DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me. Jn 10:27
Romans 9:1-5, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20, Luke 14:1-6
Romans 9:1-5
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
If we must have anguish Lord, if we must suffer great sorrow then it must be for the noble reasons that St. Paul has just spoken of in today's reading. You said it Yourself in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted." You wept over Jerusalem because they rejected the time of their visitation by rejecting You. St. Paul goes so far as to say the unthinkable, he would wish himself the most accursed of all and even cut off from You if it would bring his people, the people of Israel, the chosen people of God, the people of the Covenant if they would only come to know You, recognize You and proclaim You as the One whom they have longed for through the ages.
How terrible it is to have their longing realized in You and yet be so blind that they cannot see it and they continue to look for the One who has already arrived, was born from among them, took flesh from one among them, no wonder St. Paul grieves and so must we because the world too continues to reject You as well.
What am I doing to make You known and loved?
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
A day will come when the people whom God chose from among all nations will recognize You as the Messiah for whom they have longed through the ages. They have suffered great persecution, they have been exiled, they have been maligned, they continue to be harassed and are the target of great hatred and violence. Yet, they continue to be the people of the Covenant for God does not change and His promises are forever.
We are grateful Beloved, that their rejection has made us the beneficiaries of the New Covenant. We are the new people of God. You have established the New Jerusalem from Gentiles, outsiders. We have received the Word that they rejected. The Cornerstone that they refused is the Cornerstone on which You have built Your Church.
However, the people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are God's chosen and in the end they will accept the Word that sprung forth from among them.
Luke 14:1-6
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
It is the Sabbath. You are invited to dine at the home of one of the prominent Pharisees who has only invited You so that he had is peers could scrutinize You and look for ways to trap You and humiliate You in front of the other guests. From the moment You entered they kept a watchful eye on You. They thought that the ideal opportunity presented itself when a man suffering from dropsy was also present. They knew for a fact You would heal him and this was not permitted on a Sabbath.
You did exactly what they expected You healed the man and dismissed him then turning to Your adversaries You made clear their hypocrisy and their perverseness because they denied the care they extended over their livestock on a Sabbath to a human being. You silenced them on this occasion at least.
Help me Lord never to hinder Your work but to collaborate generously with those who do.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me. Jn 10:27
Romans 9:1-5, Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20, Luke 14:1-6
Romans 9:1-5
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
If we must have anguish Lord, if we must suffer great sorrow then it must be for the noble reasons that St. Paul has just spoken of in today's reading. You said it Yourself in the Beatitudes, "Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted." You wept over Jerusalem because they rejected the time of their visitation by rejecting You. St. Paul goes so far as to say the unthinkable, he would wish himself the most accursed of all and even cut off from You if it would bring his people, the people of Israel, the chosen people of God, the people of the Covenant if they would only come to know You, recognize You and proclaim You as the One whom they have longed for through the ages.
How terrible it is to have their longing realized in You and yet be so blind that they cannot see it and they continue to look for the One who has already arrived, was born from among them, took flesh from one among them, no wonder St. Paul grieves and so must we because the world too continues to reject You as well.
What am I doing to make You known and loved?
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
A day will come when the people whom God chose from among all nations will recognize You as the Messiah for whom they have longed through the ages. They have suffered great persecution, they have been exiled, they have been maligned, they continue to be harassed and are the target of great hatred and violence. Yet, they continue to be the people of the Covenant for God does not change and His promises are forever.
We are grateful Beloved, that their rejection has made us the beneficiaries of the New Covenant. We are the new people of God. You have established the New Jerusalem from Gentiles, outsiders. We have received the Word that they rejected. The Cornerstone that they refused is the Cornerstone on which You have built Your Church.
However, the people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are God's chosen and in the end they will accept the Word that sprung forth from among them.
Luke 14:1-6
Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,
It is the Sabbath. You are invited to dine at the home of one of the prominent Pharisees who has only invited You so that he had is peers could scrutinize You and look for ways to trap You and humiliate You in front of the other guests. From the moment You entered they kept a watchful eye on You. They thought that the ideal opportunity presented itself when a man suffering from dropsy was also present. They knew for a fact You would heal him and this was not permitted on a Sabbath.
You did exactly what they expected You healed the man and dismissed him then turning to Your adversaries You made clear their hypocrisy and their perverseness because they denied the care they extended over their livestock on a Sabbath to a human being. You silenced them on this occasion at least.
Help me Lord never to hinder Your work but to collaborate generously with those who do.
