Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of diseases among the people. MT 4:23
1 JOHN 5:14-21
My Soul's Beloved,
St, John Apostle, and evangelist, one who was so loved by You and who with childlike simplicity confidently lay his head on Your breast assures us today that if we ask You anything You will hear us and grant all we ask according to You will. The most important truth is this - God desires that all come to know the truth, believe it, and be saved. Our salvation was bought at a great price. You emptied Yourself from the moment of Your incarnation until Your death so we may be filled with the life of God and be saved. It is the will of God that not one of His little ones perish that we all receive the graces and merits that You obtained for us by Your life, death, and glorious resurrection in heaven.
All of us have sinned, Lord, but You have made it possible through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that no matter how gravely we have sinned we can make reparation and be forgiven no matter how grievously we have sinned when we come to You with a contrite heart. A humble contrite heart You will not spurn.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, You know how weak we are, how original sin has made us vulnerable to temptation, and how easily we fall into the silken snares that the wily enemy lays out to trap us. Right now it would appear that the devil is victorious. Violence, evil, decay, and death abound and we are tempted to believe that the battle is won by the Enemy. This is the lie that the Father of lies, the great deceiver wants us to believe. However, Truth is eternal and will always prevail. You O Lord are Truth, You are Life, and You are the Way and if we walk in it, every man, woman, and child can and will find their way back to the Father's house.
We know that anyone who has been begotten by God
does not sin,
because the begotten Son of God protects him,
and the Evil One does not touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
but the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.
We know, too, that the Son of God has come,
and has given us the power
to know the true God.
We are in the true God,
as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the true God,
this is eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against false gods.
PSALM 149:1-6,9
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
We know that anyone who has been begotten by God
does not sin,
because the begotten Son of God protects him,
and the Evil One does not touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
but the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.
We know, too, that the Son of God has come,
and has given us the power
to know the true God.
We are in the true God,
as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the true God,
this is eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against false gods.
PSALM 149:1-6,9
The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing a new song to the Lord,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,
let Zion’s sons exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
and make music with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people.
He crowns the poor with salvation.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
shout for joy and take their rest.
Let the praise of God be on their lips:
this honour is for all his faithful.
The Lord takes delight in his people.
JOHN 3:22-30
My Soul's Beloved,
JOHN 3:22-30
My Soul's Beloved,
In a world where people are full of envy, and jealousy constantly competing and jostling for first place, greedy for more, and prepared to have it at all costs, nothing is more pleasing to God than childlike humility and to readily and gladly be last rather than first. As children of God, we are invited to imitate You who although You were the Son of God, came into the world as a slave and to give Your life as a ransom for many.
St. John the Baptist embodies this spirit of joyful humility when his disciples tell him that many were going to You rather than to him to be baptized. Popular though he and his ministry were he had no delusions of grandeur. Fully aware that his mission was to prepare the way of the Lord he gladly stepped aside when it was time for You to begin Yours.
Beloved, we are all called to fulfill God's purpose and plan for our lives. Each of us is entrusted with a different mission. Some are chosen to play a greater role in God's plan of salvation. Those with greater responsibilities are given commensurate graces and gifts from the Holy Spirit to accomplish it. The greater the task the greater the responsibility and the greater the gifts and the graces supplied to attain it. We must be content to fulfill the plan of God entrusted to us sincerely, humbly, obediently, promptly, and joyfully. Our whole being must be directed not only towards desiring to do the will of God but in actually doing it with all the fervor of our being. In this is perfect peace and joy.
‘A man can lay claim
only to what is given him from heaven.
‘You yourselves can bear me out: I said: I myself am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him.
‘The bride is only for the bridegroom;
and yet the bridegroom’s friend,
who stands there and listens,
is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.
This same joy I feel, and now it is complete.
He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.’
only to what is given him from heaven.
‘You yourselves can bear me out: I said: I myself am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him.
‘The bride is only for the bridegroom;
and yet the bridegroom’s friend,
who stands there and listens,
is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.
This same joy I feel, and now it is complete.
He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.’
No comments:
Post a Comment