WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 32 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

For all things give thanks,
because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus. 1TH 5:18

TITUS 3:1-7

My Soul's Beloved,

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Anyone who says he has not sinned is a liar. The first step towards conversion is to acknowledge that I have sinned often previously, the next step is to approach You in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and humbly and truthfully confess all my sins, especially grave sins, and firmly resolve, with your help to sin no more.  Then I am washed by Your Blood and I am restored once again into the family of God.

Lord Jesus, St. Paul reminds us of our duty to honor and obey all those whom God has chosen to govern us. We must respect and keep all legitimate laws designed for our good, the good of the nation, and the world. We are called to put to death all that causes division and separates us from You and from our neighbor. As members of Your Body the Church, and having experienced Your saving love and kindness we can no longer be enslaved to our passions. We are called to deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow You. Life is not worth living apart from You but with You and in You, Beloved, one with You and the Father and the Holy Spirit, we are living, fruitful members of the Vine. Keep us always in Your love, Lord. 

Remember, there was a time when we too were ignorant, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and luxuries; we lived then in wickedness and ill-will, hating each other and hateful ourselves.
But when the kindness and love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed, it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our saviour. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.

PSALM 22(23)

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.

The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.

LUKE 17:11-19

My Soul's Beloved,

There is much that we can learn about the miracle of the healing of the ten lepers. Their common misfortune, their shared pain, and separation from the rest of their family and loved ones brought them together. Although one of them was a Samaritan and the rest were Jews the hatred that would normally make them enemies was meaningless in their circumstances since they were all lepers and ostracized from society. Their disease rendered them unclean, and hence untouchable. They were beggars and depended on the few coins tossed to them yet even in these dire straits they had heard of You, they believed that You had the power to heal them, they came looking for You, and they found You. They dared not come close but from a distance, they shouted,  ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ You saw them, You heard their cry, and You responded, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ 

They believed, turned away to do as You instructed them to, and were cleansed. The natural response to so great a miracle would be to return joyfully to give thanks and praise to the Master who had healed them. But this was not the response of the Jews. The Samaritan, however, we are told, Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Noting that only the foreigner and not the the other nine who were Jews, belonging to the chosen people of God had returned to give praise to God, You said, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ Then, addressing the outsider, the non-Jew, You said, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’  While the other nine received physical healing the one who returned to give thanks was healed both spiritually and physically. This is our experience when we go to confession, receive absolution, and hear You speak through the mouth of the priest, those glorious words, " And I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."