WEDNESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

DEUTERONOMY 4:1,5-9

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for Your Word, and thank You for Your Law of Love that is written on our hearts. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that makes us His holy temple by living in us and uniting us with the Father and with You making all who are called by Your Name, One with You, the Father and the Spirit. We are all united in You with God, and it is the life of the Spirit that animates us and makes us light and salt in the world. 

Beloved, all that Moses said to the people about being a special people chosen by God from all the nations, to be His very own people, and who, if they kept the law, and taught them to each generation and they all observed them faithfully, they would truly be a people whom all nations would admire in awe. The Law given to them was divine law, and had they followed it as Moses urged them to, then the entire world would know that they were truly a great nation led by the wisdom of God. Sadly, my Lord, it was not so. They did not heed his instructions, and so time and time again they were attacked, taken into exile, punished, enslaved, and reduced greatly in number. They who could have been great among the nations were scattered because they disobeyed God's law over and over again.

Had they been faithful and walked in the shadow of the Lord their God, they would have recognized You when You came into the world, and perhaps the history of the world would be so different from what it is. God used their disobedience and unfaithfulness to bring to Himself those who were considered outsiders, Gentiles, sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, were given an opportunity to receive and be blessed and raised up to take the place of those who rejected You and refused to recognize the time when God visited them, walked among them, and revealed Himself to them.

May we who know You, love You, are redeemed and saved by You, remain faithful and be Your witnesses throughout the world.

‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’

PSALM 147:12-13,15-16,19-20

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your gates
he has blessed the children within you.

He sends out his word to the earth

and swiftly runs his command.
He showers down snow white as wool,
he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.

He makes his word known to Jacob,

to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.

O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

MATTHEW 5:17-19

My Soul's Beloved,

You are the fulfillment of every covenant, every law, every promise that God ever made with man when He created the world and everything in it. All through salvation history, we see how God pursues man relentlessly despite the fact that they are disobedient, false, sin gravely and repeatedly, and refuse to do as God desires, yet, after punishing them often severely, God always relents, has pity, compassion, heals, and forgives. 

Lord, You remember that we are made of dust. Original sin has wounded us and rendered us weak and prone to sin. We are tempted easily because we lack discipline and self-control. We refuse to ask for help and try to live independent of You and the help You make readily available to us through the Sacraments. We are so foolish, Lord; we make excuses for our weaknesses, our faults, our failings, our timidity, and our selfishness, and we expect You to take all these into consideration, although we refuse to take Your Word and Your commandments seriously. We are accountable, Lord, and our eternal happiness is dependent on whether or not we have been faithful. Enough time is given to us all to live the Truth, know the Truth, and allow the Truth to set us free.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory. JN 1:14

ISAIAH 7:10-14,8:10

My Soul's Beloved,

Signs of Your loving providence are everywhere if we care to look for them, take heart, and be consoled by them, and in doing so we increase our faith, hope, love, and confidence in Your ever-present help which is readily available to all who call on Your Name. Signs can be great but mostly it is the little signs that constantly remind us that You are close to us, You are Emmanuel - God with us. Unlike Ahaz, Lord, we thank You for these signs that lift our spirit each time we recognize that Your loving, tender, and compassionate gaze is always on us.

For those who are too afraid to ask for a sign Lord because they are afraid one has been given anyway, it is a sign that brings not fear but hope into are dark, dreary, hate-filled, violent world. It is the universal sign of hope - a young woman with child. But this is not any woman and this is not any child but the fairest of all God's daughters Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, and in her, the almighty Word leaped from the heavens and came to nestle in her womb Taking Your flesh from her body, You became the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are we who are invited to the Supper of the Lamb.

Then Isaiah said:
‘Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
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 39(40):7-11

Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.

In the scroll of the book it stands written

that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.

Your justice I have proclaimed

in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.

I have not hidden your justice in my heart

but declared your faithful help.
I have not hidden your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.

