ST. POPE PIUS X - MONDAY OF WEEK TWENTY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

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

JUDGES 2:11-19 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Original sin has left an indelible scar on mankind and while this sin is washed away at our Baptism it has weakened us so we continue to be tempted by the world the flesh and the devil and are concupiscent to sin. Your Word O Lord reminds us that the righteous man falls seven times a day. This is true which means that the unrighteous fall constantly. 

The people of God in the Old Testament reflect our weak human nature perfectly. We are constantly falling into error, we suffer from our sinful choices, we repent and beg Your forgiveness. You forgive us over and over again and restore us in Your friendship and grace and for a while we are faithful but soon we forget all that You have done for us and we fall into sinful ways again. 

Thank You, Lord, for instituting the Sacrament of Reconciliation and for forgiving us each time we approach You in this Sacrament with a repentant and contrite heart.

PSALM 105(106):34-37,39-40,43-44 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

This psalm was written a very long time ago before You came into the world to redeem us and yet it is a perfect reflection of our present culture. The world is sinking deeper and deeper into the very pit of hell. The very same sins committed eons ago are committed to this day. 

Christians unworthy of the name are indifferent and tepid. They see Christianity as no different from other faiths. They are idolatrous for they worship the flesh, the world, and the devil and sacrifice their children on the demonic altar of abortion.  They defile their bodies and they kill their souls in unholy relationships and defile the sacred and divine concept of marriage and the union of one man and one woman in the holy bond of matrimony for life. Now we find our world spiralling out of control and we cry out to You for mercy. Hear us O Lord. Do not be deaf to our cry. Reach out to us and save us before we are doomed to eternal destruction.

O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.

MATTHEW 19:16-22 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today what You say to the man who desired to possess eternal life You say to each one of us. It is not enough to keep the commandments - they are the minimum requirement. We are invited to image You and thus strive to become like You in every way. How do we do this, Beloved - we lay down our life in loving service to our neighbor just as You lay down Your life to redeem us. 

We will follow You only as closely as we are willing to divest ourselves of our attachment to temporal things.

You say to us today, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 

WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Obedient to the Father, you were led to your crucifixion
as a meek lamb is led to the slaughter.

ISAIAH 50:4-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I am redeemed by Your Blood, I am saved, I am made an heir of the Kingdom of God, I have been raised with You for I have been given a share in Your own Holy Spirit. Who can stand against me when You O my Lord and my Savior stand for me?

The prophet Isaiah foretells clearly all that God has accomplished through You for our salvation. You are the Eternal Word of the Father and in Your Word o Lord, is life, healing, wholeness, comfort for the weary and broken soul, forgiveness, mercy, and pardon. Thank You for Your Word which is always accessible to us in Sacred Scripture. Your Word has eh power to speak to us and to lift us up. 

You teach us how to suffer through Your own agonizing suffering - through Your passion, and death by crucifixion on the cross at Calvary. Thank You for paying the price that we could not pay and if You had not paid it we would have tasted eternal death instead of eternal life.

We are so easily offended, so easily upset, retaliate at the slightest provocation and seek vengeance from those who harm us - but You show us a more noble way. You teach by example not to offer resistance when our enemies overpower us no matter how great the temptation to offer blow for blow.

For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.

You desire us instead to turn to You, seek help from You, and trust You to take vengeance on our behalf. You O Lord will vindicate us. Just as God raised You high and gave You a Name above every other name so too will we be raised with You if we remain Your faithful disciples as these words confirm:

The Lord is coming to my help,

who will dare to condemn me?

PSALM 68(69):8-10,21-22,31,33-34 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

These are the days O Lord, blessed, grace-filled days, to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of Your passion and death. You gave Yourself up completely into the hands of Your enemies and they in turn gave themselves over to Satan. Nothing was out of bounds, and nothing was too barbaric or too horrific. They went to the most extreme lengths to ensure that You suffered more than it is humanly possible to suffer and it was love alone that made it possible for You to find the courage and the strength to endure until You gave up Your Spirit. 

We now have an eternal and glorious intercessor before God who pleads for us night and day. We receive mercy and pardon only because You paid the ransom that we never could for our sins. Because of what You have done for us O my Beloved, we can always approach the throne of Mercy and receive all the graces and help we need to make our pilgrim journey from this valley of tears to the Kingdom of God. Thank You.

MATTHEW 26:14-25 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Judas Iscariot echoes what every evil person before him and since has done and continues to do when they shamelessly and unblushingly betray not only strangers and enemies but also family members and close friends who trusted and loved them. One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.

