Genesis 3:9-15, 15, 20, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Psalm 98:2-4, Luke 1:26-38

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

 

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Genesis 3:9-15, 15, 20, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, 

Psalm 98:2-4, Luke 1:26-38

 Genesis 3:9-15, 15, 20

My Beloved, the sin of willful disobedience cost us paradise. We trusted the voice of deception rather than the  voice of Him who created us and yet the divine love of the Father would not condemn us to the punishment that we deserved. God could not bear to be separated from His children created in His image and likeness. He comes looking for us when we sin saying, “Where are you?” And we, conscious of our guilt wish to hide from Him. Yet He persists and on finding us looks for a way to restore what we lost. His plan of salvation required that another Woman, through perfect obedience, restore what the first lost not only for herself but for her descendants as well. Mary’s fiat to the will of the Father gave us a Savior who would bridge the chasm created between God and man. Satan lost heaven for himself and his minions and he desires to steal heaven from us as well. So the battle continues between good and evil. Good has triumphed on the Cross. The victory is won. It is now up to us to claim what You have obtained for us. Thank You Beloved, thank You Father, thank You Holy Spirit for the Church, the Sacraments, for Mary and the Angels and Saints who help us in this battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The head of evil is crushed and we are saved.

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

My Beloved, we are created in love for a glorious destination. Although Satan tried to rob us of our inheritance, believing that he could steal us from our Creator and Father, he who knows only hate and evil could not conceive of the Father’s love for His children who would be prepared to Sacrifice You so that You could become the willing Victim that washes away our sins and restores us to the dignity God intended for His sons and daughters. Alleluia! Mary is the prototype to which all God’s children must desire to be. God provides the grace through the Church using Sacraments as conduits that channel all that we need to live holy lives. Thank You Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Psalm 98:2-4

 The Lord has made known his victory;
    he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the victory of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

Luke 1:26-38

My Beloved, God is always in control of human affairs and God’s timing is perfect. He waited patiently, setting His plan in motion from the moment our first parents sinned and we lost paradise. He chose a people, He chose a nation and slowly but surely He took them by the hand and led them. He chose a tribe, He chose a king from whose descendants He would choose a young girl on whose fiat would rest His whole plan of salvation for the world.

She was conceived without original sin, in need of a Savior like all human beings, God applied the merits that her Son would win for us and through the merits of His Son whom God intended would be hers as well, she was sinless from the moment of conception. What baptism does for us God did for her in her mother’s womb for nothing unclean can enter the presence of God. There is no human or divine drama as great, as awesome, as splendid as that of the Angel Gabriel visiting this peerless daughter of God and inviting her to become the instrument that gives the world its Savior and Redeemer. She was to provide Him with the only acceptable Victim who would destroy the barriers that sin had erected between God and His children.

The Angel’s greeting, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Tells us exactly how inestimable was this young woman in the eyes of God. No praise of Mary uttered by human lips could ever sufficiently convey the beauty of this perfect daughter of God the Father, Mother of Christ and Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The more we praise her the more we praise God for His masterpiece Mary.

May our response to God’s will always be like hers, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to Your will.”

Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 85:9-14, Luke 5:17-26

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 85:9-14, Luke 5:17-26

Isaiah 35:1-10

My Beloved, the Prophet foretells Your coming. The Anointed of the Lord Christ Jesus, the One who saves us from our sins. He foretells the miracles, the signs and wonders You will perform. The deaf will hear, the blind will see, the lame will walk and  leap. Evil will be crushed and You will show us the Way to the Father, the Way of Life that will bring  us abiding peace and joy no matter what the circumstances of our life may be. You will pour upon us Your Own Spirit and He will give us Living Water springing up in us causing fruit of good works to abound. You will lavish us with the Gifts of the Spirit and we will not have to rely on our own strength but on Yours. You will redeem us. You will set us free. You will crush the head of Satan and foil all the plans of the Enemy by Your Life, Passion, Death and glorious Resurrection into heaven. And we have Your assurance that You will lead us to the Eternal City where there will be no more sorrow, no more tears, only singing and rejoicing and praising our God for all eternity.

Psalm 85:9-14

My Beloved, we are truly privileged to be living in this age – an age where every prophecy concerning You has been fulfilled in You. The peace You give us is an abiding peace a peace that cannot be taken from us by anyone. We are saved and we have seen Your glory through the eyes of faith every time we come together to celebrate the Sacraments especially the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We have Your abiding Presence with us in our Tabernacles. We become living tabernacles when we receive Your Body in Holy Communion and for a while Beloved we are like Mary who conceived and carried You in her womb. May we be like her who lived in perfect union with You always.

 

Luke 5:17-26

My Beloved, in Your Presence Your power is always at work to heal all kinds of sickness – physical, mental or spiritual.  Your Word too is power for You are the Word of God – Wisdom Incarnate. It is no wonder that Your Word has power to raise from death to life. To restore, to make new and to heal and make whole. All it take is faith – either our own or the faith of those who pray for us. You assure us that genuine faith even as small as a mustard seed can move mountains and You proved it when the faith of the friends of the paralytic found a way to bring him to You.

