March 15, 2015, Fourth Sunday of Lent - Year A Scrutinies

Lectionary: 31

Reading 1 1 SM 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A

The LORD said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

Samuel is God's High Priest.  Israel had demanded a King, like the surrounding countries.  So, God first had Samuel to appoint Saul as King over Israel.  But King Saul sinned against God.  Therefore, while Saul was still living, God appointed his replacement.  The son of Jesse.

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”

Jesse had eight sons.  When Samuel saw the oldest, he thought this must be the one whom God would appoint as new King of Israel.  But God did not look at the outside, but into the heart.  

In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”

Jesse presented 7 of his sons to Samuel.  But Samuel wanted to see the youngest.

Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

And God commanded Samuel to anoint David.  David became King of Israel to replace Saul.

Responsorial Psalm PS 23: 1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

We should follow the Lord, as sheep follow a shepherd.  He will provide all that we need.

Reading 2 EPH 5:8-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.

We live in the light of God.  But we also produce light if we do good to our fellow man.

Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

We must therefore do right that we might be like our Father in Heaven.

Verse Before The Gospel JN 8:12

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.  All who follow Him will live in Him, forever.

Gospel JN 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

Jesus' disciples as Him why a certain man was born blind.  Jesus answered that it was not because of anyone's sins but in order that God might be glorified through him.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”

And those who knew the blind man were astonished and could not believe that he could now see.  But some wanted to know who had cured him on the Sabbath.

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Then the Pharisees were upset because Christ had done a good work on the Sabbath.

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

But the Rulers of Israel did not believe the man was cured by Christ.  So they called in his parents to see if it was true that the man was formerly blind.  And they confirmed that he had been born blind.

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

So they called the blind man again, to harass him about Christ.  And he told them again, that Christ had cured him.

They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

And the man who had been cured, totally confounded the leaders until they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

And Jesus sought him out.  And the man proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ.

And Jesus said that He came into the world that they blind might see and those who see become blind.   Meaning that He had come to bring sinners to repentance.

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

Some of the Pharisees who followed Christ were insulted by this.  So, Jesus said to them that if they admitted their blindness, they could be healed.  That is, if they repented of their sins, they could be forgiven.  But since they did not, then they remained in their sins.

The alternate Gospel reading is a subset of the main one so no commentary is necessary.


Or JN 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

March 15, 2015 - Fourth Sunday Of Lent

Lectionary: 32

Reading 1 2 CHR 36:14-16, 19-23

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people
added infidelity to infidelity,
practicing all the abominations of the nations
and polluting the LORD’s temple
which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

During this time, the people of God had become unfaithful and turned away from God.

Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,
send his messengers to them,
for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.

Frequently, out of compassion, God sent prophets to speak to His people.

But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy.

But they treated His Prophets with disdain and disrespect.  And God became very angry with His people.

Their enemies burnt the house of God,
tore down the walls of Jerusalem,
set all its palaces afire,
and destroyed all its precious objects.

So, God permitted their enemies to overwhelm them.

Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,
where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons
until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.

And those who weren't killed, were enslaved and carried off to Babylon to serve foreign kings.

All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:
“Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,
during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest
while seventy years are fulfilled.”

This happened in order to fulfill God's prophecy which was spoken through Jeremiah, that the people of God would be enslaved for 70 years.

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!”

And God did something extraordinary.  Never was it heard that a pagan spoke in God's name.  This pagan King, Cyrus, was inspired by God to announce to the people of God that he was going to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Lord, let me die but do not let me turn from you.

By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.

As a consequence of their sins, the Jews were carried far from Jerusalem.  And there, they remembered the home which God had given to them.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”

And their slave holders coaxed them to sing happy songs of Jerusalem.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!

But they couldn't sing happy songs of Jerusalem, because they missed their homeland.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.

They couldn't be happy until they returned to their home.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

They could not be happy, until they returned to God's favor.

Reading 2 EPH 2:4-10

Brothers and sisters:

St. Paul addresses the Ephesians as brothers and sisters in Christ.

God, who is rich in mercy,

God is compassionate

because of the great love he had for us,

and loves us dearly

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

He even loved us when we were dead in our sins

brought us to life with Christ

 Therefore, He forgave our sins in Baptism and gave us new life in Christ.