Judas considered the Lord and Giver of Life worth only thirty paltry pieces of silver. For this measly sum, he was prepared to betray his Lord, his Master, his Teacher, his Brother, and his Friend with whom he lived and broke bread with daily. You knew all, every moment was taking You inexorably to Your passion, crucifixion, and bloody death, as one of the Twelve he too was invited to partake of the Last Supper. would share with them. He was present when You instituted the Holy Eucharist. 

When You reveal plainly, ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.’ Each asks in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’ You revealed who it was saying, ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas brazenly says, ‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ And You reply, ‘They are your own words.’ When evil takes hold of us like it did Judas, we too lose all sense of shame. 

Preserve me Lord from grave sin, from betraying You. Keep me safe for eternal life.

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Hail to you, our King!
Obedient to the Father, you were led to your crucifixion
as a meek lamb is led to the slaughter.

ISAIAH 49:1-6 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Every prophecy in the Old Testament and in particular all that the prophet Isaiah says today is fulfilled in You, and we, by virtue of our baptism, are given a share in Your triple calling as priest, prophet, and king.

You are the Eternal High Priest, the Prophet of Prophets, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Father sent You into the world making with us a lasting Covenant that supersedes every other Covenant He ever made throughout salvation history beginning with the fall of Adam and Eve. 

God who created us for eternal joy loves His sinful creatures immeasurably and refused to abandon us to death. We were created for life in abundance and He would ensure we received it through You. Thank You, my Lord, and my God for coming into the world and paying the price that bought my salvation at the cost of Yours. Thank You for the brutal passion, the cruel suffering, and the barbaric crucifixion You endured for me. Thank You for praying for me to the end. Thank You for seeing me and loving me while You endured the savagery of the executioners and finding the strength to suffer the insufferable so I would not be lost to death forever.

Because of Your obedience even unto death on the Cross. Because You became less than us in order to redeem us and thus enable us to have a share in Your glory God has raised You high above all and has made You the light of the nations. It is right and fitting that God has ordained that no one can taste eternal bliss, nor can anyone enter the Kingdom of God unless they come through You.

PSALM 70(71):1-6,15,17 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You are my refuge, my help, my deliverer, my savior, my redeemer, my Lord, my King, and my God. Why then am I so weak that I allow every trouble to fill me with fear and anxiety? My faith is weak. I allow every storm to buffet me and I become fainthearted and sorrowful. Thank You for Your patience and for ministering to me and consoling me. Thank You for Your ever-present help. Thank You for the gift of Your Mother Mary - she is my treasure just as she is Yours. She comforts me and intercedes for me. 

Thank You, Lord, for never giving up on me. Thank You for pursuing me even when I ran away from You. Thank You for heeding my prayers and answering me even when the answer was not what I was looking for. Thank You for delivering me from the Enemy.

You O Lord are my hope, my joy, and my peace. From You, I receive perfect rest from this turbulent world of sorrow and sin. From the moment of my conception, You have been with me leading me slowly, tenderly, and surely every step of the way that I journey from here until I reach that place of eternal rest in You. You are my eternal home.

JOHN 13:21-33,36-38 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Everything is now coming to a climax. You experience every human emotion of dread, sorrow, and sadness while Your whole being shuddered and recoiled inwardly from the barbaric suffering You knew You would have to endure shortly. Of the many things that wound You to the heart and trouble Your spirit greatly is the rejection of the very people God chose and sent You to save and the betrayal of  Judas, one of the Twelve - an apostle and a friend.  

The overwhelming sadness in Your heart causes You to reveal that one of them seated at the table and sharing the Passover meal with You would betray You. It sent shockwaves around the room prompting Simon Peter to ask the beloved disciple reclining next to You to find out from You who the scoundrel was. 'Who is it, Lord?' he asks and You reply, ‘It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ Dipping the bread You gave it to the traitor Judas son of Simon Iscariot. His infamy will be remembered eternally. We are told that as soon as You pointed him to the rest Satan entered into Judas. Speaking directly to him You said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ Now that the hour had finally arrived You were ready. The evangelist tells us he left the room and walked out into the darkness as it was night. 

Judas was not to be a part of what was to follow since he had damned himself. You speak intimately to the rest, Your closest friends who would be the means by which the saving word of the Gospel would be preached to the ends of the earth.

Thank You, Lord, for the glory the Father has granted You through the Cross on which You were lifted high drawing all humanity to Yourself and redeeming the whole human race. Thank You for these holy days that are upon us and for the time granted to us to reflect on what You have done for us - thank You for Your abiding Presence in the world through the Holy Eucharist. You have not left us alone. We are never alone. You are Emmanuel, God with us until time shall cease.

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Hail to you, our King!
You alone have had compassion on our sins.

