Luke 5:4, 10, Wisdom 11:22----12:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:11---2:2, Luke 19:1-10, Psalm 145:8-9, 14

Luke 5:4, 10
4 When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” 10 Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. You will catch people from now on.”

Beloved, to go out into the deep water and lower the nests for a catch are Your words to me today. As a catechist in training, they take on a new meaning and in verse 10, You assure me not to be afraid. I feel really small my Lord. I have not yet the confidence to do any of the things You ask of me and yet I must remember that all it takes is faith and trust in You. You will not ask me anything I was not capable of doing with Your help. I can trust You to make all the grace I need available to me.

Wisdom 11:22----12:1, 2
22 For the entire world lies before you, just enough to tip the scales, a drop of morning dew falling on the ground.
23 But because you are almighty, you are merciful to all; you overlook sins and give your children time to repent. 24 You love everything that exists and hate nothing that you have made; had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.
25 How could anything endure if you did not will it? And how could anything last that you had not willed? 26 You have compassion on all because all is yours, O Lord, lover of life.
12 1 In fact your immortal spirit is in all.
2 And so by degrees you correct those who sin, you admonish them, reminding them how they have strayed so that turning away from evil they may trust in you, Lord.

Beloved, You are the Author and Artise, the Creator and the Mover in all things created. You love Your creation and all You have created has been created in love. Love and wisdom shaped and inspired all and more importantly, You sustain all You have created. If You did not, everything would cease to be.
You correct Your children in a manner that will ultimately bring each back to you and they will be saved. Returning from the brink of destruction, they will glorify You.

2 Thessalonians 1:11---2:2
This is why we constantly pray for you; may our God make you worthy of his calling. may he, by his power, fulfill your good purposes and your work prompted by faith. In that way, the name of Jesus our Lord will be glorified through you, and you through him, according to the loving plan of God of Christ Jesus the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, and our gathering to meet him. Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says or by any report, or by some letter said to be ours, saying the day of the Lord is at hand.

Beloved, in imitation of St. Paul, we must pray for our fellow Christians - we are all brothers and sisters in You. it is You alone who enables us to the the work that You have commissioned us to do. Only You can make that work fruitful. We must always keep in mind that in everything it is God alone who must be glorified. We are called to live in confidence as children of God and not allow ourselves to be afraid of anything for we know in whom we have placed our trust.

Luke 19:1-10
19 • 1 When Jesus entered Jericho and was go­ing through the city, 2 a man named Zaccheus was there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man. 3 He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was a short man and could not see because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus who had to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, come down quickly for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So ­Zaccheus hurried down and received him joyfully.
7 All the people who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to the house of a sinner as a guest.” 8 But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus, “The half of my goods, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.” 9 Looking at him Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham. 10 The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Beloved, You take what we have to offer even our curiosity and turn it into something beautiful. Zaccheus heard of you and his curiousity was aroused. He was determined to catch a glimpse of you - that is all it took on his part, You did the rest. You gave him a lot more than he ever expected or bargained for. That's what happens with us too when we encounter You. You are very gracious and You use different means to draw us to You. Once we encounter You Beloved our life has to change and change drastically. There has to be a metanoia only then is there true conversion. We have to give up old sinful habits if we are serious about following You.

The Not So Little Man  - Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus heard that Jesus,
Was passing Jericho,
Being short he thought he'd perch himself,
On a sycamore.

Jesus stopped below him,
And looking up he said,
“I’m coming to your house today
Make haste, come down Zacchaeus.”

Jumping swiftly off the tree,
His heart beat joyfully,
He knows me by my name, he thought,
He wants to dine with me.

When those around saw Jesus,
Had sought him from the crowd,
They murmured, “He has gone as guest,
Into a sinner’s house.”

His life till then was full of sin,
Rich through ill-gotten means,
A tax collector scorned by all,
Especially pharisees.

“Half of all I own I’ll give,
To the poor” he said,
“Those I have defrauded,
Will receive four times the share.”

“The Son of Man”, said Jesus,
“Comes to seek and save the lost,
The blind, the lame, the destitute
The prostitute, outcast”.

Zacchaeus once a little man
In spirit and in height.
Stood taller than the crowd once he,
Encountered Jesus Christ.

Myra D’souza 16.11.99

Psalm 145:8-9, 14
8 Compassionate and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone; his mercy embraces all his creation.
14 The Lord lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.

This is what Zaccheus and every sinner experiences one he finds You. You are a tender, compassionate and forgiving God and You make available to us everything we need to support and strengthen us on our journey to the Kingdom and to You.

Ezekiel 22:30, Philippians 1:18-26, Luke 14:1, 7-11, Psalm 42:2-3

Ezekiel 22:30
30 I looked for a man among them to build a wall and stand on the breach to protect the land lest I destroy it, but I found none.

Beloved, are there many intercessors who are prepared to stand in the breach like Moses and offer continuous prayers to You for mercy on the world we live in? I am sure there are many in cloistered converns and monasteries as well as people in the Church and among Christians. This is why Your wrath has not wiped us out yet from the face of the earth. Continue to raise up prayer warriors Beloved to make reparation for a world and people that seem to have forgotten You.

Philippians 1:18-26
18 But in any case, whether they are sincere or showing off, Christ is proclaimed and because of this I rejoice and have no regrets.
19 I know that all this will be a grace for me be­cause of your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Christ. 20 I am hopeful, even certain, that I shall not be ashamed. I feel as assured now, as before, that Christ will be exalted through my person, whether I live or die.
21 For to me, living is Christ, and dying is gain. 22 But if I am to go on living, I shall be able to enjoy fruitful labor. Which shall I choose? 23 So I feel torn between the two. I desire greatly to leave this life and to be with Christ, which will be better by far, 24 but it is necessary for you that I remain in this life. 25 And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will stay and remain with you for your progress and happiness in the faith. 26 I will surely come to you again, and give you more reason for being proud of belonging to Christ Jesus.

