THURSDAY OF WEEK 17 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son. ACTS 16:14

JEREMIAH 18:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

For those who have gladly and willingly thrown themselves into Your tender care and have surrendered their lives to You, there can be only peace and serenity, no matter how great the suffering. The lives of the saints reveal that it is only in the crucible of suffering—only when we allow You to break us and make us anew, no matter how many times it may be required for You to do so—that in the end we will be just what You intended us to be when we were created.

Jeremiah was hated by the people of God because through his mouth You revealed to them how abhorrent they were to You because of their sins, their idolatry, and their wantonness. Yet he never shied from doing exactly as the Lord asked him to. Even if he appeared ridiculous to the people, he did it. All too often our shepherds are anything but good. They are afraid to preach the truth that saves. They make light of the gravity of the sinful and hedonistic culture we live in, and in the process many souls are damned.

Beloved, have pity on our Church and on our world, which has been consecrated and sanctified by Your Blood. Grant us a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Amen.

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’

PSALM 145(146):2-6

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

My soul, give praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.

Put no trust in princes,
In mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.

He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.

MATTHEW 13:47-53

My Soul's Beloved,

All are called, all are invited, but some will refuse the invitation. They will do so willfully, refusing to acknowledge that they belong to God and are accountable to Him. Like the fallen angels, they refuse to serve the Living God. They refuse to abide by the Eternal Word of the Father. They deny the power of the Holy Spirit; instead, they make false gods—idols of power, money, people, and possessions—and they bow down before them. They are obsessed with the things of the world, forgetting that a day of reckoning will come for all of us: first the personal judgment, and finally the judgment before the righteous Judge at the end of time.

While it is yet today, Lord, grant us the grace to repent, go to Confession, and begin anew. All we have is this present moment; tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Lord Jesus, God our Father, and the Holy Spirit—our Savior, Redeemer, and Spouse, and our Sanctifier—have revealed all the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven in both the Old and New Testaments, Your Eternal Word. The rich deposit of faith in both Scripture and Sacred Tradition makes its home in the Church You founded on Peter as the Rock and on You as its Cornerstone. Give us a willing heart and spirit to make the best use of the time we have left so that we will be counted as the sheep on Your right. Thank You, Lord.

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’
When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district.

MONDAY OF WEEK 17 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created. JM 1:18

JEREMIAH 13:1-11

My Soul's Beloved, 

In and through Baptism, Lord, we are grafted onto You. We are made a member of Your Body by becoming a member of the Church You founded. We are nourished, strengthened, and filled with grace each time we receive the Sacraments You instituted. Without them, we would wither and die on the vine and be cut off from You and thrown into the fire that never goes out.

Beloved, we are the linen loincloth that the Word of God speaks to Jeremiah about. We were made to cling to You, and You would cling to us. But we have sinned, O Lord, and often grievously. We separated from You. We deliberately wandered in ways that cut us off from You and were no longer fit to be called Your own. While the chosen people of God refused You, Lord, You formed a new people for Yourself. The Church is now the New Jerusalem, and it is in her that we are made one with You and in and through You one with the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Grant us this grace, O Lord, no matter how gravely we have sinned and fallen to rise up again. You assure us that a humble and contrite heart You will not spurn. May we make frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as we need to, Lord, so we can receive the Bread of Life and live in grace and truth in this valley of tears. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Church and thank You, Lord, that God willed that we are its members. May we never forget Your graciousness and goodness for this gift of being Catholic.

The Lord said this to me, ‘Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it round your waist. But do not dip it in water.’ And so, as the Lord had ordered, I bought a loincloth and put it round my waist. A second time the word of the Lord was spoken to me, ‘Take the loincloth that you have bought and are wearing round your waist; up! Go to the Euphrates and hide it in a hole in the rock.’ So I went and hid it near the Euphrates as the Lord had ordered me. Many days afterwards the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to the Euphrates and fetch the loincloth I ordered you to hide there.’ So I went to the Euphrates, and I searched, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. The loincloth was spoilt, good for nothing. Then the word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘Thus says the Lord: In the same way I will spoil the arrogance of Judah and Jerusalem. This evil people who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the dictates of their own hard hearts, who have followed alien gods, and served them and worshipped them, let them become like this loincloth, good for nothing. For just as a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I had intended the whole House of Judah to cling to me – it is the Lord who speaks – to be my people, my glory, my honour and my boast. But they have not listened.’