 — by grace you have been saved —,

It is in Baptism that we receive His grace

raised us up with him,

And He has brought us to His Home, in Zion, where we dwell with the Angels and Saints (See Hebrews 12:22).

and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

Where we dwell with Christ and in Christ as members of His Body.

that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

God the Father has done this, in order that He might love us through the love He has for His only begotten Son.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,

We have been saved by grace because we are saved in Baptism.  And we are saved through faith, because He pours out His grace upon us in Baptism in accordance with the measure of our faith.

and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;

And this is a gift of God to all who submit to Him in faith.

it is not from works, so no one may boast.

We can't do it.  We can't save ourselves.  Baptism is God's work through which He justifies us by the bath of the Holy Spirit, working in us His wonders.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.

And thus, we are born again in Christ, in order that we might to the works of God.  For it is He who works in us and through us to accomplish His good pleasure.

Verse Before The Gospel JN 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

God so loved us, that He gave His only begotten Son, to die that we might live.

Gospel JN 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In the desert, the people of God had become ungrateful.  This angered God and He sent some seraphim, fiery serpents, to bite the ungrateful people.  But Moses prayed for them and God instructed him to make a bronze serpent and raise it up on a pole, in order that those who looked upon it, would be saved.

This is the serpent which was lifted up in the desert as a "foreshadowing" of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.   

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.

God loves us so much, that He sacrificed His Son, in order that we might live with Him forever.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.

Through Jesus Christ, God saves the world.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,

Those who do not believe in Christ, condemn themselves.

because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Because, by rejecting Christ, one rejects God.

And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.

Christ is the light of the world.  But those who work evil, prefer darkness.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

But those who work righteousness, live in the light and their works are seen by God.

Daily Readings March 8, 2015 - Third Sunday Of Lent

Lectionary: 29

Reading 1 EX 20:1-17

Perhaps you will recognize the Ten Commandments

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:
“I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves
in the shape of anything in the sky above
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him.”

Or EX 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:
“I, the LORD am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the Lord, your God, is giving you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him.”

Although some Christian groups have denied the necessity of keeping the Ten Commandments, especially those who maintain "salvation by faith alone".  They are still mandatory for Catholics.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.

R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The importance of the Commandments is illustrated in this one fact.  They are the only words of Scripture which were written by God.

Reading 2 1 COR 1:22-25

Brothers and sisters:
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Jesus Christ and the Commandments are both the Word of God.  Jesus Christ did not renounce the Commandments, but fulfilled them and gave us an example that we should follow in order that we also may fulfill them.

Verse Before The Gospel JN 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Jesus Christ took flesh in order to live and die and rise again, in order that we might do the same.

Gospel JN 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
many began to believe in his name
when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.

Jesus was talking about His resurrection.  He gave His life for us that He might take it up again and be the first fruits of our resurrection.

March 8, 2015 - Third Sunday Of Lent - Year A Scrutinies

Scrutinies have to do with the rites of initiation for those adults who will be baptized this Easter.

Lectionary: 28

Reading 1 EX 17:3-7

In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people,
along with some of the elders of Israel,
holding in your hand, as you go,
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah,
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

The beautiful thing about this story, is that St. Paul revealed, in the New Testament, that the Rock which gave the Israelites water in the desert, is Jesus Christ:

1 Cor 10:3All ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ.   

Responsorial Psalm PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

By saying that the Rock was Christ, St. Paul illustrated for us that Jesus Christ is God.  God is the Rock of our salvation.  When Jesus Christ named Simon, Peter, He illustrated the Peter, the Rock of the Church, is God's representative on earth.

Reading 2 ROM 5:1-2, 5-8

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith
to this grace in which we stand,
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

We are justified by faith, when we come to the fount of grace and profess our faith in God through Jesus Christ.  Then, seeing our faith, He declares us righteous.  And when we submit to Baptism, God washes our sins away and makes us new creatures.  

Verse Before The Gospel CF. JN 4:42, 15

Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.

It is Christ who gives us living water through the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments.