St. Paul is happy to live only beause he can offer fruitful labor an dbring many to the knowledge of You, the Christ. he would rather die and be with You but either way he is happy because he lives and dies for You. This must be our desire too. St. Paul is supported not only by the prayers of fellow Christians but also with the material help he requires. We too should be always willing to support the Church in all her endeavours by our prayers as well as with material support.

Luke 14:1, 7-11
14 1 One Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched.
7 Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places of honor. And he said, 8 “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited, 9 and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you: ‘Please give this person your place.’ What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!
10 Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you: ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honor for you in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.”

Beloved, in this world of push and shove, me first and the best for me and mine, this is foreign advice to the culture of the day. We like to be seen with certain people in order to show off our influence whether in the church or in the world. We ignore those who are poor or those we consider nonentities. Forgive me, my Lord, for all the times I have sought the place of honor and people of influence and deliberately overlooked those who were less fortunate than myself.

Psalm 42:2-3
2 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
3 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I go and see the face of God?

Let my desire for You be exactly as the Psalmist describes. I want to long for You, to hunger and thirst for You every every waking moment. Let my entire being stretch itself out to You with open arms and You in turn stoop down and envelop me. Amen.

Psalm 111:5, 10, Philippians 1:1-11, Luke 14:1-6, Psalm 111:1-6

Psalm 111:5, 10
5 Always mindful of his covenant,
he provides food for those who fear him.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are those who live by his precepts.
To him belongs everlasting praise.

Beloved, God's covenant with us will never be broken for He is true to His word and that is why the Psalmist says that He will provide all that the one who fears Him needs. To fear the Lord is wisdom. Those who exercise sound judgement will obey His word. Most people are suspicious of the word fear when talking about You. I have no problem with it because all it means is to be in wonder and awe of You and rightly so Beloved, You are God. I can trust You as implicitly as a babe trusts its mother. Philppians 1:1-11
1 From Paul and Timothy, ser­vants of Christ Jesus, to the saints in Philippi, with their bishops and deacons;
to you all in Christ Jesus:
2 May grace and peace be yours from God, our Father, and Christ Jesus the Lord.
3 I give thanks to my God each time I remember you, 4 and when I pray for you, I pray with joy. 5 I cannot forget all you shared with me in the service of the Gospel, from the first day until now. 6 Since God began such a good work in you, I am certain that he will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.
7 This is my hope for you, for I carry you all in my heart: whether I am in prison or defending and confirming the Gospel, you are with me and share the same grace.
8 God knows that I love you dearly with the love of Christ Jesus, 9 and in my prayers I ask that your love may lead you each day to a deeper knowledge and clearer discernment, 10 that you may have good criteria for every­thing. So you may be pure of heart and come blameless to the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of holiness that comes through Christ Jesus, for the glory and praise of God.
Beloved, we must remember that all we do must be done with the Church for Your glory. St. Paul writes to the people of God as if he were their father and mother and this attitude must be in the heart of every catechist. We must never forget that God is already indwelling in the soul of the baptised. It is God who initiates the good work, who inspires and brings it to fulfilment. Just as a mother carries her baby in her womb St. Paul bears the ones he has helped to bring to Christ in his heart, nurturing them with his prayers for them and his tender love and concern for their growth to mature in the faith and become a reflection of Christ and thus glorify God.
One in Your Body Beloved, we all share the same grace - all are equal in Your sight. Our progress may be at different stages but the goal is the same. Teacher and taught are on the same journey and eventually the taught must become teachers in their own right - so it must be, as all come to the knowledge of truth. Only by becoming familiar with all Your preached and taught and through the sacred deposit of faith in the Church, can we be able to discern rightly and make right judgements. Only the pure of heart can hope to see You and that should be the desire of every catechist - that every one who is catechised is filled with the fruit of holiness, received through You and thus we attain l the utlimate goal which is to praise and glorify God - the true end for which we are all created.

Luke 14:1-6
14 1 One Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched. 2 In front of him was a man suffering from dropsy; 3 so Jesus asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But no one answered. Jesus then took the man, healed him and sent him away. 5 And he addressed them, “If your lamb or your ox falls into a well on a Sabbath day, who among you doesn’t hurry to pull it out?” 6 And they could not ans­wer.
My Beloved, how often we watch people with a critical and hard eye waiting for them to fall, to make a mistake, so we can self-righteously and smugly say, "Ah ha, caught you." In such times we must be anathema to You just as the Pharisees of that time were. Here was a man who needed help and all they could think of was the law. It has become a strait jacket for them and rendered them unable to be kind, loving and charitable. You came right out and asked the pertinent question. Often, we too remain silent because we do not want to take a stand and rock the boat. We want to blend with the crowd. The true man of God is unafraid when he is doing the work of God. He does what is right irrespective of the consequences. We are very anxious to safeguard our own interests but more often than not we turn a blind eye to the genuine needs of others.

Isaiah 65:1-2, Ephesians 2:19-22, Luke 6:12-16, Psalm 19:2-5

Isaiah 65:1-2
1 I let myself be found by those who did not ask for me; I have been met by those who did not seek me.   I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation who did not call on my name. 2 I have stretched out my hands all day to a rebellious people who chose the evil way, following their own wishes.





This  is how generous, loving, tender and compassionate You are Beloved.  it is You who seeks us, it is You who takes the initiative.  It is You who calls us by name all the time until we hear You.  It might take a great sorrow to still all the clamor within us.  It may be a time when we are loneliest or depressed or most anxious or hurt or forsaken , but You will get our attention because You are a persistent lover.  How few remember You when things go well.  Most remember You when they are affected by the 'Give me' and the 'Give me more,'  syndrome, but for the most part, You are forgotten.  Yet all the time my most Beloved You call and call, You whisper to us in our heart, You wait for us longingly to visit You in the Blessed Sacrament.  Forgive me, my Beloved for all the times in the past when I was deaf, blind and  dumb and did not see You, hear You, or speak to You.



Ephesians 2:19-22
19 Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house 20 whose foundations are the apostles and proph­­­ets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built to become the spiritual sanctuary of God.



