TUESDAY OF THE 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

2 KINGS 19:9-11,14-21,31-36

My Soul's Beloved, 

The hubris of Sennacherib is repeated over and over again in the history of the world, where despots and dictators believed themselves more powerful than the Living God. Like Sennacherib, all these tyrants who waged war against the people of God, those who are called by Your Name, have discovered in the end that there is a God and He is alive and watches over His own as tenderly as a mother watches over her little ones.

Beloved, when we have God on our side, the Son of God who abides in us and in whom we abide, we need fear no one. But we do need to trust You, put our faith in You, and always have the confidence that God will never abandon His own. Through the ages, to the present day, and there will always, until the end of time, be those foolish people who have great wealth and power who believe that this gives them the right to crush the poor and the weak and ride roughshod over them, denying them their rights and grabbing indiscriminately the little they possess for their personal gain. Apart from the poor, Lord, Christians everywhere, especially in those countries where they are a minority, are persecuted, lies are fabricated against them, false witnesses are brought to testify against them, and they face harassment, imprisonment, loss of property, and life. There is nothing; either no help is available to them, or no one has the gumption to stand up for them. 

In the face of this outright and blatant discrimination against Your people, Lord, we lift our heads high, for we know in whom we have placed our trust. You, O Lord, will not let Your people who are called by Your Name, be put to shame. We will recall the words that You spoke through the prophet Isaiah, assuring Hezekiah, the king of Judah, that any hand raised against His people will be crushed and annihilated. We will not fear, Lord, the vast number of the enemy camp arrayed against us, for we have this confidence, that God is on our side, fighting for us.

 

PSALM 47(48):2-4,10-11

God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.

O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.

God upholds his city for ever.

MATTHEW 7:6,12-14

My Soul's Beloved,

The gifts of the Sacraments instituted by You, O Lord, especially the Holy Eucharist, which is altogether sacred, and the Gift of Gifts, for it is Yourself, Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity - we receive the whole Christ, the Son of the Living God. Only those who believe this completely and only those who are grafted to Your Body in Baptism in the Church You founded, may receive this awesome gift, and only if we are in the state of grace. The Church heeds Your command, ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.’ We must believe what we receive, the Living God, and believing as we do, we eat and drink the food that wells up to eternal life in us. Those who do not believe eat and drink damnation, and hence the Church restricts the Holy Eucharist only to those who are her children, safeguarding the rest from bringing condemnation on themselves.

You said that we are to treat others not just as we would like them to treat us, but You took it a step further when You said, 'Love one another as I have loved you.' The narrow way is difficult, Lord, not just narrow, it is also steep and challenging, and without the grace of the Sacraments, we would perish by the wayside. Thank You, Lord, for making provision for us in every stage of our lives. With Your help and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can navigate all impediments to our final goal, which is entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.
‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’