7TH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

To all who received him he gave power to become children of God. JN 1:14, 12

1 JOHN 2:18-21

My Soul's Beloved,

The Church is Your Body and we who are baptized and grafted on to Your Body belong to You - we, with You as its Head are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. It is Your Holy  Spirit that unites us with You and the Father in love and by the power of the Spirit we live, move, and have our being with the Triune God. No power can separate us from Your love for we are Yours and no one can steal us from You. However, this does not mean that since the fall of Adam Satan has not tried his utmost to grasp from You what belongs to You and in many instances has succeeded because of the sin inherited from our first parents. 

You warned the Twelve that the forces of darkness would unleash terror on the faithful and many false prophets would appear with false doctrines claiming to be anointed by the Spirit and they have since the beginning. Satan continues to prowl about the world to kill, steal, murder, plunder, and destroy and many have fallen by the wayside. But Your promises and Your Covenant are eternal. Those who belong to You will remain united with You to the end those who were never Yours will be lost and cast into hell forever.

We believe O Lord that we are Your anointed and will be preserved in the Truth until You come in glory to claim us and the Church for Yourself forever. 

But you have been anointed by the Holy One,
and have all received the knowledge.
It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you
but rather because you know it already
and know that no lie can come from the truth.

PSALM 95(96):1-2,11-13

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day,

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad,

let the sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he comes,
he comes to rule the earth.

With justice he will rule the world,

he will judge the peoples with his truth.

Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad.

JOHN1:1-18

My Soul's Beloved,

The opening chapter of John's gospel has always had the power to thrill my soul. How good it is to know, in the language of love, how much God has loved us and the power of that love that gives life, sanctifies, and enables us by the power of that love to persevere in holiness despite our own frailties, weaknesses, and our inherent propensity to sin.  God breathed His Word, His Eternal Word, His entire Word and all that is came to be and will remain in God's power and love in goodness, beauty, life, and truth and nothing will overcome or overpower the Light of God which is the Word made flesh.

The Word was the true light

that enlightens all men.

Loving Jesus, we believe and because we believe in the only Son of God who came into the world not to condemn the world but to redeem and save it we too will live in You forever. Have pity O Lord on those who do not believe especially among our loved ones. We grieve O Lord that they are separated from You but we also believe that You will gladly accept our prayers, tears, sacrifices, fasting, and penance on their behalf and You will save them because this is what the Father desires as well that not one who belongs to You will be lost.

The Word was made flesh,

he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

Thank You, Beloved, for the hope we have of being one with You, the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally. You are Priest, Prophet, and King and You are also our Brother, Friend, and Spouse. You came to make the invisible God visible to us. We touch You, we feel Your Presence in us, we eat Your Flesh and drink Your Blood and we receive life in all its fullness from this Banquet of Love at the Eucharistic table. Our hearts, our lives, and all we are is wholly Yours now and forever.

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son. ACTS 16:14

1 SAMUEL 1:20-22,24-28

My Soul's Beloved,

All I have You have given me. You have blessed me immensely from the moment I was conceived in my mother's womb and You have been with me always. Thank You for the children You blessed me with and one that in Your wisdom You took to Yourself. All my children O Lord I have always offered to You, even though they are mine, the first belonged to You and they are Yours forever.

Beloved, Hannah longed for a child with a longing that consumed her whole being and she pleaded with God to give her her heart's desire and God did bless her with a son, Samuel. God had taken away her shame and her disgrace but she did not cling to the gift that was given to her but freely, unreservedly gave him back to God.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, I give You my family, my children, and I ask nothing more than this Beloved, that You keep them save in Your love and bring them home at last to Yourself eternally.

Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, and called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.’

When she had weaned him, she took him up with her together with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’

PSALM 83(84):2-3,5-6,9-10

My Soul's Beloved,

We are Yours purchased by Your Blood. We belong irrevocably to You and we are happy and fulfilled when we nestle close to Your Heart. It is when we wander away from the path of holiness and righteousness that we fall prey to the wiles of the Enemy. Grant us wisdom, Lord, that we may always say no to the flesh and to keep our gaze fixed on the prize which is the Kingdom of God.

Lord God, our Savior, and Redeemer, never let us be parted from You. Reach out to us and prevent us from making choices that lead us astray. You give us life and You fill us with Your Spirit as long as we are united with You we will live the abundant life and bear good fruit, fruit that will last.

