachery of sin. We deserve death there is no argument about it. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us have disobeyed. All have deliberately, willfully, and callously turned away from our loving Father and wandered far from home to places where decay, destruction, and death thrive.

No matter how far we desire to run away from the Father He refuses to turn His Face away from us. He pursues us relentlessly, lovingly, tirelessly, and woos us unceasingly with tenderness and compassion. He has made it possible for us to be saved even when living a life of utter debauchery and slavery to evil, to repent and be saved even with our last breath. 

The love of God in You, my Beloved, is visible, palpable, and available to all regardless of who we are. All are invited to come to the table of the Lord and be nourished. All are invited to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. All who so desire can be washed in the Blood of the Lamb and even though our sins are as scarlet our souls can be cleansed of every sin no matter how grave.

Beloved, You lay down Your life for us. You descended into hell and tasted the death that was our inheritance so we could receive Your abundant life. Because You were obedient and gave Yourself up to the scandal of the crucifixion in atonement for the sins of the world, the Father has raised You higher and above all. He has given You a Name that is above every other name and He has seated You in glory and power at His right hand, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named not only in this age but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

How foolish are those who are lukewarm, cafeteria Christians who deny themselves a seat at the Eucharistic Table of the Lord because they are proud, hard-hearted, and stubborn. They make God in their image and likeness refusing to accept that God is far above their squint-eyed, personal interpretations of His Word and His Work.

The bride unites her prayers for unity with that of her Bridegroom and the Father has heard and answered. There will be one flock and one Shepherd.

PSALM 8:2-7

You gave your Son power over the works of your hand.

How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth!
Your majesty is praised above the heavens;
on the lips of children and of babes
you have found praise to foil your enemy,
to silence the foe and the rebel.

When I see the heavens, the work of your hands,

the moon and the stars which you arranged,
what is man that you should keep him in mind,
mortal man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god;

with glory and honour you crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your hand,
put all things under his feet.

You gave your Son power over the works of your hand.

LUKE 12:8-12

My Soul's Beloved,

There is nothing sadder in all the world and in heaven as well that Your Body O Lord is fragmented. Just like the devil was given permission to tempt Job, God's righteous servant, so too is the devil permitted to rage, roar, and rampage across the world in these last days before Your glorious second coming. His time is short and he knows it and all the powers of darkness, death, violence, vile evil, and terror, are unleashed on a deliberately blind, deaf, and ignorant world. There is no love, life, joy, hope, or peace apart from You, my Lord, and yet many foolishly seek it anywhere and everywhere else than in You.  

You have shown us the way to everlasting life and joy and it is not an easy way. It is a life of denial, of sorrow, of loss, of dying to self daily, of picking up our cross daily and following You closely. There is no other way, Lord, if there was the Father would have revealed it. This is the price every child of Adam has to pay. We have inherited the consequence of the sin of our first parents which is death. But You O Lord, in obedience to the Father's will entered our humanity through Your incarnation in the womb of the immaculate Virgin and becoming one like us in all things save sin, paid the price to release us from eternal slavery and damnation.

Pride continues to be the downfall of so many who refuse to even consider that God has saved us through You and there is no salvation apart from You. But thanks be to God, the steadfast witness and the blood of martyrs through the centuries, even to this day and in the future, who prefer death rather than deny You, will continue to be the seed that brings forth a great harvest of Christians. Many will believe because of their testimony of blood. 

Lord Jesus, if we are called to martyrdom grant us the grace we need to go to our death with courage and joy.

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of the angels. But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels.
‘Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.’