 PSALM DEUTERONOMY 32:18-21

You forget the God who fathered you.

You forget the Rock who begot you,
unmindful now of the God who fathered you.
The Lord has seen this, and in his anger
cast off his sons and his daughters.

‘I shall hide my face from them,’ he says
‘and see what becomes of them.
For they are a deceitful brood,
children with no loyalty in them.

‘They have roused me to jealousy with what is no god,
they have angered me with their beings of nothing;
I, then, will rouse them to jealousy with what is no people,
I will anger them with an empty-headed nation.’

You forget the God who fathered you.

MATTHEW 13:31-35

My Soul's Beloved,

As You, O Lord, the Eternal Word of the Father, assure us, there is nothing hidden from God's people about the Kingdom of Heaven and the place of Your faithful people in it. Before Your Ascension into Heaven, You left its key with Peter, the Rock, and You left with the Twelve all the secrets of how all who so desire may enter. It was as little as a mustard seed. So small that the people and the nation whom God had chosen for His own rejected it and, to this day, think nothing of it. But to those to whom the great commission was given, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Have obeyed Your command and carried and spread the Gospel faithfully.  Having successfully completed that mission, Your one, holy, catholic Church, O Lord, is found in all the corners of the world. 

The little mustard seed has grown greatly, and it continues to grow so that its branches are many enough and large enough to welcome anyone and everyone to make their home in it. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Church to me and to the world. May we who belong to the Church also be the leaven that enables the Kingdom of God to spread from us to everyone we encounter each day. 

Jesus put a parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’
He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’
In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:
I will speak to you in parables
and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children. MT 11:25


1 KINGS 3:5,7-12

My Soul's Beloved,

If we are to navigate the perils of this life, the snares of the Enemy, our own concupiscence, and the tawdry wiles of the world, we must possess the wisdom of God, and thankfully, Lord, this wisdom is not hidden from us. It is readily available for all those who desire it, ask for it daily and humbly in prayer, and then, knowing that it is Your will to grant it to us, make an act of will to study it, understand it, and put it into practice. Sacred Scripture is filled with Your Word teaching us how we can lead a fruitful life, a prosperous life, a life pleasing to God in all things, if we only know and are familiar with Your Word and act on it.

King Solomon wisely asked for the one gift that would help him be a wise ruler, and because he did not ask for the things that perish- wealth and power- but for the ability to rule his people in the manner that You desire, not only was it granted to him and everything else as well. For You, O Lord, are a generous giver. It is we who must have the wisdom to ask for the things that make for life, eternal life, and not eternal death.

Grant me Your mind, O Lord, that in all things I may discern Your will for me and then I bet You to provide the grace that I need to act on it.

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, ‘Ask what you would like me to give you.’ Solomon replied, ‘O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have chosen, a people so many its number cannot be counted or reckoned. Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?’ It pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for this. ‘Since you have asked for this’ the Lord said ‘and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you.’

PSALM118(119):57,72,76-77,127-130

Lord, how I love your law!

My part, I have resolved, O Lord,
is to obey your word.
The law from your mouth means more to me
than silver and gold.

Let your love be ready to console me
by your promise to your servant.
Let your love come and I shall live
for your law is my delight.

That is why I love your commands
more than finest gold,
why I rule my life by your precepts,
and hate false ways.

Your will is wonderful indeed;
therefore I obey it.
The unfolding of your word gives light
and teaches the simple.

Lord, how I love your law!

ROMANS 8:28-30

My Soul's Beloved,

How simple life can be if we truly understood our purpose here on earth. We were created for a life of love and joy in this world and eternal joy in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Nothing in this life is so bad that You cannot turn it around for good if we trust in You. You say very clearly to us this day that all things, without exception, work for good for those who love You, and we order our lives to Your will always and everywhere. This is the secret of the saints. This was the secret to Mama Mary's life in God and St. Joseph's as well.

Grant me and those I love this day, in answer to my cry to You, Beloved, to grant us the grace to see Your hand in all things no matter how difficult, how crushingly sorrowful, how catastrophically beyond our ability to understand, and to say, " Jesus, I trust in You, I know that You will take care of it. You can draw good even from this ghastly situation in my life. You are with Me You are p; resent and Your love combined with y little faith will draw the greatest good from all this suffering and even though I am unable to see what You are doing for Mme and htose I love  I surrender all because I love You and I beliee in You I place all my hoe and trust knowing that the final outcome will be for my good and for your greater glory. Thank You, Lord.