HEBREWS 10:4-10

My Soul's Beloved,

The endless ritual sacrifices and offerings to God prescribed by Moses following the will of God in the Old Testament served their purpose and were a foreshadowing of the one, true, holy, and only pleasing once-for-all eternal Sacrifice that God would receive later as pleasing and acceptable in His sight. One which has the power to take away the sins of the whole world. Unlike the endless sacrifices of goats, lambs, and bulls, which, as St. Paul says, were useless for taking away the sins of the world. They did nothing to help them avoid sin and strengthen them in virtue. These were just rituals that were a foreshadowing of the real, only, and holy Sacrifice that would make atonement for the sins of Adam and the whole world. 

Beloved, God, from the beginning after the fall of Adam, desired to save us because He loved us so much He did not want us to perish but have eternal life. So He desired You, His only Son, to come into our fallen world, by taking on a Body from the womb of the Virgin. He prepared this Body carefully, ensuring that the Virgin daughter chosen by Him to clothe You in flesh was to be free of all stain of sin. Her body was sinless, pure, holy, immaculately conceived without original sin for our God, her Son, redeemed her by the power of His Blood received from her and the power of the Cross, except You did so, before the fact for with God all things are possible.

You offered Yourself to the Father as a pleasing, holy, and acceptable Sacrifice and by Your self-emptying obtained for the entire human race forgiveness, redemption, pardon, and restoration to the family of God. Thank You, Lord, for Your 'Yes" that gave us so glorious a Savior, Redeemer, Brother, Bridegroom, and Friend. Keep us faithful to the end so at last we may behold You face to face as You are, and be united with You forever. 

Then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

LUKE 1:26-38

SATURDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I will leave this place and go to my father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.’ LK 15:18

MICAH 7:14-15,18-20

My Soul's Beloved,

In every age and in every generation we cry out to You O Lord our God to have pity on us. Yes, we are sinners and we fall a hundred times a day but for Your Name's sake, O Lord look upon us and see how helpless we are and how much we need Your saving help and grace. 

We cry out to You day and night. Our arms are stretched out to Your holy Temple int he Sanctuary where You dwell. Listen to our pleading my Lord, and my God, and hasten to save, heal, bless, and make whole once more.

You are a God of mercy, slow to anger and rich in mercy. Look with favor on Your sinful people O Lord and for the sake of Your sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.

What god can compare with you: taking fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.

PSALM 102(103):1-4,9-12

The Lord is compassion and love.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,

who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.

His wrath will come to an end;

he will not be angry forever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth

so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.

The Lord is compassion and love.

LUKE 15:1-3,11-32

My Soul's Beloved,

I rejoice O Lord that You do not scorn to sit down with sinners and tax collectors, this means that we poor, sinful creatures have hope that You will not disdain coming to us and sitting among us. The world may judge, repudiate, condemn, and isolate the sinner especially one who sins grievously but You O Lord are goodness, mercy, compassion, and love. Slow to anger and rich in mercy. You can grant grace and move hearts to sorrow, repentance, and contrition. We have this confidence in Your goodness O Lord, that the humble contrite heart O Lord, You will not spurn.

The younger son cruelly demands a share of his father's property that he anticipates will come to him after his dad's death. How good and generous and dear his father is not to strike him and banish him from his home but grant him his request. The foolish, wayward, selfish, debauched son believes that by choosing a life apart from the constant loving care and protection afforded to him in his father's house he would find happiness distancing himself so he could sin with impunity. 

Loving Jesus, grant that I may not be counted among the Pharisees and scribes who like the older brother are self-righteous prigs absorbed by their own narrow selfish interests. Recognizing that I am a sinner and greatly in need of Your mercy may I be ever conscious of my utter weakness, unworthiness, and inability to live apart from You. Should I have the misfortune to stray Lord, no matter how far I have distanced myself from You, may Your grace bring me back to my senses, as I recall Your never-failing goodness and infinite love, and run back into Your outstretched arms and loving embrace. I believe my Lord, that no sin is beyond Your ability to forgive, in this knowledge is my comfort and my hope. Grant O Lord, that I like the prodigal son, always know that I can come home and when I do I will always be assured of the unconditional love testified by his father's joyous embrace and restoration of all that he had so willfully squandered. 

