Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

 
During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“The Attempt to Stone Christ”
by Michael Pacher 1479-81

Readings for Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:10-13
 
I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!
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Commentary on Jer 20:10-13
 
Jeremiah is near despair as the plots of his family and friends are fomented against him. We can clearly hear the fear in his voice (“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine”). Yet, in spite of his dire situation, he trusts that God will support him. Indeed, he is hoping that God will not only save him but will punish those who plot against him.
 
This is a typical Old Testament understanding of the God of Justice, who visits his wrath on the enemies of the faithful. We see also an interesting observation about the path of the faithful: “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart,” implying that the path of faithfulness is always difficult.
 
CCC: Jer 20:7-18 2584
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
 
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
 
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
 
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
 
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
 
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
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Commentary on Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
 
Psalm 18 is a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s salvation.  While in its full form it is sung in thanks to God for victory following a physical battle, in these strophes we see thanks is given for heavenly aid in difficult situations.
 
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Gospel: John 10:31-42
 
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
 
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.
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Commentary on Jn 10:31-42
 
Jesus is in the temple at Jerusalem, once again on a festival day (probably the Feast of the Dedication or Festival of Lights). He has just finished his discourse on the Good Shepherd and a number of those present are pressing him to declare that he is the Messiah. Immediately preceding this reading, he answered them, “The Father and I are one.” Now his enemies pick up stones ready to punish him for this blasphemy.
 
Instead of leaving immediately, Jesus tells them to look at his works, the signs he has performed, and judge if he is not doing the Father’s work. When they tell him it is not his works they challenge but his assertion that he is God, Jesus tells them: “Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods'?” This is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Deuteronomy 1:17), were called "gods"; cf. Exodus 21:6, in addition to Psalm 82:6 from which the quotation comes.
 
Jesus continues to point at his salvific actions, but the agents of the Sanhedrin do not accept this argument, although many in the crowd do since we hear, “they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped their power.” This would seem to imply that they feared intervention from the crowd. Jesus leaves followed by “many” and continues to teach, across the Jordan.
 
CCC: Jn 10:31-38 548; Jn 10:31 574; Jn 10:33 574, 589, 594; Jn 10:36-38 591; Jn 10:36 437, 444, 1562; Jn 10:37-38 582; Jn 10:38 548
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Reflection:
 
At the very beginning of St. Paul’s rendition of the kenotic hymn in Philippians 2: 5-11 he says: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.”  This attitude is very clearly presented in the Gospel of St. John, as Jesus is confronted in the temple by those who want him killed.  It contrasts very nicely with the prophet Jeremiah, who is in similar circumstances depicted in the first reading.
 
Jeremiah is being persecuted.  His family and friends have turned against him, and he fears for his life.  What does he do?  As the faith-filled prophet he is, he turns to God with confidence that he will be vindicated. He is sure that his enemies will not succeed and that they themselves will feel the punishment of God.  The prophet even longs to see the punishment God will visit upon those who plot against him (“Let me witness the vengeance you take on them”).
 
We contrast this attitude with the attitude of Christ that we, as his followers, are enjoined to assume.  Jesus has come to Jerusalem, to the temple, and is confronting the Jewish leadership. These leaders are tasked with remaining faithful to the Law and Prophets, waiting for the Messiah to come as promised. It is the Messiah who will lead them to the peace and salvation promised by God.  Jesus is being urged by those who have seen the signs and who are longing for the salvation of God to come out and announce that he is this long-awaited Messiah.  But, recognizing that this expectation is misplaced, that what they hope for is born of human desire not the divine plan he has come to fulfill, he defers.  Instead, he takes a much more dangerous path. He tells them of his divine origin.
 
Immediately, he has placed himself in a much more dangerous position than the one in which Jeremiah had been. This is where we see the attitude of Christ.  He does not flee, nor does he call upon the Father to punish the unbelieving people who call themselves priests of God.  He tries to open their eyes so that they can see that he is indeed the Son of God.  “Believe the works,” he begs them, not to save himself, but to save those who fail to see.  Indeed, the attitude of Christ is love.  He expresses his love through his invitation, even in the face of their hatred.
 
Alas, the time of fulfillment has not yet come, and he leaves, going to where it all began, where St. John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan.  Soon though, we see the attitude of Christ fully exposed.  Soon now, God calls him home.
 