How beautifully I see the connection between Your first whisper of love in Isaiah to what You say to me in Ephesians.  Now that I belong to You, You reveal my identity in the family of Your household.  I am family.  I am a citizen of heaven.  I am the dwelling place where the apostles are the foundation and You my Beloved are the cornerstone.  In You the whole family of God rises to the highest heavens as a holy temple.   In You I am the sanctuary of God. WOW!!!



Luke 6:12-16
• 12 At this time Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. 13 When day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them whom he called apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and John; Philip and Bartho­lo­mew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.



Today the Church celebrates the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude.  You chose Your apostles after  spending the whole night in prayer with Your Father.  There is something You saw in each of them - a largeness of heart, a generosity of spirit, a great capacity for love and service, a readiness to give up everything once they were called - family, occupation, home, friends.  On these 12 apostles You founded Your Church - on this base I am being built into the family of God.  With the help of Your grace, I stand firm on You my Rock I shall not be shaken.



Psalm 19:2-5
2 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.
3 Day talks it over with day;
night hands on the knowledge to night.
4 No speech, no words, no voice is heard –
5 but the call goes on throughout the universe,
the message is felt to the ends of the earth.


Beloved, all we have to do is look at nature, the order of the universe, the beauty and majesty of Your creation.  All are in submission and obedience to Your authority.  Your mighty word sustains it all and all that has been created in nature, has been created in order to please us, for mankind to marvel at its splendour and be drawn to You  in worship and adoration.  We ought to fall on our knees in thanksgiving and gratitude, yet, how often we  get lost in the created and forget the Creator, the Author, the Artist, the Lover, the Beloved, the Friend, the Brother, the Spouse.

Proverbs 16:24, Ephesians 6:1-9, Luke 13:22-30, Psalm 145:13-14

Proverbs 16:24
Kind words are like a honecomb; sweet to the spirit and healthy to the body.

Beloved, this is truly a very wise man who wrote these words. He would have found from experience that it is easy to scatter the best of friends with an unpalatable truth spoken baldly. The same truth can be spoken in a manner that is pleasing and sensitive and you will not only keep your friends, it will cause them to atleast reflect on what you have said. I know the same holds true for me personally and You have always dealt very kindly with me. Thank You.





Ephesians 6:1-9
1 Children, obey your parents for this is right: 2 Honor your father and your mother. And this is the first commandment that has promise: 3 that you may be happy and enjoy long life in the land. 4 And you, fathers, do not make rebels of your children, but educate them by correction and instruction which the Lord may inspire.
5 Servants, obey your masters of this world with fear and respect, with simplicity of heart, as if obeying Christ. 6 Do not serve only when you are watched or in order to please others, but become servants of Christ who do God’s will with all your heart. 7 Work willingly, for the Lord and not for humans, mindful that the good each one has done, 8 whether servant or free, will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 And you, masters, deal with your servants in the same way, and do not threaten them, since you know that they and you have the same Lord who is in heaven, and he treats all fairly.




My Beloved, how beautifully St. Paul writes and how good is the advice he gives. "Honor your father and your mother in order to be happy and enjoy long life in the land." I think that to cause even a momentary sadness or anxiety in a parent is a terrible thing to do especially if they are old and dependant on you. It can make them bitter and resentful and we would be held responsible for having caused it. Do as you would like to be done by is another good maxim to remember. I must do all as if I was doing it for You my Love.




Luke 13:22-30,
• 22 Jesus went through towns and villages teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. 23 Some­­one asked him, “Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?”
And Jesus answered, 24 “Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: ‘Lord, open to us.’ But he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you come from.’
26 Then you will say: We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets! 27 But he will reply: ‘I don’t know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.’
28 You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. 29 Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. 30 Some who are among the last will be the first, and others who were first will be last!”




"Do your best to enter by the narrow door."
Beloved, in this world where almost everyone pushes and shoves and all want to be first it is good to remember that You call us to be different. More kind, more compassionate, more caring, more giving. Less of self and more of the other. For all of us who look for easy solutions to the problems we face in life, this is not very appealing advice.
To enter from the narrow gate one needs to get rid of a lot of unnecessary baggage. We are all called to holiness and it involves a constant struggle with self and the ego. The most shocking truth is that many who serve You now as an obligation, devoid of love or compassion, will be astonished to find that all their work was done for self-glorification and so have already received their reward.

It is sobering to know that many who may have not heard of You but lived the Gospel values will be seated at the Banquet, while many who we though would certainly find a place are out in the cold and strangers to You.




Psalm 145:13-14
13 Your reign is from age to age; your dominion endures from generation to generation.
The Lord is true to his promises and lets his mercy show in all he does.
14 The Lord lifts up those who are falling and raises those who are beaten down.




Verse 14 of this Psalm is most reassuring. I can always count on You my Beloved to stoop down tenderly and lift me up when I fall, if I am sorry. Thank You.

Wisdom 1:11-12, Ephesians 5:21-33, Luke 13:18-21, Psalm 128:1-5

Wisdom 1:11-12
11 Beware then, of empty com­plaints and keep your tongue from faultfinding, since your most secret word will have consequences; a lying tongue brings death to the soul. 12 Do not bring about your own death by your wrong way of living. And do not let the work of your hands destroy you.




Once again, You remind me about not having a complaining or fault finding spirit. How easy it is to point a finger and see all that is wrong in my neighbour. If it were up to me I would be judge, jury and hangman all in one. I lack the wisdom to judge rightly, I lack the compassion to show mercy. I have no way of seeing as You do, of knowing as You know. You are God and all things and the life of everyone is open to You and You are the only just and righteous Judge. All people have a past that shapes their present. It is a past that I know nothing of. Let not the work of my hands or my destructive tongue destroy anyone including me. The only standard against which I must measure myself is You my Lord.

