TUESDAY OF THE 6TH WEEK OF EASTERTIDDE - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I will send you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord;
he will lead you to the complete truth. JN 16:7, 13

ACTS 16:22-34

My Soul's Beloved,

More often than not, all it takes is for one person to stand up with courage and boldly and with conviction speak of the gift of faith that we as Christians have received. We lack courage. We worry about the consequences. We allow our fears of whether or not anyone will listen, let alone believe in the Good News. We allow ourselves to be consumed by doubt, fear, and negativity because we are not on fire with the zeal of the Holy Spirit, and because our own faith is wishy-washy. If I believed like the Apostles, St. Paul, and the early disciples did, if I loved You as I ought, if preaching the Good News was food and drink to me more important than life itself, then, my Lord and my God, I would care nothing about what could possible happen to my body for my soul and my spirit would be joyful. Nothing would matter more to me than to share the Word of God so the world could know You, believe in You, rejoice in Your love, and follow You.

St. Paul and his companions rejoiced because they were considered worthy to suffer and to be imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. They sang hymns of praise while their hands and feet were chained. Their bodies were on earth, but their souls were consumed with the things of heaven. And while they rejoiced, even though they were flogged and their bodies were in pain, You performed a miracle, sending an earthquake that shook the prison gates, and they flew open while the chains of the prisoners fell away.

The poor jailer knew what his fate would be if all the prisoners had escaped and was about to kill himself, but they didn't. Paul assured him they were all still there. Relief washed over him, and he was so taken up by their faith that he took them home, washed and treated their wounds, fed them, and he and his entire household were baptized and were saved. They rejoiced and celebrated together the goodness of God and in You, His Son, who came into the world not to condemn but to seek and save the lost. Thank You, Lord.

When the gaoler woke and saw the doors wide open he drew his sword and was about to commit suicide, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Don’t do yourself any harm; we are all here.’ The gaoler called for lights, then rushed in, threw himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas, and escorted them out, saying, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They told him, ‘Become a believer in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and your household too.’ Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all his family. Late as it was, he took them to wash their wounds, and was baptised then and there with all his household. Afterwards he took them home and gave them a meal, and the whole family celebrated their conversion to belief in God.

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

You stretch out your hand and save 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.

You stretch out your hand and save me, O Lord.

JOHN 16:5-11

My Soul's Beloved,

Without the Holy Spirit, our vision is restricted, we think selfishly, we are self-absorbed, we are unable to grasp eternal truths, and we rejoice at the goodness of God. So it was with the disciples when You spoke to them about going to the Father. They were filled with a sense of sadness and loss. They wanted to hold on to Your Presence among them so they could speak to You, listen to You, touch You, and experience Your physical presence. But You came to give us so much more. You came to give us a taste of heaven while we were still here on earth. 

You could only send the Holy Spirit once You returned to Your Father. Your work of redemption and salvation was accomplished. The work of the Holy Spirit could begin only after You sent Him to the disciples, to the Church, to us. He, the Sanctifier and Perfecter of our faith, helps us to plumb and delve deep into the mysteries of our glorious faith and to live it in season and out of season, regardless of the cost.

Thank You, Father, our Creator, for creating us for such a glorious destiny, eternal life with God. Thank You, Beloved Jesus, for redeeming and saving us. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for making our body Your Temple, Your Sanctuary, and for helping us to grow in holiness and perfection little by little every day. 

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Still, I must tell you the truth:
it is for your own good that I am going
because unless I go,
the Advocate will not come to you;
but if I do go,
I will send him to you.
And when he comes,
he will show the world how wrong it was,
about sin,
and about who was in the right,
and about judgement:
about sin: proved by their refusal to believe in me;
about who was in the right: proved by my going to the Father and your seeing me no more;
about judgement: proved by the prince of this world being already condemned.’