MONDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

DANIEL 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62

My Soul's Beloved,

Corruption and evil abound everywhere. Those in positions of power use them as leverage to manipulate and coerce the vulnerable by using every trick at their disposal to get what they lust after, just as the two corrupt judges did in today's first reading. 

Evil thrives when people are too afraid to stand up for the truth and to challenge those in high places who believe they are above the law. More often than not, they get away with every crime, including murder, because they are powerful, and they use that power to crush those who dare to oppose them.

Women like Susanna are to be admired and praised. She was prepared to die innocent before God and guilty before men rather than give in to the trap set for her by the two evil judges. Lord, she placed her whole trust in You, and You vindicated her. Daniel, filled with the Spirit of God, was not afraid to call out those corrupt and evil judges before the elders and the crowd. Without further ado, he set about to prove that both men were steeped in evil. Both had given false evidence against an innocent and honorable woman, and the death sentence that was pronounced over her was visited on them instead.

Beloved, grant us the courage to withstand the evil powers that seek to rob us of our honor and to stand up boldly for the truth even if we may lose everything, including our lives. It is better, as Susanna said, to prefer to fall innocent into the power of the evil judges than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.

Then the whole assembly shouted, blessing God, the saviour of those who trust in him. And they turned on the two elders whom Daniel had convicted of false evidence out of their own mouths. As prescribed in the Law of Moses, they sentenced them to the same punishment as they had intended to inflict on their neighbour. They put them to death; the life of an innocent woman was spared that day.

PSALM 22(23)

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;

he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me

in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

JOHN 8:12-20

My Soul's Beloved,

You taught and preached the Good News of salvation in the face of great opposition by the Pharisees, the Sadduccees, and the Elders in the Sanhedrin who plotted against You constantly. They loved their positions of power and respect, and many used their power to exploit the poor and the ignorant. They used the Law of Moses as a whip over the people instead of teaching and leading them with compassion and mercy. It is no wonder that the people responded to Your teaching, Your authority, and to the signs and wonders that accompanied them.

Too often, Lord, we get caught up with non-essentials and forget the true meaning of Christianity - Love of God and love of neighbor; it's all we need to know and to practice. You are the Light of the world and as long as we live in the Light we will never walk in darkness.

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
‘I am the light of the world;
anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark;
he will have the light of life.’