Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children. MT 11:25
ISAIAH 58:6-11
My Soul's Beloved,
The life of Mother Teresa of Kolkata reminds us that when we are attentive to Your Voice and obey Your call, the whole world can be against us, but it will not prevail. With the power of God, the wisdom of God, and the Love of God at work in us, we are invincible.
It is all too easy, Beloved, to get comfortable with the often unchallenging routine of our lives. While it is not sinful, it is not fruitful either, and in the end, we will be judged by the quality of fruit we have produced.
The prophet Isaiah provides a clear manifesto for living a grace-filled and purposeful life, so we cannot claim ignorance. It is a choice we must make daily to get out of our comfort zone and pay attention to the vast suffering of humanity, which is inescapable if we remove our blinkers and are empathetic. Suffering in all its forms, visible and invisible, is our lot due to original sin, but true happiness is found in knowing You, Lord, and serving You in our neighbor. Grant us the graces we need to be our brothers' and sisters' keepers.
Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me
– it is the Lord who speaks –
to break unjust fetters and
undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke,
to share your bread with the hungry,
and shelter the homeless poor,
to clothe the man you see to be naked
and not turn from your own kin?
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer;
call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.
PSALM 33(34):2-11
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
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.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
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.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
1 JOHN 4:7-16
MATTHEW 25:31-46
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