You, O Christ, are the faithful witness,
the First-born from the dead;
you have loved us and have washed away our sins with your blood. REV 1:5
2 PETER 1:2-7
My Soul's Beloved,
Without love, it is impossible to please You, our Lord and God. The essence of God's being is love - love created us, love redeemed us, and love sanctifies us. Life without love is hell.
Thank You, Lord, for making the Father's love for us visible and tangible: for while we were still sinners, God sent You, His only Son, into the world, not to condemn the world, as we most assuredly deserve, but to redeem it. Thank You, Beloved, for sending us the Holy Spirit, for without the Spirit's help, who animates us, guides us, and provides every grace we need, and who assists us in helping virtue grow in us, we would wither and die on the vine. Thank You, Lord, for the Church You established, thank You for Peter, Your Vicar on earth, and for all the Popes down the ages that guide this Ark of the Church through the rough and choppy waters of life. We will not sink, no matter how great the storm that threatens it, for we have Your assurance, Your Word, that You are with us, Your Body the Church, until You return, and time is no more.
Thank You for the Sacraments You instituted, they heal, sanctify, and nourish us as we cross the desert of this life. Without the Bread of the Angels, without the Rock from which gushes forth the Life of the Spirit, we would never survive the evil in the world. The world, the flesh, and the devil make constant attacks on us, and we would succumb were it not for the graces we receive through the Sacraments.
Let us engrave the words of St. Peter on our hearts and act on his advice so that it becomes our way of life. Help us to nurture the gift of faith given to us at our baptism: adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.
May you have more and more grace and peace as you come to know our Lord more and more.
By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice. But to attain this, you will have to do your utmost yourselves, adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love.
PSALM 90(91):1-2,14-16
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!’
His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you.’
I will save him in distress and give him glory.
With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.
My God, in you I trust.
MARK 12:1-12
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