                                                        

                                    

ISAIAH 42:1-7 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Were it not for You what hope would we poor miserable creatures have?  The Father knew that we were doomed to die an eternal death but because He created us to share in His love He sent You into the world to become the means by which the world is ransomed. By Your wounds, we are healed. By Your Blood, we are washed clean. Through Your Passion and death, we have hope for a future with God in this present life and in eternity.

Thank You for Your obedience, Your humility, and Your willingness to take upon Yourself the sins of the world. Thank You for atoning for the sins of us all beginning with Adam and Eve. You came into the world in silence, You lived in anonymity for thirty years, You bore hardship, poverty, and privation although You are the Son of God. You became the Scapegoat driven into the wilderness so God could restore the heritage that our first parents rejected.

You demonstrated to us the power of obedience to the will of the Father and of living a life of spiritual poverty and detachment. We can never repay You for enduring the horror of Your Passion and the ensuing agonizing suffering brought about by our sins and our rejection of the Father's love.    

Thank You, Lord, for becoming sin, for being nailed to the Cross of humiliation and shame, thank You for being pierced with a lance, thank You for being raised aloft between heaven and earth so that we sinners can look at the One who was pierced for our sake and receive healing, wholeness, pardon, and life.

‘I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;

I have taken you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
‘to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.’

PSALM 26(27):1-3,13-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Long before these sentiments could ring true the psalmist foretold what he perceived dimly. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired him to speak of things that would only find perfect fulfillment in You. Yes, God spoke many times, in many ways, and to many Old Testament prophets but He did so only in part. All that the psalmist says in this beautiful psalm is realized in You, is perfected in You, and is possible only because of You.  

Fear, anxiety, hopelessness, distress, despondency, and all the other negative emotions we experience cease when we put our hope, our trust, and our confidence in You. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and Your Word, O Eternal Word of the Father is true. 

We pray this psalm because we are assured from experience that with You we walk confidently in the valley of tears because You take us by the hand, You hold us up when we stumble, You seek us when we are lost, and You carry us when we lack strength of our own.

The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is  the stronghold of my life;

before whom shall I shrink?

When evil-doers draw near
to devour my flesh,
it is they, my enemies and foes,
who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me

my heart would not fear.
Though war break out against me
even then would I trust.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!

JOHN 12:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Like Mary of Bethany love overpowers and overwhelms us when we experience God's forgiveness of our many sins both grave and small. The burden of guilt is lifted, our conscience is clean once more,  and our soul is restored to its pristine state before God who so very graciously forgives and forgets if we are truly repentant, contrite, and are resolved to sin no more. 

Today we see that love in action again. The evangelist John describes the last days before You will give Yourself up to death. You are visiting Your friends and they host a dinner in Your honor. Martha waited on You and the other guests, Lazarus whom You raised from the dead was seated at the table, and Mary their sister once again so enraptured by the love You have shown her by forgiving her many sins and restoring her soul anoints Your feet with a very costly ointment of pure nard and wipes them with her hair. The fragrance fills the house and is evocative of the love of God and the power of that love that ignites a response to that incredible love. Authentic love is extravagant, it does not count the cost and finds perfect joy in pouring itself out as a libation. While the mendacious, sanctimonious, thieving Judas,  scandalized by Mary's gesture, pretends that the perfume could have been sold and the money distributed to the poor.

You rebuke Judas rightly, saying to him, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’

As we conclude today's reflection we are being prepared for all the events that will take place in the coming days leading up to Your agony, arrest, trial, and Pilate's sentencing You to scourging and death by crucifixion even though he knew You were innocent. So great was the murderous hate in the hearts of Your enemies that they would know no rest until they had the satisfaction of seeing You humiliated and nailed to the Cross. 

SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life. JN 3:16

EZEKIEL 37:21-28 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve Your plan of salvation came into effect. You chose and formed a people for Yourself and from them, You would choose the line of David to bring forth the Savior of the world who would restore all that our first parents had lost. You, my Lord and my God, the Son of the Living God, would become incarnate of the Virgin Mary fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah. You become tangible. God became flesh and dwelt among us. You are the Sacrament of Sacraments, You are the ultimate Covenant. The invisible God became visible. You received Your spotless Body from the chaste Virgin when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of God overshadowed her.

Every Covenant that was ever made is finally superseded by the final Covenant between God and those who believe in You, hope in You, put all their faith in You, and love You. We are made a kingdom of priests and prophets, we belong to the royal house of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are saved by the precious blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.

No longer are we separate from God for You have reconciled us to the Father and You have restored all that was lost forever for with God nothing is impossible.

They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their filthy practices and all their sins. I shall rescue them from all the betrayals they have been guilty of; I shall cleanse them; they shall be my people and I will be their God.

