Ezekiel 12:1-12, Psalm 78:56-59, 61-61, Matthew 18:21 --- 19:1

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Let your countenance shine upon your servant
and teach me your statutes. Ps 119:135
Ezekiel 12:1-12, Psalm 78:56-59, 61-61, 
Matthew 18:21 --- 19:1


Ezekiel 12:1-12

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Let the sinner never forget that he or she cannot sin with impunity - You are a God of justice. If You were not then where would be the vindication for the those who are persecuted, marginalized, stripped of all their rights, and left to perish by the wayside? It is because we have a just God that the sinner, the outcast, the beggar can raise their eyes towards heaven with hope.

Today, as we read about the scandals in the highest places,  the princes of the Church have systematically abused their power and their position have been struck down by divine justice. Many of the sheep are tempted to flee and many are scattered for they are wounded very deeply.

We have become a house of rebel and those who were put in charge of the household have become even more rebellious. This is not the time for making excuses for anyone least of all those who made solemn vows before God, have made a mockery of them before Him and before His people.

Watch over tenderly Beloved over those who have been faithful but who now suffer because of those among them who have violated the innocent and robbed them of their dignity. Keep Your sheep strong and faithful - let us not be so scandalized that we do not recognize that Satan is behind this evil. Let us rally around those who are innocent and through prayer, fasting, and reparation plead with God to cleanse and restore His Church.
Psalm 78:56-59, 61-61

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Reading the verses of the psalm of today it would seem that the psalmist is writing about the Church and the abject failure of the shepherds to be faithful to their vows and their office.

They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.

They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.

And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.
Ever since Sodom and Gomorrah and perhaps even before them, since the fall of man, the human race has had disordered desires and inclinations that are abhorrent and God and contrary to nature. This is the work of Satan. The works of evil can only be destroyed with prayer and fasting. Let us now shy away from doing both Beloved, rather grant us a full measure of Your Holy Spirit in order that we may do our part to heal and restore that which evil has so wantonly striven to destroy.  Amen.
Matthew 18:21 --- 19:1

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Your Word is active and alive and as relevant today as when You first spoke them.

This parable addresses those who have failed colossally in keeping the faith themselves and fostering and nurturing it in others.

Be merciful O Lord, and once the rot has been removed help us heal. Restore what has been lost and strengthen with Your love what remains. Amen.

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Revelations 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB, Psalm 45:10-12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27, Luke 1:39-56

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Mary is taken up to heaven;
a chorus of angels exults.
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Revelations 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB, 
Psalm 45:10-12, 16, 1 Corinthians 15:20-27,
Luke 1:39-56


Revelations 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

The Word of God tells us, let those who have eyes see and ears hear. Your Bride, the Church has always understood who Mary, Your Mother is. How she was God's chosen little one, how He raised her up through no merit of her own, how she is to be blessed and revered by people of every nations, race, color, and language in every generation because she responded to God's call in perfect surrender. 

John the Evangelist and the beloved disciple was given a glimpse into heaven. He saw the heavens open and there was the arc of God's new covenant with man. The purest of God's creatures who contained in her womb what neither the heavens nor the earth can contain - the Eternal Word of the Eternal God. 

She is the woman clothed with the radiance of the Son, she stands on the moon and as the moon reflecting that radiance for it pleases God to pour upon this perfect creature all that it is in His power to give. The Twelve Stars over her head are the 12 Apostles whom she encouraged and strengthened and loved after You were taken up in glory. She continues to strengthen, encourage, and love the shepherds who have succeeded them. She gave birth to You in joy, she gave birth to the Church in sorrow, and anguish, and with many tears. 

Satan has pledged to bring her children down for as long as time lasts and so there is a great struggle as she suffers for the children her Son has entrusted to her. Stubborn, wayward, disobedient children for whom she pleads. This Son who crushed the head of Satan and thus destroyed death is taken up to the highest heavens to rule over all creation, who will come again in glory to claim that which You won at the cost of Your life.

Because of Mary's yes we can now say with great confidence along with the heavenly chorus of angels and saints,

"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed One."
Psalm 45:10-12, 16

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Long before Mary's yes to God the psalmist speaks of her whom God will lavish every grace, virtue, and blessing.

Because of her perfect surrender to the will of God, she is now crowned Queen of heaven and earth. She is the Queen of the Heart of God and the Queen of the hearts of all the children of God.   

She is not only the Mother of God but is our Mother too for You entrusted us to her with Your dying breath knowing how much Your poor, weak, sinful, brothers, and sisters would need her love, tenderness, prayers, help, and intercession with You on our behalf.

Everyone who truly knows her loves and reveres her and someday she will be honored as she deserved to be by all the children born to Adam and Eve for they will be their Mother too.  You have led her to the seat beside Your at Your right hand and You have enthroned her as our Queen. Through her intercession she will ensure that we too will come to that place in heaven reserved for all who are called by Your Name.       

 1 Corinthians 15:20-27



Brothers and sisters:
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death,
for "he subjected everything under his feet."
Luke 1:39-56


Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

And Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.