Gospel JN 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands,
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned,
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar
and went into the town and said to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another,
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment
and gathering crops for eternal life,
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;
others have done the work,
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified,
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

It is strange how fickle we are.  The Samaritans believe in Christ because of the woman's testimony.  But, the very next year, when Jesus was going to Jerusalem to suffer His passion, they would not let Him in the town.  

Luke 9:51-53 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

V. The Journey to Jerusalem: Luke’s Travel Narrative[a]

Departure for Jerusalem; Samaritan Inhospitality. 51 [b]When the days for his being taken up[c] were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 [d]and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.

Or JN 4:5-15, 19B-26, 39A, 40-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty
or have to keep coming here to draw water.

“I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand;
we worship what we understand,
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here,
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ;
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him.
When the Samaritans came to him,
they invited him to stay with them;
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word,
and they said to the woman,
“We no longer believe because of your word;
for we have heard for ourselves,
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

Daily Readings March 1, 2015 Daily Readings March 1, 2015

Lectionary: 26

Reading 1 GN 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18

Abraham is the epitome of faithfulness in the Bible.  We first meet him in Genesis 12, where he is known as Abram.  God invites him to leave his father in the land of Ur and go where God leads.  Abram obeys.  In Genesis 15, Abram is now 100 years old.  He has obeyed God for approximately 30 years.  And God has not yet fulfilled His promise.  God reiterates the promise and Abram believes Him.  Therefore, God renames him and calls him, Abraham, the father of nations.  This episode, in Gen 15, in my opinion, is why Catholics are called the children of Abraham.  When we submit to the Sacraments, we believe God and He counts it to us as righteousness.  Just as He did to Abraham.  Except, He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.

If you notice, though, we're in Genesis 22.  And Abraham will undergo yet another test of faith. 

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am!” he replied.
Then God said:
“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you.”

A holocaust is a sacrifice.  God is literally instructing Abraham to kill his only son.  

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

There is a lot of imagery skipped before we arrive at this point.  Take a little time and read the entire thing.

Notice the following.  A father is sacrificing his son.  The son is carrying the wood of his sacrifice.  The father says that God will provide the sacrifice. 

Then we get to the point where Abraham is literally going to kill his son.  And we need to read something else to understand what is going through this man's mind:

Hebrews 11:17  By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”19* He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Do you see the connection between Isaac, the son of Abraham and Jesus, the Son of God? 

But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am!” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

So, God spared Isaac and provided a lamb (i.e. ram) to be offered in his place.  Jesus, however, would not be spared.  That is why Jesus is called, the Lamb of God.

This mount Moriah, where Isaac was going to be sacrificed was renamed during the course of history.  It is Golgotha, the same hill where Christ was crucified. 

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command.”

WE are Abraham's descendants.  Because everytime we go to the Sacraments, we express our faith in God's promises.  Just like Abraham.

Responsorial Psalm PS 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.

Although we're talking about Abraham today, I always look to Job when faith in the midst of great affliction is mentioned.

R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

That, is the Eucharist, in a nutshell.  Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself and we continue to offer His Sacrifice in His name.

R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.

We owe God our love.  Therefore, repay Him by loving His people.

R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading 2 ROM 8:31B-34

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

This is love.  From all eternity, God knew that His Son would be sacrificed for our sins.

Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.

It is Jesus, who now sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.

Verse Before The Gospel CF. MT 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.

St. Peter was there and heard it. 

2 Peter 1:17  For he received honor and glory from God the Father* when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”18 We* ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.

Gospel MK 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

The three pillars of the Apostolic Church.  Sts. Peter, James and John.  Jesus took them up the mountain.

And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

There, He showed them His glory.

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.

And demonstrated the New Dispensation of the communion of Saints.  It is on this Mountain that we walk with the Saints.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

This Cloud is a mystical representation of the Holy Spirit.  It is the same Cloud which overshadowed the Virgin Mary and which overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

And Jesus commanded them to keep this secret until after all had been accomplished and He had resurrected from the dead.

Daily Readings - February 22, 2015

First Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 23

Reading 1 GN 9:8-15

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
“See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.

If you remember, God has just brought about a global destruction by means of a flood, because of the sinfulness of mankind.  The thing I find intriguing is that God is not just making the covenant with Noah, but also with all the creatures that were with him on the ark.

