Too often have I gone my own way thinking I knew better than You Lord. After all I am charge of my own life and want to live it as I see fit! I will be no one’s puppet! When things got busy or hard I looked for distractions that which were ‘good’ and pleasing to my eye. I clothed myself in darkness and hid myself from You in guilt and shame. I shut my ears and eyes to You, my mouth was sealed with my own pride and I would sing of my own praises from the depths of my insecurity.
Still You looked for and called out to me! You spoke deep into my wounded heart. Your gentle voice coaxed me and I gave the truth of my heart to You. “O my Jesus, I am so sorry for having sinned against You. Look not on my sins Lord but in Your mercy and love grant me Your grace to be fully united once again with Holy mother Church, Your One Body.” You then covered me with Your light and embraced me with the glowing warmth of Your Love. You commanded my ears, eyes and tongue to be opened so that I can once again glorify You with my body, mind and spirit. By Your grace I live free and I will sing Your praises this and everyday! Oh who am I Lord that You would love be so?
Sweet Jesus my Saviour, shield me from all evil, guard my heart against all temptations. Let me be faithful to Your word and will for me now and forever. Amen
First reading
Genesis 3:1-8 ·
The fall of man
The serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.
The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Gospel
Mark 7:31-37
‘He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak’
Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
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