My Lord and my God, be merciful to us O Lord and do not permit us to stray from You and finally bring us safely to our rest never to be parted from You.

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord, God of hosts.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,

give ear, O God of Jacob.
Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,
look on the face of your anointed.

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord.

1 JOHN 3:1-2,21-24

My Soul's Beloved,

We are baptized into Your Body and are members of the family of God. We are privileged to call God, Your Father, our Abba. You have poured Your Holy Spirit into our hearts and it is the Spirit that enables us to cry out, to the glory of God, that You are Lord. 

Beloved, how easily we could have been born outside the faith, outside the Church, but through no merit of ours except Your sheer goodness and mercy, we were born in a Catholic home and received the free gift of faith. Thank You, Lord, for not permitting us to stray too far from embrace in our Youth and when we were tempted to do so, You led us back gently back into the fold.

My Lord, I believe, in Your time and in Your way You will bring back every member of my family home to the Catholic Church for only in her do You dwell in fullness and in truth. Grant the gift of Baptism to those in my family who are not baptized. I know You will hear and answer me for this is the desire of our Father as well. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence,
and whatever we ask him,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.

LUKE 2:41-52

My Soul's Beloved,

For twelve years You lived quietly under the loving and watchful gaze of Mother Mary and Joseph. Yes, You were the Son of Mary but they were also aware that You were the Son of God and they only knew as much about Your divinity as was revealed to them, which was not much. They accepted everything on faith. Having been chosen by God to nurture, watch over, and protect the Child they surrendered their whole lives to fulfilling the great honor God had bestowed on them.

When as usual, that year, they prepared for the yearly trip to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover they had no way of knowing that everything would change for them from then on. The journey to Jerusalem was unremarkable, they had made this journey to and fro without incident for eleven years and had no reason to believe that his trip would be any different. On the way back home to Nazareth, after a day's journey, everything changed for Mary and Joseph. One can only imagine the terror that struck them when they discovered You were not with the caravan.

My Lord and my God, parents from time immemorial have suffered because of their children. The terror, sorrow, and numbing grief that strikes the hearts of parents is so great and never quite leaves us. We can lose our children in so many ways and there are times that they may never return. In times like these Lord, we can turn to Mary and Joseph and take comfort that they too suffered as we do and they will pray and intercede for us.

It is hard O Lord not to cling to our children. We learn from Hannah to give back to God what He has freely given us. We learn from Mary and Joseph to not give up hope but to search for You until we find You. Too often we lose You because of wrong choices that we make and they take us further and further away from You but if we keep our gaze on You and look for You with a contrite heart and a broken spirit we will find You. 

Mary and Joseph were struck with wonder when they did find You on the third day and their hearts were filled with joy. Yet the sorrow never quite left them even though You returned home to Nazareth with them and from then on You were obedient to them as You grew in age and wisdom. Mary, in particular, we are told, kept all these things in her heart and pondered on them.

Lord Jesus, grant us the grace also to keep Your Word in our hearts, ponder on all that happens to us in the light of the Gospel, and allow all that occurs in our lives to be moments in which we grow in wisdom and in stature after the heart, mind, and will of God.

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.
His mother stored up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST - 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. - Te Deum

1 JOHN 1:1-4

My Soul's Beloved,

Your divine imprint is on all creation especially mankind who is the crown of Your creation. The Breath of Life, the Holy Spirit breathed into all that lives by the Creator is Your Life because He is Your Spirit. Even while our body is temporary it houses within its frail and corrupt flesh our immortal soul which is eternal and can never die. This soul is given to us by the One who has existed before the foundations of the world, before time, since the beginning. 

You came into the world, sent by Your Father not to condemn the world but to redeem it. You pierced the veil of time, drew aside the curtain, and came to us and this is why the beloved disciple, John, can say:   

Something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our hands:
the Word, who is life –
this is our subject.

You came into the world, Lord Jesus, and You will remain with us until the end of time. We believe not just because of the testimony of the Twelve who spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, but because we also have experienced Your goodness, Your mercy, Your love, and Your Presence in our lives.  You came into the world in obedience to the will of God to make the invisible God visible to us. The Apostles have told us what they saw and heard during Your public ministry. We have their witness and testimony of Your life, passion, death, glorious resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. They experience the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and all that they received we receive as well in the Sacraments You instituted. Thank You for Your living and abiding Presence with us in the Holy Eucharist and thank You for Your assurance that You will remain with us until time ceases.

