John 10:26-30, Acts 4:23-31, John 3:1-8, Psalm 2:1-9

Daily Meditation:  John 10:26-30

John 10:26-30

26 The works I do in my Father’s name proclaim who I am, but you don’t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.

27 My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me 28 and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me. 29 What the Father has given me is above everything else and no one can snatch it from the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

My Beloved, in Matthew 7:16 You said, "By their fruits you will know them."  If the fruit of my work is quarrel, dissension, division and death then most clearly all that I do comes from darkness.  On the other hand, all Your works were and are works of healing, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, goodness, life, love.  Everything You did spoke clearly of power and grace that flowed through You from Your Father.  Those who recognized You understood that You came from God.  There are many in this world who do not believe because they do not belong to Your fold.  Thank You for these most comforting verses to those who know they belong to You.

I am Your sheep.  I hear Your voice, You know me and I follow You because I recognize that I belong to You.  I shall not perish, I shall live because I am grafted to You and no one would dare to snatch me from You.  Yes, Beloved, You and the Father are one - one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and I am Yours and therefore I am one with the triune God as well.

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Daily Mass Readings:  Acts 4:23-31, John 3:1-8, Psalm 2:1-9

Acts 4:23-31

Even to this day Beloved, the world and its rulers, the faithless and the godless continue to conspire against You and against Your Church.  They persecute and they ridicule.  They enact laws that seek to make it a crime to spread Your message of goodness, mercy forgiveness and love.  They distort the truth making their way sound reasonable when in fact their way is corrupt and brings death to body, soul, mind and spirit.  How foolish the world of the unbeliever is - they thought they would rid themselves of You by killing You, but what they accomplished was exactly in accordance with the Father's plan.  You were given into the hands of evil men in order to save the world.  In the end, God drew good out of unimaginable horror and evil as He always does if we trust in Him.

Beloved, with Your Church and with all people of good will I pray these  

verses 29-31.  29 But now, Lord, see their threats against us and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and to work signs and wonders through the Name of Jesus your holy servant.”

31 When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together shook, and they were all filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

Fill us with Your Holy Spirit in order that we might continue to speak boldly, challenging the evil of wicked men and wicked laws that seek to bring death.  As we meet to pray in the daily Eucharistic celebration, stretch out Your hand along with ours, as we work in Your Holy Name to heal, strengthen, teach, witness and bless.  Wake us from our sleep of apathy and shake us out of our lethargy to work actively for Your Kingdom.

John 3:1-8

Nicodemus is one who represents those who belong to the  rulers of the world and yet they are genuine seekers of the truth.  He recognized You.  Your works demonstrated clearly that God was with You mightily.  There were pharisees who said that You cast out demons through the power of Satan - they blasphemed. They would rather believe a lie than acknowledge the truth.

Nicodemus was different.  he did not yet have the courage to follow You in the daylight but came furtively under cover of the night  yet You accepted him as he was without reproach.  Your revealed wonderful truths to him.  Verse 5 5 Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  Fill us once again Lord with the breath of Your Holy Spirit in order to empower us to do the work that You have entrusted to us.  Sweet, gentle, Holy Spirit of Jesus, Spirit of Light and Truth, descend on me and remain with me now and forever.  Amen.

Psalm 2:1-9

1 Why do the nations conspire?

Why do the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth brace themselves

and the rulers together take their stand

against the Lord and his anointed.

3 They say, “Let us break their bonds!

Let us cast away their chains!”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord looks at them in derision.

5 Then in anger he speaks to them,

terrifying them in the fury of his wrath:

6 “Behold the king I have installed,

in Zion, upon my holy hill!”

7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord.

He said to me: “You are my son.

This day I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me and I will give you

the nations for your inheritance,

the ends of the earth for your possession.

9 You shall rule them with iron scepter

and shatter them as a potter’s vase.”

