MONDAY OF WEEK 14 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News. 2TIM 1:10

GENESIS 28:10-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Jacob was far from perfect. He took advantage of his brother's weakness and stole his birthright. At his mother's instigation, he also stole the blessing that their father meant for Esau. Yet God continues to be faithful. He remembers the covenant he made with Abraham and his descendants, and he remained with Jacob all through his self-exile until he brought him back to his homeland in safety.

Beloved, we are God's new Covenant people by the Blood of the Lamb and sealed in the Holy Spirit. Baptism has put an indelible mark on our soul, claiming us eternally for You as a member of Your Body, and of the household of God. 

You have appointed an angel to be our guardian from the moment of our conception, and he is commanded to pray for us. He remains before You and with us to intercede for us, carry our prayers to You, and carry Your blessings to us. He remains with us through our sojourn on earth and will accompany us on our final journey from here to the Kingdom of God.

Thank You, Lord, for caring for me, unworthy though I am. Thank You for bringing me from darkness into Your own marvelous light. Thank You for the grace and gift of being Catholic. Thank You for Your mercies that are new each morning and for Your assurance that You will never leave me or abandon me but will remain with me always.

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he had reached a certain place he passed the night there, since the sun had set. Taking one of the stones to be found at that place, he made it his pillow and lay down where he was. He had a dream: a ladder was there, standing on the ground with its top reaching to heaven; and there were angels of God going up it and coming down. And the Lord was there, standing over him, saying, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants shall be like the specks of dust on the ground; you shall spread to the west and the east, to the north and the south, and all the tribes of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants.

‘Be sure that I am with you; I will keep you safe wherever you go, and bring you back to this land, for I will not desert you before I have done all that I have promised you.’
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Truly, the Lord is in this place and I never knew it!’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than a house of God; this is the gate of heaven!’ Rising early in the morning, Jacob took the stone he had used for his pillow, and set it up as a monument, pouring oil over the top of it. He named the place Bethel, but before that the town was called Luz.
Jacob made this vow, ‘If God goes with me and keeps me safe on this journey I am making, if he gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and if I return home safely to my father, then the Lord shall be my God. This stone I have set up as a monument shall be a house of God.’

PSALM 90(91):1-4,14-15

My God, in you I trust.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.

Since he clings to me in love, I will free him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’
I will save him in distress.

My God, in you I trust.

MATTHEW 9:18-26

My Soul's Beloved,

No sooner did the official ask You to come and heal his daughter, even though You were speaking to Your disciples and to the crowd, You rose immediately and accompanied him. You are a God of tender compassion. You are moved by the sight of our tears, by our suffering, especially when we suffer for our children's sake. Every prayer we make for them, for their well-being, for their salvation, for grace and restoration - You will hear and You will answer. Of this, every parent who implores You importunately night and day may be sure.

You accompanied the official to his home, and the huge crowd who were with You came with You as well. The crush of people was so great that they were pressing close to You, and one sick, sad, desperate woman in the crowd crawled up to You. You were her last resort. Having exhausted all her resources and having nothing more to lose, she risked being found out and condemned as unclean, as she crawled on her hands and knees on the dusty road, almost trampled upon by the crowd, and reached out with trembling fingers to touch just the hem of Your garment, certain that if she did so she would be healed of the shameful disease that had plagued her for twelve years. As soon as she did, You knew it. This touch was different - it was a prayer, and it immediately stirred a response in You. She was healed instantly. Try as she might to remain hidden, You would not permit it. Her faith in You was to be rewarded, and generations to come, until Your return, would remember her. Contemplate and meditate on her action and Your response to her act of faith, and all who did so would be filled with hope, faith would be reignited, and we would approach You in prayer and receive the miracles we have been pleading for just as she did.

As for the official's daughter, she died before You could reach the house, and there was a great commotion as the mourners already started their dirge. But You commanded that they clear the house, saying,  ‘Get out of here; the little girl is not dead, she is asleep.’ They laughed to scorn, but they were turned out summarily while You took the little girl by the hand and she stood up just as You took Peter's mother-in-law by the hand, and immediately the fever left her and she got out of bed and began to serve. 

