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Saturday, March 9, 2013

March 10, 2013 - Fourth Sunday Of Lent


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Fourth Sunday of Lent 
Lectionary: 33


Reading 1JOS 5:9A, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

God spoke to Joshua and said:
"As of today, I remove the disgrace of Egypt from you."

I'm not absolutely certain, but I think the disgrace or reproach of Egypt which God is speaking of is the fact that during their time in the desert, the people of Egypt had forgotten their pact with God.  They had allowed their children to remain uncircumcised.  But God had ordered Joshua to take the time to do so.   At this time, all the people born in the desert had been circumcised.  And so, the sign of the Mosaic Covenant was again on their bodies.

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
After they celebrated the Passover, the Manna no longer fell from heaven to sustain the Israelites.  They began to eat the fruit of the land. 

Responsorial PsalmPS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Taste and see the blessings of God.
I will praise God all the time.  His praise will always be on my lips.  My spirit will continually honor my Lord.  The poor will listen to me and celebrate.

Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Praise God with me.  Join me in raising up His Holy Name.  When I turned to God, He turned to me and saved me from my fears.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Turn to God and rejoice.  Turn to God and you will not be ashamed.  When the weak and lowly call out for help, God listens to them.  From all their trouble God rescues them.

Reading 22 COR 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
Brothers and sisters,
If you believe in Jesus, you are  born again.  Your old way of being is gone.  Look around, you are totally different.

And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
All of this is a gift from God the Father, who brought you to Himself through Jesus, Our Lord and has given us the Sacrament of forgiveness in order to forgive all your sins and through whom we give you the message of union with God.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
God speaks through us.  We represent Jesus Christ to you.  And on His behalf we beg you to come back to God.  He died for us in order that our sins would be forgiven and that we might be perfect ash the Father in heaven is perfect. 

GospelLK 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The Pharisees were complaining that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.

So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’  So the father divided the property between them.  After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
So, Jesus told them the Parable of the Prodigal son.

A man had two sons.  One of them was wayward and demanded that his father give him His inheritance right now.  So the father did so.   That son took his newfound wealth to a far land.  There, he spent it on foolish things.

When he had freely spent everything,a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
When he had spent everything, a famine struck that land.  And he found himself in need of money.  So, he took a job feeding the pigs on a certain farm.

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
But he didn't make enough money to eat as he was accustomed.  And the farmer would not permit him to eat the pigs' food.

Then he remembered that his own father had many workers.  And they all ate very well.  But here he was dying of hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So, he said to himself, "I'll go to my father, apologize and ask him to take me on as one of his workers."

So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father saw him far away and ran to meet him.  Meeting him, he hugged him and kissed him.  The son said, "Father, I don't deserve to be your son."

But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
But his father simply called out for the servants to start a celebration, "for my son has been lost and now is found!"

Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
Now, the other son was coming back from working in the fields and he heard the celebration.  One of the servants said to him, "Your brother has returned."

He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He became angry at his father saying, "I have been faithful to you.  And you never even lit a candle for me.  But when this one who rejected you returns, you throw a banquet."

He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”
But his father replied.  "Son, all that I have is yours.  But right now, it is time to celebrate, for your brother who was lost is now saved!"

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