Ephesians 5:21-33
• 21 Let all kinds of submission to one another become obedience to Christ. 22 So wives to their husbands: as to the Lord.
23 The husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, of whom he is also the Savior. 24 And as the Church submits to Christ, so let a wife submit in everything to her husband.
25 As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. 26 He washed her and made her holy by baptism in the Word. 27 As he wanted a radiant Church without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless, he himself had to prepare and present her to himself.
28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves him­self. 29 And no one has ever hated his body; he feeds and takes care of it. That is just what Christ does for the Church, 30 because we are members of his body.
31 Scripture says: Because of this a man shall leave his father and mother to be united with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This is a very great mystery, and I refer to Christ and the Church. 33 As for you, let each one love his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband.




Many of these verses have been misunderstood in the present culture and in previous cultures. So many, especially women, have found it unpalatable, yet, it is a description of what a relationship in marriage should be. If every Christian marriage was modelled on these lines, the instituion of marriage would not be under threat as it now is and almost on the brink of destruction. Families would be bound with greater love and respect and the world would be a happier place. All St. Paul is saying is that a husband ought to imitate Christ in his love for his spouse in order that he may one day stand before God and present his wife to God unblemished, without wound, or scar to mar her beauty and worth. For this a woman would gladly serve her husband and children as she serves Christ Himself. Who could possibly have a problem with this.




Luke 13:18-21
• 18 Jesus continued speaking, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 Imagine a person who has taken a mustard seed and planted it in the garden. The seed has grown and become like a small tree, so that the birds of the air shelter in its branches.”
20 And Jesus said again, “What is the kingdom of God like? 21 Imagine a woman who has taken yeast and hidden it in three measures of flour until it is all leavened.”




Beloved, You came to give us a glimpse of the Kingdom of God and since is is beyond description, You revealed what it is like by comparing it to various things in order that we could have some grasp of its meaning. Here Your compare it to a mustard seed. You began Your mission alone - You were sent by the Father, You then hand-picked Your apostles and they in turn were sent by You and they in turn sent others and so it has been with the Church passing down the mission to all the faithful until the Good News has reached the ends of the earth. One Seed, You, were buried into the ground and dying to Yourself, we see Your Church - Your One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church which is flourishing today.

You also compare the Kingdom to yeast. You, Your apostles and all those that followed are the yeast hidden and losing their identity completely as they allows themselves to be absorbed and become one with humanity. They work tirelessly to make God present among men.

The Church is the seed and the yeast. All may come and feed, shelter and nest in her protective branches. Like the yeast she loses herself in service to the world, becoming one with humanity. She helps to transform the people of God to grow into the beautiful Bride of Christ within her embrace.

The seed and the yeast are signs of Christ living and working actively in the Church. We begin with Christ and we end with Him in eternity.


Psalm 128:1-5
1 Blessed are you who fear the Lord
and walk in his ways.
2 You will eat the fruit of your toil;
you will be blessed and favored.
3 Your wife, like a vine,
will bear fruits in your home;
your children, like olive shoots
will stand around your table.
4 Such are the blessings bestowed
upon the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see Jerusalem prosperous
all the days of your life.

This is such a beautiful Psalm. Bless us Beloved and bless our children so that we might be the sign of Your life in the world. Amen!!!

Exodus 14:13, 14, Ephesians 4:32----5:8, Luke 13:10-17

Exodus 14:13, 14
13 Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stay where you are and see the work Yahweh will do to save you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again! 14 Yahweh will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.”

Beloved, today I come to You with all that troubles me and I surrender it all to You.  I claim these words words of reassurance that Moses spoke to the Israelites for myself and for my life.  I will not be afraid but stay where I am and trust You to fight my battles on my behalf.  All I will do, is stay still in Your Presence.

Ephesians 4:32----5:832 be good and understanding, mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.
5 • 1 As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. 2 Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved you. He gave himself up for us and became the offering and sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God. 3 And since you are holy, there must not be among you even a hint of sexual immorality or greed, or any kind of impurity: these should not be named among you. 4 So too for scandalous words, nonsense and foolishness, which are not fitting; instead offer thanksgiving to God.
5 Know this: no depraved, impure or covetous person who serves the god ‘Money’ shall have part in the kingdom of Christ and of God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for these are the sins which God is about to condemn in people who do not obey. 7 Do not associate with such people. 8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Behave as children of light;

Beloved, there is much to learn and understand from these verses.  As Christians, St. Paul gives us a blueprint on Christian living.  If we call ourselves holy then there  has got to be not even a whiff of sin in us. 

 Luke 13:10-17
10 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath 11 and a crippled wo­man was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years so that she could not straighten up at all. 12 On seeing her, Jesus called her and said “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” 13 Then he laid his handsupon her and immediately she was made straight and praised God.14 But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day and he said to the people, “There are six days in which to work; come on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath.”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn to give it water. 16 And here you have a daughter of Abra­ham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”
17 When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonders that happened through him. ,

You are always teaching us, Your loving eyes are always upons us looking deep into our souls and ministering to us.  The crippled woman was in the crowd listening to You.  You saw the longing in her heart despite her being possessed by an evil spirit she still longed for God and  she hungered to be free.  You saw her and called her, You freed her and laid Your hands on  her and touched her and immediately she was released from the bondage of sin that had crippled her for 18 years.  One would imagine the ruler of the synagogue would be happy for this poor woman yet his reaction was one of anger.  All his years of working  in this place of worship ought to have made him more kind, sympathetic, holy and compassionate but it only served to make him more  rule bound.  Often our work for the Kingdom is seen as a job, a duty.  We do not see the person.  You rebuked  the ruler of the synagogue and told him  to show atleast as much compassion as he would show their livestock.  He shamed his opponents but the people rejoiced.

Similarly all of us sinners can take heart and rejoice that You came to seek the lost, minister to the sinner and heal the sick.

THE CRIPPLE   
The Lord was in the synagogue,
One holy sabbath day,
When He saw a crippled woman,
Enter in to pray.

Bound by an evil spirit,
Bent double eighteen years,
She lived a sad and lonely life,
Nobody cared for her.

On that memorable morning,
Of that sabbath long ago,
She heard the Master call her,
As she walked in through the door

He laid His hands upon her,
She stood up straight and tall,
Eyes brimming over tears of joy,
She praised the Living God.