Touch me and heal me in every way that I need healing, Beloved, and rising up may I serve You all the days that are left to me. Thank You.

While Jesus was speaking, up came one of the officials, who bowed low in front of him and said, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and her life will be saved.’ Jesus rose and, with his disciples, followed him. Then from behind him came a woman, who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years, and she touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, ‘If I can only touch his cloak I shall be well again.’ Jesus turned round and saw her; and he said to her, ‘Courage, my daughter, your faith has restored you to health.’ And from that moment the woman was well again.
When Jesus reached the official’s house and saw the flute-players, with the crowd making a commotion he said, ‘Get out of here; the little girl is not dead, she is asleep.’ And they laughed at him. But when the people had been turned out he went inside and took the little girl by the hand; and she stood up. And the news spread all round the countryside.

14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts;
let the message of Christ find a home with you. COL 3:15, 16

ISAIAH 66:10-14

My Soul's Beloved,

This beautiful hymn of praise can be applied most fittingly to the Church You founded. She is the new Jerusalem whose gates are thrown wide open to all. No one is denied entry, and all who wish to come in are welcome. The arms of Holy Mother Church are large enough to embrace everyone. She feeds all on the Bread of Life. Through the divinely instituted Sacraments, which her priests have the authority to dispense, she has the power to wash every stain of every sin, no matter how grave, of every penitent who is truly contrite and repentant.  The Sacraments are life-giving and stream in torrents from her maternal bosom and cause all who drink from it to bear good, abundant fruit that will last.  

Beloved, it is sad when we hear the words in the liturgy and in Scripture that say many who hear and believe will be saved because not everyone who hears will believe. It is a personal choice we must make, either for life or death. No one is saved by force but by choice, for it is God who has given us the gift of free will, and He will respect the choices we make for good or ill. 

However, Beloved, it is only in the bosom of Holy Mother Church that the human soul can flourish, thrive, and become all that God desires it to be, because it was instituted by You for all who wish to belong to the family of God. 

Rejoice, Jerusalem,

be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her,
all you who mourned her!
That you may be suckled, filled,
from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight
her glorious breasts.
For thus says the Lord:
Now towards her I send flowing
peace, like a river,
and like a stream in spate
the glory of the nations.
At her breast will her nurslings be carried
and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother
will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.
At the sight your heart will rejoice,
and your bones flourish like the grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

PSALM 65(66):1-7,16,20

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.

Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!

‘Before you all the earth shall bow;
shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.

He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him;
he rules for ever by his might.

Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer
nor withhold his love from me.

Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.

GALATIANS 6:14-18

My Soul's Beloved,

The lives of the Apostles and every great saint in the glorious annals of the history of Holy Mother Church, as well as any one who desires to be a saint witnesses to this truth - unless we are prepared to follow closely in Your footsteps and emulate You in all the trials of our life, the more we resemble You, the crucified Lord, the more we are willing to expend our lives for love, to that extent alone will we become alter Christus in the world.

The Apostles knew it. St. Paul knew it, St. Francis of Assisi knew it. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta knew it - unless we are willing to become another Christ and the wounds of the Crucifixion become a reality in us, we will never truly become the children of God that He intends us to be, shining, illumined, and radiating Your Light.  

The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God.
I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.

LUKE 10:1-12,17-20

My Soul's Beloved,

To the Church is given all authority and all power to do what You did during Your public ministry. The Breath of the Spirit that You breathed on the Apostles, and the fullness of the Spirit they received at Pentecost, is handed down to their successors in an unbroken line that goes back all the way to St. Peter and the rest of the Apostles. We, too, who are members of Your Body, have received that same Spirit. You assure us that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we would do all that You did and even greater things. This is true for the lives of many saints testify to this promise You have given us.

The problem is not with the authority and power You have given us, but in the measure with which we believe this to be true. The more we are willing to trust in Your Word, the greater will be the works we do by the power with the power of the Spirit dwelling in us. The more we are willing to strip ourselves of all that is unworthy of children of God and the more we rely on You, the more we will become like You.

