Fourth Sunday of Lent
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle C)[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (Cycles A & C)
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Options are offered for today’s Mass Celebration. The “Cycle A” readings may be used. Also, the first reading from the Cycle A readings may be used in place of Reading 1 below. A Cycle A post is provided for those choosing this option.
Reading I: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”
While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
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Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle C)[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible (Cycles A & C)
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Options are offered for today’s Mass Celebration. The “Cycle A” readings may be used. Also, the first reading from the Cycle A readings may be used in place of Reading 1 below. A Cycle A post is provided for those choosing this option.
Reading I: Joshua 5:9a, 10-12
The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”
While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jos 5:9a, 10-12
Joshua, the successor of Moses, is leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. In this passage the people have reached the land and beginning to prosper from it. We are told that the people celebrate the Passover, probably relating to the obscure reference in the first verse “Today I have removed the reproach [shame] of Egypt”, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled; the land he promised is given. At that point the Lord withdrew the manna he had been providing as the people now had the land to provide food for them.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joshua, the successor of Moses, is leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. In this passage the people have reached the land and beginning to prosper from it. We are told that the people celebrate the Passover, probably relating to the obscure reference in the first verse “Today I have removed the reproach [shame] of Egypt”, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled; the land he promised is given. At that point the Lord withdrew the manna he had been providing as the people now had the land to provide food for them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Psalm 34 is a song of prayer and thanksgiving. The psalmist sings of God’s mercy and salvation in reference to the promise made to the people of a land flowing with milk and honey. From a more prophetic perspective we also have an image of Christ in the Eucharist, the taste of God’s mercy.
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Reading II: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Psalm 34 is a song of prayer and thanksgiving. The psalmist sings of God’s mercy and salvation in reference to the promise made to the people of a land flowing with milk and honey. From a more prophetic perspective we also have an image of Christ in the Eucharist, the taste of God’s mercy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 2 Cor 5:17-21
St. Paul begins this passage with an image of Baptism (“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation”) which is how we are reconciled to God through Christ. He (God) goes on using Christ as the tool for the remission of sin (trespasses) and using Christians to spread that word to the world. The evangelist then goes on to exhort the Corinthians. He calls them to faithfulness, to be reconciled with God in Christ because of Jesus’ great sacrifice for us all.
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Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Paul begins this passage with an image of Baptism (“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation”) which is how we are reconciled to God through Christ. He (God) goes on using Christ as the tool for the remission of sin (trespasses) and using Christians to spread that word to the world. The evangelist then goes on to exhort the Corinthians. He calls them to faithfulness, to be reconciled with God in Christ because of Jesus’ great sacrifice for us all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
The parable of the Prodigal Son is given to us again (see also Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent). The theme of reconciliation is emphasized by one of the Lord’s most poignant stories. We identify with the sinful son who squanders his inheritance and then returns to his father, recalling his fall.
This parable is used to answer the Pharisees who are challenging Christ about eating with sinners. We are given the picture of the loving father welcoming his son home, an allusion used also in the parable of the Lost Sheep. The invitation implicit is; those who seek forgiveness find it in God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The parable of the Prodigal Son is given to us again (see also Saturday of the 2nd Week of Lent). The theme of reconciliation is emphasized by one of the Lord’s most poignant stories. We identify with the sinful son who squanders his inheritance and then returns to his father, recalling his fall.
This parable is used to answer the Pharisees who are challenging Christ about eating with sinners. We are given the picture of the loving father welcoming his son home, an allusion used also in the parable of the Lost Sheep. The invitation implicit is; those who seek forgiveness find it in God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of those familiar and touching stories that always reminds us of the great love our Heavenly Father has for us and shows us that no matter how far we stray from him, we are always welcomed home. What makes this story so compelling is that we all recognize the failings of our own lives and the need for the kind of forgiveness offered by the embrace of the loving Father accepting us and cherishing us upon our return.
We reflect today on a different lesson to be taught by this parable. We look at the role of Jesus in telling the story and see in him the example that compels us to action on behalf of his Father. Recall that Jesus was responding to the Scribes and Pharisees who were criticizing him for associating with “tax collectors and sinners”. His purpose in telling the story was not only to refute those who criticized him, but to invite those with whom he was associating to turn away from sin and to follow him. He assured them that they would be welcome, actually more than welcomed – celebrated upon their repentance.