I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and increase them; I shall settle my sanctuary among them forever. I shall make my home above them; I will be their God, they shall be my people. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them forever.’

JEREMIAH 31:10-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The verses taken from the book of Jeremiah for our reflection in the liturgy today celebrate all that God has done for the people who belong to Him, the sheep of His flock. Sin separates, sin divides, sin wounds, and sin brings despair, sadness, and death. But God our Father would not permit sin and evil to have the last word. He sent You, His Eternal, Living Word, His beloved Son, to repair, to heal, to restore what our first parents so wantonly destroyed by their disobedience.

God made You the ransom by which a price that we could never pay was made on our behalf. You became Christ, the anointed of the Father, Jesus, One who saves, and by the overpowering, irresistible hand of God the face of the earth was renewed. Nailed and lifted high on the Cross, pierced with a lance, from Your wounds O Lord flows never-ending streams of living water that make it possible for the children of men to become worthy children of God.

You O Lord turn our mourning into dancing, our sorrow to joy. You renew us, strengthen us, and carry us on eagle's wings to the place where You dwell. You are our food and our drink and refreshed and nourished by You we journey confidently from this valley of tears to the Kingdom of God, our eternal home.

JOHN 11:45-56 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Today's Gospel passage speaks of two kinds of people - on the one hand, there are those who after witnessing the power of God when You raised Lazarus from the dead believed in You, and on the other, there are those whose sole occupation is to curry favor with those in power as some of the other Jews did who reported to the Pharisees what they had seen and heard.

The chief priests were so obtuse, so spiritually dwarfed, and so obsessed with maintaining the status quo and safeguarding their own little fiefdoms that they failed to see that God was truly in their midst. God had come to dwell with His people. Their response to the miracles was:

‘Here is this man working all these signs and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’

Then Caiaphas, being high priest that year, unbeknownst to himself made this prophecy that You were to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. He said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.’ And from that moment on we are told that Your enemies began plotting Your death. Knowing their evil designs to kill You, You no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples. You stayed away until the hour would arrive when You would give Yourself into the hands of sinners and not a moment before that ordained hour.

FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life. JN 6:63, 68

JEREMIAH 20:10-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Jeremiah and all the prophets experienced rejection, persecution, exile, threats, torture, imprisonment, and even death foreshadowing all that the Son of Man would suffer in order to redeem fallen mankind. The lamentations of all the prophets calling out the sins of the wicked and warning them of the chastisement that would come if they did not repent of their sins only resulted in hastening their murder. And so it was with You.

There is no human emotion You do not understand perfectly for You were fully human. You know what it is to be betrayed, to be persecuted, to be maligned by those who ought to have known better. They knew the Scriptures, they studied the Law of Moses, every word that came out of Your mouth was wisdom and they brought comfort, healing, and hope. You were not interested in just observing the Law and its precepts rather You desired that we do not separate love, compassion, kindness, and tenderness from the demands of the Law. You wanted Your hearers to understand that to love and to serve is far greater and receives greater merit from God than to be scrupulous about following the law.

How often You must have sighed with great sorrow at the blindness of those who were in positions of authority and had power. They were caught up and bound by their narrow interpretation of the Word of God that they failed to recognize the time of their salvation. God walked among His people and those who could have been Your friends and allies were instead Your greatest enemies. They were so obsessed with maintaining the status quo that they were prepared to commit murder in order to retain their stranglehold on the people. They refused to show mercy and they hated You for showing them up as hypocrites. 

But to those who believe, my Lord, You grant eternal life. You gave Yourself up into the hands of evil men paying the price for our salvation and gaining for us a Kingdom. Thank You.

JOHN 10:31-42 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The lamentations of Jeremiah and all the prophets who received only rejection and abuse, suffering, torment, and death at the hands of sinful and evil men who would rather wallow in their sins than repent and be saved, were experienced also by You. The Jews who raged against You hated You with a murderous rage. Your words revealed that they would rather serve a god of their own making and in their own image and likeness rather than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They rejected You for claiming to be the Son of the one true God whom You addressed as Father and as having been sent by Him whom You knew intimately. All the signs and wonders You performed clearly indicated Your divine power but they refused to believe. You were unafraid to speak the truth and pointed out their hypocrisies to their face. They jealously guarded the letter of the law failing to understand its spirit.

They threatened to stone You to death, they plotted unceasingly to trap You and do away with You because You disturbed their complacency and showed them up as blind leaders and teachers. Often we too are like them. We prefer our creature comforts and are unhappy when we are reminded that suffering is the lot of all who wish to follow You closely. There is no escaping the cross if we are to be authentic disciples. 

