MONDAY OF WEEK 31 IN ORDINARY TIME - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples,
and you will learn the truth, says the Lord. JN 8:31-32

ROMANS 11:29-36

My Soul's Beloved, 

We were created for God. He conceived us in eternity before we actually took flesh in our mother's womb. We were meant to be Yours always. But willful sin on our part separated us from You, but You did not turn away from us; rather, You pursued us relentlessly, tenderly, with compassion, for You know that without You we will perish. Having chosen us, O Lord, You will not revoke the gift of sonship granted to us at our baptism. We are sons and daughters of the Living God, and we remain children of the Father despite all the ways in which we have offended and displeased Him.

Beloved, thank You for revealing to us the unfathomable love of God our Father, in giving us so glorious a Savior and Redeemer. Thank You for loving us to the end, and thank You for the glorious gift of redemption and the Holy Spirit who helps us and encourages us always to walk in the Way of Life and Truth.

God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.
Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.
How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything?
All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.

PSALM 68(69):30-31,33-34,36-37

In your great love, answer me, O God.

As for me in my poverty and pain
let your help, O God, lift me up.
I will praise God’s name with a song;
I will glorify him with thanksgiving.

The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.

For God will bring help to Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession.
The sons of his servants shall inherit it;
those who love his name shall dwell there.

In your great love, answer me, O God.

LUKE 14:12-14

My Soul's Beloved, 

A vast majority of the world's rich, powerful, and vastly influential usually have a blind spot where the poor are concerned. Material possessions and the avaricious desire to accumulate all that the world offers so consume them that they are ignorant of the needs of those who lack the basic necessities that hold body and soul together. We are reminded in today's Gospel that when we give to the poor who cannot repay us, we make You, O Lord, our Debtor just as the Good Samaritan said to the innkeeper, 'anything more you pay I will reimburse when I return. 

Beloved, give me a tender and compassionate heart for the poor. May I never be deaf to their cry but help me to reach out and give what I can, and consider it all done for love of You and in gratitude for all You have given me.

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

ALL SOULS - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

It is my Father’s will, says the Lord,

that I should lose nothing of all he has given to me,

and that I should raise it up on the last day. JN 6:39

ISAIAH 25:6a,7-9

My Soul's Beloved,

We exult with St. Paul as we declare with him and with the Church with resounding triumph as we proclaim with joy and gratitude to You, our Lord, for Your salvific work of redemption,  “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 

Death no longer has power over those who are baptized into Your Body, who receive the life of the Holy Spirit, and who are co-heirs with You to the Kingdom of God. We are the people of promise who are fed on Your Body and Blood and who are invited to be seated with the Bridegroom at the Banquet that has been prepared for Your Bride, the Church.

Lord God, earth has nothing to offer that can compare with the future that awaits us. While we wait for our days to come to a close and You come for us, take us by the hand, and lead us to the seat that has been prepared for us in heaven, eternally, grant us the grace to remain closely united to the Church You founded. Through the Sacramental life, we receive from her anointed and consecrated Bishops and priests, and we receive abundant life that provides us with all the strength we need for the journey from this life to the life to come with You in the Kingdom of God.  

On this mountain,

the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples

a banquet of rich food.

On this mountain he will remove

the mourning veil covering all peoples,

and the shroud enwrapping all nations,

he will destroy Death for ever.

The Lord will wipe away

the tears from every cheek;

he will take away his people’s shame

everywhere on earth,

for the Lord has said so.

That day, it will be said: See, this is our God

in whom we hoped for salvation;

the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.

We exult and we rejoice

that he has saved us.

PSALM 26(27):1,4,7,8-9,13-14

I believe that I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

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?

There is one thing I ask of the Lord,

  for this I long,

to live in the house of the Lord,

  all the days of my life,

to savour the sweetness of the Lord,

  to behold his temple.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;

  have mercy and answer.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

  hide not your face.

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!

I believe that I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.

ROMANS 5:5-11

My Soul's Beloved,

Our hope is in You, and we are confident that this hope is well-placed, O Lord, for You have reconciled us with the Father through Your sacrificial death. You made perfect reparation for my sins and the sins of the whole world and restored our relationship with God.  We who were unrighteous are made righteous by Your atoning sacrifice. You took on Yourself our death so we could enter into the new life that You won for us on the Cross. We are no longer separated from God, enemies, no longer strangers but Your friends, children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit and heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. Thank You, Lord, for all You have done for us. Continue to keep us grafted to You till the end and bring us safely at last to Yourself to live and reign with You forever.

Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment, Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man, though of course, for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.

LUKE 7:11-17