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, pity on us and show us Your mercy and 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.’