The world hates Christians because they first hated You. The world hates the Church because she follows You closely and does all that You have done. She heals the brokenhearted, binds the wounds of the suffering, opens the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and cripples leap, jump, and praise God. Prisoners are set free, the dead are brought to life and the power of God is clearly evident in her for You make Your home in Your Church, Your bride. The ungodly, the idolators, those who worship strange gods hate Christians with a demonic hatred and whether they know it or not they are pawns of satan.

Thank You, Lord, for Your assurance that the gates of hell will never prevail against Your Church for she is victorious in You. The Blood of the Lamb is her mighty protection and the devil is vanquished by the power of the Cross.

THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord. PS 94:8

GENESIS 17:3-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

You, Yourself are the greatest Covenant that God our Father makes with all those who believe in You, hope in You, and are grafted to You. You are the New Covenant replacing every other Covenant for in You alone, my Beloved is our hope of eternal life and eternal joy. We who are members of Your Living Body, the Church, receive from the Holy Spirit Living Water that flows from the Church's Sacraments welling up to life in us.

Every Covenant ever made between God and man since the first one made with Adam is fulfilled perfectly in You. In You O Lord, is our hope of salvation. You stooped low in perfect humility and obedience to the Father's will and You drew the whole human race into the redeeming power of Your love. You are the atoning Sacrifice offered up to the Father in perpetuity on the Altar of the Cross until time shall cease. Thank You, Lord, for the free gift of faith that gives us the privilege of addressing God as Father because You have made us sons and daughters of the Most High and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

PSALM 104(105):4-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for Your wonderful assurance that You remember Your Covenant forever. We have no reason to be afraid, anxious, sad, or hopeless. Even when we forget, Your Word reminds us that You never forget us and there is nowhere we can hide from You. Your love seeks and searches us, finds us, embraces us, heals us, and restores us as children of God.

Every wondrous sign, and every miracle ever performed by You in the past continues to this day. Your love never fails even when ours does.

He remembers his covenant forever,

his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

JOHN 8:51-59 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is easy to doubt the incredible promises You make if we lack faith. But faith is a gift freely given to anyone who desires it, who asks for it, who is prepared to have an open mind, and who is willing to listen. These words that You say to the Jews are hard to understand if we lack faith in You the Eternal Word, the only begotten Son of the Living God.

‘I tell you most solemnly, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’

The Jews who refused to accept the wondrous miracles You performed as signs that You were indeed from God and even God Himself, would certainly accuse You of being deranged or demon-possessed. But even in the face of death threats and persecution, You refused to back down from the Truth that You are indeed who You say You are.

When You said, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day;

he saw it and was glad,’ the Jews jeered, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ And then there was no mistaking what You meant when You replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am.’

It is not surprising that when they heard what You said they picked up stones to throw at You. You hid Yourself and left the Temple since Your hour had not yet come. Only when that glorious hour of our salvation arrives would You give Yourself over into the hands of sinners in order to become the means by which You would redeem the whole world.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

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

DANIEL 3:14-20,24-25,28 ©

My Soul's Beloved, 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are shining examples and authentic witnesses to the Truth. All too often, through the ages, men and women have submitted to the power of men when put to the test out of fear of punishment. 

When King Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to bow down and worship the idol he had erected or be burned alive as there was no god who could deliver them, they boldly professed their faith in the Living God. This was their response: ‘Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.’

This so enraged the king that he commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter heated than usual. He had the three men bound and thrown into the flames. 

Evil rages impotently when faced with men and women of unswerving faith who are incorruptible whether or not You they will be saved from temporary difficulties or trouble because they know the One in whom they have placed their faith, hope, and trust. Sacred Scripture assures us that a mustard seed of faith in You has the power to move mountains as King Nebuchadnezzar and those with him witnessed in amazement that day. ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire? But I can see four men walking about freely in the heart of the fire without coming to any harm. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’

Over and over again, Beloved, You have worked marvels in our lives as well when we have had a childlike faith in You. But all too often we allow our circumstances to rob us of this faith and we drown in fear. In such moments grant us the grace to recall past favors when time and time again You rescued us and saved us and our faith will be strengthened anew.  

JOHN 8:31-42 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

We are only ever truly free when we refuse to be enslaved to the passions of the flesh, the culture we live in, the things we possess, and the insidious wiles of the ancient enemy. You speak to us clearly and plainly in the Gospel reflection for today - 

‘If you make my word your home

you will indeed be my disciples,
you will learn the truth
and the truth will make you free.’