Too few among us are willing to be humble always, patient in suffering, serene under persecution, calm under all provocation, gentle, compassionate, and understanding in all circumstances. Loving all, not just those whom we like or those who are easy to love. The true test of love is the extent to which we are prepared to pour ourselves out as a libation for our brothers and sisters, as You did. 

You will grant us all that is necessary, O Lord, depending on our sincerity in desiring to become like You. Grant us this grace, O Lord, give us the generosity of heart, and the certainty of will by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we will conquer the world for Your greater glory, O Lord.   

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
‘Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
‘Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’

SATURDAY OF WEEK 13 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me. JN 10:27

GENESIS 27:1-5,15-29

My Soul's Beloved,

Jacob received the blessing of his father just as God intended him to. He, the second, was to be before the first - this was the will of God. His father, old, infirm, and almost blind, bestowed out of the fullness of his love for Esau, prayed the most profound and heartfelt blessing, and this blessing fell on the head of Jacob, and the will of God was fulfilled. 

While we may question both Rebakah's and Jacob's deception, God's purpose was realized. 

We, too, use questionable means sometimes to gain what we desire. When we do, let us come humbly before You, O Lord, confess our guilt with true contrition and repentance, and You will forgive all our iniquities and will not withhold Your blessings. When Your hand is upon O Lord, we are invincible. When we walk in the light of Your grace, light, and truth, and these are our guides, we can walk the narrow and difficult path that is before us with confidence, for You will walk with us. You have assured us that You will not just be beside us and will abide in us and make us one with You and with the Father. 

Stay with us, Lord, until we reach our journey's end.

Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. He summoned his elder son Esau. ‘My son!’ he said to him, Make me the kind of savoury I like and bring it to me, so that I may eat, and give you my blessing before I die.’

Rebekah happened to be listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. 

So when  Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come here, then, and let me touch you, my son, to know if you are my son Esau or not.’ Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!’ He did not recognise him, for his arms were hairy like his brother Esau’s, and so he blessed him. He said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And he replied, ‘I am.’ Isaac said, ‘Bring it here that I may eat the game my son has brought, and so may give you my blessing.’ He brought it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, ‘Come closer, and kiss me, my son.’ He went closer and kissed his father, who smelled the smell of his clothes.

He blessed him, saying:
‘Yes, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a fertile field blessed by the Lord.
May God give you
dew from heaven,
and the richness of the earth,
abundance of grain and wine!
May nations serve you
and peoples bow down before you!
Be master of your brothers;
may the sons of your mother bow down before you!
Cursed be he who curses you;
blessed be he who blesses you!’

PSALM  134(135):1-6

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Praise the name of the Lord,

  praise him, servants of the Lord,

who stand in the house of the Lord

  in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.

  Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself

  and Israel for his own possession.

For I know the Lord is great,

  that our Lord is high above all gods.

The Lord does whatever he wills,

  in heaven, on earth, in the seas.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

MATTHEW 9:14-17

My Soul's Beloved,

We are the children of the New Covenant sealed in Your Blood and ratified by the Holy Spirit through Baptism. While You were with Your disciples they rejoiced in Your presence among them. The Eternal Word of the Father lived among them, broke bread with them, and instructed them. You were their Master, their Rabbi, their Lord. They relied on Your nearness to them and revelled in Your reflected glory. Wherever You went, large crowds followed You and all received healing by the power of Your Word and Your touch. They, too, with the authority given to them by You could teach, heal, and preach when You sent them out two by two. They believed that You were the long-awaited Messiah prophesied by the prophets.

Today, we reflect on the questions that John the Baptist's disciples raised: ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ They were also familiar with John the Baptist's rough, ascetic life and were curious why Your disciples did not. You responded, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

Now, O Lord, the Bridegroom is taken away from our sight, and we prepare for Your coming with fasting, prayer, and sacrifice, and strive to live holy lives. Following the commandments and being faithful to the mission entrusted to us to witness to the Good News. We are the new wine. We are the unshrunken cloth. We are the new people of God, and with us a New Covenant is made in Your precious blood and sealed in Your Holy Spirit. Keep us faithful, O Lord, to the end.