Praise the Lord, Praise the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy 

Spirit now and forever. Alleluia, Alleluia ,Alleluia!!!!!!!

Jeremiah 27:9, Wisdom 1:16, Acts 2:42-47, 1Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31, Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

Daily Meditation:  Jeremiah 27:9, Wisdom 1:16

Jeremiah 27:9

9 Hence you must no longer pay attention to your proph­ets, diviners, interpreters of dreams, astrologists or sorcerers who say that you must not submit yourselves to the king of Babylon.

Wisdom 1:16

16 It is the godless that consider death a friend and call for it in every way. They have made a pact with it and they shall justly belong to it.

The sign of every Christian is the sign of the Cross from which flows every grace and blessing, yet there are many sincere Catholics and Christians who think nothing of astrology and horoscopes.  They talk about their personality traits and attribute them to being born under certain star signs.  So many countries are under the bondage of Satan because they have given themselves up to different occult practices.  They take these things either lightly saying there is no harm in it or they take it very seriously and will do nothing without consulting their horoscope from birth to death and every other event in between.  The movies, songs and culture of the day celebrate evil and death.  The skull is seen decorating their jewelery or clothes.  

This verse in Wisdom reminds us that death flows from Satan and the godless make a pact with evil and sink deeper into darkness, gloom, hopelessness and despair.  In the end, death claims both their body and soul to eternal damnation.

Preserve us and our children from every evil my Beloved.  Thank You.

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Daily Mass Readings:  Acts 2:42-47, 1Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31, Psalm  118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

Acts 2:42-47

Beloved, we have strayed so far away from the early Church and what it looked like.  The Church is packed to the rafters with cafeteria Catholics on holy days like Christmas, Passion Week and Easter.  The rest of the year each lives their life according to their own personal gospel and their own image of god.  If all Catholics lived as the early Church meeting each morning to celebrate the Eucharist and then living each day with simplicity and working together and sharing everything in love, Your pray for unity would quickly be a reality.  The world would want to have a share in our joy.  Your Body, now broken from the Church You founded, forming splinter churches which are now in the tens of thousands, would no longer fragment itself further but would come together as one Body under Peter, Your Vicar on earth.  We continue to pray Lord and trust that someday Your prayer for unity will be answered.

1Peter 1:3-9

How wonderfully consoling are these words of our first Pope St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth.  Beloved You are alive and we have hope.  The inheritance we have received from You is one of life unlike that of Satan which bring corruption and death.  It is Your power that flows to us through the Sacraments that help us to remain faithful.  Through trouble and sorrow we are purified and tested like gold in a furnace and we emerge pure, strong and powerful in You.  True Beloved, I have not seen You physically but I love You and I believe in You and life is beautiful and worth living because You are the source of life and joy in my life.

John 20:19-31

Beloved, if we lock You out of our our lives there is chaos, darkness and fear but once we let You in through the Sacraments, You enter bringing with You joy and every other grace and blessing.  You carry the marks of Your Crucifixion in triumph for they are proof of God's merciful love for us.

Thank you for the power to forgive sin given to Your Priests.  We now do not have to carry the heavy burden of our iniquities and weaknesses.  In Confession, You set us free - free to love You and love ourselves as well as others.  

Breathe on me and on Your Church.  Breathe on the various organizations within the Church to encourage, nourish and foster growth through works of mercy.  Help us to grow in wisdom and knowledge and fill us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in order that His fruits may be manifest in our lives.

So many have left the Church on some excuse or the other - some flimsy some serious.  If You stood before them and said to them like You did to Thomas,  “Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe,” perhaps like Thomas, they would fall on their knees and say, "My Lord and my God."  Such a conversion is good but far better is the faith of those who have not seen You but accept the Word of the Gospel, believe in its authenticity and are prepared to lay down their lives in witnessing to it.  To these You say, "Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe."

Psalm 118:24 

24 This is the day the Lord has made;

so let us rejoice and be glad.