Think for a moment about those who Jesus was calling home. The tax collectors and sinners would have been outcast. They would have been shunned by “polite society” much like lepers. In some ways perhaps even worse than lepers since the unclean knew they must keep their distance, even warning away those who might befriend them. The tax collectors and sinners were constantly rebuffed and looked down upon. We can only imagine the kind of attitudes this would have developed among those so classified. They would have been angry and hurt. They would have looked for ways to get even, exacerbating their excommunicated status.
It was these to whom Jesus reached out and told that their return to a state of grace would be welcome. This was the example he left for us. We are not only the Prodigal sons who return to the loving Father in the story, we are to act on the Father’s behalf in the name of the Son whose story we share. The Lord shared his mission with the Twelve who in turn established Christ’s Church so that his mission could be carried out in fullness. We are also to go out to the “tax collectors and sinners” of our day and invite them; share the story with them.
We all know how hard it is to accept God’s forgiveness. Going into the confessional is one of the most difficult things we do even though we know that, in that sacred space we will not be judged, our forgiveness will be offered freely and confirmed in absolution. We can only imagine those who have been told for years that they are not worthy to receive that love from the Most High God. Our hearts ache when we think of those who know they are committing sin; know that as a consequence of their actions people will shun them. They have crated their own prison and walled themselves off from the love and compassion that would lift their souls to heights they cannot even imagine.
It is to these we are called to reach out. We are asked to show them the story of the Prodigal Son and his loving return, not in a condescending way, they have seen enough condescension. But in a way that offers them the love of the Father who kills the fatted calf in celebration of their return. It is not easy to do but now is the time. The great feast of Easter is fast approaching and the sacrifice of the high holy days is a great time to invite the lost to experience the love of the Father.
It is so difficult to do, but we are asked to find a way. Perhaps start with someone we know, reaching out to them. It might be a family member (we should always start there) or perhaps it is a person wronged by our faith community or someone who feels that because they have violated a precept of the faith they cannot return – invite them as the Lord would have.
Our prayer on this Fourth Sunday of Lent is that we might have the strength to be that inviting hand that leads our brothers and sisters back to the loving embrace of the Father.
Pax
We reflect today on a different lesson to be taught by this parable. We look at the role of Jesus in telling the story and see in him the example that compels us to action on behalf of his Father. Recall that Jesus was responding to the Scribes and Pharisees who were criticizing him for associating with “tax collectors and sinners”. His purpose in telling the story was not only to refute those who criticized him, but to invite those with whom he was associating to turn away from sin and to follow him. He assured them that they would be welcome, actually more than welcomed – celebrated upon their repentance.
Think for a moment about those who Jesus was calling home. The tax collectors and sinners would have been outcast. They would have been shunned by “polite society” much like lepers. In some ways perhaps even worse than lepers since the unclean knew they must keep their distance, even warning away those who might befriend them. The tax collectors and sinners were constantly rebuffed and looked down upon. We can only imagine the kind of attitudes this would have developed among those so classified. They would have been angry and hurt. They would have looked for ways to get even, exacerbating their excommunicated status.
It was these to whom Jesus reached out and told that their return to a state of grace would be welcome. This was the example he left for us. We are not only the Prodigal sons who return to the loving Father in the story, we are to act on the Father’s behalf in the name of the Son whose story we share. The Lord shared his mission with the Twelve who in turn established Christ’s Church so that his mission could be carried out in fullness. We are also to go out to the “tax collectors and sinners” of our day and invite them; share the story with them.
We all know how hard it is to accept God’s forgiveness. Going into the confessional is one of the most difficult things we do even though we know that, in that sacred space we will not be judged, our forgiveness will be offered freely and confirmed in absolution. We can only imagine those who have been told for years that they are not worthy to receive that love from the Most High God. Our hearts ache when we think of those who know they are committing sin; know that as a consequence of their actions people will shun them. They have crated their own prison and walled themselves off from the love and compassion that would lift their souls to heights they cannot even imagine.
It is to these we are called to reach out. We are asked to show them the story of the Prodigal Son and his loving return, not in a condescending way, they have seen enough condescension. But in a way that offers them the love of the Father who kills the fatted calf in celebration of their return. It is not easy to do but now is the time. The great feast of Easter is fast approaching and the sacrifice of the high holy days is a great time to invite the lost to experience the love of the Father.
It is so difficult to do, but we are asked to find a way. Perhaps start with someone we know, reaching out to them. It might be a family member (we should always start there) or perhaps it is a person wronged by our faith community or someone who feels that because they have violated a precept of the faith they cannot return – invite them as the Lord would have.
Our prayer on this Fourth Sunday of Lent is that we might have the strength to be that inviting hand that leads our brothers and sisters back to the loving embrace of the Father.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1636
[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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