MEMORIAL OF ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, RELIGIOUS - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

God so loved us that he sent his Son
to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away. 1JN 4:10

REVELATION 3:1-6, 14-22

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In today's First Reading, St. John reminds us that there is nothing as despicable as hypocrites who makes a show of piety when in truth they are grave sinners who are spiritually dead.  There are many who identify as members of Your Body but who are completely opposed to Your teachings, to the teachings of the Church.

Once again we hear the invitation to wake up, to revive the dying embers of our faith before it is too late. Many of us who began our spiritual journey with You with such excitement and joy have strayed far from the way of perfection. Today, we hear the call to repent lest we perish. How difficult it is to live in the world without sullying our soul for our culture is steeped in death. But You have made it possible for us to remain honorable, truthful, faithful, by providing us with every help and grace we need in the Sacraments.

The world is spiraling into complete chaos because of moral depravity and the Holy Spirit is warning us to listen and to turn away from sin before it is too late. 

Many of us are lukewarm followers, tepid, and hence distasteful to God. We warp, twist, and interpret Scripture to suit our sinful desires. We place our trust in our possessions and we fool ourselves into believing we have no need of You, no need of the Truth to direct and guide our lives when in fact we have nothing for all we possess is Your gift to us.

As long as today lasts, we can still turn away from sin and turn to You. We can implore You to grant us the grace to clothe us once more in the virtues, in good works, and labor once more to establish the Kingdom of God. You are a God of incredible mercy, never-ending love, and full of tender compassion for us and as long as there is breath in our body You will call us to repentance and we will hear Your sweet invitation to us, 'Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him.' A crown of glory awaits all who persevere to the end.

PSALM 15:2-5

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

In the first reading, St. John writes, Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. The psalmist reveals what we are to do if we desire to be counted among those who will be granted this privilege.  

Who can find a home in You, Beloved? It is one who is blameless, who acts justly, who is always truthful, who does not use the gift of speech to gossip, or slander. Who does no injury to a brother or sister. Who refrains from undermining a neighbor, who refuses to mingle with unrepentant sinners who have given their lives over willfully to grave sin, and who honors God and fears Him with a holy, reverential fear.

By virtue of our Baptism, we are to strive always to keep our soul free from sin by keeping the commandments no matter the cost. To give what we have to those in need without expecting anything in return and to keep our hands clean from all sin. We are given all the help we need for we are given God's own Spirit to be our Helper and this is why, if we cooperate with Him, we will receive a share in Your Kingdom.

LUKE 9:1-10

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Today's gospel speaks about the conversion of Zacchaeus, a senior tax collector, a wealthy man, despised and considered a sinner by his fellow Jews and whose life was completely transformed after his encounter with You. 

St. Luke tells us that physically, Zacchaeus was short in stature but by the end of this narrative he is transformed into a spiritual giant. 

We are all familiar with this story - here was a man who had heard about You and like the rest of the crowd was eager to get a glimpse of You. Being short this was not going to happen if he stayed where he was. Seeing a sycamore tree ahead he ran to it and climbed it. From this vantage point, he would get a clear view of You. That was all he hoped for.  One can imagine his wide-eyed wonder when You stopped right under him and addressing him directly said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ 

Wow! He must have almost taken a tumble as he hastily clambered down the tree. To him, this was surely a miracle, that of all the people there, You saw him, You noticed him, You pointedly picked him from among the many gathered there, and expressed a desire to go to his home. 

This is the story of every repentant sinner who encounters You and is saved. Many pious people in the crowd were affronted that a known, public sinner, was picked over them to have the privilege of having You as a guest.

The fruit of Zacchaeus' encounter with You is one that will be spoken of, preached, taught, written about, contemplated on, and will serve as an inspiration for every sinner who believes that their sin is too great for redemption. Every sinner can be saved including the rich who use their wealth to serve others.

That very day Zacchaeus gave away half his property to the poor and made four-fold restitution to all he had defrauded. He became poor materially but had gained for himself a great spiritual treasure that none could take away from him. Zacchaeus went to bed a happy man that night because You sought him ought, gave him a chance to repent, to right his wrongs, and in return, You gave him eternal life. 