What we have seen and heard
we are telling you
so that you too may be in union with us,
as we are in union
with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.

PSALM 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

JOHN 20:2-8

My Soul's Beloved,

Mary of Magdala was the first to carry the news of the empty tomb to Simon Peter and the beloved disciple and they all returned to it to confirm what she had seen. Peter, the Rock, the head of the Church, the beloved disciple which includes the entire people of God, together with Mary of Magdala representing all sinners and reminding us that every sinner has the potential to become a great saint.

As long as we run the race with Peter we can never veer from the Way of Truth that leads to Life in abundance. The empty tomb announces to the whole world that death does not have the final answer. The Son of God, the new Adam, has conquered the final frontier which is death, and vanquished it having risen triumphant from the grave crushing the head of Satan and defeating him. Death's sting is lost, death has lost its victory, and the Lamb of God has triumphed and reigns over us all.

So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.

MONDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

King of the peoples
and cornerstone of the Church,
come and save man,
whom you made from the dust of the earth.

MALACHI 3:1-4,23-24

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for the hope we have in You. Thank You Abba for not abandoning your sinful children, thank You Abba for reaching out to us over and over again and pulling us out of the miry pit, from the deep dark waters, from complete and total destruction and separation from You, the Source of all Life and love.  O Lord Jesus Christ Son of the Living God because of You O Lord we have hope not only for ourselves and those we love but for the whole world O Lord Jesus Christ Son of the Living God You are the hope that never disappoints we look with joy to your coming again in glory Thank You for piercing the veil of time and coming to us in history, Thank You for Your presence with us I the world and for Your love that makes it possible for aYo to abide in us in our hearts, in our Tabernacles, In the Holy EUcharistic the food for our souls and the Bread of Angels that sustains us and without which the world would have long since perished While we wait in joyful hope for Your coming in glory Beloved for many of us it will take place when we close our eyes on this earth and open them in eternity to behold You in glory and majesty Keep us safe Belove for eternal life.

The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.

PSALM 24(25):4-5,8-9,10,14

Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.

The Lord is good and upright.

He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.

His ways are faithfulness and love
for those who keep his covenant and law.
The Lord’s friendship is for those who revere him;
to them he reveals his covenant.

Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.

LUKE 1:57-66

My Soul's Beloved,

You are the God of the unexpected, You are God who never ceases to surprise us in the most wondrous ways. Your plans can never be thwarted and all that You desire to accomplish will be accomplished. You will break every barrier and overcome every hurdle and obstacle to ensure that every promise You have made will be realized and no one can block or thwart the blessings with which You desire to bless us, the Church, and the world.  

The precursor to the Son of Man was to be named John. His father, Zechariah was struck dumb by God for his disbelief, and when the baby's mother Elizabeth said that he was to be named John they refused to honor what God had ordained. But God's will and God's purposes for the lives of His people will surely come to pass. Zechariah confirmed by writing on a tablet, 'His name is John' and immediately his tongue was loosed and he was able to speak again.

When we obey You, Lord, when we keep Your commandments and allow our lives to be directed by Your Holy Spirit, our tongues will also be loosed and we will accomplish all that God desires. There is no greater joy than living in the shadow of the Most High, being directed by His Spirit, and walking in the Way of Truth. Keep us always in Your love, Beloved of my soul.

Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

4TH SUNDAY IN ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the handmaid of the Lord:
let what you have said be done to me. LK 1:38

MICAH 5:1-4

My Soul's Beloved,

The Magnificat is a hymn of praise that exults from the soul of one who is intimately and totally in union with God. If there is one thing that we can take away from Sacred Scripture and how God reveals Himself it is this - He does it in ways that are so breathtakingly unexpected that it beggars belief. God does not think or act as man does for Your ways O Lord are far above our ways and Your thoughts far above our thoughts. Who could ever believe that God would stoop low, leaving all Your glory and majesty behind, and become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin? Who could believe that this same God came into the world hidden, silent, in poverty, and would be born in a stable? Kings are born in palaces, God was born in a stable.

God always chooses those who are little, the humble, those with the simplicity of children. If only, the world understood this it would better understand how to approach You and to model our lives after Your own for this is the only way pleasing to Him. To live a life in total surrender to the will of God just as Mary did.

The world's ways are so utterly alien to Your ways O Lord. Teach me your ways, O LORD; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you.

PSALM 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.

May your hand be on the man you have chosen,

the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.

