Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68
JEREMIAH 20:10-13
My Soul's Beloved,
If we seek You with all our hearts, we will find You, for You are inescapable to the heart that truly hungers and thirsts for You. It is You who longs for us more than we desire You. You are foreshadowed and prefigured in the lives of all the great patriarchs and prophets, and those who have not found You yet, despite searching for You, have not done so because they are not looking with honesty, simplicity, and a childlike spirit.
The life of the prophet Jeremiah was one of misery, treachery, fear, and persecution. He was hated, hounded, and treated miserably because the people did not desire to hear the truth about their sins and the consequences they would have to suffer because of their hard and rebellious hearts. So it was, Beloved, when You came to Your own, and Your own rejected You.
Evil will not rest until it destroys all that is true, good, and beautiful. We have only to look at many nations in the world that were once Christian but are now feverishly destroying their Christian foundations. Sin abounds in the world, but we have Your assurance that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more, so we continue to pray, hope, and trust, for we know, my Lord, that You have won the victory.
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
PSALM 17(18):2-7
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
“If I am not doing my Father’s work,
there is no need to believe me;
but if I am doing it,
then even if you refuse to believe in me,
at least believe in the work I do;
then you will know for sure
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’
They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.
He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.
But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;
my opponents will stumble, mastered,
confounded by their failure;
everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.
But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,
who scrutinise the loins and heart,
let me see the vengeance you will take on them,
for I have committed my cause to you.
Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord,
for he has delivered the soul of the needy
from the hands of evil men.
PSALM 17(18):2-7
In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, Lord, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call I am saved from my foes.
my rock, my fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
when I call I am saved from my foes.
The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted me.
the snares of the grave entangled me;
the traps of death confronted me.
In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
In my anguish, I called to the Lord, and he heard my voice.
JOHN 10:31-42
My Soul's Beloved,
My Soul's Beloved,
All the mighty deeds, all the good works You performed, all the signs that You gave to the crowds would not be possible were You not who You claimed to be - God and the Son of God. But the Jews rejected You and hated You with murderous rage because You were unafraid to call them out publicly as hypocrites and far from God whom they claimed to worship.
Lord, You are the King of Martyrs, and the world continues to witness the treachery of people, institutions, governments, and law enforcers who are corrupt to the core. They steal, pillage, and murder the poor, the voiceless, and the marginalized. They steal the little they have from right under them. Stripped not only of the little they possess, but even their dignity is taken from them, and they are cast aside like rubbish. This is why Catholic institutions that work in these poor, remote, forgotten rural areas, bringing hope and purpose in the lives of these precious souls, are hated viciously by those in power. They are hounded, imprisoned, persecuted, tortured, and even killed. But they keep their gaze on You, O Lord. You will vindicate them.
Grant us the grace to walk in Your footsteps. To pick up our daily cross without complaining. To be a people of hope in the face of the Enemy and hold fast to the Truth that sets us free no matter what it may cost us. Our home is in heaven; let us not waste any time as we work to hasten the coming of Your Kingdom while we are yet pilgrims on earth.
The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’
“If I am not doing my Father’s work,
there is no need to believe me;
but if I am doing it,
then even if you refuse to believe in me,
at least believe in the work I do;
then you will know for sure
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’
They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.
He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.
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