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

ST. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord,
for ever singing your praise. PS 83:5

2 SAMUEL 7:4-5,12-14,16

My Soul's Beloved,

The whole of salvation history is a glorious magnum opus from the beginning when God spoke His Eternal Word and by the breath of the Holy Spirit, all that is came into being. Every note the Creator introduced in this beautiful tapestry celebrates the infinite goodness, wonderous power, wisdom, perfection, and majesty of a beneficient God. Every sour, discordant note is struck by men. Yet, O Lord, our God You are ever faithful and keep all Your promises. As King David lay dying the prophet Nathan, speaking the words of God, assured him that one of his would be seated on his royal throne and His Kingdom would be an everlasting Kingdom.

The world had to wait a very long time anticipating the fulfillment of this prophecy. Kingdoms came and fell, the people of God were crushed, killed, and taken as slaves into exile yet they never lost hope of a Savior, the Messiah that was promised who would liberate the whole world from the tyranny of slavery to sin.

Long did the world wait while empires rose and fell until the birth of Joseph of the House of David, chosen by God, to be Your dad, Your protector, Your provider, and You would be known as the Son of David for You were also the son of Joseph. His obedience made possible the fulfillment of God's Covenant of love with man.

The word of the Lord came to Nathan:
‘Go and tell my servant David, Thus the Lord speaks: “When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure for ever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

PSALM 88(89):2-5,27,29

His dynasty shall last for ever.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.

‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
and set up your throne through all ages.

‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.”
I will keep my love for him always;
with him my covenant shall last.’

His dynasty shall last for ever.

ROMANS 4:13,16-18,22

My Soul's Beloved,

Just as King David was a foreshadowing of the King of Kings so too is Abraham, the father of the nations a foreshadowing of St. Joseph the most just, the most righteous, the most obedient who is fully deserving of the title of our father in faith because he believed without once doubting the power of God and the will of God. He embraced God's will more perfectly than any human person (apart from Mary) forgetting himself completely in service to You and Your Virgin Mother, Mary, his most chaste spouse.  

He lived and died for You and Your Mother. His whole being - heart, mind, soul, body, and spirit were consumed with being attentive and present to You and Mary. He knew himself to be the most blessed of all God's children to be given the sacred duty of being husband, father, provider, protector, and defender of God's most treasured Son and daughter.

Thank You, Holy Spirit for Your grace that enables the Church to truly understand who St. Joseph truly was and the great and mighty works he accomplished just by being present and open to the will of God.

The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations – Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.

Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’

MATTHEW 1:16,18-21,24

My Soul's Beloved,

Joseph like Mary knew Sacred Scripture like it was imprinted on their hearts. They knew all about the prophecy of Isaiah and other prophets. They were aware that a young girl would bear a child and that child would be named Emmanuel. They, like all of Israel, waited in constant hope for the coming of the Messiah especially since they were living under the tyrannical yoke of Rome.

It was no surprise to either Mary or Joseph that the prophecy was being fulfilled. Yes, Mary was awestruck by the Annunciation having understood that it was she whom God chose and invited to be the Mother of God. There never was a child of God more humble and docile to His will than Mary, she was matchless in every virtue and Joseph next. 

God chose Joseph from all the young men in Israel. God's favor rested on him. And God endowed him with all the graces necessary so he would be equal to the task and he was.  Thank You, St. Joseph, for Your loving guardianship and protection of Jesus and Mary. Thank You for Your docility and promptness and for carrying out God's commands. Thank You for keeping the child Jesus and His Mother safe from the wiles of the Enemy. We, the pilgrim Church on earth thank You for Your protection over us and we are confident that You will bring us too safely by Your powerful intercession to our eternal destination.  

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
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.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.

TUESDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. EZK 18:31

ISAIAH 1:10,16-20

My Soul's Beloved,

There is a wonderful remedy for sins, though we may be degenerate sinners there is always a cure for the one who is humble and contrite of heart. You turn away no one who comes to You and pleads for mercy, who is willing to turn away from their sins and pleads with You to forgive and take them home to Yourself. Thank You for this healing remedy available in the Church You founded, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, of Healing, of Penance, that washes away all our iniquity no matter how numerous or grave.