We know that by turning everything to their good, God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

MATTHEW 13:44-52

ST. JAMES, APOSTLE - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord. JN 15:16

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-15

My Soul's Beloved,

Who am I, Lord? What am I, Lord? I am but the least of the handmaids of the handmaid of the Lord. Yet, O Lord, You called me by name. You have grafted me to Your Body. I belong to Your Church. Unworthy though I be, You fill me with Your Holy Spirit. You remain in me, and Your love for me is unwavering and steadfast. 

Thank You, Lord, that Your gaze is always on me. There is never a moment when You do not stoop low over me and all who are Yours. I need fear no evil for You walk with me, You protect me, You shield me, You cover me with Your precious Blood. What have I to fear, O Lord, when You have declared before heaven that I am Yours and that nothing can ever separate us from Your love and the love of Your Father and the Holy Spirit.

I am weak, frail, sinful. I stumble and fall constantly, but You are always present to take my hand, lift me up, and if necessary to carry me. Thank You, Jesus, for using me even in the little ways that You do to speak of Your love and Your faithfulness to anyone who is prepared to listen. Grant O Lord that I may never sin so grievously that I am separated from You, and if I do sin, Lord, grant me the grace to repent immediately, go to Confession and be reconciled to You and to the Church again.

Thank You for Your life in me.

We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems, but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed; always, wherever we may be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may always be seen in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
But as we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe, and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

PSALM 125(126):1-6

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.

The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.

Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.

They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.

Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap.

MATTHEW 20:20-28

My Soul's Beloved,

Mothers and parents in general often lobby for the best places for their children. They are prepared to go to great lengths to ensure that their children have the advantage so they can succeed. Often, being human, they are prepared to elbow others out of the way to make space for their own, as was the case with the Mother of James and John. Her sons had not quite understood what the Kingdom of God was that You came to establish, and they perhaps conveyed to their mother that it was an earthly one. Naturally, she wanted to smooth the way for her sons so they could receive elevated positions over the rest of the disciples. 

Salome, the mother of James and John, approaches You, bows low, and You graciously inquire of her, ‘What is it you want?’ She responds with confidence, quite certain You would give her what she desired: ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ Looking away from her, You addressed the two young disciples, who had not understood at all what the Kingdom was that You came to establish. You said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘You said, Very well, you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’ 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, it is good for us to know and understand what it means to be children of God, the meaning and purpose of our lives here on earth, how we should fulfill the particular mission that is entrusted to us, and to leave the reward for God to decide. We work as servants in the Father's vineyard and at the end of our labor we say humbly, 'We have only done our duty.'

The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

ST. CHARBEL MAKHLOUF, PRIEST, ON FRIDAY OF WEEK 16 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their perseverance. LK 8:15

JEREMIAH 3:14-17

My Soul's Beloved,

You never cease renewing Your Church, and she is always in need of renewal because the shepherds You appointed over Your flock, as well as Your own people, are sinners. The Word tells us that a righteous man falls seven times a day; how much more we, O Lord, who are weak, frail, easily tempted, and easily distracted and lured from our goal, which is union with You in this life and eternal union with You in the life to come.

The prophet reminds the chosen people that God remains with them and is doing a new thing with them as well. At the appointed time they will stop hankering for the past glories of the Ark of the Covenant, for God will make a New Covenant with them, one that will never pass away. You, O Lord, will be the Good Shepherd over Your flock; You will be our God, and we will be Your own. Grafted to You, formed by the Holy Spirit, called by Your Name, grafted onto You, the past forgotten, for God has done a new thing for us: He has called us to You and espoused us forever. Stay with us, Lord, until You come to carry us home to be with You eternally.

Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks – for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion. And when you have increased and become many in the land, then – it is the Lord who speaks – no one will ever say again: Where is the ark of the covenant of the Lord? There will be no thought of it, no memory of it, no regret for it, no making of another. When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of the Lord; all the nations will gather there in the name of the Lord and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.

JEREMIAH 31:10-13

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.