You are the Eternal Word of the Father and by the power of the Word of God all things that are, came to be. All that the Father has to say is said in One Word, You, His Eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. You make Your home in us, Beloved if we permit Your Word to do so. You desire nothing more than to make our hearts Your abode and when we do we will discover that nothing in this world, no calamity that strikes us, no evil that threatens us will overpower us because You fight our battles for us. In all circumstances, You have the power to draw good because we are children of God and heirs to the Kingdom.

In baptism we are grafted to Your Body, we eat Your flesh and drink Your blood in the Holy Eucharist and receive divine life and grace, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are made a new creation each time we are forgiven and we can begin anew. Grace streams upon us because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We address God as Abba just as You taught us to and because we believe that You were sent into the world by God to save and redeem us by Your passion, death, and glorious resurrection into heaven. In You, O Lord, we place all our hope and trust. We are members of the Church You established which is Your body, and the Father is ever attentive to our voice and grants us all we ask for in Your Name because we believe.

TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain forever.

NUMBERS 21:4-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Just like the Israelites, when the journey gets difficult and troubles press around me when I am overwhelmed with worry, anxiety, and sorrow when I am distressed, I forget all the times You have been gracious to me and You have come to my aid and lifted me up and poured grace upon grace on me.  More times than I can count, my Lord, You have heard my prayers and have granted my petitions yet my memory is short and when I am troubled and afraid I cry aloud to You and beg You not to forget or forsake me. You never have my Lord. Forgive me when in times of trial tears are never far from my eyes and I drown in unhappiness as my faith dims.

The Lord punished the Israelites who were murmured against Him despite all the miraculous signs and wonders they had witnessed. He sent fiery serpents to sting them and they died. Sin kills. When the people repented of their sins and cried out to God to save them, You instructed Moses to make a bronze replica of the fiery serpent and to raise it up on a standard and all who were bitten by the serpent were asked to look at it and they lived. 

As the new Moses, You took upon Yourself the sins of all humanity and absorbed them into Your own sinless Body. You were nailed to the Cross, lifted high on the Cross, pierced by a lance, and all of us who were doomed to die in sin can now live because You died in our place. You paid the price and redeemed us. We live because You became the atoning Lamb of Sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to the Father. Thank You, Lord. 

PSALM 101(102):2-3,16-21 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I cry to You ceaselessly night and day begging You to hear and answer me. Have pity on us O Lord. Who do we have but You? Who has the power but You to do the impossible?  So often I feel that You are distant, far from the sound of my cries, far from the voice of my pleading. Do not forsake me my Lord I beg You. Grant me and those I love the help that I plead with You to send us. Do not hesitate O Lord, do not delay, but in Your great kindness, Your goodness, and Your tender compassion for us who are helpless and needy, reach out and enfold us in Your love and heal us in every way that we need healing.

Thank You, Beloved, that You always hear and answer those who are called by Your Name.

JOHN 8:21-30 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is just as You have said to the Pharisees, if we do not believe in You then we cannot follow You to the place where You live and reign eternally. So many of us look in all the wrong places, profess faith in gods of our own making, offer sacrifice to false gods made in our image and likeness and we stray further and further away from the path of truth, holiness, and righteousness. 

As long as we do not lift up our eyes, as long as our vision is focused on the things of the earth, as long as we refuse to recognize the truth that is emblazoned in the greatest of all signs, the sign of the Cross, we cannot be healed, we cannot be saved, we cannot live. It is only when we embrace the Cross and accept the healing that flows from it only then can we be saved. It is the will of the Father that only those who believe in His only Son will live with Him eternally.

‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He
and that I do nothing of myself:
what the Father has taught me is what I preach;
he who sent me is with me,
and has not left me to myself,
for I always do what pleases him.’

MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man
– it is the Lord who speaks –
but in the turning back of a wicked man
who changes his ways to win life. EZ 33:11

DANIEL 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

All too often we allow our senses to enslave us and are prepared to descend into the depths of darkness in order to gratify these desires. These lecherous, shameless elders are prepared to destroy the reputation of an innocent and virtuous woman because she resists them and refuses to be bullied into submission. When they accuse her and threaten to destroy her with false accusations she refuses to allow fear of death to overpower her fear of God. She would rather die innocent than live with a stained conscience. It is the way of the world for those who are rich, powerful, and influential, but lack the fear of the Lord who shamelessly and wantonly wields that power to trap, coerce, subjugate, and render helpless the weak and the poor. 

Very rarely will a Daniel stand up against the status quo, risking all to challenge those whom the world panders and kowtows to. But Daniel also teaches us that if we are filled by the Holy Spirit and we allow the Spirit of God to reign in us giving Him total autonomy over us, we like Daniel will be a force for great good in the world.   