I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”

God promised Noah that He would never destroy all of mankind nor all creatures, by means of a flood, again.

God added:
“This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings.”

The Rainbow.  What a wonderful teaching tool.  I remember from a child that my parents and all adults would tell me what it meant.  And my parents did not know Scripture.  But who doesn't know the story of the Flood?

Responsorial Psalm PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.

R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

It is upon those who keep His commandments that God sheds His mercy (Exodus 20:6).

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

Those who keep God's commandments are they who love God (John 14:15).

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.

And God will come to them and live with them (John 14:21).

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.

God loves us and guides us to repentance.  Those who repent, He exalts to eternal life (Matthew 23:12).

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Reading 2 1 PT 3:18-22

Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.

Jesus sacrificed Himself on the Cross, not just to pay the penalty for our sins, but also to give us an example to follow.

Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.

He died in the flesh in order that He might be the Firstborn to eternal life.

In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient

Jesus descended into hell.  Hell, in the Creed, is a reference to Limbo, where the Patriarchs were awaiting that Jesus would lead them into heaven.

while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.

The Flood washed away sinful humanity from the earth.

This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body

In that sense, it foreshadows the Sacrament of Baptism, the sign which Jesus instituted to show that the Holy Spirit, TRULY, washes our sins away from our soul.

but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Thus, when we are reborn in Baptism, this is a foretaste of our resurrection at the end of days.

Verse Before The Gospel MT 4:4B

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

No alleluia before the Gospel during Lent.  But a reminder that the Eucharist is the food of eternal life.

Gospel MK 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

Lent is here.  And we shall join Jesus in the desert for 40 days.  Voluntarily fasting and suffering for the Kingdom of God that we might be glorified with Christ (Rom 8:17).

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Therefore, let us repent and turn to God, that we too, may be saved.

February 15, 2015 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 77

Reading 1 LV 13:1-2, 44-46

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
“If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch
which appears to be the sore of leprosy,
he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest,
or to one of the priests among his descendants.
If the man is leprous and unclean,
the priest shall declare him unclean
by reason of the sore on his head.

“The one who bears the sore of leprosy
shall keep his garments rent and his head bare,
and shall muffle his beard;
he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean.
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.”

Contracting leprosy was a terrible cross to bear.  Those who contracted leprosy had to die to themselves and put all other human beings before themselves.  They had to humble themselves in an extreme manner.  Because if they didn't, those whom they loved the most, would be most likely to be hurt.

I say, "was a terrible cross" because in the US, leprosy is all but unknown.  However, in certain parts of the world, it still exists.   

Responsorial Psalm PS 32:1-2, 5, 11

R. (7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

God calls us and we turn to Him.  And we obey Him and He saves us.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

God calls us and we repent of our sins.  We ask for Baptism and He washes away our sins.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin.

God speaks to us through the Church, we repent of our sins, then our priests pray for us in place of Christ.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.

R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.

And then, we rejoice with the Saints, because God will save us.  Our hope is in Him.

Reading 2 1 COR 10:31—11:1

Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.

Everything we do, we should always be thankful to God that we can do it.  Because all is His.  Even our very lives.

Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or
the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

We must love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  

Alleluia LK 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

A great prophet has arisen in our midst,
God has visited his people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus Christ, the manGod, Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.

Gospel MK 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning the him sternly, he dismissed him at once.

He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

We are lepers.  We are born with Original Sin and because of that, we can't help but be selfish sinners.  When we turn to Christ and repent of our sins, we come to the Sacraments and He washes our souls.  We then rejoice!  Because we live amongst the Saints which are in heaven!

Readings and commentary, March 2, 2014

February 2, 2014

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

 

 « February 2  Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Lectionary: 524

Reading 1MAL 3:1-4

Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;

This is a reference to St. John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Note that the Lord God says that he is the Messiah because his messenger is preparing the way for him.

And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.

 The messenger here has a double meaning. It is either St. John the Baptist or Jesus Christ. But it more likely represents Jesus Christ because he is God whom we seek.

Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

 This confirms that the messenger is a reference to Jesus Christ, God, the second person of the holy Trinity, whose presence is like fire:

Hebrews 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

1 Peter 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

 This is a reference to the Eucharist. Which is the sacrifice that  pleases the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

 Jesus Christ is the King of glory. Glory is another word for heaven. Jesus Christ is the King of heaven.