Grace is available to the worst of sinners as the good thief, Dismas crucified on Your right, happily discovered just before he died. He recognized You as the Son of God, knew You were an innocent Victim, pleaded for mercy and forgiveness, and begged You to remember him when You entered Your Kingdom.  In the last moment of his life, he stole heaven. There is hope for us all, Beloved. You are ready, waiting, and willing to forgive us until we take our last breath. Grant all sinners this grace O Lord so we may all be saved and Your Sacrifice will not be in vain for one single, precious soul. Amen.

‘Come now, let us talk this over,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
‘If you are willing to obey,
you shall eat the good things of the earth.
But if you persist in rebellion,
the sword shall eat you instead.’

PSALM 49(50):8-9,16-17,21,23

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms,
nor goats from among your herds.

‘But how can you recite my commandments

and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
and throw my words to the winds,

‘You do this, and should I keep silence?

Do you think that I am like you?
A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me
and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’

I will show God’s salvation to the upright.

MATTHEW 23:1-12

My Soul's Beloved,

Catholics are duty-bound to obey the Church You established for in her abides the fullness of Truth. We follow all her teachings and instructions to live our best life on earth while preparing us for eternity. As You have promised, she will never teach error, and the gates of hell will never prevail against her because You will be with her until the end of time.   

While all this is true, Beloved, there are some leaders in the Church just as there were in Your day, who like the scribes and the Pharisees hold positions of authority in the Church but are morally bankrupt. This warning addressed to the people and to the disciples who were listening to You holds true for us as well. As members of Your Body, the Church, we must listen to what those in authority say but we must not be guided by what they do if their actions are immoral.

Those whom the Church has anointed and consecrated as bishops and priests sometimes fail gravely. Their conduct is unbecoming of a servant of the Lord called to serve the people of God. They live ostentatiously, they look down on the poor, they pander to the powerful and accommodate them perhaps even when it is not lawful to do so. They demand to be respected while they disrespect the poor and the needy. 

The Gospel today is a timely reminder to us all that nothing is more pleasing to God than the virtue of humility. The little ones and the childlike are pleasing to You. Let us strive always to be little, humble, and docile.  

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

MONDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

DANIEL 9:4-10

My Soul's Beloved,

God, our Father, created us for life in its fullness. Having designed us He knows how we can function at our optimum and enjoy the fruits of His Fatherly love, Your redeeming love, and the Spirit's sanctifying love. God's imprint is on our souls and we are created for Him alone. To know this truth and live our lives in perfect accord with the law of God, which is perfect, allows us to live in the freedom of the children of God. 

Sadly, Beloved, as in the past, generation after generation has been disobedient. They broke the commandments with impunity, ran after false gods that present themselves to us in a myriad ways and make us idolaters of the worst kind and guilty of exile, banishment, slavery, punishment, and death.  

This is Daniel's lament and the lament of all good and holy people in every age who innocent or not have to share the lot of the wicked. All have to suffer for the sins of the wicked just as the rain falls on both the good and the evil alike. How You must shrink from us O Lord, the present age has lost all sense of shame. Wisdom is absent not only in the old and the young but also in those called to be leaders, guides, teachers, rulers, governors, and worst and most frightening of all even parents. 

How will You deal with this evil generation, Beloved? What will it take to bring us back to our senses and to You? The only remedy is the remedy given to Moses when the people of Israel were bitten by fiery serpents in the desert. We must raise our gaze to the Cross and beg for mercy and allow the Blood and Water flowing from You to bathe us, cleanse us, heal us, make us whole and restore us in every way that we need restoration. Haver mercy on us O Lord, have mercy on us.

Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.

PSALM 78(79):8-9,11,13

Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.

Do not hold the guilt of our fathers against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.

O God our saviour, come to our help.

Come for the sake of the glory of your name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.

Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;

let your strong arm reprieve those condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to age.

Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.

LUKE 6:36-38

My Soul's Beloved,

Why is it that we are so blind? Having eyes we do not see, having ears we do not hear, having intelligence we lack wisdom, although capable of discerning good from evil we choose evil. Nothing is hidden from us. Salvation is Your free gift to all who will receive it, and yet we prefer to live in slavery to our flesh. We are unwilling to exercise discipline and self-control. We give in to every craven desire. Those who govern us are often wicked, they make evil laws, and instead of resisting, we follow like sheep led by wolves. 