I was like that woman,
Crippled by my sins,
Until my Saviour touched me,
And healed me from within.

He drew me out of darkness,
Into His radiant light,
The Lord calls me beloved,
I call Him my delight..

LUKE 13:10-13

Myra D’souza/26.10.98

Hosea 2:21-22, Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18, 2Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18-9-14, Ps 34:2-3, 18-19, 23

Hosea 2:21-22
21 You will be my spouse forever,
betrothed in justice and integrity;
we will be united in love and tenderness.
22 I will espouse you in faithfulness
and you will come to know Yahweh.

Beloved thank You once again for speaking these beautiful words of betrothal to me. I want to belong to You completely that is why I renew my consecration to Mama Mary often.  I know that the closer I get to her the closer I will be drawn to You.  She knows how to be in perfect union with You and and it pleases You to unite those who love her, to Yourself.


Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
12 The Lord is judge and shows no partiality. 13 He will not disadvantage the poor, he who hears the prayer of the oppressed. 14 He does not disdain the plea of the orphan, nor the complaint of the widow.
16 The one who serves God whole­­­heartedly will be heard; his petition will reach the clouds. 17 The prayer of the humble person pierces the clouds, and he is not consoled until he has been heard. 18 His prayer will not cease until the Most High has looked down, until justice has been done in favor of the righteous.

I want to serve You my God all the days of my life and until my last breath.  You know the desires of my heart.  Answer me Beloved, and give me all I ask for Your greater glory.

2Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
6 As for me, I am already poured out as a libation, and the moment of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteous­ness with which the Lord, the just judge, will reward me on that day; and not only me, but all those who have longed for his glorious coming.
16At my first hearing in court no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them. 17 But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will save me from all evil, bringing me to his heavenly kingdom. Glory to him for ever and ever. Amen!

With what confidence St. Paul writes these words.  Teach me how to pour out myself as a libation for others just as You did and as those who were intimate with You did in imitation of You.  Let me hunger and thirst to speak of You, to witness to Your love and to Your life that is in me.  May I be dependant on You always for grace and strength.  United to You,` the sap of the Holy Spirit will always run through me and empower me to glorify You always.

Luke 18-9-14
9 Jesus told another parable to some per­sons fully convinced of their own righteous­ness, who looked down on others, 10 “Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by him­self and said: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple.’
13 In the meantime the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying: ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’
14 I tell you, when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with God, but not the other. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.”


My Beloved, when I fail to see what a miserable creature I am without You, I am in grave danger of parading my good works before You which are like so many filthy rags.  Forgive me my Lord and give me a spirit of true humility so I may recognise my sinful tendencies.  Recalling my past weaknesses  helps to remind me how easily I could sink again into the depths of sin were it not for Your grace, mercy, infinite compassion and love for me.  You raise me up and because You do, I radiate Your light.  "My soul makes its boast in the Lord," which is exactly as it should be.
Ps 34:2-3, 18-19, 23
2 I will bless the Lord all my days;
his praise will be ever on my lips.
3 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the lowly hear and rejoice.
8 The Lord hears the cry of the righteous
and rescues them from all their troubles.
9 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves the distraught.
23 But the Lord will redeem the life of his servants;
none of those who trust in him will be doomed.

How consoling are the verses in the Psalm of the day.  Thank You.

Psalm 121:1-8, Ephesians 4:7-16, Luke 13:1-9

Psalm 121:1-8
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
from where shall come my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.
3 Will he let your foot slip,
the one watching over you?
Will he slumber?
4 No, the guardian of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps.
5 The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is at your side and you in his shade;
6 Sunstroke will not be for you by day,
nor the spell of the moon by night.
7 The Lord guards you from every evil;
he will protect your life.
8 The Lord watches over your coming and going
both now and forever.

What a  beautiful Psalm that describes our Father's loving protection of me.  I cling to You my Daddy God.  I thank You for giving me such a Savior as Jesus Your Son.  Thank You for all that You have made possible for me by creating me.  Having You my God, I have all I shall ever need or want.

Ephesians 4:7-16
7 But to each of us divine grace is given ac­cording to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it is said: When he ascended to the heights, he brought captives and gave his gifts to people.
9 He ascended, what does it mean but that he had also descended to the lower parts of the world? 10 He himself who went down, then ascended far above all the heavens to fill all things. 11As for his gifts, to some he gave to be apostles, to others prophets, or even evangelists, or pastors and teachers. 12 So he prepared those who belong to him for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, 13 until we are all united in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity and sharing the fullness of Christ.
14 Then no longer shall we be like children tossed about by any wave or wind of doctrine, and deceived by the cunning of people who drag them along into error. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we shall grow in every way towards him who is the head, Christ. 16 From him comes the growth of the whole body to which a network of joints gives order and cohesion, taking into account and making use of the function of each one. So the body builds itself in love.
What is the measure Beloved, of divine grace given to us by You?  It is immeasurable for there are no half measures with You.  When You give You give to the very lees.  Whatever gifts we have received have to be used fully in the service of all, for the glory of Your Kingdom.  To draw all in our circle of influence to You should be the aim of our existence.  As all of us who are united in the one faith, increase in our knowledge of You, Your Body the Church grows more and more in Your likeness and we become the perfect man in You.  As we grow in maturity and share the fulness of Your life in us,  nothing will shake us and we shall persevere with confidence to the end.  Truth and love will be the guiding principles that will enable us to reach fulness in You.
Luke 13:1-9
• 1 One day some persons told Jesus what had occurred in the Temple: Pilate had Galileans killed and their blood mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Gali­leans because they suffered this? 3 I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.
4 And those eighteen persons in Siloah who were crushed when the tower fell, do you think they were more guilty than all the others in Jeru­salem? 5 I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.”
6 And Jesus continued with this story, “A man had a fig tree growing in his vine­yard and he came looking for fruit on it, but found none. 7 Then he said to the gar­de­n­er: ‘Look here, for three years now I have been looking for figs on this tree and I have found none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?’ 8 The gardener replied: ‘Leave it one more year, so that I may dig around it and add some ferti­lizer; 9 and perhaps it will bear fruit from now on. But if it doesn’t, you can cut it down.”