Reading 2 HEB 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,

 The children who share blood and flesh represents humankind. Jesus Christ took upon himself the blood and flesh in order to become one of us.

that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,

 Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary's womb and born in order to die upon the cross and thus to destroy the devil's power.

and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.

 by dying upon the cross and rising again, Jesus freed those who were afraid of death and thus subject to the devil's power.

Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;

 Angels do not die therefore, Jesus death and resurrection did not help their status. It only helped those men who have faith. That is why Abraham is here mentioned. Because all have faith in God our children of Abraham.

therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.

 Therefore, Jesus had to become like us in order that we would recognize that he suffered like us.

Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

 By our knowledge of his sacrifice we begin to understand how much he loves us.

Gospel LK 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. 

 Jesus was obedient to the law of God from the time he was born. Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple to be consecrated to God in accordance with the law of Moses. Thus, his parents fulfilled God's will for him just as we fulfill God's will for our children when we baptize our infants.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 

 St. Simeon was a very holy man who had received a revelation from God that he would not die before he saw the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed Savior of the world.

He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

 This is a beautiful prayer which the Catholic Church has prayed every night before we go to bed.

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

 St. Simeon forewarned Mary of the suffering which she and her child would face in the future. When her child died upon the cross it was as though a sword had pierced her in two.

There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

 God also revealed to St. Anna the prophetess about the Christ child. And she spoke about this to all who came to the temple.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

 And when Mary and Joseph had fulfilled the law of Moses with respect to Jesus Christ they went back home. And Jesus grew up physically strong and very wise and beloved of his heavenly Father.

The alternate gospel reading is a subset of the original and needs no further comment.

Or 

LK 2:22-32

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

February 1, 2014

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

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Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 322

Reading 12 SM 12:1-7A, 10-17

The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him,
Nathan said: “Judge this case for me!
In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor.
The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers.
But the poor man had nothing at all
except one little ewe lamb that he had bought.
He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children.
She shared the little food he had
and drank from his cup and slept in his bosom.
She was like a daughter to him.
Now, the rich man received a visitor,
but he would not take from his own flocks and herds
to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb
and made a meal of it for his visitor.”
David grew very angry with that man and said to him:
“As the LORD lives, the man who has done this merits death!
He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold
because he has done this and has had no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man!
Thus says the LORD God of Israel:
‘The sword shall never depart from your house,
because you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’
Thus says the LORD:
‘I will bring evil upon you out of your own house.
I will take your wives while you live to see it,
and will give them to your neighbor.
He shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.
You have done this deed in secret,
but I will bring it about in the presence of all Israel,
and with the sun looking down.’”

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan answered David: “The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin:
you shall not die.
But since you have utterly spurned the LORD by this deed,
the child born to you must surely die.”
Then Nathan returned to his house.

The LORD struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David,
and it became desperately ill.
David besought God for the child.
He kept a fast, retiring for the night
to lie on the ground clothed in sackcloth.
The elders of his house stood beside him
urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not,
nor would he take food with them.

This is a very interesting passage that Protestants find hard to understand. It is in fact, very important for the understanding of the doctrine of purgatory.

Notice that although King David was forgiven by God, the child which was born of this adulterous union had to die. What most people don't realize though is that all those curses which Nathan pronounced also came true. The sword never departed David's house. First, one of his sons raped his half-sister. Then, her full brother killed that half brother in revenge. Then, that same brother rebelled against David and had sex with David's wives, his stepmothers, in plain daylight where all of Jerusalem could see him doing it.

So, although God had forgiven David, David still paid for his sin. This is the essence of the doctrine of purgatory, where we pay for the temporal effects due to sin.

Responsorial Psalm PS 51:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.

R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Give me your heart Lord  so that I can love as you love. Give me your heart Lord so that I can be obedient to the  Father as you are.  Give me your heart   Lord so that I can be transformed by the fire of your love.

Gospel MK 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

 The apostles were beginning to get an inkling as to whom Jesus really was. Perhaps, up to that time they thought he was a gifted prophet. But then they witnessed that even the wind and the sea obey his word.