God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

HEBREWS 10:5-10

My Soul's Beloved,

To hunger and thirst to do the will of God just as You did O Lord, in this is perfect joy and peace. God so loved the world that He gave us You, His only Son, that whoever believes in You will not perish but have eternal life. You came into the world as an atoning sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. You came in perfect obedience with the will of the Father to save us a stubborn and stiff-necked people whose hearts are hardened with sin. We are a rebellious people O Lord, all of us have sinned and walked away from the source of all life, love, joy, truth, and peace.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, by the power of Your redeeming work of salvation on the Cross, by the power of Your Blood atoning for the sins of the whole world, I plead with You today to soften our hearts so we may know and understand how pleasing it is to God and how beneficial to our salvation if we like You said, always and everywhere, 

‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

LUKE 1:39-45

My Soul's Beloved,

We are on the threshold of Christmas. Soon we will be celebrating the anniversary of Your birth. Families and people are busy completing all the outward signs of the festivity - shopping, cooking, baking, decorating. Buying and selling is at its peak. Many parts of the world are filled with the hustle and bustle of the season, people are carol singing, and Christmas gifts are being packed. Children are giddy with excitement. But where are You in all this? Where is God? 

As Catholics how well have we prepared our hearts this Advent to celebrate the anniversary of Your birth? Have we prepared at all? Have we made a good confession? Have we waited with eager anticipation like Mary who prayed, and waited with eager longing for the moment when You will be born? Have we, like Mary, carried You in our hearts as she carried You in her womb when she visited her cousin Elizabeth who needed her? Are our eyes open to the needs of so many of our brothers and sisters who are suffering, sick, friendless, alone, and neglected?

Beloved, give us a heart like Your Mother, who filled with the Holy Spirit, hastened to visit her cousin who she knew would need her and would be comforted by her presence. Mary answered the call to love and serve and was rewarded by Elizabeth's joy at seeing her. This will be our experience when we open our hearts and lives to those in need.

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Emmanuel,
our king and lawgiver,
come and save us,
Lord our God.

SONG OF SONGS 2:8-14

My Soul's Beloved,

You O Lord, our God, are the Divine Lover in the Song of Songs. You desire nothing more than to reveal Yourself to us and to have a close and intimate relationship with us. You will stop at nothing Beloved, to woo us tenderly, gently, until we understand that nothing that the world has to offer can match the wondrous awe of knowing that the Eternal Word of the Father in whom and through whom everything has its origin and being, desires to be our love, our bridegroom, the spouse of our soul.

Even though our sins are as scarlet, even though we withdraw from You into the deep, dark recesses of sin, even though we reject Your loving invitation over and over again, You do not give up but pursue us relentlessly, patiently, until we finally understand that the whole purpose of our life is to know You, Love You, serve You and belong utterly to You.

Thank You, Lord, for loving us as You do. Open the eyes of those who do not yet know You so they too may come to understand that true joy is to love You and be loved by You. Grant O Lord, that the world wooed by Your tenderness will return love for love.

‘Come then, my love,
my lovely one, come.
My dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
in the coverts of the cliff,
show me your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet
and your face is beautiful.’

PSALM 32(33):2-3,11-12,20-21

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; O sing him a song that is new.

Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.

His own designs shall stand for ever,

the plans of his heart from age to age.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.
The Lord is our help and our shield.
In him do our hearts find joy.
We trust in his holy name.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; O sing him a song that is new.

LUKE 1:39-45

My Soul's Beloved,

This is my prayer today, Lord, that I may understand more and more the precious jewel that is Mary, the Mother of the Son of God, fairest daughter of the Father, and the most chaste spouse of the Most Holy Spirit. Immaculately conceived she is unrivalled among the children of Adam in the perfection of every virtue. Filled with grace from the moment of her conception, her soul was the garden in which the Holy Spirit planted every grace and virtue in superabundance. You chose her among all the women to be Your Mom. She is the garden in which God walked in the cool of the day as He did in the garden of Eden.

Having conceived You in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, God overshadowed her and from that instant, she was wholly Yours. Her whole being which was already surrendered to God was now, by the power of God incarnate in her womb, directed to go in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who also by the power of God had conceived a child in her old age. 

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby, the precursor who was to prepare the way of the Lord encountered his Lord and leaped with joy. Grant O Lord that I encounter You every time I run to Mama Mary with my troubles and my soul will leap for joy in finding You who are my God and my all. 