We see in this encounter our own challenge.  It is our shared mission to call those who hope for peace but do not know the Lord.  It is our mission to call those we meet out of hedonism and the degraded secular morality into the love of Christ.  It is a message and mission rejected now by the majority and because it challenges the character formed in secular establishments (schools, government, and society in general), we will be very unpopular for advancing this message of love and respect for the human person.  Can we expect not to draw anger and hatred because of our shared mission? Our attitude too must be that of our Savior, one of commitment to our love of neighbor and our humility in the faith we share.
 
Our Lenten season is drawing to a close and we look forward to our Easter of Joy, but at what cost?
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 

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[1] The picture is from St. Wolfgang Altarpiece: “The Attempt to Stone Christ” by Michael Pacher 1479-81.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

 

During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass texts are offered.

“Abraham's Journey to Canaan”
by Pieter Pietersz. Lastman, 1614

Readings for Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 17:3-9
 
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
"My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God."
 
God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages."
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Commentary on Gn 17:3-9
 
In ancient tradition, God changes the name of Abram to Abraham and takes dominion over him. “In traditional societies, and particularly in the OT, names were much more important than they are today. If for us personal names are little more than labels, in the OT they express a person’s character and destiny, at least as the parents perceive them (cf. [Genesis] 4:1, 25; 5:29; 16:15); usually children are named at birth by their parents.” [4] He establishes his covenant, and in return for faithful worship from Abraham and his descendants (repeated three times in this short selection to indicate the absolute promise of fulfillment), God promises to make Abraham’s line interminable, and the land he lives in a permanent possession. It is interesting to note that this action takes place after the birth of Ishmael to Hagar and before the birth of Isaac to Sarai, his wife, later renamed Sarah by God.
 
CCC: Gn 17:4-8 1819; Gn 17:5 59
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
 
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
 
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
 
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
 
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
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Commentary on Ps 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
 
This section of Psalm 105, a song of thanksgiving, recalls God’s covenant with Abraham, the promise of the land of Canaan, and calls for continued faithfulness. The psalmist recalls that God’s covenant extends to all the generations that follow “for a thousand generations.”
 
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Gospel: John 8:51-59
 
Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
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Commentary on Jn 8:51-59
 
St. John’s Gospel continues Jesus’ dialogue with the Jews in the temple area. He again alludes to the resurrection of the faithful (“whoever keeps my word will never see death”), but these Jews either do not understand or do not believe in the resurrection. They challenge Jesus, asking if he places himself above Abraham and the prophets who died.
 
In response, the Lord reiterates his relationship to the Father, and in doing so makes clear that Abraham would have recognized his status because he (Jesus) is eternal (“before Abraham came to be, I AM”). Jesus uses the title God ascribes to himself and that is reserved to the Logos, the word made flesh.
 
Not understanding the truth of Jesus’ words, the Jews “picked up stones” to punish him for blasphemy but Jesus left the temple area.
 
CCC: Jn 8:55 473; Jn 8:58 590; Jn 8:59 574
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Reflection:
 
God speaks to us from two different parts of Sacred Scripture saying almost the same thing.  From Genesis, in the Covenant of Circumcision, [5] we hear God saying to Abraham: “You and your descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages." Then in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Whoever keeps my word will never see death." God was telling Abraham that for all the blessings being promised to him and his descendants, the land, the bounty, and the fertility (continuing his lineage indefinitely), he and his descendants needed to keep their part of the promise. They were to follow God’s law, worshiping him only. In Abraham’s covenant, all of the stipulations of Mosaic Law had not been spelled out.  It was much simpler, but apparently much more difficult to understand.
 
Fast forward now a thousand years or more. God’s people have failed time and again. They have been given the Law of Moses to clarify what God had spoken to Abraham. The Lord God had sent great prophets, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the others to try to encourage the people to have faith. The prophets promised that God would send his deliverer, an anointed one, to lead them to the peace and joy of God’s kingdom. God tried so many times to help them understand the heart of the law and his will through the prophets.
 
Later in history when the people again had failed and had been subjugated, this time by the great Roman Empire, comes a humble carpenter from Galilee. He comes to the very source of power in all of Israel and Judea, to Jerusalem, where all the faithful Hebrews are called in pilgrimage.  He comes just as preparations are under way for the great Passover Feast which celebrates God’s saving power, when Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage.
 