How much longer, O Lord, will we remain slaves of our concupiscence? You have revealed the Truth - You are Truth, You have shown us the Way - You are the Way, You have given us Life - You are Life, open our eyes and our ears Lord that seeing and hearing we may grow wise, obey, and live the Word of God and live the abundant life. When we do, the windows of heaven will open and every good and perfect gift will rain upon us from above without measure. Now O Lord, pity us and open our hearts to the truth so we can live as children of God and not as those of the world.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

2ND SUNDAY IN LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ MT 17:5

GENESIS 15:5-12,17-18

My Soul's Beloved,

God's Covenant with us is eternal. You are the Father's pledge to His unworthy children given to us as a sign of the immeasurable, infinite, eternal, and unfathomable love He has for us who are so undeserving of His love.

To Abram God said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants,’ We live in cities, and can barely see a patch of sky at night, but if we saw the night sky that Abram saw, we too would gasp in awe and wonder at this breathtaking celestial marvel as he most assuredly had done. Who can count the stars but You, O Lord, You know their number, their names, and their places for You strung them in the sky. And God makes this promise to Abram that his descendants will be as innumerable as the stars. This was the first Covenant God made with man, others followed but we broke every one of them by our unfaithfulness, our turning away from God, our disobedience, our folly, our evil, stubbornness, and our sin hardened hearts, but God continued to be faithful.

Now O Lord, a final, eternal, and unsurpassable Covenant is made by God our Father. You, His beloved Son, are the New Covenant of love He makes with us and this last Covenant is a fulfillment of the first one made to our father Abraham and every subsequent covenant that followed. Indeed, O Lord, though it may seem impossible in this sinful, godless, age we are presently living in, the children of God will increase exponentially and Your prayer to the Father will finally come to pass, 'Father, that they may be one, as you and I are one.' All the birds of prey and all the powers of darkness cannot stop what God has ordained from the beginning.

Taking Abram outside, the Lord said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can.’ ‘Such will be your descendants,’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.

‘I am the Lord’ he said to him ‘who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to make you heir to this land.’ ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘how am I to know that I shall inherit it?’ He said to him, ‘Get me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcases but Abram drove them off.

That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms: ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.’

PSALM 26(27):1,7-9,13-14

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;

have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
‘Seek his face.’

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

hide not your face.
Dismiss not your servant in anger;
you have been my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

PHILIPPIANS 3:17-4:1

My Soul's Beloved,

From the beginning, when You chose the 12 it was Your intention to build the Church - and You did. You are its Cornerstone, Peter is the Rock on which it is built, and the foundations are the Apostles. The Church as St. Paul tells us, is the pillar and foundation or bulwark of truth. This is an inescapable fact, dispute or deny it though we may, and hordes who profess to be believers do, it is nevertheless true. This is the Church You founded, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, there is no other. In her alone is found the fullness of truth. In her are the life-giving Sacraments necessary for salvation.

This is why St. Paul can say with such great confidence that we are to take him, the Apostles and their disciples as our models. We must study their way of life closely and imitate them for they modelled You, O Lord. Sadly, many false teachers have twisted Sacred Scripture, they have become idolators while accusing Your followers of the very thing that they are guilty of. Lacking the fullness of Truth found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, they lack the gift of the Spirit, preventing them from penetrating divine mysteries. Many of them are agents of Satan whose modus operandi is division, confusion, and mayhem. Many of them are bigoted, close-minded, hard hearted, stubbornly holding on to errors that they have set up as idols despite irrefutable proof that the Catholic Chuch is the only Church You founded, there is no other.

Thank You, my Lord and my God, for the confidence we have in You and the Church. She is Your Body. She receives fullness of life from You. You keep us safe in Your Sacred Heart and in the end when time shall cease, You will present her, Your Bride, before Your Father, without wrinkle or stain. Thank You, Lord, Beloved Bridegroom of our soul.