John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’

FRIDAY OF WEEK 13 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened

and I will give you rest, says the Lord. MT 11:28

GENESIS 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67

My Soul's Beloved,

The Father's love for us is good, kind, and tender. He knows all and He desires us, His little ones, sinful, frail, and weak, though we are the best possible life, withholding nothing from us and thinking far ahead and planning a happy future for us. All God's plans for us are for our well-being, to prosper us in every way. This happiness that God our Father desires to give us is ours if we are always attentive to His will for us. United with the Spirit and aware of every movement of grace in us, we must do all that God desires of us. We must keep the commandments. We know what is right, true, good, and beautiful, and we must always choose it before our sinful desires. 

Just as Abraham looked forward to preparing a good future for his son Isaac and entrusted his faithful servant to carry out his wishes, so too does God care for us. He appoints a special angel to watch over us all our days. We make mistakes. We are impatient. We make choices using human wisdom, human desires, we pay greater attention to our fickle feelings, and make monumental decisions based on this house of straw. Abraham sent his servant back to his own country in order to find a wife from among his own people for his son. We marry people of other faiths, and we invite a lifetime of misery for ourselves and for the children born from this interfaith union. There is no wisdom in it, and more often than not, we jeopardise our salvation and the salvation of those who are born from such a union.

The wisdom of God is available to all who seek it in prayer, meditation, contemplation, His Word, and the wisdom of the Church. Sadly, we are too caught up in our own human wisdom and make ungodly decisions, bringing upon ourselves misery and heartbreak by our own folly.

By now Abraham was an old man well on in years, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. Abraham said to the eldest servant of his household, the steward of all his property, ‘Place your hand under my thigh, I would have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live. Instead, go to my own land and my own kinsfolk to choose a wife for my son Isaac.’ The servant asked him, ‘What if the woman does not want to come with me to this country? Must I take your son back to the country from which you came?’ Abraham answered, ‘On no account take my son back there. The Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, took me from my father’s home, and from the land of my kinsfolk, and he swore to me that he would give this country to my descendants. He will now send his angel ahead of you, so that you may choose a wife for my son there. And if the woman does not want to come with you, you will be free from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.’
Isaac, who lived in the Negeb, had meanwhile come into the wilderness of the well of Lahai Roi. Now Isaac went walking in the fields as evening fell, and looking up saw camels approaching. And Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac. She jumped down from her camel, and asked the servant, ‘Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?’ The servant replied, ‘That is my master’; then she took her veil and hid her face. The servant told Isaac the whole story, and Isaac led Rebekah into his tent and made her his wife; and he loved her. And so Isaac was consoled for the loss of his mother.

PSALM 105(106):1-5

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
Who can tell the Lord’s mighty deeds?
Who can recount all his praise?

They are happy who do what is right,
who at all times do what is just.
O Lord, remember me
out of the love you have for your people.

Come to me, Lord, with your help
that I may see the joy of your chosen ones
and may rejoice in the gladness of your nation
and share the glory of your people.

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

MATTHEW 9:9-13

My Soul's Beloved,

You are aware of Matthew and had a great future planned for him, not just in this life but a crown of eternal glory in the next. Yet the world would judge him, as the Pharisees did, as the least likely candidate for this great grace and blessing. He was a public sinner, and no one was more aware of the stigma, shame, and notoriety attached to him, a Jew, for working for Rome and against his own people. Tax collectors were looked on with disdain and disgust. Despised by their own, it is no wonder that Matthew, on that wonderful day marked by God for his salvation, having heard about You, for Your fame had spread everywhere and often preceded You, he did exactly as You commanded. 

He would have often wished his life were different. No one, but God, knew his true circumstances and why he chose the profession that he did, to his own shame and degradation. But God did know, and God had wondrous compassion. You knew what it would mean to him personally to hear the words of invitation and welcome, perhaps for the first time in his miserable, misbegotten life, and to him the only true response to those glorious words, was to do just get up, leave all his sins and miserable past life behind, and follow You.

Today, the Church honors Matthew as a great saint, an evangelist, and a martyr. Never in his wildest dreams would he have known the wonderful plans God had for his life, and we should never doubt, Beloved, that great things are possible for us to whom, like Matthew, on hearing Your call to follow You, do just what he did. 