This upstart holy man comes to the temple and says something remarkable. He claims God as his Father.  He claims a shared identity, naming himself with God’s only name “I AM.”  And he says the same thing God said to Abraham, but even broadens the promise of salvation, as if in clarification of the covenant with Abraham.  He says, “Whoever keeps my word will never see death." As with almost all of the descendants of Abraham before them, they took offense and did not understand, would not trust, and could not believe.
 
Two thousand years later, after saint upon saint has come before us, valorously showing us what the words mean, we still find it difficult to grasp, to believe in our hearts and to act upon those words. Is it because it is not clear? What does it mean to “keep Jesus’ word?”  What was that word? He made it clear in his public life. He lived “his word” in his example and in his preaching. It can be summed up in one word – love! But he applied it like no one before him and no one since.  He applied it to everyone but first of all to God.  Love God and love one another. This is his word. And since we have come to understand that Jesus is God, we must love him above all else as well.
 
Alas, our imperfect grasp of his word still bars us from the perfect peace and grace he promises all his faithful.  Our Lenten fast drives us toward a deeper understanding and a deeper application of his word in our lives.  We pray that we will finally live it as he intended and find life as he promised.
 
Pax
Stations of the Cross

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[1] The picture today is “Abraham's Journey to Canaan” by Pieter Pietersz. Lastman, 1614.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Word Biblical Commentary, Genesis 16-50, Volume 2 (Thomas Nelson, Inc. © 2000), 21.
[5] Ibid. p.13.

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Catechism Links [1]
 
CCC 484-494: The Annunciation
 
Information about the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

“The Annunciation,”
by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1890

 
Readings for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
                                                                                                                             
Reading 1: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
 
The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us!"
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Commentary on Is 7:10-14; 8:10
 
In the first part of this reading, the prophet attempts to reassure the king as Jerusalem comes under threat of attack from Syria.  King Ahaz is offered a sign by the prophet Isaiah. However, Ahaz refuses the sign because it would indicate that God was intervening on the prophet’s side, and he did not want to accept that.
 
The sign that would be given, despite the king’s refusal, is the oracle we understand as referring to the perfect realization of the promise of a Davidic dynasty in the birth of the Messiah – Christ Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.
 
“The sign proposed by Isaiah was concerned with the preservation of Judah in the midst of distress (cf Isaiah 7:15, 17), but more especially with the fulfillment of God's earlier promise to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) in the coming of Immanuel (meaning, "With us is God") as the ideal king (cf Isaiah 9:5-6; 11:1-5). The Church has always followed St. Matthew in seeing the transcendent fulfillment of this verse in Christ and his Virgin Mother.” [5]
 
"The child, the son, is the most significant part of the sign. If the prophecy refers to the son of Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah, it would be indicating that his birth will be a sign of divine protection, because it will mean that the dynasty will continue. If it refers to another child, not yet known, the prophet's words would mean that the child's birth could manifest hope that 'God was going to be with us,' and his reaching the age of discretion (v. 16) would indicate the advent of peace; the child's birth would, then, be the sign that 'God is with us.' In the New Testament, the deeper meaning of these words find fulfillment: Mary is Virgin and Mother, and her Son is not a symbol of God's protection but God himself who dwells among us."[6]
 
CCC: Is 7:14 497
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
 
R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
 
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
 
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
 
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
 
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
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Commentary on Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11
 
Psalm 40 is a song of thanksgiving combined with a lament. The initial waiting of the psalmist is satisfied by favor shown by God to one who is faithful in service to him. These strophes sing the thanksgiving of those who hear the voice of God and obey his words. This obedience is loved by God above ritual sacrifices. The Lord especially loves those who follow his law. Once heard, the good news is proclaimed to all the people.
 
CCC: Ps 40:7-9 LXX 462; Ps 40:7 2824
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Reading II: Hebrews 10:4-10
 
Brothers and sisters:
It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
take away sins.
For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:
 
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.'"
 
First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in."
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will."
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this "will," we have been consecrated
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.
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Commentary on Heb 10:4-10
 
Sacrifices traditionally offered in the Hebrew temple are refuted as an ineffective act to take away sins. Psalm 40 is quoted here by the author and applied as if it were Jesus addressing God, the Father. The intent is to stress the scriptural understanding that the Hebrew practice of animal sacrifice does not find favor with God and that Jesus' sacrifice of his own body is the one and only acceptable sacrifice of atonement.
 