Then the young girls will rejoice and dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

MATTHEW 13:18-23

My Soul's Beloved,

You are constantly sowing the seed of the Kingdom of God in us in many ways: through the Church, through good books, through good homilies, through good advice from wise people, through prayer, and through our reflection on the Word of God. The Holy Spirit within us is constantly at work, ready to help us and teach us. However, we must be willing to hear, to receive, to accept, and to obey all that is asked of us. All too often we act according to our mood. We are full of good intentions. We make lots of resolutions and set out with full sail, but if our lives are not sustained by daily personal prayer, frequent reception of the Sacraments, and a life of fasting and almsgiving, we will not last long.

If we are to put down deep roots and be nurtured and nourished by the life-giving water of the Holy Spirit, we need to desire it and then be prepared to do the necessary work to make it happen. We need self-discipline and self-abnegation; or else we will be like the seed that falls on the rock, on the path, and on thorny ground. None of it will bear fruit but will wither and die before it has a chance to take root. All too often we live superficial lives, tossed about by our passions, temptations, and the lure of the world. Lord Jesus Christ, unless we first make an act of the will, ask You to help us in our weakness, and take that first all-important step towards conversion, we will never bear fruit that will last. But if we do, Lord—if we throw ourselves on Your mercy and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way with us—we will bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest for the glory of God.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

THURSDAY OF WEEK 16 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children. MT 11:25

JEREMIAH 2:1-3,7-8,12-13

My Soul's Beloved,

What the Lord had said through the prophet then to His chosen people, You say to us now, O Lord, my God. We are the new Jerusalem; we are the vine that You plucked and grafted into Yourself. We receive our life from You. We are fed on Your Flesh and Blood, and yet, O Lord, we have turned our backs on You, the source of all life and love. 

Is it any wonder, Beloved, that we the Church are struggling? We are looking for sustenance in ways where Wisdom and prudence have long fled. Our lives are empty, shallow, and filled with sadness, gloom, and misery. We tell ourselves we are happy by filling our days and nights with empty and tawdry pleasures that drag us even deeper into the depths of sadness and gloom.

How much longer, O Lord, will Your anointed and consecrated ones lead Your sheep astray? How much longer will they confirm Your sheep in their sins, making light of Your commandments? Your ways are holy, and Your Word is Truth. 

How much longer, O Lord, will a watered-down version of the Truth be dished out to Your people so that the minority are placated while the majority wander about confused? 

Pity us, Lord. We are governed not only by weak-minded and ignorant shepherds who make no attempt to study the great, saintly minds of the past or to allow the Holy Spirit to guide them into all Truth so that they might feed Your flock, but also by wicked, evil, greedy, and callous men and women in the public square who seek only their own good. They are ready to sacrifice everyone for the sake of their cronies. They are ready and willing to destroy and kill the many for the sake of their insatiable greed for wealth, power, and position. 

Who, O Lord, can we turn to in our misery but You? Do not abandon us, O Lord. Hear our cry and restore us; heal us. Bring us back. Destroy those who seek to destroy us, lest we too are lost forever. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for Your Name’s sake. Have mercy on us. Amen.

The word of the Lord was addressed to me, saying, ‘Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem:
‘“The Lord says this:
I remember the affection of your youth,
the love of your bridal days:
you followed me through the wilderness,
through a land unsown.
Israel was sacred to the Lord,
the first-fruits of his harvest;
anyone who ate of this had to pay for it,
misfortune came to them –
it is the Lord who speaks.”
‘I brought you to a fertile country
to enjoy its produce and good things;
but no sooner had you entered than you defiled my land,
and made my heritage detestable.
The priests have never asked, “Where is the Lord?”
Those who administer the Law have no knowledge of me.
The shepherds have rebelled against me;
the prophets have prophesied in the name of Baal,
following things with no power in them.
‘You heavens, stand aghast at this,
stand stupefied, stand utterly appalled
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Since my people have committed a double crime:
they have abandoned me,
the fountain of living water,
only to dig cisterns for themselves,
leaky cisterns
that hold no water.’

PSALM 35(36):6-11

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

Your love, Lord, reaches to heaven;
your truth to the skies.
Your justice is like God’s mountain,
your judgements like the deep.

O Lord, how precious is your love.
My God, the sons of men
find refuge in the shelter of your wings.
They feast on the riches of your house;
they drink from the stream of your delight.