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

FRIDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Key of David, who open the gates of the eternal kingdom,
come to liberate from prison
the captive who lives in darkness.

ISAIAH 7:10-14

My Soul's Beloved,

The greatest sign of all is the Sign of the Cross, there is no other. It is at the heart of God's love for us. If we need a sign or are asked for a sign of God's love for us and to reveal His enduring presence with us, we point to the Cross on which the love of God was made visible, tangible, and actual in the greatest sacrificial love in which God's incomprehensible love for us was consummated for all humanity by the Son of God on the Wood of the Cross.

God stoops low - He whom the heavens cannot contain and for whom the earth is just footstool was conceived in the womb of the Woman now clothed with the Sun, became man, lived a life of poverty, suffering, abandoned by all, and offered His life in perfect atonement for the sins of the whole world. 

God Himself has given us a sign, a sign for all ages from Bethlehem to Golgotha, to the Resurrection, to the Ascension and we wait in joyful hope for Your coming again in glory. Come, Lord Jesus, come.


‘The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’

PSALM 23(24):1-6

Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.

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.

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.

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.

Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.

LUKE 1:26-38

HAIL MARY

Wrapped in perfect silence,

She was immersed in prayer,

Quite unaware an angel of

The Lord was standing there.

He called her name out softly,

“Hail Mary, full of grace.”

His greeting filled her with alarm,

As she returned his gaze.

“Be not afraid dear Mary,

You're chosen to fulfill,

God's plan to bear the Saviour,

Naming Him Emmanuel.”

“You know I am a virgin,

How then can this be true?”

“By the Spirit’s powerful presence,

And God overshadowing you.”

“I am the Lord’s handmaiden,

As you’ve said, so may it be,

According to God’s Holy Word

And His plan for me.”

Not even for an instant,

Did she contemplate,

Refusal to the angel’s plea,

Nor did she hesitate.

Heaven's gates flew open,

Angelic choirs sang,

With her fiat, Divinity,

Took on the flesh of man. 

Today we honour Mary,

As the Mother of our race,

God’s exquisite masterpiece,

Adorned with matchless grace.

MYRA D’SOUZA / 11.1.1999

https://lovesongstothebeloved.blogspot.com/2010/10/hail-mary.html

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

WEDNESDAY OF THE 3RD SUNDAY IN ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Ruler of the House of Israel,
who gave the law to Moses on Sinai,
come and save us with outstretched arm.

JEREMIAH 23:5-8

My Soul's Beloved,

Sacred Scripture constantly points out that God does not hesitate to reach down to our humanity, to stoop low over His poor, frail, sinful, weak children, and rescue us from the consequences of our disobedience against His law which is written on every human heart. God's Covenant with us is eternal. He always keeps His promises. And for this my Soul's Beloved, we ought to be forever grateful.

From the moment Adam sinned God put His rescue mission into operation. He would not allow sin to destroy us because He created us for Himself.  He would send You, His only Son, sinless, holy, perfect. You O Lord are God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father. He would lay on Your shoulders the burden and the punishment that was ours and save us. 

Having come into the world in history, abiding with us now in mystery and the blessed hope of Your glorious return in majesty we long for Your coming when You will claim all creation and establish Your glorious rule over us all.

As Advent slowly draws to a close and we celebrate Your birth, grant O Lord that we never lose sight that You remain with us in the Sacred Mysteries that we celebrate and never cease to hunger and thirst for Your glorious return when You will restore and subject all things to the Father, and place Yourself and the whole humanity under the dominion of God so with God the Father, You, His glorious Son, and the Holy Spirit we will be all in all. 

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.
So, then, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which he had dispersed them, to live on their own soil.”

PSALM 71(72):1-2,12-13,18-19

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.

For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.

MATTHEW 1:18-24

My Soul's Beloved,

I am so grateful to be Catholic, to have Catholicism as my heritage, and to be aware at least to the extent possible, of the grandeur, the mystery, the wonder, the beauty, the truth, the goodness, and the majesty of the Church You founded. You clothe her in majesty and truth for she is Your Spouse and the Holy Spirit lavishes on all her members, to the extent they desire it, to become like You.