Susanna, a woman of great courage chose to place all her trust in God. She chose to die rather than to sin and God came to her rescue through the young Daniel. He refused to remain silent in the face of the treachery of two evil and godless old judges who were prepared to commit murder because a virtuous woman refused to allow fear to destroy her immortal soul.

O Lord, our God, grant us the grace to never permit fear, anxiety, and distress to possess us to such a degree that we fail to put all our hope and trust in You. Victory belongs to those who call on Your Name with faith, hope, and trust. 

PSALM 22(23) ©

My Soul's Beloved,

I thank You for the comfort that this psalm always brings to those who are walking in the valley of tribulation. You are my Shepherd and because I am the sheep of Your flock I shall not want. You are beside me to lead, guide, protect, feed, care for, and minister to me in every situation. 

Thank You for this blessed assurance that I can lie in peace and in safety knowing that You will never leave me or forsake me because You have carved me on the palm of Your hand.

Thank You for loving me infinitely and unconditionally. I am all Yours now and forever.

JOHN 8:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The scribes and the Pharisees who brought before You the woman caught committing adultery were blinded by their all-consuming hatred of You. They were pitiless in shaming and humiliating the poor woman just so they could trap You. They were certain that they finally had You on the horns of a dilemma either You would uphold the law and render all Your teaching on mercy meaningless or You would condemn Yourself publicly by rejecting the Law of Moses which clearly indicated that such a woman be stoned to death. 

Aware of the malice against You smoldering in their hearts You bent down to write on the ground with Your finger. Your enemies who surrounded You were clueless that this is the finger of God that wrote the commandments on the tablets of stone that were given to Moses. When they persisted in badgering You, You looked up at them gravely and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And You continue to casually write on the ground seemingly unaware of the murderous crowd clamoring around You. 

The evangelist reveals the dramatic events that follow when they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. A few moments later after each person in the crowd had shuffled away beginning with the oldest the woman finds herself alone with You only then You look up, and addressing the woman softly and tenderly You say, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ There is that beautiful word by which You address her, 'woman', it is the same word that You also use to address Your Mother in significant moments conferring on her the full dignity of what that word represents. And then You add healing salve to her wounds when in response to Your query she says, ‘No one, sir’ and she is healed completely in every way when You reply, ‘Neither do I condemn you, go away and do not sin any more.’

Thank You, Lord, for instituting the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation where every repentant sinner is given an opportunity to begin anew. 

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die. JN 11:25, 26

EZEKIEL 37:12-14 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the new life that we receive through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, and Savior.  How good it is to be reassured constantly that we are precious in Your sight and that You will woo and pursue us relentlessly, lovingly, tenderly, and tirelessly until we surrender and allow ourselves to be taken captive by You.

Thank You, Lord, that You never give up on us. Thank You for redeeming us and saving us. Thank You that while we were yet sinners and deserving of eternal death, You nevertheless came into the world to raise us to new life and to give us Your own Spirit and the promise of a share of Your glory in Your Kingdom. Thank You for setting us free and making us daughters and sons of God.

PSALM 129(130) ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The psalmist has expressed the sentiments of all souls who cry out to You ceaselessly for help and relief as we sojourn from this valley of tears to our eternal home. Who do we have but You O Lord? You alone have the power to set us free from the miseries of our earthly existence, to forgive our sins, to assist us with Your grace for we have no strength of our own to withstand the wiles of the enemy, the world, and above all our concupiscence.

Thank You for showing us mercy and granting us pardon when we cry out to You. Thank You for keeping no records of our sins once You have forgiven them. Thank You, Lord, for instituting the Sacraments and for ensuring Your Presence among us until the end of the age.

Thank You for the longing that You have put in every human heart for You and for leading us gently to the knowledge that You alone satisfy our hungry hearts. Only in loving You and allowing ourselves to be wholly Yours can we be happy in this life as we prepare ourselves for the life to come.

ROMANS 8:8-11 ©

My Soul'sBeloved,

Thank You, Lord, for the wisdom and understanding You have given the writers of Sacred Scripture in expressing and making known to us the things of God and of heaven. Nothing is hidden from those who desire to make their home in You and in whom You make a home. Our bodies are Your living temples. Your Spirit makes it possible to discern and to choose wisely the things that give life and to resist the things that kill the soul.

In baptism, we are made children of God and heirs to the Kingdom. In all the Sacraments that follow we are given the power and the grace to live in the shadow of God with childlike trust and simplicity. Only the little ones are pleasing to You. Today I pray O Lord that You grant me the grace I need to be little, humble, obedient, and docile to the promptings of Your Spirit always. Amen. 

JOHN 11:1-45 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is impossible to plumb the richness of all that this beautiful account of the raising of Lazarus reveals and teaches us even if we possessed the wisdom of Solomon. 