In you is the source of life
and in your light we see light.
Keep on loving those who know you,
doing justice for upright hearts.

In you, Lord, is the source of life.

MATTHEW 13:10-17

My Soul's Beloved,

Like the disciples to whom it was given this singular grace to see You, hear You, touch You, talk with You, and be moved by Your goodness, tenderness, mercy, compassion, wisdom, love, and power, we too, O Lord, who belong to Your Church — One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic — are singularly blessed. We are members of Your Body. We are grafted into You. We receive life from You through the Sacraments You instituted. We are fed and nourished by Your Flesh and Blood. 

Those who do not belong to her are outside of her by choice. Seeing, they refuse to see; hearing, they refuse to hear. Since this is a deliberate choice to be deaf and blind, they, by an act of their will, place themselves outside Your Body.

So many of them, O Lord, can be heard in debates with holy Catholic men and women openly declaring that they have difficulties with many Catholic doctrines because of their limited human intellect and because concupiscence makes it hard for them to embrace God’s commands in their entirety. Whatever they believe gives them the freedom to pick and choose what suits them at any given time. Individual hearts, as well as the hearts of nations, have grown so coarse that they are prepared to accept outright evil as good and even to justify it.

Today, Beloved, I wish to thank You for the Church and for the grace and privilege granted to those whom God has willed to belong to her. It is only in this Church that we find the fullness of Goodness, Beauty, and Truth, for it is here that the Holy Spirit makes His home, animates the whole Body, and gives it His life.

‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

The disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:
You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.
‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

SAINT MARY MAGDALEN,

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Tell us, Mary: say
what thou didst see upon the way.
– The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

SONG OF SONGS 3:1-4

My Soul's Beloved,

My Lord and my God, like Mary Magdalene, we must seek You with all the fervor of our entire being. Our hearts must yearn for love of You, our souls must thirst for You, our whole mind must be filled with thoughts of You—of who You are and of the unpayable debt we owe You, our Savior and our Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, our most tender Lover and Bridegroom of our soul, all we need to do to find You is to enter into the bridal chamber of our soul in silence. There, withdrawing from the raucous sounds of the world, the garish and seductive passions of the flesh, and the lies of the Enemy, we will find You waiting for us—waiting with the longing of a Spouse who desires nothing more than perfect union with me, a sinner though I am.

Your love for me is unwearied. You love me as I am. You see the person that God our Father created me to be, and You provide all the graces I need by pouring Your own Holy Spirit into my soul. With His help, I can strive—however imperfectly—every moment of every day, to be all that God has created me to be.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Mary Magdalene, once freed from her sinful past, dedicated her whole life to staying close to You, loving You, and remaining grateful for all You did for her. I, on the other hand, continue to sin. I blow hot and cold; I am on fire one moment and cold the next. Pity me, Beloved. You know me better than I know myself—help me. Stay with me, Lord, every moment of every day. Carry me so I will not falter, fail, fall, or be lost. Grateful to You as I am, Lord, help me never to do anything that would cut me off from You, the true Vine.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The bride says this:
On my bed, at night, I sought him
whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
So I will rise and go through the City;
in the streets and in the squares
I will seek him whom my heart loves.
I sought but did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me
on their rounds in the City:
‘Have you seen him whom my heart loves?’
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my heart loves.

PSALM 62(63):2-6,8-9

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.

So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

JOHN 20:1-2,11-18

My Soul's Beloved,

In her grief, in her brokenness, having completely forgotten all You had said about rising again, Mary came at dawn to the tomb. She could not bear separation from You and desired to stay close to You even in death. She found that the stone at the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away. Not knowing what to make of it and believing Your Body had been taken, she ran to tell Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him.

”Returning to the tomb, she remained there weeping, bereft and grief-stricken, for she believed she would never again see You, whom she loved with her whole being, in this life. Still weeping, she approached the tomb, looked inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been—one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.

”Lord Jesus, if we truly hunger and thirst for You, if our souls are on fire with longing for You, we will find You. You are never far from those who desire to belong wholly to You and to remain in You. You will come to us as You came to her. Even though she did not recognize You at once, when You spoke to her, saying, “Woman, why are you weeping?” she replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.” 

