Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth. JN 17:17
ROMANS 8:12-17
My Soul's Beloved,
Once again, I am reminded through the words of St. Paul that I am created for life, not for death. I am a child of God and heir to the Kingdom of heaven in and through the Sacrifice of the Lamb. Beloved, I have been created for glory, but I must desire it. I must live in such a way that I receive the reward that is mine through the victory of the Cross. Lord, I can lose my inheritance through sin. Grave sin will rob me of a share in Your crown of salvation.
Beloved, You have done it all for me; all I need to do is to embrace Your will in all things. To obey the commandments of love of God and neighbor. To live a life in the Spirit of God and allow Your Spirit to guide my footsteps. Grant me this grace, my Lord and my God, to yield in childlike surrender to the goodness of God and trust in Your Spirit to direct my will and my way in all things. Give me a hatred for sin, and should I fail, Lord, grant me the grace to hasten to You, throw myself at Your feet, beg for forgiveness and mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and be regrafted to You again. Give me a great desire to please You always and remain close to You and to Your Mama. Thank You, Lord.
My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
PSALM 67(68):2,4,6-7,20-21
This God of ours is a God who saves.
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
LUKE 13:10-17
My Soul's Beloved,
My brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.
Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
PSALM 67(68):2,4,6-7,20-21
This God of ours is a God who saves.
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
May the Lord be blessed day after day.
He bears our burdens, God our saviour.
This God of ours is a God who saves.
The Lord our God holds the keys of death.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
May the Lord be blessed day after day.
He bears our burdens, God our saviour.
This God of ours is a God who saves.
The Lord our God holds the keys of death.
This God of ours is a God who saves.
LUKE 13:10-17
My Soul's Beloved,
This woman, who was bent double, unable to stand upright for years, and whose life was burdensome due to being possessed by a spirit that rendered her weak and powerless, reminds us all of what habitual sin can do not just to our soul and our spirit but to our body as well. This poor woman was rendered weak and helpless for eighteen long years and had learned to live with her malady. But she did come to the synagogue that sabbath day, and the Word of God made flesh was present, and You saw her and Your heart was moved to pity and tender compassion. You did not judge her, nor did you condemn her. You did not take into account the rules that governed the Sabbath; all You saw was someone who suffered. You called her to come to You, commanded that she be rid of her infirmity, and her back straightened. She was set free, made her whole again, and she glorified God.
This is what happens to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You call us to Yourself. We respond by coming to You in humility. You command us to be rid of our infirmities, and we are made whole again. Filled with joy at our freedom from the shackles of sin, we praise and glorify You.
Beloved, there will always be hypocrites who taunt us and would have us believe that our sins are too great for God's mercy. The synagogue official wanted to discourage You from healing on the Sabbath, but instead of addressing their complaint to You, they upbraided the people, saying, ‘There are six days when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ You would have none of it. Taking him on head-on, You spoke Your mind unafraid of antagonizing him. What they would do for an animal on the sabbath without violating the law, they were unprepared to do for a person with infinite value in the sight of both God and man. The sinner rejoices, Beloved, because we can approach You always with great expectation, knowing that You will never reject us but welcome us and make us whole again.
One sabbath day Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God.
But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, and he addressed the people present. ‘There are six days’ he said ‘when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the sabbath.’ But the Lord answered him. ‘Hypocrites!’ he said ‘Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the sabbath and take it out for watering? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years – was it not right to untie her bonds on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his adversaries were covered with confusion, and all the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked.
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