Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Readings for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Hosea 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
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Readings for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Hosea 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
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Commentary on Hos 6:1-6
Once again in Hosea the people of Israel are portrayed as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise them up to salvation after three days in the tomb. The image prefigures the messiah. The prophet continues with the voice of God recognizing their faithlessness he calls for authentic love, not empty sacrifices.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
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R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
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Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
The psalm response is taken from the end of the Hosea reading we just received. The psalm itself is a lament, asking God for compassion as a consequence of the Baptismal bath (“Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.”) It then echoes the need for the spirit of authentic worship, not empty sacrifices.
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Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -
greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -
greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
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Commentary on Lk 18:9-14
The Gospel story is the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Tax Collector). Here we find Jesus addressing those who think of themselves as closer to God and therefore better than those who are not so scrupulous in their worship.Jesus points out that the Pharisee who focuses on pious acts to demonstrate his own holiness misses the point of the God’s desire for authentic worship while the humility and authenticity of the Tax Collector will be “justified”, it’s easier to hear in the Jerusalem Bible version where it says; “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”
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Reflection:
When we hear the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican the very first question that pops into mind is “Which one am I? Am I the Pharisee who is scrupulously performing empty gestures or am I the Tax Collector who is truly contrite and humble before God?” And the irony of the question is that the more thoroughly we try to follow the faith; the more completely we attempt to dedicate ourselves to the Father through worship, the more difficult it becomes to place ourselves as the one whose actions are acceptable to God.
If we were to take this parable and also assign the exhortation of Hosea from the first reading where the prophet says “Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.” We might be tempted to say – “What good then is my fasting, my praying and my almsgiving? Is it seen by God as a way I am pridefully exalting myself and missing His expectations of genuine worship?”
The question as posed, “Are our actions seen by God?” is the right question we should ask because we know that the Father sees our intent rather than the outward image seen by others. God is asking for our interior humility, not the false humility used by those who wish to appear pious, but who secretly take pride in the façade they present to others.
The most difficult part of our attempt to offer worship acceptable to the Father is we must, because of our faith in His Only Son, compare our attitudes to those of Christ, who demonstrated true humility of love. To that end we offer a pair of questions that we ask ourselves as we approach God’s altar: “For whom am I doing what I do – Jesus or myself?” and “How would Jesus love?” The answers, though never perfect, should lead eventually to an attitude with which God will be pleased.
Pax
If we were to take this parable and also assign the exhortation of Hosea from the first reading where the prophet says “Your piety is like a morning cloud, like the dew that early passes away.” We might be tempted to say – “What good then is my fasting, my praying and my almsgiving? Is it seen by God as a way I am pridefully exalting myself and missing His expectations of genuine worship?”
The question as posed, “Are our actions seen by God?” is the right question we should ask because we know that the Father sees our intent rather than the outward image seen by others. God is asking for our interior humility, not the false humility used by those who wish to appear pious, but who secretly take pride in the façade they present to others.
The most difficult part of our attempt to offer worship acceptable to the Father is we must, because of our faith in His Only Son, compare our attitudes to those of Christ, who demonstrated true humility of love. To that end we offer a pair of questions that we ask ourselves as we approach God’s altar: “For whom am I doing what I do – Jesus or myself?” and “How would Jesus love?” The answers, though never perfect, should lead eventually to an attitude with which God will be pleased.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Gathering and Protecting Mankind” by Frans Floris, 1562
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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