Every sinner is given the opportunity of becoming a  saint once he/she encounters You.

MONDAY OF THE THIRTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - 2020

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life. JN 8:12

REVELATION 1:1-4, 2:1-5

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

As the Liturgical year draws to a close, Holy Mother Church repeatedly reminds us to prepare ourselves for Your Second Coming. Ever since Your Ascension into heaven, we are living at the end of the age and the hour of its arrival is ever at hand.

John, for whom the curtains were parted and who was given a glimpse of the things to come, wrote all that he was privileged to see and swears an oath that all he writes is true. 

Beloved, thank You for the angels that guard Your churches and who are under their powerful protection. Thank You for our bishops and priests. Yes, some are weak shepherds and endanger their flock by their bad example however, You never abandon those who are sealed in Your Blood. Let us keep in mind John's cautionary words, Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first. May we renew our love and our zeal for You, and for Your Church, and grant us a greater fervor and constancy until the end. 

PSALM 1:1-4, 6

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

We live in a world where the counsel of the wicked is rampant in every sphere of our lives and it is so easy to fall into the traps that are laid everywhere for the weak, the lazy, and the ignorant. The first verse of the first psalm reminds us that the vigilant are happy for they keep themselves safe from the snares of the enemy by delighting in Your Word, meditating on it always, and making Your Word the rule of life.

You are the Vine and we are the branches. You are the Tree of Life and grafted to You we put roots deep into the Holy Spirit. You provide food and drink which is Your own Body and Blood, and we are made rich in grace and fruitful in works because we live and move in You and have our being in You. Life in abundance is ours because we are Yours.

Now is the time, this is the hour for the wheat to be separated from the chaff. It is time for repentance, a time for turning away from the world, and turning back to You. Keep us from the dangerous lure of the world that can separate us eternally from You for the way of the world is the way of the flesh that leads to darkness, terror, doom, and eternal death. Grant us the grace, the strength, and the will to keep our gaze fixed on You and our roots deeply embedded in You and we will live.

LUKE 17:35-43

My Beloved, Soul of my soul,

Luke narrates the miracle of the blind beggar who was seated at the side of the road leading to Jericho. Being blind his sense of hearing was acute and while You, Your disciples, and the great crowd following You drew nearer, he picked up the excitement in the hum of voices of the crowd and a surge of inexplicable hope filled his heart. As soon as the crowds were near he asked what was happening, and was told that You were passing by. Your fame as a miracle worker had spread and so he would have certainly heard of You. He must have longed to meet You and had perhaps woven many fantasies in his head imagining an encounter with You and how You would perform a miracle for him too and restore his sight.

You were actually passing by and he knew this would be his only chance for a miracle; so he shouted as loud as he could in order to be heard over the din of the crowd,  ‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ There will always be those who will shush the poor, the afflicted, the marginalized, those that Pope Francis calls, on the peripheries. It has always been so because they make us uncomfortable. We prefer not to see them and to acknowledge their existence let alone their pain. But despite the scolding of many in the crowd he was not to be stopped. The more they tried to shut him up the louder he shouted, ‘Son of David, have pity on me.’ 

And then miracle of miracles, he heard the crowd stop and a dear, kind, authoritative voice commanded they bring him to You. Another evangelist tells us his name was Bartimaeus. They do. The blind man stands before You quivering with excitement, and then You say to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replies, ‘Sir, let me see again.’  Your response is instantaneous, You say, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ Your Word is power. It affects what You word commands and we are told that his sight was restored instantly. You praised him for his faith and affirmed that it was his faith that had saved him. The greater healing, the greater miracle was that he became a disciple and followed You praising God. Following his lead, all the people who witnessed the miracle gave praise to God as well.

We have been cured of our spiritual blindness over and over again. You have restored us to sight repeatedly. Strengthen our faith. May we be joyful and faithful witnesses and never cease to praise You as we proclaim to the world all that You have done for us, how You saved us, so all can believe and join in our praises to God.