Thank You, Beloved, for assuring us that You came precisely for sinners, that You seek the sinner out, that You go after the foolish sheep that strayed from the fold, leaving the 99 in the open, and deliberately and purposefully seek the lost one, and finding it, You lead it safely home.

As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
While he was at dinner in the house it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When he heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

WEDNESDAY OF WEEK 13 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created. JAMES 1:18

GENESIS 21:5,8-20

My Soul's Beloved,

All life comes from the Creator, and at His command, by the power of His Word and the Breath of His Spirit, all that God wills comes to be. Life and death belong to God alone, and anyone who attempts to wrest this authority and power from God will suffer grievously and eternally.

Abraham was a hundred years old and Sara was ninety when she conceived and bore their son Isaac, for with God nothing is impossible. We must always be aware of this truth when we pray, and all that we ask for in prayer with tears and humble supplication, He will hear and grant according to His perfect will.

In our frail humanity, we cannot fully grasp God's generosity, goodness, and perfect love for all His children. We allow our fears and our limited understanding of Him to dictate and bring about our selfish will and desires, which can often contradict His will. Sarah was jealous for Isaac's sake. It was beyond her comprehension that God could and would fulfill His promises for Isaac, and any blessings God bestowed on Ishmael could steal nothing from Isaac's inheritance.  We too act like Sarah, we look down on people who worship God differently, perhaps even heretically, and are quick to condemn and belittle their beliefs. What we are called to do instead is to offer our own powerful witness to the Truth, and pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten them. 

You, my Beloved, hear the cries of both sinner and saint and come quickly to help and heal all who call on You, just as God came to the aid of Hagar and Ishmael. Instead of being narrow-minded, and critical of those who, through no fault of their own are ignorant of the Truth, let us pray for them and by the power and witness of our own lives be the Lamp lit and placed on the lampstand so by its light they too will be drawn to the Truth.

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham gave a great banquet on the day Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah watched the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. ‘Drive away that slave-girl and her son,’ she said to Abraham; ‘this slave-girl’s son is not to share the inheritance with my son Isaac.’ This greatly distressed Abraham because of his son, but God said to him, ‘Do not distress yourself on account of the boy and your slave-girl. Grant Sarah all she asks of you, for it is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. But the slave-girl’s son I will also make into a nation, for he is your child too.’ Rising early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, he put the child on her shoulder and sent her away.
She wandered off into the wilderness of Beersheba. When the skin of water was finished she abandoned the child under a bush. Then she went and sat down at a distance, about a bowshot away, saying to herself, ‘I cannot see the child die.’ So she sat at a distance; and the child wailed and wept.
But God heard the boy wailing, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. ‘What is wrong, Hagar?’ he asked. ‘Do not be afraid, for God has heard the boy’s cry where he lies. Come, pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well, so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the wilderness, and he became a bowman.

PSALM 33(34):7-8,10-13

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.

Revere the Lord, you his saints.
They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry
but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.

Come, children, and hear me
that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life
and many days, to enjoy his prosperity?

This poor man called; the Lord heard him.

MATTHEW 8:28-34

My Soul's Beloved,

You came intentionally to the country of the Gadarenes. You knew about the poor demoniacs, and You wanted to deliver them from the possession of the demons that had taken possession of them.  Most of us, including myself, are cowards. We would rather not endanger ourselves, cause a ruckus, and disturb the peace to such an extent that we would be asked to leave. We prefer lethargy to boldness. To seek comfort rather than seeking to do Your will fearlessly, no matter the consequences. 

The healing and restoration to perfect spiritual health of the demoniacs demonstrates Your power over evil spirits. Every miracle You performed clearly indicates that You are God with power over life and death, nature, and evil spirits. All that we experience in our human condition or in the spiritual realm is under Your authority and Lordship, and because You love us so infinitely and unconditionally, we can trust You always to work all things for our good and our salvation.