They were so certain of Your power to heal their paralyzed friend they would not let any obstacle stand in the way and You rewarded their faith by first healing the man spiritually by forgiving his sins – thereby indicating to those around You that You were God.  You discerned the thoughts of the Pharisees who rightly wondered how You had the temerity to take upon Yourself a prerogative that belonged to God alone, You did something else that only God can do, You commanded the paralytic to get up, pick up his and go home which the man did in front of everyone in the room.

Thank You my Beloved, for passing on Your authority to forgive sins and every other power of healing in every way to Your Apostles and from the Apostles to the Church. You have kept every promise and we pray that we too will always be filled with a holy fear and awe that God continues to abide with us and in us. Thank You, Beloved.

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Psalm 147:1-6, Matthew 9:35, 10:1,5-8

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Psalm 147:1-6, Matthew 9:35, 10:1,5-8

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26

My Beloved, in these verses the prophet foretells Your coming. All who seek You will find You. You will hear the cry of all who call Your Name. You who are the Bread of Angels will feed us and strengthen us both by Your Word and Your Body and Blood. You will become our food and drink which will be the source of life for us.  You will give us Your Holy Spirit who will lead us in the way that we should go – the way that leads to the Kingdom and to Life.

As long as we are here on earth You will ensure  that we lack for nothing as we scatter the seed of Your Word. All You ask of us is to sow the seed of the Good News and You will ensure that the seed will bear fruit for the glory of God.  In the place where You dwell, in Your Church You will provide streams of living water that will never dry and when at last You come again in glory to claim Your own we will not need the light of sun or moon for the Son of God will be our Light forever.  You who forgive our sins and bear our burdens, You who save us will come for us just as You have promised. This is our hope which finds its fulfillment in You.

Psalm 147:1-6

My Beloved, the psalmist reminds us how great You are, awesome in power and majesty. You are Wisdom, You are goodness, You are full of love and compassion, tenderness  and mercy for You see how weak and helpless we are.  You heal our brokenness. Your bind our wounds. You who know the number of stars in the sky and who has a name for each because You set them in their place in the firmament are constantly stooping tenderly like a mother over me. You breathe every breath I need to live. You cause my heart and my pulse to beat. If You take Your breath away I shall no longer live. Of this I can be sure – that all my days if I choose to live in the shadow beneath Your wings, I will live in  peace in the midst of strife, I will have plenty in the midst of want, I will never be hungry or thirsty for You are my food and my drink. You sustain me because I am Yours.

Matthew 9:35, 10:1,5-8

My Beloved, each one of us who are baptized and are Your followers have been given the same mission that You entrusted to Your Apostles. Each one of us, according to our vocation, have been sent in Your Name to proclaim the Good News of our salvation. Each one of us is called to tell our story of how You found us, consoled us, healed us and saved us. You empower each one of us through the Gifts given to us by Your Holy Spirit in the Sacraments – we have no strength or resources of our own but we have at our disposal Your power to speak the Word with boldness. We have to step out in faith, confident that what You have promised You will fulfill. Speaking in Your Name we will have authority to heal the sick, the drive out demons, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and drive out demons. Freely we have received every good and perfect gift from You and we are called to give freely that which we have received.

The world is spiritually sick we are called to give the world hope – the same hope that we have in You. Bless abundantly my Lord, all those who are faithful to the mission that You have entrusted to them.

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14, Matthew 9:27-31

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14, Matthew 9:27-31

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26

My Beloved, what wonderful promises the prophet makes about Your coming. We will weep no more. When we cry You will listen and when You hear You will answer. Our eyes will see You our ears will hear the sound of Your voice instructing and guiding us to the Father. You will give us all the grace we need to ensure a plentiful and abundant harvest. At Your coming every other rule will to an end and You will establish Your rule of love over all. When You come again in glory and majesty to claim Your people for Your own You will take us up into Yourself there to remain with You forever.

Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

My Beloved, the verses of this psalm remind us that You are the Lord of salvation and we who are You have no reason to fear no matter what calamity we may have to face. You are our refuge, our stronghold, the rampart of our life. Our joy comes from living in Your Presence all the days of our life. You have come from heaven and remain in all the tabernacles of the world often neglected and alone simply because You want to make Yourself available to us. My hope is in You alone and I have Your promise that my trust in You will be rewarded.

Matthew 9:27-31

My Beloved, we are reminded that if we cry out to You in faith, truly believing that we ask for we will receive, You will grant it to us. Often we are spiritually blind and if in true humility, recognizing our blindness we come to the Only One who can restore our sight and plead for healing, You touch us and heal us of every infirmity. You delight in giving us our heart’s desires especially the spiritual favors we seek. In turn we must testify joyfully how wonderfully You have blessed us.