Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son. ACTS 16:14
MALACHI 3:13-20
My Soul's Beloved,
Thank You for the words of promises in today's First Reading. We look at our world, at the prevalent culture, at the evil that abounds, at satanic practices by those bound by the Father of Lies, and our hearts tremble. We are filled with anxiety as evil leaders govern many nations, and they have no other desire than to loot, to plunder, to murder, and to destroy. Havoc and chaos abound as those in power are the puppeteers who yank the strings of leaders who have usurped power by every cunning and foul means. We stand before You, O Lord, night and day, beating our breasts while full of fear and anxiety, not just for ourselves but for those who will come after us, and we ask, 'How much longer, Lord, how much longer will You permit the rule of the wicked?' Like the Apostles in the midst of the storm who cried out to You while You lay asleep in the boat, we too, cry out, 'Wake up Lord, save us, Lord, lest we perish!' And just as You calmed their fears and the storm raging around them, You speak to our fears and to the chaos and evil rampant in the world, 'Hush! Be still!' And all will be calm and peaceful again, for while the day of evil is prevalent now, the day of victory is almost upon us.
You will crush and annihilate the wicked. You will put an end to those who arrogantly go about crushing the poor and the weak and all who stand in the way of their colossal greed for power and wealth. The Day of the Lord is here. The victory is won. God has triumphed.
You say harsh things about me, says the Lord. You ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ You say, ‘It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? Now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed; yes, they prosper, these evil-doers; they try God’s patience and yet go free.’ This is what those who fear the Lord used to say to one another. But the Lord took note and heard them: a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who fear him and take refuge in his name. On the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts, they are going to be my own special possession. I will make allowances for them as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him. Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him. For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.
PSALM 1:1-4,6
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
LUKE 11:5-13
My Soul's Beloved,
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
You say harsh things about me, says the Lord. You ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ You say, ‘It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands or of walking mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? Now we have reached the point when we call the arrogant blessed; yes, they prosper, these evil-doers; they try God’s patience and yet go free.’ This is what those who fear the Lord used to say to one another. But the Lord took note and heard them: a book of remembrance was written in his presence recording those who fear him and take refuge in his name. On the day which I am preparing, says the Lord of Hosts, they are going to be my own special possession. I will make allowances for them as a man makes allowances for the son who obeys him. Then once again you will see the difference between an upright man and a wicked one, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him. For the day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, leaving them neither root nor stalk. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.
PSALM 1:1-4,6
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.
LUKE 11:5-13
My Soul's Beloved,
All too often, we give up on prayer when it appears to us that we do not receive what we ask for, what we are pleading for, what we believe we need right here and right now. But in yesterday's Gospel, we see how You taught Your disciples to pray, and we are given the right approach to God, our Father, when we come to Him in prayer.
The very first thing we do is to acknowledge who God is to us, the relationship that God desires to have with us, and so we look up to Him as His little ones and address Him as our Abba, whose dwelling is in Heaven. God loves us; we know this because He created us, not only for this life, but also to enjoy eternity with Him. Yet, we must never forget who He is—the thrice-holy God who lives in unapproachable light, but has given us access to Him through You, and the Holy Spirit. He invites us to collaborate with Him to establish His Kingdom on earth, and that is our lifelong mission. He asks us to come to Him to provide us the food we need - supernatural bread as well for our soul and bread for our body, for He is Jehovah Jirah who provides all that is needful for His children.
Today's parable reminds us to pray without ceasing. All our waking hours must keep us connected with You and the Holy Spirit, and under Your loving gaze, we carry out all our duties with joy. Help us, O Lord, to remain in Your Presence and do all things for love of You.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.
‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
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