As she said this, she turned around and saw You standing there, though she did not recognize You. You said, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Supposing You to be the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and remove Him.” You must have been smiling tenderly at her in Your heart. She loved You. She remained faithful to the end, and she alone, of all the disciples, came early in the morning to keep vigil by Your tomb. 

Then You called her by name: “Mary!” And the dawn broke into her life again, filling it with light as she recognized Your dear, beloved voice. She cried out joyfully, “Rabbuni!” and clung to You. You spoke gently to her, saying, “Do not cling to Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell the brothers: I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” Immediately she did what You commanded. She carried the good news to the disciples, telling them that she had seen the risen Lord.

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

Meanwhile Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

TUESDAY OF 1WEEK 16 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him. JN 14:23

MICAH 7:14-15,18-20

My Soul's Beloved,

Once again I come before You, O Shepherd of my soul, Good Shepherd who watches over Your sheep and will not permit robbers or wolves to snatch those that are Yours.  

O Lord my God, You know we are weak. You are aware of the concupiscence to which human flesh is subject. In Your short life on earth, You walked among the worst of sinners—betrayers, liars, thieves—those with hardened hearts and blighted spirits, and You loved them all.  Just as You continue to love the best of us and the worst of us with a love that is unwearied, steadfast, and passionate, so I come before You with confidence. I plead for the salvation of those I love so deeply, whose salvation I seek night and day.  

You will hear me, Lord, because my prayer finds favor with the Triune God. Every one of us is a thought of God; we were born in His heart from eternity, and it is His will that not one of His precious little ones should be lost.  

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, they have strayed far from the fold. Seek them, find them, speak tenderly to them, cajole them with words of love. Cover them in Your love, pick them up from the dark pit into which they have wandered, carry them in Your arms and upon Your shoulders. Wash them once again with Your Precious Blood, fill them with Your Holy Spirit, and may they feast again on Your Flesh and Blood and receive the sustenance they need to travel the narrow way until they reach the Kingdom of God.

With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture,
the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest
with meadow land all around.
Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt
grant us to see wonders.
What god can compare with you: taking fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.

PSALM 84(85):2-8

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.

O Lord, you once favoured your land
and revived the fortunes of Jacob,
you forgave the guilt of your people
and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage,
you calmed the heat of your anger.

Revive us now, God, our helper!
Put an end to your grievance against us.
Will you be angry with us for ever,
will your anger never cease?

Will you not restore again our life
that your people may rejoice in you?
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy.

MATTHEW 12:46-50

My Soul's Beloved,

You said to Your disciples that to do the will of Your Father was food and drink to You. All of Scripture teaches us that our whole aim in this life is to seek the will of God in all things and to do it, regardless of the consequences or the personal cost to ourselves.  

We are first called to discern Your will in all things. Having discerned it with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are then to follow it with single-minded devotion. There can be no excuses. If we deviate from it, we will suffer the consequences, for if we go against the express will of God and His commandments, we are responsible for the terrible results of our choices. It is pointless to cry out later when we have destroyed our lives because we deliberately and willfully chose to do what was contrary to the will of the Father.

The whole world is made ugly by the consequences of the deliberate choices we have all made in seeking after the puerile pleasures of the world and the flesh. The devil has put a ring in our nose and leads us in a merry dance away from heaven. Having lost heaven himself, he will stop at nothing to take as many souls with him to hell.

Pity us, Lord; may we emulate the shining example of Your noble and Immaculate Mother, whose life of grace, goodness, obedience, and humility to the will of the Father has raised her to sit at Your right hand and to share in Your glory as Queen of heaven and earth.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Jesus was speaking to the crowds when His mother and His brothers appeared. They were standing outside, anxious to speak with Him. But to the man who told Him this, Jesus replied, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. Anyone who does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL, ON THURSDAY OF WEEK 15 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. MT 11:28

ISAIAH 26:7-9,12,16-19

My Soul's Beloved,

As long as we have You, we have hope. Without You, Lord, all is darkness, sadness, gloom, and oppression, but with You we have life, joy, peace, and serenity. Lord God, thank You for the Sacraments, for Confession, for the Holy Eucharist; thank You for Your Presence on our Altars, in our Adoration Chapels, but above all, Beloved, thank You for making our poor, miserable, sinful souls Your home. 