In the Gospel we are told how that You make available to us all we need to grow and flourish.  You hold nothing back.  All that we need, all that we ask, You have given including Your life as our ransom.  But if we are like parasites, living only for ourselves and producing nothing for Your Kingdom, we shall be cut down and thrown into the fire; there the flame burns but does not consume or go out.  However, You give me innumerable invitations until my last breath.

Isaiah 6:5-8, Ephesians 4:1-6, Luke 12:54-59, Psalm 24:3-5

Isaiah 6:5-8

5 I said, “Poor me! I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips, and yet I have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me; in his hands was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” I answered, “HereI am. Send me!”

Beloved, most mornings I kneel in Your Presence and before You in the Blessed Sacrament I ask Mama Mary to brush her lips against mine - those lips stained red with Your Blood as she pressed them against Your feet nailed to the Cross.  Just as the seraph took the burning coal and touched the mouth of the prophet Isaiah and cleansed him from his guilt, so may Your Blood that now stains my own lips, purify me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, so I may proclaim Your Word in my life by my daily witness.

Ephesians 4:1-6

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. 2 Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love.
3 Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. 4 Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 6 One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.


Beloved, St. Paul was a genius in loving You.  He was also very skilful in conveying to us in the most wonderful and meaningful phrases, how we can live our lives witnessing to this love that we are called to bear for one another, because we love You.  In whatever vocation we are called to be, we are all invited to live it in humility, kindness, patience, bearing the faults of those who are weak, with mercy and compassion.  It is only with the help of Your Holy Spirit that this is possible.  He makes us all one in You and one in each other.  We form one body in You through the faith received in baptism.

Luke 12:54-59
54Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55And when the wind blows from the south, you say: ‘It will be hot’; and so it is. 56 You superficial people! You understand the signs of the earth and the sky, but you don’t understand the present times. 57 And why do you not judge for yourselves what is fit? 58 When you go with your accuser before the court, try to settle the case on the way, lest he drag you before the judge and the judge deliver you to the jailer, and the jailer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

You remind us to be as intuitive about spiritual things as we are about worldly things.  Time is on the march and each day brings us cloer to the end of  our time here on earth.  While it is still today we must repent and convet, reconcile and make amends before it is too late and we are eternally lost.


Psalm 24:3-5

3 Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who will stand in his holy place?
4 Those with clean hands and pure heart,
who desire not what is vain,
and never swear to a lie.
5 They will receive blessings from the Lord,
a reward from God, their savior.
People with clean hands and a pure heart are the ones who seek You.  They are attracted to You and wish to spend time with You alone.  People who are not distracted or anxious by the world and its affairs  can give You an undivided heart and an undivided love.  The world dangles many baubles before us that creates desires for things and often hinders us from hungering after You.  If we wish to be blessed, then we have to strive to live the truth always and everywhere.

Baruch 5:1-9, Ephesians 3:14-21, Luke 12:49-53

Baruch 5:1-9
1 Jerusalem, put off your garment of mourning and unhappiness, put on the splendor and glory of God forever.

2 Wrap yourself in the mantle of holiness that comes from God, put on your head the crown of glory of the Eternal One.

3 For God will show your splendor to every being under Heaven.

4 He will call your name forever, “Peace in Justice” and “Glory in the Fear of the Lord.”

5 Rise up, Jerusalem, stand on the heights. Look towards the East and see your children gathered together from the setting of the sun to its rising, by the voice of the Holy One, rejoicing because God has remembered them.

6 They left you on foot, taken away by the enemy. God will lead them back, carried gloriously like royal princes.

7 For God has resolved to bring low every high mountain and the everlasting hills, to fill up the valleys and level out the ground, in order that Israel may walk in safety under the Glory of God.

8 Even the forests and the fragrant trees will give shade to Israel at God’s command. 9 For God will lead Israel with joy by the light of his Glory, escorting them with his mercy and justice.

My Beloved, I thank You for all the wonderful promises You make in these verses and I claim each one for my own. Not only for me my Lord, but for each member of my family. I do believe that there is a time for Your visitation to each of us and at the appointed time, each will hear Your call and will be led triumphantly by You. As for me, I am called to be faithful in loving and praying for each one of them in season and out of season, whether I feel inclined to or not. May I be faithful as You Beloved are faithful.

Ephesians 3:14-21

14 And now I kneel in the presence of the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name.

16 May he strengthen in you the inner self through his Spirit, according to the riches of his glory;

17 may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith;

may you be rooted and found­ed in love.

18 All of this so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth—in a word, 19 that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.

20 Glory to God who shows his power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imag­ine; 21 glory to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

Here is my prayer slightly adapted to suit my need:

"Father in heaven I fall on my knees before You, it is from You that every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. I ask You God, from the wealth of Your glory to give me power through Your Holy Spirit to be strong in my inner self. I pray that You my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ might make Your home in my hearet through faith. I pray that I may have my roots and foundation in love, so that I together with all God's people may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. Yes, may I come to know His love alhtough it can never be fully known and so be filled by the very nature of God.

To You O Holy Spirit, who my means of Your power working in me, is able to do so much more that I can ever ask for or even think of, and to God be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus for all time for ever and ever. Amen.

I have also written a poem on these verses.

Prayer for Today

Abba Father in heaven,
As I come in Your Presence today,
And fall on my knees before You,
Grant me this petition I pray.

From the wealth of Your glory in heaven,
Dear Father I ask that You give,
Me power through Your Holy Spirit,
To be strong as long as I live.

I ask not for strength in my body
But strength in my inner self.
And of You My Lord and My Savior,
I have a favour to ask of as well.

In faith I ask You Lord Jesus,
To make Your home in my heart,
Then will my roots and foundation
Be deeply embedded in love.

