FRIDAY OF WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand. LK 21:28

2 JOHN 4-9

My Soul's Beloved,

Without love, our lives are meaningless and nothing we do will please You. You, O Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are love in essence, in truth, in being, and as children of God we who are created in love for love, cannot be saved except in and through You for You O Lord have made the love of God visible and tangible through Your incarnation. We are the children of the fall and death was our inheritance. But God so loved us that He sent You into the word to lead us back to the Father. However, we must desire it, we must will it, we must cooperate with it, and we must be prepared to die to sin only then can we have a share in the life of grace that God desires to pour on us, as children born again into Your life of light, grace, and truth, received in Baptism.

Beloved, the two commandments You have given us are a summary of the ten. If we love God with our whole heart, mind, strength, soul, body, and spirit and worship Him alone, for love of You we will also love our neighbor as ourselves. St. John reminds us what it means to love as You command us to:

To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.

The world's definition of love is selfish, narcissistic, self-absorbed, calculating, and because we are weak we are deceived by the traps that the devil sets to ensnare us. We cannot be happy if we do not keep the commandments of God. We are His creation and He has given us clear instructions on how to live happy, fulfilled lives. He has also given us a perfect Model in You, the Son of Man. 

There are many deceivers about in the world, refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the Deceiver; they are the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lost and not get the reward it deserves. If anybody does not keep within the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he cannot have God with him: only those who keep to what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.

PSALM 118(119):1-2,10-11,17-18

They are happy who follow God’s law.

They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.

I have sought you with all my heart;

let me not stray from your commands.
I treasure your promise in my heart
lest I sin against you.

Bless your servant and I shall live
and obey your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
the wonders of your law.

They are happy who follow God’s law.

LUKE 17:26-37

My Soul's Beloved,

Evil has always flourished alongside the good and faithful remnant who belong to You and good will always overcome evil.

Where sin abounds, as St. Paul reminds us, grace abounds even more. This is why we do not lose heart. We must stay the course. We must try, each one of us who has given our lives to You, weak as we are, frail as we may be, despite the fact that we fall a hundred times, grace is always at work, and with Your help, we will overcome. As members of Your Body the stronger support the ones that are weak through prayer. 

Lord Jesus, help me never lose hope, to have courage, and pay no attention to the lies and deceit spread by those who promote and encourage sin. While the rest of the of the people were living in debauchery Noah obeyed God and he and his family were saved and so will those who remain, 'Steadfast in faith, joyful in hope and untiring in love.'