Lord God, as long as we cling to You, as long as we desire to remain in You, as long as we cry out to You night and day, You will not permit us to go astray. Thank You for the consolation we have in You as our Good Shepherd who will leave the 99 to go in search of the stray. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, thank You for taking me by the hand, wounded as I am, blind, deaf, dumb, because I am often self-willed, lacking discipline, self-indulgent, but You know that I desire to be all Yours in every way and so You help Me. You carry me on your shoulder, You encourage me. You never abandon me but have poured Your Spirit into my soul. Thank You, Lord, for the grace to come to daily Holy Mass and receive You as my supernatural food and drink that sustains me. Thank You for forgiving me every time I come to You in repentance and contrition in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and strengthening me, forgiving me and reconciling me once again to the Father.

The path of the upright man is straight,
you smooth the way of the upright.
Following the path of your judgements,
we hoped in you, O Lord,
your name, your memory are all my soul desires.
At night my soul longs for you
and my spirit in me seeks for you;
when your judgements appear on earth
the inhabitants of the world learn the meaning of integrity.
O Lord, you are giving us peace,
since you treat us
as our deeds deserve.
Distressed, we search for you, O Lord;
the misery of oppression was your punishment for us.
As a woman with child near her time
writhes and cries out in her pangs,
so are we, O Lord, in your presence:
we have conceived, we writhe
as if we were giving birth;
we have not given the spirit of salvation to the earth,
no more inhabitants of the world are born.
Your dead will come to life,
their corpses will rise;
awake, exult,
all you who lie in the dust,
for your dew is a radiant dew
and the land of ghosts will give birth.

PSALM 101(102):13-21

The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.

You, O Lord, will endure for ever
and your name from age to age.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion:
for this is the time to have mercy,
for your servants love her very stones,
are moved with pity even for her dust.

The nations shall fear the name of the Lord
and all the earth’s kings your glory,
when the Lord shall build up Zion again
and appear in all his glory.
Then he will turn to the prayers of the helpless;
he will not despise their prayers.

Let this be written for ages to come
that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord;
for the Lord leaned down from his sanctuary on high.
He looked down from heaven to the earth
that he might hear the groans of the prisoners
and free those condemned to die.

The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth.

MATTHEW 11:28-30

Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

ST. BENEDICT, ABBOTT, ON SATURDAY OF WEEK 14 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

How happy are the poor in spirit:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. MT 5:3

PROVERBS 2:1-9

My Soul's Beloved,

You make such amazing promises to those who abide in You and Your Word, and You keep every one of them. It is most reassuring to know, Lord, that those who keep the First Commandment will receive from You all that is necessary to live in serenity and joy in this life and have this unbounded hope of eternal joy in Your Presence.

You are the pearl of great price, You are the treasure in the field, You alone are the one who satisfies all our longings. Having You, Lord, we possess all, for You are the fullness of love, goodness, beauty, and truth.

Stay with us, Lord, when the road is narrow and difficult, when the skies grow dark, and we grow weary. Grant us the grace to never stray from the path that leads to You and to the Kingdom of God. You have assured us that You will remain with us always; give us the faith that takes You at Your Word, for Your Word is truth.

My son, if you take my words to heart,
if you set store by my commandments,
tuning your ear to wisdom,
and applying your heart to truth:
yes, if your plea is for clear perception,
if you cry out for discernment,
if you look for it as if it were silver,
and search for it as for buried treasure,
you will then understand what the fear of the Lord is,
and discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord himself is giver of wisdom,
from his mouth issue knowledge and discernment.
He keeps his help for honest men,
he is the shield of those whose ways are honourable;
he stands guard over the paths of justice,
he keeps watch on the way of his devoted ones.
Then you will understand what virtue is, justice, and fair dealing,
all paths that lead to happiness.

PSALM 33(34):2-11

I will bless the Lord at all times.

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.

I will bless the Lord at all times.

MATTHEW 19:27-29

My Soul's Beloved,

Your response to Peter's question, ‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have then?’ applies firstly to those holy men and women who devoted their whole lives to You by living a consecrated life as priests and religious brothers and sisters, and to embrace the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. However, Lord, we lay people who live out our vocations in the world in different ways, with faith, hope, and love in service to God and neighbor, will also be blessed abundantly, as the lives of so many saints have witnessed to the world.