So I, along with Your people,
Have the power to understand,
The breadth, length, the height, the depth of,
The wonderful love of my Lord.

Yes, my Lord and my Saviour,
May I know and be filled with Your love,
A love that can never be fully known,
And so have the nature of God.

Eph 3:14-19

Myra D’souza
14.2.1998

Luke 12:49-53
49 I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled; 50 but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over!
51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on, in one house five will be divided; three against two, and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daugh­ter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Beloved, this Gospel passage is one that has been puzzled over long and hard by many and maybe misunderstood as well. You come with the fire of the Holy Spirit that burns the dross away and leaves only the pure gold behind. You came to lead the way home to the Father. That way led to the death of the body to teach us that we too must die to sin and to die literally for You if need be. You came to bring division, for many in the world hate You and refuse to accept Your teaching because they prefer to live their bloated, self-indulgent lifestyle. Your Way is the Way to the Father. Thank You for inviting me to walk the Way and thank You for the grace that makes it possible.It touched my heart then and continues to touch it now. It is a powerful revelation of the love of God and the nature of God in each of the Divine Persons and what this power does for us who are God's children. Like St. Paul I go down on my knees in gratitude and love to my awesome God. My Beloved, from the very first time that I read this passage in Ephesians I was so drawn to its beauty and promise that I made this prayer my own and I recite it daily.

Sirach 32:14, Ephesians 3:2-12, Luke 12:39-48

Sirach 32:14

Whoever fears the Lord will accept His correction, and those who rise at dawn will win His favor.

Beloved, thank You for reminding me that You correct those You love.  Only a loving Father will discipline his children when they need to be disciplined.  Thank You also for the grace You make available to me to rise before dawn to offer You the first fruits of the day.

Ephesians 3:2-12

2 You may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. 3 By a revelation he gave me the knowledge of his mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. 4 On reading them you will have some idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ.

5 This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy apostles and prophets. 6 Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.

This is the Good News 7 of which I have become minister by a gift of God, a grace he gave me, when his power worked in me.

8 This grace was given to me, the least among all the holy ones: to announce to the pagan nations the immeasurable riches of Christ 9 and to make clear to all how the mystery, hidden from the beginning in God, the Creator of all things, is to be fulfilled.

10 Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover through the Church the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, as the plan is being fulfilled 11 which God designed from the begin­­­ning in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 12 In him we re­ceive boldness and confidence to approach God.

Beloved, God's wonderful plan of salvation which begain in creation has reached its fulfilment in Your birth, life, passion, death and glorious resurrection.  You are God's revelation to the world that He brought into being in love.  You are the reason why God created man - in order to reveal to us the depths, the length, the breadth and the height of the love He  bears His creatures.  Through the Church which You established, we and the world discovers the wisdom of God which is infinite and awesome.  But only in You Beloved can we dare approach God with the confidence of children.

Luke 12:39-48
39 Pay attention to this: If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” 42 And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward whom the master sets over his other servants to give them food rations at the proper time. 43 Fortunate is this servant if his master on coming home finds him doing his work. 44 Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.45 But it may be that the steward thinks: ‘My Lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the menservants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. 46 Then the master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he doesn’t know. He will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.47 The servant who knew his mas­ter’s will, but did not prepare to do what his master wanted, will be punished with sound blows; 48 but the one who did what deserved a punishment without know­ing it shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one entrusted with more.

In the Gospel we are reminded to be ready always for we do not know when You will call us home.  To do Your will must be my food and drink in imitation of You who considered doing Your Father's will food and drink.  In this alone is my reason for being and therein alone lies my true happiness.

Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 2:12-22, Luke 12:35-38

Romans 8:14-17

14 All those who walk in the Spirit of God are sons and daughters of God. 15 Then, no more fear: you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit that makes you sons and daughters and every time we cry, “Abba! (this is Dad!) Father!” 16 the Spirit assures our spirit that we are sons and daughters of God. 17 If we are children, we are heirs, too. Ours will be the inheritance of God and we will share it with Christ; for if we now suffer with him, we will also share Glory with him.

Beloved, in the midst of my troubles and while fighting my spiritual battles, thank You for speaking to me through these verses.  You assure me that in the Spirit I am a daughter of the Most High God.  I call Him Abba, Dad and He responds to my call with great tenderness and love.  I call God, Dad and You are my Brother.  I am heir to the Kingdom.  You walk with me, Your Holy Spirit makes His home in me.  What else do I need Beloved? I need nothing.

Ephesians 2:12-22

. 12 At that time you were with­out Christ, you did not belong to the community of Israel; the covenants of God and his promises were not for you; you had no hope and were without God in this world. 13 But now, in Christ Jesus and by his blood, you who were once far off have come near.

14 For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples one, 15 destroying in his own flesh the wall—the hatred—which separated us. He abolished the Law with its commands and precepts. He made peace in uniting the two peoples in him, creating out of the two one New Man. 16 He destroyed hatred and reconciled us both to God through the cross, making the two one body.

17 He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Through him we—the two peo­ples—approach the Father in one Spirit.

19 Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house 20 whose foundations are the apostles and proph­­­ets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built to become the spiritual sanctuary of God.

Through the words of St. Paul, You reveal my identity to me.  I am who I am because of You and all You have done for me.  In grafting me to Yourself, You  have raised me to the dignity of daughter to the Most High God.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes me Your Holy Temple.  I belong to the family of God.

Luke 12:35-38

• 35 Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, 36 like people waiting for their master to return from the wed­ding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open to him. 37 Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. 38Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron and have them sit at table and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!

My Beloved may I always be ready no matter the day or the hour for Your coming.  Despite the difficulties in life, may I run to You and shelter in You.  Keep me from sin.  Keep me wide awake and do  not abandon me even for a minute for without You I  would be lost.

Luke 19:26, 44, 2 Timothy 4:10-17, Luke 10:1-9, Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18

Luke 19:26, 44 26 ‘I tell you: everyone who has will be given more; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
44..."you did not recognize the time and the visitation of your God.”