My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.
So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

LUKE 9:28-36

My Soul's Beloved,

Peter, John, and James were given a glimpse of Your glory on Mt. Tabor. This supernatural experience was to remain with them and sustain them when You were no longer with them. At the time they witnessed it, they could scarcely make sense of what they were witnessing. They were stupefied with wonder and awe and were incapable of truly comprehending what they were privileged to see. Sadly, every memory of this moment before which they were wonderstruck would flee from their conscious minds from the moment the 12 accompanied You to Gethsemane, You singled out these same three and asked them to go out further with You and invited them to pray with You as You went through Your agony in the garden.

Here again they could scarcely make sense of what was happening. They could recall nothing You had said in the three years they spent with You as Your closest companions. All they saw was their beloved Master, their Lord, their Teacher in a way they had never seen You before. You seemed mortally afraid, undergoing great torment, You groaned and moaned and the sound of it pierced their heart as they watched helplessly. Your unbearable agony of grief that seemed to crush You overwhelmed them so greatly and was so incomprehensible to them, they slept. 

But these stupefyingly horrific events would come to pass later, for now they beheld Your glory. They saw You transfigured and for a brief moment, they glimpsed heaven. They saw You conversing with Moses and Elijah and they heard You speak with them about all that would soon endure at the hands of evil men and what it would accomplish for the whole world. Now as later, their eyes were heavy with sleep, but they fought against it and we have their testimony of what they saw. They saw You in Your glory, and they too were covered by the presence of God in the cloud and heard Him speak saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ 

What a great privilege was accorded to the three, Peter, John and James and while the memory fled during the horrific days of Your arrest, trial, and the execution of  Pilate's judgment in the most brutal and barbaric execution of the Son of Man and the Son of God, they did recall it later and preached it and it was recorded so every generation of believers can know and believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God who has redeemed the world.

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

SATURDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation. 2COR 6:2

DEUTERONOMY 26:16-19

My Soul's Beloved,

Every promise God has made to the people He has chosen for His own has been realized and fulfilled in You. You are the Covenant of Love that God makes with us forever. It is permanent and God will keep His Word to us. However, it is up to us to remain faithful to God and not break this Covenantal bond God makes with us in and through You. God does not fail, we do and all the time. 

You are the new Moses who speaks to us today, here and now, through the Church, through Scripture, through the community, and the message is clear - if we want to live a full, happy, and peaceful life while we walk in this valley of tears then O Lord, we must keep the Commandments which are summed up in the two great commandment to love God as He ought to be loved and to love our neighbor as we love ourself. Only then will the Church and all her members be the light set high on the hill and the people of the whole world will come up to her for in her alone, as we have found to our joy, is the fulfillment of every promise that God has ever made to His children. We, who are in the Church are the stars that shine and draw people from every creed, nation, and language to the Home of the Living God, the place where He dwells and the Kingdom of God will finally be among us.

‘You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’

PSALM 118(119):1-2,4-5,7-8

They are happy who follow God’s law!

They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.

You have laid down your precepts

to be obeyed with care.
May my footsteps be firm
to obey your statutes.

I will thank you with an upright heart

as I learn your decrees.
I will obey your statutes;
do not forsake me.

They are happy who follow God’s law!

MATTHEW 5:43-48

My Soul's Beloved,

Perfection is found in God alone, but this is no excuse for us, sinners, and members of Your Body, to make no effort to grow in perfection. You O Lord, have given us the fullness of Your Spirit and we receive grace upon grace, unceasingly and immeasurably through the Sacraments You instituted. Catholicism is not for wimps and this is why few make any real effort to grow in holiness and perfection as the saints have shown us. It takes courage to be a saint. The more we die to our flesh and its desires and cravings, the easier it is to grow in virtue and grace. But rooting out sinful habits that we have allowed to take root and thrive over years is difficult, painful, and impossible without help and a real desire to rid ourselves of them.

Lord Jesus, we are thin skinned and take offence at every little slight, real or perceived. We grumble and criticize those we dislike for whatever reason, or often without any valid reason. Why? because sin is dominant in us and we often allow our feelings and emotions to dictate our responses to others. We like others to notice us, make much of us, show us affection and regard, to praise and compliment us, and when they don't we pout and get upset and wait for a suitable opportunity to get back at them. We carefully nurse every slight until we blow it completely out of proportion and become miserable, waspish, and lose all our peace and joy. 

