Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children. MT 11:25
HEBREWS 10:32-39
My Soul's Beloved,
From the beginning, You warned all who desired to follow You, all whom You called to follow You that it would not be easy. The road to eternal life is difficult and narrow. You invite Your disciples to take up their cross daily and follow You It is not a one-time event but must be carried daily and with perseverance to the end.
It is difficult O Lord to be a minority in a nation of people practicing a faith that is the polar opposite of the faith that is a gift of God to us. The Church is hounded, persecuted, marginalized, overlooked, and treated with mockery and contempt, Your followers are denied justice, especially the little ones who have nothing but who, having found You, are prepared to die rather than deny You. It is we O Lord, cradle Catholics who do not appreciate the gift we have received of being born in a Catholic home. We have been raised in the bosom of Holy Mother Church. We have received the Sacraments. We have the most wondrous gifts of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Grace upon grace is channeled into our souls through these Sacraments You instituted and the Bishops and priests administer to us. We belong to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from the moment of our baptism, and all through life's journey the Church accompanies us until we reach the end of our earthly pilgrimage through the Sacrament of Anointing.
Yet, we are lukewarm, we reject the faith, we reject the Sacraments, we make choices that are detrimental to our salvation and we kill the life of God in us. Being Catholic in name how can we hope to stand confident and unbowed when we are persecuted? You even asked the question, Lord, 'but when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on earth?'
You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised.
Only a little while now, a very little while,
and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay.
The righteous man will live by faith,
but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.
You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.
PSALM 36(37):3-6,23-24,39-40
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised.
Only a little while now, a very little while,
and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay.
The righteous man will live by faith,
but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.
You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.
PSALM 36(37):3-6,23-24,39-40
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
If you trust in the Lord and do good,
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
then you will live in the land and be secure.
If you find your delight in the Lord,
he will grant your heart’s desire.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The Lord guides the steps of a man
and makes safe the path of one he loves.
Though he stumble he shall never fall
for the Lord holds him by the hand.
Though he stumble he shall never fall
for the Lord holds him by the hand.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
MARK 4:26-34
My Soul's Beloved,
Once You sow the seed the Holy Spirit is at work in us providing all we need, all the graces we ask for, and blesses every effort we make to help us produce good and abundant fruit that will last and abound to eternal life. The seed sprouts and grows until it begins to bear fruit and when ready, it is harvested. The quality of the fruit depends on the soil rich soil will yield a rich harvest and poor soil will produce little or nothing. At the time of harvesting, when we die and stand before You the quality of our fruit will be a testament to the life we have lived.
The world hears all that You have said in one way or another for the Gospel has been preached to the ends of the earth and continues to be preached. Every means available in the 21st century is being used to ensure that all hear the Good News that saves but how many actually believe. To live an authentic Catholic life is difficult in a world where selfish pleasures and the worship of the flesh which corrupts the spirit are encouraged. This is why St. Mark reveals, Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone. The Church alone can explain exactly what Your teachings mean for all she has learned she has heard from You and seen You do. In her alone is found the fullness of the Holy Spirit who guides her to all truth - not my truth and your truth by divine truth which does not alter but is the same yesterday, today, and eternally.
Lord Jesus grant us a new Pentecost that will revive dead or half-dead Catholics so they will set the world on fire with the power of Your Word and the power of Your love and Your prayer for unity will be answered now before it is too late.
He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’
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