John 19:25-27, Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6, Psalm 2:6-11

Daily Meditation:  John 19:25-27

John 19:25-27

• 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 When Jesus saw the Mother, and the disciple whom he loved, he said to the Mother, “Woman, this is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “There is your mother.”And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.

 

Your faithful remnant are found at the foot of Your Cross.  At the foot of suffering and agony.  At the foot of the greatest mystery of our redemption.  The Blood and Water that pours from pierced side from which Your Church was born, saves sinners and sanctifies. We have a perpetual intercessor in Your Mother, whose gaze is riveted to You as she pleads  for her children.  Her whole life was a fiat to God.  A life of yielding surrender, obedience, service and humility.  You were taught well by so good a Mother.  This same Mother was given to us.  In giving Mary to the Church as Mother, You gave us a treasure.  She has an unshakeable, tireless love for her weak and sinful children for whom she feels an overwhelming and protective love.  She rushes to our aid and leads all her children to her Beloved Son - reminding Him always of the price He paid for our salvation.   Mary, Mediatrix of all graces, pray to Jesus for us.  

It delights the Beloved, to give all He has received from the Father to us through His Mother, just as the Father delights in giving all He has to His children through His Son. This is not surprising since they always outdo each other in love and generosity.

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Daily Mass Readings: Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6, Psalm 2:6-11

Acts 13:26-33

My Beloved, these verses in Acts continue to stir the soul and inspire.  St. Paul begins by acknowledging all those present in the Synagogue as brothers as they are fellow Jews, he calls them children, as he feels a fatherly love for them and he calls them descendants of Abraham for that is what they are.  He also addresses the non-Jews who are present and who hunger for God.  He then begins to preach to them the Good News of our salvation.  God raised You from the dead and there were witnesses to everything that had happened concerning You - Your crucifixion, Your burial in the tomb, Your Resurrection and Your many appearances after You rose from the dead and then Your disciples saw You ascend into heaven.  You are now seated at the Father's right hand and make intercession for us night and day.  What have we to fear Beloved when we have Your Mother on one hand who pleads with You for us and on the other, we have You who makes intercessions for with the Father.  Thank You.

John 14:1-6

1 “Do not be troubled; trust in God and trust in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many rooms. Otherwise I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. 3 After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to me, so that where I am, you also may be. 4 Yet you know the way where I am going.”

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.

Beloved, thank You for the strength and sweet consolation of the 1st verse.  I needed Your assurance as I have been anxious needlessly.  A weak faith will not stand up to the test of worry and anxiety.  But for one who has a deep and strong relationship with You there is no place for fear for You assure us that we can trust You.  You say,   ''Trust Me.''   I respond, ''I do trust You my God.''  You are in heaven where You prepare a place for me.  Once my place is ready, You will come personally to take me home.  In the meantime, You have left me a map of the road that I must travel.  You have left an example for me to follow.  You have left me Your Church who will guide me, for You have appointed a Vicar to represent You here on earth.  You have made every provision to sanctify and nourish me and You will fulfill Your promise that someday where You are I too will be.  Thank You my Lord, thank You.!!

Psalm 2:6-11

 

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.”

10 Now therefore, learn wisdom, O kings;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear

and fall at his feet;

lest he be angry and you perish

when his anger suddenly flares.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him!

Beloved, though the nations rise up against us and the mountains collapse on Your faithful - still evil will not prevail.  No plan forged against Your people will succeed for You are victorious and we are triumphant in Your victory.

1 John 2:18-22, Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20, Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27

Daily Meditation:  1 John 2:18-4

1 John 2:18-22

18 My dear children, it is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist would come; but several antichrists have already come, by which we know that it is now the last hour.

19 They went out from us though they did not really belong to us. Had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. So it became clear that not all of us were really ours.

20 But you have the anointing from the Holy One, so that all of you have true wisdom.

21 I write to you, not because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you already know it, and lies have nothing in common with the truth. 22 Who is the liar?

The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.This is an antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son.

23 The one who denies the Son is without the Father, and those who acknowledge the Son also have the Father.24 Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you, too, will remain in the Son and in the Father. 

Could the disciple sound a more dangerous warning than this Beloved?  What he had hinted at then, is in full flower now - there are many antichrists already in the world.  The divisions in Your Body have occurred because every inspiration was embraced as inspiration coming from Your Holy Spirit.  Pride was the cause of the rift in the Church and from the first little crack the chasm has grown ever wider; as many splinter churches that broke away from the Mother Church formed their own communities.  Error is rampant in each one for they are led by their human spirit and not by the Spirit of Truth that dwells in His fullness in the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Here are trustworthy guidelines to know whether the teachings are from Christ or the antichrist.  

Do I believe, teach and preach that God took on human flesh in Christ?  If I do, I am on the side of Truth.

Do I deny, teach and preach that You, my Beloved, are not the Son of God but a mere man and that You did not suffer, die and rise again?   This is certain proof that I am the antichrist.  

Those who have the spirit of antichrist threaten evil, ruin and massacre.  They seek dominion and domination.  Thank You for the sweet, cool, refreshing and blessed assurance of verse 24.  Nothing is more powerful than the Spirit of God that resides in me and in the Holy Catholic Church. While they all fall into error, sin and ruin, she will stand as a beacon of light on the hilltop.

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 Daily Mass Readings:  Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20, 

                               Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27

Acts 13:13-25

Verse 15 ....., “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the assembly, please speak up.”

The Church is constantly encouraging her people to remain faithful.  She celebrates Your life and all the events that occurred in Your life, as well as the life of Your Mother and the saints, in her feasts and in her Liturgy.  She keeps the faith alive and burning.  She feeds the faith to the faithful through the Sacraments she administers in Your Name and in Persona Christi.  

May we never forget that the Covenant oath promised and ratified by God with the Jews is eternal, for God does not go back on His promises.  They remain Your chosen people and as Blessed John Paul II put it so well, they are our elder brothers in You.  From their race You were born  - the Man God and after the heart of God who did all that the Father required You to do.  Someday Beloved, there will be one flock under one Shepherd and will include every tribe, race and nation. 

Praise the Lord!!!!

John 13:16-20

Beloved as we know, whenever You say, "I tell you most solemnly," or "Truly I say to you,"  it is time to sit up and pay attention.  All these verses are powerful.  Pride and disobedience have no place at Your table.  Those who choose to follow You are servants, in imitation of You who said, "I came to serve, not to be served."

My Beloved, You knew when You chose Judas as one among the twelve that he would betray You, that did  not deter You because each of us has the opportunity to repent and is redeemed by Your Blood, no matter how badly we fail and how grievous our sin.  Judas could come back at any point after his betrayal and obtain complete pardon and forgiveness of the heinous crime he committed.  He made a sacrilegious communion in receiving the Eucharist with betrayal in his heart and he chose not to repent.  He had not understood the depth, height, length and breadth  of Your love that encompasses every sinner.  

Beloved, let us always be willing to aid and befriend all whom You send, especially Your priests.  In welcoming them we welcome You and in welcoming You we welcome the Triune God.

Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27

 

3 I will declare how steadfast is your love, how firm your faithfulness.

21 I have found David my servant, and with my holy oil I have anointed him.

22 My hand will be ever with him and my arm will sustain him, 

25 My faithfulness and love will be with him, and by my help he will be strong.

27 He will call on me, ‘You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Savior.’