When Jesus reached the country of the Gadarenes on the other side of the lake, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs – creatures so fierce that no one could pass that way. They stood there shouting, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the time?’ Now some distance away there was a large herd of pigs feeding, and the devils pleaded with Jesus, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’ And he said to them, ‘Go then’, and they came out and made for the pigs; and at that the whole herd charged down the cliff into the lake and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off and made for the town, where they told the whole story, including what had happened to the demoniacs. At this the whole town set out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw him they implored him to leave the neighbourhood.

TUESDAY OF WEEK 13 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word. PS 129:5

GENESIS 19:15-29

My Soul's Beloved,

The world is in the deathly grip of the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah and revels in its hideous, soul-destroying, deadly sins. But in the world, there is always a faithful remnant, it is Your Way, O Lord, from small and humble beginnings, to start anew. While it may seem hopeless, there is always hope for You have won the victory. The world is in imminent danger of being overrun by Satan and his willing accomplices. The world grows more degenerate every day. The child in the womb is no longer safe but is dismembered in the most brutal, cruel, and barbaric way and extracted piece by piece from the womb of its mother. 

Children by the millions are violated in every way. Robbed of their innocence in their most tender years, their cries and their suffering cry out to God for vindication. You, O Lord, are not deaf to their cries. The poor, the marginalized, the weak, and the old are looked at with scorn. Their lives are seen as meaningless and without value, and those with authority and power want to squash their lives under the guise of mercy, which is a blatant lie, and the vast majority of foolish, selfish people are buying into.

Like Lot and his family, Lord, You will preserve the lives of the faithful few before You rain fire and brimstone on the world and incinerate and obliterate the degenerates who right now believe themselves invincible. 

Let us use the time we are given, Beloved, to pray, fast with a real burden on our hearts that God may yet save the world from the reign of terror that will come upon us. Let us not look back like Lot's voice but keep our gaze fixed on heaven, trusting in Your merciful love and Your Most Precious Blood to hear our prayers and withhold the blazing wrath of God for the sake of Your sorrowful passion. 

The angels urged Lot, ‘Come, take your wife and these two daughters of yours, or you will be overwhelmed in the punishment of the town.’ And as he hesitated, the men took him by the hand, and his wife and his two daughters, because of the pity the Lord felt for him. They led him out and left him outside the town.

As the sun rose over the land and Lot entered Zoar, the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord. He overthrew these towns and the whole plain, with all the inhabitants of the towns, and everything that grew there. But the wife of Lot looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt.
Rising early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the Lord, and looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and across all the plain, he saw the smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.
Thus it was that when God destroyed the towns of the plain, he kept Abraham in mind and rescued Lot out of disaster when he overwhelmed the towns where Lot lived.

PSALM 25(26):2-3,9-12

Your love, O Lord, is before my eyes.

Examine me, Lord, and try me;
O test my heart and my mind,
for your love is before my eyes
and I walk according to your truth.

Do not sweep me away with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men
in whose hands are evil plots,
whose right hands are filled with gold.

As for me, I walk the path of perfection.
Redeem me and show me your mercy.
My foot stands on level ground:
I will bless the Lord in the assembly.

Your love, O Lord, is before my eyes.

MATTHEW 8:23-27

My Soul's Beloved,

We live in a world where terror abounds. The faithful remnant are not safe but hounded, persecuted, and terrorized. Right now, power is in the hands of wicked and evil men and women, and they hate the Church with a hatred that is demonic, for she stands unflinchingly and fearlessly on the doctrines of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Standing on Your Word and ruled by Your Commandments, no power on earth or in hell can vanquish her. She is invincible. Nothing can sink her. Although the forces of evil believe they have prevailed, for You appear to be fast asleep in the midst of the storm that threatens to do so overpower her, it will fail. 

Peter is at the helm, and the bark of Peter is unsinkable. We have Your assurance that the gates of hell can never prevail against Your Bride, the Church, and that You will remain with her until the end of time. Let the Enemy do his worst; we will remain calm and serene through the storm, for we know in the end, the Eternal Word of God has the power to command and vanquish every demonic force arrayed against her. At Your Word, O Lord, all will fall on their knees and obey.

Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Without warning a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again. The men were astounded and said, ‘Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’