MONDAY OF WEEK 4 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people. LK 7:16

HEBREWS 11:32-40

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You, Lord, for the Word of God that has fed us for generations. Thank You for the encouragement we receive. Thank You most especially for the writers of the New Testament for they, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have recognized His power at work in Your life, in the lives of the Apostles and disciples, and all the events of the New as they shed light on the Old. The patriarchs and prophets, the Psalms and the wisdom of the Kings, and all the inspired writers and their writings are all worthy of emulation and praise. But the Good News that the writer of this letter to the Hebrews reveals in verse 30 is not just heartening to read and know but it is the truth. All these heroes, larger than life, recorded in the Old Testament, did not live to see the fulfillment of God's Covenant to Abraham and every subsequent Covenant that God made with us in His Final Covenant of Love that He made in You with us through Your incarnation, life, passion, death, and glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Yet, O Lord, Bridegroom of my Soul, all this will mean nothing if I do not embrace and live in this truth with all the fervor of my soul. Never permit me to separate myself from You by grave sin. Keep me close to the Church You established on the Rock of Peter, may I remain on the Vine where I will be fed, nourished, strengthened, and cleansed until You call me home to Yourself. 

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets – these were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what is right and earned the promises. They could keep a lion’s mouth shut, put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from battle. They were weak people who were given strength, to be brave in war and drive back foreign invaders. Some came back to their wives from the dead, by resurrection; and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that they would rise again to a better life. Some had to bear being pilloried and flogged, or even chained up in prison. They were stoned, or sawn in half, or beheaded; they were homeless, and dressed in the skins of sheep and goats; they were penniless and were given nothing but ill-treatment. They were too good for the world and they went out to live in deserts and mountains and in caves and ravines. These are all heroes of faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.

PSALM 30(31):20-24

Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

How great is the goodness, Lord,
that you keep for those who fear you,
that you show to those who trust you
in the sight of men.

You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plotting of men;
you keep them safe within your tent
from disputing tongues.

Blessed be the Lord who has shown me
the wonders of his love
in a fortified city.

‘I am far removed from your sight’
I said in my alarm.
Yet you heard the voice of my plea
when I cried for help.

Love the Lord, all you saints.
He guards his faithful
but the Lord will repay to the full
those who act with pride.

Let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord.

MARK 5:1-20

My Soul's Beloved,

You condemn no one. The more miserable we are, the greater the sinner, the more wayward, stubborn hard-hearted, and hard-headed, You will not give up on us but pursue us relentlessly and tirelessly until You find us, heal us, and restore and make us whole. This was the case of the unfortunate man who was possessed by a legion of unclean spirits. You came to the country of Gerasenese intentionally to seek this man. The entire village had given up on him. They tried every way they could to restrain him but the power of the evil in him rendered all their efforts useless. But You, O Lord, never give up on us. You know our hearts, You know that we are weak, frail, creatures who are constantly tempted and we give in to the demands of our flesh time and time again yet You never lose patience with us. Thank You, Lord, for loving us even when we are least lovable.

The demons recognized who You, addressed You by Your Name, Jesus, and called You the Son of the Most High God. They knew You had power over them and begged You not to send them out of that district but instead to send them into the herd of swine feeding on the mountain. You did and they hurled themselves down the cliff into the lake and were drowned.

The reaction of the people of that district is worth noting. Unlike almost all the places where You visited and were welcomed the people of Gerasenes wanted nothing to do with You after witnessing that the man who had terrified them for so long was now healed, clothed, and in his senses. Instead of praising and thanking You and bringing their sick to be healed by You and being taught by You, they begged You to leave. They wanted nothing to do with You. And so it is to many of us who prefer to live non-descript lives rather than be set on fire with the zeal of the Holy Spirit and set the world ablaze. We hold tightly on to our creature comforts and prefer to live inconsequential lives rather than be transformed by the power of Your Word and live the Gospel with courage and vigor, boldly and fearless no matter the cost. The world is filled with people like those in the district of Gerasenes who hate the Truth and will have nothing to do with it. But there are a few like the man You healed who are transformed. He desired to follow You but You had another more challenging mission for him and he accepted it. A great many people in the area of Decapolic were saved because he chose to obey You and do as You asked.

You teach us that obedience to God is far more pleasing to You than sacrifice.

As he (Jesus) was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.