Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1:1-4,6, Luke 16:19-31

Daily Holy Mass Readings:  Jeremiah 18:18-20, Psalm 1:1-4,6, Luke 16:19-31

Jeremiah 17:5-10

 

7 Blessed is the man who puts his trust in God and whose confidence is in him! 8 He is like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots towards the stream.

He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green; the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit.

9 Most deceitful is the heart. What is there within man, who can understand him? 10 I, the Lord, search the heart and penetrate the mind. I reward each one according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds.

 My Beloved, I act foolishly sometimes and the fruit of such folly is bitter to the heart.  Teach me O Lord that true happiness comes from relying on You alone, trusting Your love and looking to You alone to sustain and satisfy me.

Psalm 1:1-4,6

 3 He is like a tree beside a brook

producing its fruit in due season,

its leaves never withering.

Everything he does is a success.

May I put my roots deep in You my Lord and draw my life from Your Holy Spirit in-dwelling in me.

Luke 16:19-31

31 Abraham said: ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be con­vinced even if someone rises from the grave.’”

My Beloved, You rose from the dead and so many refuse to believe.  How truly You have spoken.  People are afraid to believe because they know that if they do then they have to change and lead lives of holiness and perfection; with Your help ofcourse.  This they find either repugnant or too formidable a task.  I must admit it would be impossible if You did not supply all the grace we need.

Jeremiah:18-20, Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16, Matthew:17-28

Daily Holy Mass Readings:  Jeremiah:18-20, Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16,                

                                                          Matthew:17-28

Jeremiah:18-20

My Beloved, it is in the nature of evil to plot and scheme against the good.  To stand up boldly for You and for the cause of all that is good, is an irritant to the conscience of those of who would rather pretend that You either do not exist of that You are an option that they can choose either to acknowledge or ignore completely.  They have convinced themselves that they have no need for You and yet, if it was not for Your benevolence they would be dead for we depend on You to draw breath.

Forgive the foolishness of the ignorant my Lord and through grace open their eyes that they might see.  Open their ears that they might hear and open their hearts that they might receive Your love and live.

Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16

My Beloved, everything that men put You through in Your life, passion, and death were all prophesied clearly years before You became incarnate of the Virgin Mother.  To this day, people continue to plot and devise evil schemes to destroy those who choose to follow You.  Thank You for the wonderful example You have left us when faced with the enemy.  Thank You for showing us that God is in control and no one can harm a hair of our head if God did not permit it for a greater good.  If we die in You then we will rise to glory in, with and through You.

Beloved, please call all who are lying in the grave of indifference, unbelief and sin and save them for the sake of Your passion.

Matthew:17-28

Beloved, in these verses, You reveal clearly what we can expect as Your disciples if we wish to follow closely.  Those who choose to walk with You on the Way to the Kingdom and the Father's House will be treated in the same manner in which You were treated and this should not come as a surprise to us.

You came to bring division and to cast a fire on the earth, You came to separate the wheat from the chaff.  But even Your own can have the desire for power and influence.  If we drink from the same cup from which You drank, we do so not in order to be rewarded but because we know that the servant is not greater than the Master.  Those who are true disciples must serve, must nurture, must love to the point of death if need be, but first and foremost death to self.

Grant me Your help Beloved and to all who want to follow You closely.