"The author of the letter, elaborating on the text of the psalm, asserts that the Messiah's sacrifice is greater than the sacrifices of the old law, unbloody as well as bloody, sin-offerings as well as burnt offerings as they were called in the liturgy (cf. Leviticus 5;6; 7:27). The sacrifice of Christ, who has ‘come into the world,’ has replaced both kinds of ancient sacrifice. It consisted in perfectly doing the will of His Father (cf. John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 14:31), even though He was required to give His life to the point of dying on Calvary (Matthew 26:42; John 10:18; Hebrews 5:7-9). Christ ‘came into the world’ to offer Himself up to suffering and death for the redemption of the world." [7]
 
CCC: Heb 10:1-4 1540; Heb 10:5-10 606; Heb 10:5-7 462, 516, 2568; Heb 10:5 488; Heb 10:7 2824; Heb 10:10 614, 2824
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Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
 
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
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Commentary on Lk 1:26-38
 
This passage, from St. Luke’s Gospel, is the story of Mary being informed by the archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of bearing the Savior of the world. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor, although with very human fear, indicating that her free will is at play. This response makes her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that, with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14 : “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
 
In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and names him Jesus (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title “Virgin” given by the author as she questions Gabriel saying: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Even though she does not understand, Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her. She then utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
 
This announcement is parallel to Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), which is also delivered by the archangel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God, thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament.
 
CCC: Lk 1:26-38 497, 706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488; Lk 1:26 332; Lk 1:28-37 494; Lk 1:28 490, 491; Lk 1:31 430, 2812; Lk 1:32-33 709; Lk 1:32 559; Lk 1:34 484, 497, 505; Lk 1:35 437, 484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494; Lk 1:37 148, 269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64, 148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856
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Reflection:
 
Those of us who have virtuously practiced prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we engaged in our Lenten discipline can become focused on the prize, the promise fulfilled in the Easter of our joy.  It is good, therefore, that as we reach the halfway point of our Lenten discipline, we are called back to the very beginning.  It started with an incredible (and very anonymous) event in the little town of Nazareth.  Mary, the daughter of Anne and Joachim, a Spirit-led young lady, had an unprecedented visit from a messenger of God, the Most High.  We call this event the “Annunciation” because that messenger, the archangel Gabriel, announced to Mary that she was to be the vessel of God’s Only Begotten Son.  The Church could easily have named the event something else. 
 
One of the key reasons we find this story so compelling is that Mary, a young and innocent girl, well educated in Mosaic Law, was given free will to accept the pronouncement of the archangel or to reject the call to be used by God in this way.  Her humble acceptance could easily have been celebrated as the solemnity of the “acceptance.”  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says this about the Annunciation:
 
484 The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time", the time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to conceive him in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell "bodily". The divine response to her question, "How can this be, since I know not man?", was given by the power of the Spirit: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you."
 
As is implied by this statement, the visit Mary received from the archangel Gabriel sets in motion events that fulfill God’s plan from the beginning.  It is God’s final revelatory act of love and mercy, given to his creation that they (we) might accept the inheritance he has prepared for us.
 
Think of it!  It all depended on a young girl, Mary, accepting God’s offer (it is in fact an offer, not a pronouncement).  And what was that incredible offer?  Mary had to know that conceiving a child at that time in her life without a husband could mean her death by stoning, the punishment prescribed by law for an adulteress.  Yet her response is so humble and simple: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
 
With that humble act of faith, Mary establishes herself as the first of the saints.  Her example of selfless love provides an avenue of grace that fills her and assures her a preeminent place in the heavenly kingdom.
 
On this solemn feast day dedicated to the Annunciation, we thank God for his act of love in sending his Only Begotten Son into the world.  We thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for choosing to become man, and at the same time to become the sacrifice that takes away our sins.  And we thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for making her courageous decision and accepting the path offered to her.
 
Pax
 
In other years on this date: Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent.
 

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[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “The Annunciation,” by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1890.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] NAB footnote on Isaiah 7: 10ff.
[6] The Navarre Bible, Major Prophets (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 73.
[7] The Navarre Bible, Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003), 222.

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

During the Fifth Week of Lent (especially in cycles B and C when the Gospel of Lazarus is not read on the Fifth Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“Christ Holds the Cross”
by El Greco 1602-07

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: Numbers 21:4-9
 
From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,
to bypass the land of Edom.
But with their patience worn out by the journey,
the people complained against God and Moses,
“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
where there is no food or water?
We are disgusted with this wretched food!”
 