My Beloved Jesus, here is a hard saying. One who has will be given more, those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. There are many in the world Lord who have been baptised into the faith but have grown into adults without making the slightest effort to learn anything about it. Vast amounts of time and money are spent in learning skills for earthly gain while they are in danger of losing their immortal souls due to spiritual lethargy.

Time and time again You visit us in the events that take place in our lives but You have been largely unrecognised.

2 Timothy 4:10-17
10 You must know that Demas has deserted me for the love of this world: he returned to Thessa­lonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke remains with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is a useful helper in my work. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephe­sus.
13 Bring with you the cloak I left at Troas, in Carpos’ house and also the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the metalworker has caused me great harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 Distrust him for he has been very much opposed to our preaching.16At my first hearing in court no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them. 17 But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Not all persevere to the end my Lord as St. Paul laments. Some begin with great fervor as we are told in Mark 16-19

"but the word falls on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept
it with joy, 17 but they have no roots so it lasts only a little while. No
sooner does trouble or persecution come be­cause of the word, than they
fall. Verses 18 to 19 go on the speak of others who receive the seed as among
thorns. After they hear the word, 19 they are caught up in the worries of this
life, false hopes of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the
word so that finally it produces nothing."

Our entire lives have to witness to You Lord even to our last breath.

Luke 10:1-9
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place, where he himself was to go. 2 And he said to them, “The har­vest is rich, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. 3 Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.5 Whatever house you enter, first bless them saying: ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Stay in that house eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.• 8 When they welcome you in any town, eat what they offer you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. We are reminded that each on one of us is called to be a missionary where we are. To preach the Gospel by the way we live our life. To witness to Your life in us by the way we conduct our daily affairs. We are called to be available and ready to serve. The reason the Church has such a pantheon of Saints is in order to encourage us to imitate them. Help me Lord!!

Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18
10 All your works will give you thanks; all your saints, O Lord, will praise you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power,
12 that all may know of your mighty deeds, your reign and its glorious splendor.
13 Your reign is from age to age; your dominion endures from generation to generation.
The Lord is true to his promises and lets his mercy show in all he does.
17 Righteous is the Lord in all his ways, his mercy shows in all his deeds.
18 He is near those who call on him, who call trustfully upon his name.

Beloved, You were not afraid of offending anyone because their eternal life was at risk.

Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:2, Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 121:1-8

Exodus 17:8-13
  8 When the Israelites were at Rephidim, the Amalekites came and attacked them. 9 So Moses said to Jo­shua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites in the morning. As for me, I will stand with God’s staff in my hand at the top of the hill.”

10 Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had directed, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 It happened that when Moses raised his hands, the Israelites would win but when he lowered them, the Amalekites would have the advantage.

12 As Moses’ arms grew weary they placed a stone for him to sit on while Aaron and Hur on either side held up his arms which remained steadily raised until sunset. 13 For his part Joshua mowed down Ama­lek and his people with the sword.

 Beloved, You call us as a body to climb up Your holy mountain and there to make intercession for those who do battle in the world.  Our prayers sustain them.  Prayer is the backbone of any work that is undertaken in Your Name.  If what we do is to be successful, then it must be backed by prayer.  There are so many in the world whose life work is to minister to the sick and the poor, to educate, to feed, to help, to preach.  We are called like Moses to make constant intercession for them so that their work may be fuelled with Your grace and that they may have the strength to persevere and not be discouraged.



2 Timothy 3:14--4:2

 14 As for you, continue with what you have learned and what has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you received it. 15 Besides, you have known the Scriptures from child­hood; they will give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, refuting error, for correcting and training in Christian life. 17 Through Scripture the man of God is made expert and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
4 • 1 In the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by the hope I have of his coming and his kingdom, I urge you 2 to preach the Word, in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking or advising, always with patience and providing instruction.

Beloved,  here St. Paul reminds us to be faithful to the teaching we have received.  Wisdom comes with being familiar with Your Word.  If we know the Scriptures then we know what is pleasing to You.  We know how You wish Your disciples to act in any given situation.  We know what is expected of a disciple.  We know the touchstone by which we examine our lives and whether we are living by those standards.  Familiarity with the Scriptures means becoming familiar with You. Having knowledge of You will help us to carry out with confidence the work that we know has been entrusted to us.  We are called to preach the Word in season and out of season, using the Word as the measure by which we do all things.  Our life is a living witness and testament to what we believe.  As Fr. Franco says, "I am the 5th Gospel."

Luke 18:1-8
 • 1 Jesus told them a parable to show them that they should pray con­tinually and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor people. 3 In the same town was a widow who kept coming to him, saying: ‘Defend my rights against my op­ponent.’ 4 For a time he refused, but finally he thought: ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, 5 this widow bothers me so much I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”6 And Jesus explained, “Listen to what the evil judge says. 7 Will God not do justice for his chosen ones who cry to him day and night even if he delays in answering them? 8 I tell you, he will speedily do them justice. Yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Beloved, we live in an evil and corrupt age and it is a scandal that there are those in this world who just shrivel up and die for lack of the most basic needs required to keep body and soul together.  On the other hand we have peope who live in obscene opulence who are heedless of those who lie and die outside their gates. The Church and all men of goodwill do their best despite corrupt people, politicians and governments.  We are called to not lose heart and to pray with faith.  We must pray always and as we pray, God shapes and moulds us into the people He wants us to be.  We each have to make our own contribution even if it is only a drop in the bucket.


Psalm 121:1-8

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains –
from where shall come my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth.
3 Will he let your foot slip,
the one watching over you?
Will he slumber?
4 No, the guardian of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps.
5 The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is at your side and you in his shade;
6 Sunstroke will not be for you by day,
nor the spell of the moon by night.
7 The Lord guards you from every evil;
he will protect your life.
8 The Lord watches over your coming and going
both now and forever.
 Beloved, I needed consolation this morning and You have consoled me in the verses of this psalm.  I revel in Your love and care for me.  Having You my Beloved as my Guardian by day and by night who else do I need?  I have all I need in You.