But now, Lord, I am speaking particularly of those who have turned their back on a life of ease, comfort, and contentment while embracing a sinful lifestyle. Often, it takes courage to turn away from the guile of the Enemy and choose to strip ourselves of what the world and the flesh offer to embrace a God-centered life. Anyone who does so, Lord, will be blessed not just in this life but abundantly in the Kingdom of Heaven. Bless those who have dared to turn their backs on sin and trust that You will supply all they need, both in this life and in the next.

Thank You, Lord.

Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘What about us?’ he said. ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.’

TUESDAY OF WEEK 14 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me. JN 10:14

HOSEA 8:4-7,11-13

My Soul's Beloved,

We live in a fallen world; it keeps getting more and more sordid. All nations, even those with a Catholic and Christian heritage, have long given up their inheritance as children of God. Like the people of Israel against whom the prophet speaks denouncing their harlotry, their wickedness, their idolatry, so too are the people of these nations. The world is given over to absorption in trivialities, entertainment of the most gross and titillating kind. They are unwearied in their pursuit of the pastimes of the flesh and the lure of evil. 

How much longer, O Lord, will we try Your patience before the avenging angel destroys us? Like Abraham pleading before God, we too plead, Beloved, that for the sake of the few You have mercy on the multitudes who have forgotten that God is their Creator and their Father and that they have been redeemed at a price that boggles the mind. Undeserving we are, O Lord, of the Father's love.  Yet we plead with You with tears and sorrow to have mercy on us. Father, do not forget the price that Your Son paid at Your behest to redeem us. Lord Jesus, You sent us the Holy Spirit whom we grieve constantly, to help us in our inconstancy and foolishness. Take pity on us, Lord, and bring us back home to the Father's House so we, contrite and repentant, may feast on the Bread and Wine that will assist us on our journey from earth to heaven.

Thus says the Lord:
They have set up kings, but not with my consent,
and appointed princes, but without my knowledge.
Out of their own silver and gold they have made idols,
which are doomed to destruction.
I spurn your calf, Samaria,
my anger blazes against it.
(How long will it be before they purge themselves of this,
the sons of Israel?)
A workman made the thing,
this cannot be God!
Yes, the calf of Samaria shall go up in flames.
They sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind;
their wheat will yield no ear,
the ear will yield no flour,
or, if it does, foreigners will swallow it.
Ephraim has built altar after altar,
they have only served him as occasion for sin.
Were I to write out the thousand precepts of my Law for him,
they would be paid no more attention than those of a stranger.
They love sacrificing; right, let them sacrifice!
They love meat; right, let them eat it!
The Lord takes no pleasure in these.
He is now going to remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they will have to go back to Egypt.

PSALM 113B(115):3-10

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

Our God, he is in the heavens;
he does whatever he wills.
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.

They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see;
they have ears but they cannot hear;
they have nostrils but they cannot smell.

With their hands they cannot feel;
with their feet they cannot walk.
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.
Sons of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord.

MATTHEW 9:32-37

My Soul's Beloved,

We see from all the miracles You performed that there is nothing in heaven, on earth, in the universe, in the underworld, and in our individual lives that is beyond Your ability to touch, heal, calm, make whole, and restore. This is most reassuring, my Lord and my God, especially when the troubles of this life overwhelm us, make us anxious, troubled, and afraid. The worldly-wise with power and influence would like us to believe that there is no God and that we are the masters and authors of our own lives. But we know and believe that this is not true. We belong to God. We have belonged to Him eternally before the foundations of the world were laid. Thank You, Lord, for this conviction that brings us peace and rest in Your love.

Today, my Lord, I bring before You my entire family, and I ask that You lay hands on us and fill us anew with Your Holy Spirit. We need You, Lord; we need the courage and strength that only You can give us so we may rest serenely in Your will for our lives. Mother Mary did not understand, but she surrendered completely to the will of God, so may it be for us. 

We are consoled by the fact that You are always sorry for us. You know how weak we are - You experienced it. You were tempted, like us, in every way, the only difference being You overcame it. You can and will help us. You gave us Your Holy Spirit precisely for this reason. He is our Helper, our Paraclete and our Guide. Thank You, Lord.

We have a mission. We are sent. Help us, Lord, to be effective witnesses of Your life in a world that is growing increasingly dark with sin. May we labour in Your vineyard faithfully to the end. Thank You.

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.
And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’