Today, You give us the perfect antidote to a life of selfish self-absorption if we live as You command, Lord, we will be content, happy, peaceful, and joyful and grow steadily in holiness and perfection.

‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

FRIDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. EZ 18:31

EZEKIEL 18:21-28

My Soul's Beloved,

Sin wounds us and ruptures our relationship with You and yet we do so over and over again. Without You, Lord, life is without joy or meaning. Sin darkens the soul, and the graver the sins we commit, the greater our misery and sorrow, and yet O Lord our flesh craves pleasure, its needs are endless. The more we pander to it the more we are sucked into the vortex of its insatiable appetites and the more insensate we become to all that it true, good, holy, noble, and beautiful. We also know Beloved what it means to our soul and to our lives when we repent of our sins, are truly humble and contrite, kneel before You in Confession, and beg to be forgiven. You do not hesitate. You wipe away all our iniquities, You cleanse us from all our sins, You restore our soul to its baptismal purity and our hearts are filled with indescribable joy as You remove from us the burden of our many and heinous transgressions and pour Your life in us once again.

Thank You, Lord for instituting the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thank You that no matter how often we fall from grace You wait for our return and receive us with open hands. You assure us that You never tire of forgiving. You will forget all our sins, and we will be born anew.  

Thus says the Lord:
‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?
‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. 

PSALM 129(130)

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleading.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,

Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness:
for this we revere you.

My soul is waiting for the Lord.
I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord
more than watchman for daybreak.
(Let the watchman count on daybreak
and Israel on the Lord.)

Because with the Lord there is mercy

and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem
from all its iniquity.

If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?

MATTHEW 5:20-26

My Soul's Beloved,

How easily we judge each other and condemn them to hellfire and brimstone, but we are very lax with the evil we do. We make excuses for our lapses. We justify our sins. We allow ourselves a broad interpretation of the Commandments and tell ourselves that You will understand. We put on a mantle of virtue when we are seen, and are devils in private. We deceive ourselves all the time when it comes to right judgment about how we live, making great allowances for our weaknesses, our self-indulgences, our lack of discipline, our lack of charity, empathy, and compassion for others, and are deeply offended when these are withheld from us.

This Lent O Lord, grant me the grace to turn my gaze inward and to correct the many faults that are an obstacle to growing in holiness and in virtue. I must be stern with myself but tender with my neighbor. Deny myself while being generous to others. Hold myself to a higher standard always while being mindful of the weaknesses of others and hence less critical of them.

It is not easy, Lord, I have spent a lifetime in coddling my flesh, and my spirit, please help me little by little, day by day, to make progress in the spiritual life. Help me not to get discouraged when I fail, as fail I surely will, but to remember that if I make a real effort to overcome my faults, weaknesses, and failings, You will provide all the help I need and even my poor efforts will please You. 

‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

THURSDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help. PS 50:12, 14

ESTHER 4:17

My Soul's Beloved,

The prayer of Queen Esther has been my prayer for years, O Lord, ever since troubles have assailed us. You are faithful, good, kind, compassionate, and loving and You always hear our cries. Yet, O Lord, there are times when we are afraid, we lose heart, we lack courage and faith grows weak and we become discouraged by the wait. How much longer our hearts cry out to You, Lord, how much longer must we wait patiently for You to hear and answer? We know O Lord that You are our only help, our shield, our refuge when the storm surrounds us and so we too pray:

‘My Lord, our King, the only one,
come to my help, for I am alone
and have no helper but you
and am about to take my life in my hands.’

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, as the days grow into weeks, months and years, nothing seems to change and yet that is not true. You are always with us, were it not so we would have perished long since. It is Your Breath that sustains us and Your Love that keeps us alive. You are always good, kind, and gracious even when we sin and turn away from You. You, O Lord, are always faithful, we are often faithless. Remember O Lord that we are our own worst enemy and save us.

‘Remember, Lord; reveal yourself
in the time of our distress.
‘As for me, give me courage,
King of gods and master of all power.
Put persuasive words into my mouth
when I face the lion;
change his feeling into hatred for our enemy,
that the latter and all like him may be brought to their end.

