Ezekiel 2:2-5, Psalm 123:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor. Lk 4:18


Ezekiel 2:2-5, Psalm 123:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10,
Mark 6:1-6


Ezekiel 2:2-5

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

I thank our Father in heaven for sending You into the world to redeem us. Thank You Beloved for Your Holy Spirit that makes it possible for us to receive Your Word into our hearts, ponder on it, be strengthened by it, and permit it to give direction to our life. You are the One sent by the Father and all who believe in You are saved. Grant me opportunities       O Lord to speak about You to a world that does not know You. Unless I share the Light that is given to me I shall be responsible for the darkness caused by withholding the Word that is Light and Life.Psalm 123:1-4

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

I thank You, I adore You, I am truly grateful to You for the Gift of knowing You my Lord and my God. You who are seated at the right hand of the Father, enthroned in the highest heavens, have called me by my name and have saved me for Yourself. I am the handmaid of Your handmaid. I am less than nothing. Yet, You come to me and You raise me up to Yourself everytime I receive You in the Holy Eucharist. 

How can I ever thank You enough for all You do for me day after day, from moment to moment. The world despises those who call themselves Christians, Your followers, and who live by the Way, and the Truth that has been revealed to us. Despite the persecution and the contempt of those who do not know You grant us the grace to never tire of witnessing to You no matter what the cost may be. Have mercy on us O Lord and may our slightest efforts to make You known and loved bear fruit that will last.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

This is the truth my Lord as long as we depend on our own strength we can do nothing but when we lean on You and permit Your Spirit to lead and guide us we will be a powerful force in the world. Nothing will be cause us to lose our zeal if we understand that it is You who work in us and through us - without You we are nothing. We are powerless but with You and with Your Spirit we can conquer the world. 

There is power in weakness if that power comes from You. Help us not to get dejected in the face of difficulties, sickness, weaknesses, for it is when we acknowledge that without You we can do nothing and permit Your Holy Spirit to work in us then we shall be more than conquerors with His help and His direction.

Mark 6:1-6

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

When we think we know when we presume to know, when we are filled with our own prejudice and our assumptions of people that is the time when we will find that we could not be more wrong. The people of Nazareth, Your hometown, were guilty of making this error in judgment. They thought the knew You because You grew up in their midst and was with them for 30 years They were clueless about Your divine mission. The mission that brought You into the world and that You began from the moment You were baptized in the river Jordan. Some of them may have heard rumors about what You had done, the miracles You had performed and yet their minds remained closed.

The heard You speak - it was like nothing they had ever experienced before and instead of acknowledging that the wisdom came from God and been open to You, being proud of You and accepting You their narrowmindedness prevented them for seeing and experiencing the power of God.

We are the same sometimes Beloved, we think we know and so we close our hearts and minds to the new thing that God has for us. 

Keep me humble Beloved, keep me open, grant me the grace to recognize Your Spirit at work in those around me and give You the glory. Amen.

Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, Psalm 119:2,10, 20, 30, 40, 131, Matthew 9:9-13

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord. Mt 11:28

Amos 8:4-6, 9-12, Psalm 119:2,10, 20, 30, 40, 131,
Matthew 9:9-13


Amos 8:4-6, 9-12

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

The prophet Amos makes many prophecies that are fulfilled in You as are all the prophecies in the Old Testament. Without the revelation of the New Testament Beloved, the Old is shrouded in a veil but in the light of all that came about since God pierced time and space and became Emmanuel, we find ourselves humbled before God who loved us so much He sent You into the world to redeem it.

While it is true that You died for the sins of all human beings we know that only many will be saved not all for not everyone will accept and believe. Faith in You is a prerequisite to entering the Kingdom of Heaven and there are many who refuse to believe. This is why the powerful, the rich and the greedy continue to trample on the poor and rob them of what little they have. Men and women lie, cheat, steal, and deceive in every conceivable way and they applaud themselves when they get away with it as those with influence and power generally do.

The day of reckoning has come upon us. The Son of Man came into the world. The sun hid its face in broad daylight for it refused to shine on a wicked world that had dared to commit Deicide. But God took upon Himself our iniquities, cleansed us of our sins and You have now sent Your Spirit so we may hunger and thirst for the things of God rather than the world and the flesh.

Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.

Anyone who seeks You will find if we seek You with faith and with a contrite heart and a humble spirit.

Psalm 119:2,10, 20, 30, 40, 131

One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart. 

With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.

My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times. 

The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.

Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.

I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.


Matthew 9:9-13

Dear Love, Beloved of my soul,

Thank You for coming for me a sinner, for seeking me out as You sought out Matthew and invited him into a deeper relationship with Yourself.

May my answer to Your call be as swift as Matthew's. When You ask me to follow You without knowing where may I just get up and do so always. Please grant me this grace my Lord.

As Jesus passed by,may 
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."