That You love Your friends and share their joys and sorrows is clear. You mourned with Martha and Mary at the death of Lazarus. You wept and shared their grief even though You knew that You would raise him to life again. This family returned Your love. They considered nothing to be too good for You as Mary's actions proved when she anointed Your feet with expensive ointment and wiped Your feet with her hair. Now their hearts were broken at the loss of their brother and they chided You for not coming when they had informed You that he was ill. They knew that had You come You could have healed him.

Often, Lord, we complain when You do not answer our prayers in the way that You ask You to. Instead of surrendering to Your wisdom, we instruct You how to answer us. But as both Martha and Mary were to find out, You had something far greater in mind. This miracle would prove definitively that You are God.

Through all our misunderstands, through all our doubts, our impatience, and our murmurings, You quietly support us, listen to us, correct us, and reveal to us that Your ways are far, far better than anything we could hope for or conceive of. If we are truly Your disciples then like Thomas, we will desire to follow You all the way even to death.

These words of comfort and reassurance are addressed not just to Martha and Mary but to everyone and anyone who hears You and believes: 

‘I am the resurrection and the life.

If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?’

If we have eyes to see and we believe no matter how dark the road, the depths of our grief, the sadness that seems to fill every crevice in our hearts if we cling to You through every situation we believe is impossible, we will witness the glory of God.

‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ 

You can roll away every stone, every block, every sin that prevents grace from penetrating into our soul because Your prayers of intercession to Your Father on our behalf will always be heard.

‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.
I knew indeed that you always hear me,
but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,
so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’

And Your Father always hears You and answers You and then we are set free from all that binds us and enslaves us and destroys and kills us.

We believe Lord, may our lives be a powerful witness to Your love so all who see us will believe in You and be saved.

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD - 2023

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Word became flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory. JN 1:14

ISAIAH 7:10-14,8:10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You, my Lord and my God for the greatest of signs, the Sign of the Cross, and that most wondrous sign that God Himself desired to make known when he spoke to Ahaz and prompted him to ask for a sign. When Ahaz refused the Lord God speaking through the lips of Isaiah made known the sign that he prophesied would herald the dawn of the second creation. God would start over with a New Adam and a New Eve and through perfect obedience and humility would untie the knot of our first parents' sin of pride and disobedience. 

Our first parents desired to be like God and so lost paradise but You, O Lord our God, who so loved the world, reversed the taint, the blight, the wound inflicted on the whole human race by starting over. The sign that was to be given is this:

‘Listen now, House of David:
 the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.’

God is with us because of the obedience and humility of a young virgin who emptied herself so she could be filled with God. Thank You Mother Mary for your willingness to be the handmaid of the Lord, for your fiat to the will of God, and for giving the world the Son of God and the Son of Man so God could become one of us and thus redeem us. 

HEBREWS 10:4-10 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that although the Law required animal sacrifices their blood was incapable of making atonement for sin. These sacrifices however foreshadowed the one, holy, and perfect Sacrifice that the Son of God and the Son of Man would make of Himself that would indeed wash away the sins of the whole human race and bring redemption to us all.

One like us, but without sin, could alone make atonement for the sins of the world. But all the children of Adam and Eve are born with the taint of original sin and this is why God had to start over by choosing a new Woman without blemish so she could bring forth the sinless Son of God and the Son of Man who then would become the atoning Sacrifice by taking upon Himself the sins of the world, paying the price for our iniquities, and redeeming the whole human race.   

You, my Beloved, said, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will,’ and so did Mary. She gave You Your Body making it possible for You to offer that same Body as an atoning, once-for-all Sacrifice that has redeemed the world. 

LUKE 1:26-38 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

At the dawn of creation, the Triune God was present and now at the dawn of the New Creation, the Triune God is also present. God starts over after the first man whom He fashioned from the dust of the earth and the first woman He fashioned from the rib taken from the man's side deliberately, wantonly, and foolishly, disobeyed God and irrevocably separated themselves from Him. 

The evangelist St. Luke paints a vivid picture of the mystery of the Annunciation where God and the entire heavens wait with bated breath for the fiat of a young virgin whose home was in the little town of Nazareth. It is God's way to always choose the least, the lowest, and the last, in order to do His most incredible work for then all the glory belongs to Him alone.

The drama of the Annunciation is the most romantic and the greatest love story of all time. and it will continue to stir our hearts and imaginations. Thank you, dearest Mother for saying yes to God's plan to cooperate with Him in giving the world our Savior. Through your most powerful intercession with Your Son obtain for your poor children the grace to submit to the will of God in all the events of our life.