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. Forgive my lack of faith. Forgive me for getting anxious instead of being hopeful, trusting that in the end You will grant all my heart's desires according to Your riches in glory. 

Lord I believe, help my unbelief!

‘As for ourselves, save us by your hand,
and come to my help, for I am alone
and have no one but you, Lord.’

PSALM 137(138):1-3,7-8

On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love,

which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.

You stretch out your hand and save me,
your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
discard not the work of your hands.

On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord.

MATTHEW 7:7-12

My Soul's Beloved,

I thank You for Your reassurance that You always answer, if we seek You with all our hearts, we will find You, and when we knock at the door of Your Heart, You will always open it to us. Thank You, Lord. I beg pardon for my lack of faith. I grow weary of waiting and I want You to hurry and answer me. But I am aware, Lord, that You know best. When we are asked to wait, it is because the time is not right, and it is good that while we wait we pray with expectant faith, certain that You will not withhold any good thing to those who ask.

You remind us that any father, although he could be wicked, will always provide for his children. He knows that were he not to give them what they needed for their sustenance they would die. He spends his entire life providing for his family. How much more, You remind us, will our heavenly Father not hold back all that we need to sustain our physical life and even more richly, provide all we need for everlasting life. Did He not send You into the world to take upon Yourself our lot, our punishment, our death and give us in exchange new and everlasting life in You? You Beloved, are God's Covenantal love with us and I know that for Your sake the Father will not forsake us.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’

WEDNESDAY OF THE 1ST WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion. JOEL 2:12-13

JONAH 3:1-10

My Soul's Beloved,

Once again the Church gives us an opportunity to turn our hearts, and minds to God during this sacred time of Lent, a time of repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving when we turn away from the world and turn to God asking for mercy and pardon for our sins and trusting in Your mercy, and your goodness to grant it. The people of Ninevah were Gentiles, they were evil, they did evil and You were prepared to destroy the whole city but in Your goodness You gave them one more opportunity to turn away from evil, repent and make reparation for their sins. Jonah, the reluctant prophet, was obedient this time. Obeyed Your commandment to preach repentance to them and as soon as they heard Your message they were contrite, humble and fasted in sackcloth and ashes. Acknowledging their sins, they resolved to sin no more, and the king also decreed a fast not only of the people but livestock as well. God's heart was moved to compassion and mercy was granted to the people of Nineveh and they were saved.

Beloved, we thank you for grace, and for the wisdom of the Chruch in helping us meditate and contemplate our end We forget easily that we were created for God andour end must be in You The world proves too much for us and we are so easiltly lured bu the distractions and comforts, pleasures and ease they offer us Look favorably O Lord and our fasts, prayers, and almsgiving and forgive us and bless y us Make of us a new creation and grant us the graces to continue on the path that leads to the Kingdom of God.

The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

PSALM 50(51):3-4,12-13,18-19

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

A humbled, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.

LUKE 11:29-32

My Soul's Beloved,

That we are sinners is a fact, You know it, You understand that we are weakened by the sin of Adam. We have a natural tendency to sin, to choose pleasure, and the pleasures of the flesh over self-discipline and self-denial. It is in our fallen nature to choose the easy way, rather than the narrow path. To put our needs before those of others. But we are also children of God. We are redeemed by Your Blood, we are members of Your Body and heirs to the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit abides in us and makes it possible for us to rise above our baser natures through grace if we only ask Him and trust Him to provide all we need to be holy and pleasing to God.

Beloved, it's been a while since Your public ministry, the people have witnessed signs and wonders that were never seen or heard of before, yet it is not enough. “For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.” Asking for signs is just an excuse weak people make when they do not wish to commit their lives to the greater, more noble, and higher good. The Jews had no excuse not to believe who You said You were, but those in authority stood to lose everything they considered more desirable and far more valuable than to know God and Him alone to love and serve. 

To this day, Lord, even we who believe, live lackluster lives worthy of condemnation, You warn us very clearly, ‘I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.’

Merciful Lord, take pity on us and show us Your mercy and grant us Your saving help like the Ninevites. Do not condemn but save us from the righteous wrath of Your justice.

‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’