In these few verses, Lord, pregnant with sacred mystery, we see how You, the Son of God, having pierced time and space was conceived and born. Although the Church has contemplated the glorious mysteries of our faith for over 2000 years she can never fully comprehend what God has done for the Church and for those who are her members. Nothing is more heartbreaking to Catholics than non-Catholic Christians speaking cavalierly about Your Virgin Mother and ours, speaking blasphemously about her immaculate conception, and of St. Joseph who was chosen by God to be Your foster father and the most chaste spouse of Your Mama. 

Today's Gospel narrative from Matthew speaks of how You were born. When we read these verses we must do so with awe for God deigns to reveal His salvific plans for mankind through these sacred events. The wisdom in the Living Word is inexhaustible and transcends the words on the pages of Sacred Scripture. We can never fully comprehend the mysteries of God becoming Man through the Woman He chose and prepared for so singular a task from the moment of her conception. She was to give flesh to Him whom the heavens cannot contain and to whom the earth is a mere footstool. 

Lord God, we join our prayers to the unceasing prayer of the Church that all believers will come to know the Truth that sets all of humanity free. May the Gospel spread like wildfire to the ends of the earth so every man woman and child would be baptized into Your Body and be saved.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

TUESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Wisdom of the Most High,
ordering all things with strength and gentleness,
come and teach us the way of truth.

GENESIS 49:2,8-10

My Soul's Beloved,

If the nation that God chose to be His very own had received You as the Messiah that was promised to them from the time of Abraham the world would be different. From them would flow blessings and favor to the whole world and all would worship the One God and You whom the Father sent to draw the world to Himself. Sadly, they remained a stubborn and stiff-necked people. Their stranglehold of the religious leaders on the people kept them as much in bondage as the Egyptians and Romans did. True freedom is only possible when we walk in the Way of Truth leading to Life in abundance.

But the sin of Adam which tainted human reason and hardened their hearts made it impossible for them to accept that God could visit His people, fulfilling all His promises in a way other than the way that they believed He would come. They looked for a Messiah after their own reasoning, one would break the chains of the foreign powers that ruled them with a fist of iron for centuries. But You, O Lord, are a God of contradiction and this is why only the little ones, the humble in heart, can recognize You in the many disguises that You visit Your people.

We must receive You on Your terms not on ours. You came into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. You came in humility, in poverty, through the womb of the Virgin, and only the innocent and childlike believed, understood, recognized, came, and worshipped like the shepherds and the wise men.  

Now O Lord, You chose the Catholic Church to be the means by which You will dwell in fullness, in majesty, in truth. You choose once again to remain small and hidden in the little white host. In this consecrated Bread and Wine You, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is present - fully human and fully divine. Those who believe O Lord will come to receive You in awe, wonder, and trembling - Thank You. 

‘Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen;

listen to Israel your father.
The sceptre shall not pass from Judah,
nor the mace from between his feet,
until he come to whom it belongs,
to whom the peoples shall render obedience.’

PSALM 71(72):1-4,7-8,17

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.

May the mountains bring forth peace for the people

and the hills, justice.
May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy.

In his days justice shall flourish

and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

May his name be blessed for ever

and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

MATTHEW 1:1-17

MONDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help. PS 84:8

NUMBERS 24:2-7,15-17

My Soul's Beloved,

If only the scales dropped from the eyes of the world and every man, woman, and child saw You clearly Lord all would come to the knowledge of Truth and be saved. If we only had eyes to see we would see God's plan and purpose for our salvation clearly etched in Sacred Scripture both the Old and the New. But our minds are dull. Our vision is dim. Our hearts are occupied with things that perish and there is no room for the One who has come into the world not to condemn but to redeem it.

Abba Father, how much longer must we wait until, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the fire of Truth will blaze across the world and destroy all that is not of God? The world seems to slip further every moment into the bottomless abyss where the worms do not die and the fire does not go out. 

Have mercy on Your people O Lord, the sheep of Your flock, the sheep that Your right hand has tended and saved. Grant O Lord that the Jubilee Year that is almost on the threshold will usher in a new era where the world turns its gaze back to You and acknowledges You as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let this be the age O Lord when we return to the Truth and we will experience Your reign of peace as all come to the knowledge of truth and are saved.

'A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.
His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’
I see him – but not in the present,
I behold him – but not close at hand:
a star from Jacob takes the leadership,
a sceptre arises from Israel.’

PSALM 24(25):4-6,7a-9

Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.

In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.

The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.

Lord, make me know your ways.

