TUESDAY OF WEEK 33 IN ORDINARY TIME

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away. 1JN 4:10

APOCALYPSE 3:1-6,14-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Grace is always available to those who ask. But we do not ask and because we do not ask we do not receive. We are comfortable with our lives. We have allowed the world to ensnare us with soft living giving ourselves up to the endless entertainment that it offers. It robs us of the time that must be given to worship God, to study His Word, to seek His will in all things, and to obey it. But we keep putting off for tomorrow what we must do today believing that we have time. Too late we will find that time has run out and we can do nothing about it except face the consequences of our lack of love for God and neighbor. 

Most of us are lukewarm Lord, and You have no use for tepid souls. Pity us, Lord, we are weak. Break our hearts of stone, pierce through our indifference, and enter. Do for us what we are unable to do for ourselves. Wake us up and grant us the grace to begin now, before it is too late, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, lest when You come and find us asleep we will be cast into the eternal fire of hell.

Grant that this be the day when we hear You knocking on our hearts and open it and grant You entrance so You can sit with us and dine with us, and share Your glory in the Kingdom of God.

“Here is the message of the Amen, the faithful, the true witness, the ultimate source of God’s creation: I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say to yourself, ‘I am rich, I have made a fortune, and have everything I want’, never realising that you are wretchedly and pitiably poor, and blind and naked too. I warn you, buy from me the gold that has been tested in the fire to make you really rich, and white robes to clothe you and cover your shameful nakedness, and eye ointment to put on your eyes so that you are able to see. I am the one who reproves and disciplines all those he loves: so repent in real earnest. Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”’

PSALM 14(15):2-5

Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.

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.

Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.

LUKE 19:1-10

My Soul's Beloved,

Your eyes constantly seek the lost, those who desire to know You but sin hinders them from coming to You. We know we have sinned and our sins separate us from You but You look beyond. You see the desire and longing of the heart and are moved to compassion. Sin holds us in bondage and though we long to be free we are unable to help ourselves. We long to live a life of grace but our concupiscence prevents us from doing so. 

Zacchaeus is a perfect example of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak.  He too is stuck and sees no way forward. He is condemned as a public sinner who cannot break free from his sinful life. He heard that the great rabbi who performed miracles was passing through Jericho and he longed to see You. The crowd was huge and prevented him from getting close to You so he climbed a tree to get a better view of You. This is how St. Luke describes the encounter between You and Zacchaeus:

When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

Thank You, Lord, that You came to seek and save the lost. Thank You for being our Good Shepherd. Thank You for leaving the ninety-nine behind to find the one that has gone astray.,