In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
which bit the people so that many of them died.
Then the people came to Moses and said,
“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.”
Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
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Commentary on Nm 21:4-9
 
The reading from the book of Numbers recounts another intervention by God along the Hebrew sojourn in the desert.  God had already provided “manna” which is what the Israelites in this reading now call “wretched food.” They believed that, because they offended God with their bitterness and lack of gratitude, they failed to love God and sinned against him. In punishment, serpents were sent to afflict them.
 
This event is seen by the Christian community as an analogy to the later crucifixion of Jesus. “If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover," and "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting" (John 3:14-15). [4]
 
CCC: Nm 21:4-9 2130
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21
 
R. (2) O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
 
O LORD, hear my prayer,
and let my cry come to you.
Hide not your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
in the day when I call, answer me speedily.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
 
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
 
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
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Commentary on Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21
 
Psalm 102 is an individual lament. In this selection we find the cry of the people in the desert once more being directed to the Lord. The song proposes a covenant: If you hear our plea, we will revere your name.
 
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Gospel: John 8:21-30
 
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“I am going away and you will look for me,
but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going you cannot come.”
So the Jews said,
“He is not going to kill himself, is he,
because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?”
He said to them, “You belong to what is below,
I belong to what is above.
You belong to this world,
but I do not belong to this world.
That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
For if you do not believe that I AM,
you will die in your sins.”
So they said to him, “Who are you?”
Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.
I have much to say about you in condemnation.
But the one who sent me is true,
and what I heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
So Jesus said to them,
“When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.
The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.”
Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 8:21-30
 
Jesus continues his discourse with the Pharisees, trying to lead them to understanding. He tells them that he is going away, clearly implying his own death, and tells them they may not follow him. Their unbelief is sin and hence they will die in their sin. They do not understand the manner of his death (that he will lay his life down) but rather see a partial truth in thinking he will kill himself.
 
Even though he uses language filled with specific clues (e.g., the use of the phrase “I AM,” God’s own designation for himself) they still do not understand. Toward the end he alludes to the saraph image from Numbers: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM”; and at the same time makes it clear whose Son he is.
 
CCC: Jn 8:28 211, 653, 2812; Jn 8:29 603, 1693, 2824, 2825
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Reflection:
 
In the Gospel, Jesus is clearly getting a bit frustrated with the Hebrew leadership for not being able to understand who he is (even though he uses the Hebrew formula for God, “I AM,” referring to himself on a couple of occasions).  We, his modern-day disciples, see the meaning clearly in his statements and understand he is truly the Son of God.
 
Frustration and impatience also play a role in the first reading.  This time however, it is the Hebrew people being led out of Egypt.  From a practical standpoint, the reading from Numbers should speak to us today.  How often have we fallen into the role of the Hebrews in the story about the saraph serpents?  How frequently have we heard ourselves complaining: why did God let that happen? Or why did God put me in this situation? 
 
It’s the “blessing and curse” opposition of a covenant relationship.  God made us in his own image and likeness.  In doing so he gave all mankind (the good and the bad) free will.  He gave us the freedom to make choices, good and bad, and placed us in a world full of people with that same ability.  What he did not do was make us slaves to him as he so easily could have done.  That would have been absolutely necessary if all of our choices in life would lead us to happy outcomes all of the time.
 
So, bad things happen.  They usually happen because we make bad decisions and put ourselves in situations where the outcomes are not positive.  They happen because the people around us make bad decisions, perhaps not for themselves. Look, for example, at executives who decide they need to reduce labor costs and lay people off so they can make their profit numbers and get their bonus, so shareholders can make the money they expect on their investments.  For the executive it was a good decision, for the people who invested their 401k money in the company it was a good thing.  For the worker who no longer has an income, it might seem that God had dealt them an unfair blow.
 
Recognizing that there is evil in the world and that God has given us the ability to choose between good and evil, we must also look at situations in which we feel frustrated or unjustly treated by God. We need to ask: who really put us there? God is there for us.  He sent his Son to us to give us hope and peace.  We only need to reach out to him, to believe he is I AM, and we find that salvation and peace. 
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 

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[1] The picture used is “Christ Holds the Cross” by El Greco 1602-07.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See NAB Footnote on Numbers 21: 4ff.