MATTHEW 21:23-27

My Soul's Beloved,

Every one of us, without exception, can discern good from evil and truth from lies as it is indisputable for the law of the Lord is written on every human heart. However, because we do not wish to acknowledge the truth because then we will have to live it, abide by it, and order our lives around it, we prevaricate, we fudge, we quibble, and we pretend not to know the answer to an unambiguous question just like the chief priests and elders. Bristling with rage at Your total disregard for the status quo the demanded to know, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ You replied by posing another question  ‘And I will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ 

My Beloved, all who desire to live a life of concupiscence, and they are legion, will respond as falsely as the chief priests and elders did. We know the truth, the truth that will surely set us free if we had the courage to proclaim it from the rooftops. Unfortunately, we prevaricate, we fudge, and we pretend because we know that taking a stand on the side of truth will cost us perhaps more than we care to to pay. And so like the chief priests and the elders we say, ‘We do not know.’ and to our eternal loss, we miss the opportunity for a real encounter with the Son of God.

‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’

GAUDETE SUNDAY, 3RD SUNDAY IN ADVENT - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor. IS 61:1 (LK4:18)

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for loving us as You do. You are God enthroned in glory and majesty in the highest heavens and You are also Emmanuel, God with us. How good it is to know that You love us so passionately. The prophet exults in Your love for Your people, those whom You have chosen and call by Your Name, and the Church exults too on this 3rd Sunday of Advent. It is truly a day to rejoice and be glad for You O Lord have come to us as one of us in all things save sin.

Thank You, Father, for sending Your beloved Son into the world. Thank You Holy Spirit for making the incarnation possible by Your spousal union with the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our Mother. Thank You, my soul's Beloved, for Your obedience to the will of Your Father. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us hope of eternal life in God's presence. Today is truly a day for rejoicing as we draw near to Bethlehem to adore the infant King who came not to condemn the world but to redeem it.

The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;
you have no more evil to fear.
When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:
Zion, have no fear,
do not let your hands fall limp.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult with joy over you,
he will renew you by his love;
he will dance with shouts of joy for you
as on a day of festival.

PSALM, ISAIAH 12

Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Truly, God is my salvation,
I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!

Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.

Sing a psalm to the Lord

for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

My Soul's Beloved,

Today the Church rejoices and all her children within her rejoice too at the nearness of Your coming. We recall Your first coming, Lord, quietly, humbly, in poverty, as the Son of Man, so we would not be afraid and overwhelmed by Your greatness and majesty as the Son of God. 

Beloved, in Your first coming, You show us by example how to walk in the way of truth, in the path of righteousness, the narrow way of suffering that leads from Bethlehem to Gethsemane, to Golgotha, and finally to the glory of Your resurrection and ascension into heaven. The only way to the Father's house is through You, there is no other. 

Thank You for reminding us not to worry or be anxious about anything but to make all our needs and petitions known to You. Those who belong to You O Lord have no reason to fear anything. Thank You for always being attentive to the voice of our pleading. Thank Yor for always answering us and supplying all our needs. Thank You for giving us peace that surpasses all understanding even when our situation does not change. For we place all our hope and trust in You and Your Word. We are Yours, Lord and no one can snatch us from You. In You, reposing in Your Sacred Heart, we are safe.

The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

LUKE 3:10-18

My Soul's Beloved,

It is wisdom to know who we are in the grand scheme of things and not to have any grandiose ideas about ourselves. You came to serve not to be served and to give Your life as a ransom for many. We are no greater than the Master. Our entire lives must be spent in spending ourselves for others.

Sadly we live in an age where idolatry of self is rampant. Indulgence of the desires of the flesh no matter how bizarre, evil, and repugnant is celebrated. All opposing voices are censored or silenced often brutally. 

St. John the Baptist was refreshingly candid when people began to speculate that he was the longed-for Christ, the Messiah that Israel was waiting for. The religious authorities of the day could not be trusted to preach the truth. The scribes' and Pharisees' own personal agendas were to safeguard their power and stranglehold over the people at all costs. In such a climate the unambiguous preaching of John the Baptist was welcome and people from all walks of life flocked to hear him because they were hungry and thirsty for authentic teaching. In our day and age, few are willing to listen to the Truth let alone obey it.

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

The adulation of the crowds would have made it easy for him to lay claim to being the Christ but he knew he was not and made that most clear to those who flocked to listen to him.  The two virtues vital to growing in holiness are humility and obedience and John the Baptist possessed both. 

Every one of us is created for a purpose, Lord, grant us the grace to know what it is and the will to do it.

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’