Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

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

“Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda”
by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667-70

 
Readings for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
 
The angel brought me, Ezekiel,
back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the right side.
Then when he had walked off to the east
with a measuring cord in his hand,
he measured off a thousand cubits
and had me wade through the water,
which was ankle-deep.
He measured off another thousand
and once more had me wade through the water,
which was now knee-deep.
Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade;
the water was up to my waist.
Once more he measured off a thousand,
but there was now a river through which I could not wade;
for the water had risen so high it had become a river
that could not be crossed except by swimming.
He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?”
Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.
Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.
He said to me,
“This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
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Commentary on Ez 47:1-9, 12
 
This vision from Ezekiel alludes to one faith, the one stream flowing from the temple into the Kedron Valley, which is normally a dry wash. The imagery applied here has been used in other places in Scripture (Amos 9:13; Joel 4:18; Zechariah 14:8; Psalm 36:9-10; Revelation 22:1) and probably represents the water flowing from the Garden of Eden, first stopped by original sin then restarted with Moses striking the stone in the desert during the Exodus (Numbers 20:11), and finally in Jerusalem in the end times, the eschaton. The analogy is to one faith, flowing into the world bringing life and well-being to any who partake.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
 
 R. (8) The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
 
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
 
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
 
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
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Commentary on Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
 
Psalm 46 is a hymn of praise. In this passage we see the analogy also presented in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12) as the Lord is praised for supporting the people with his strength and creation.
 
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Gospel: John 5:1-16
 
There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,
“Do you want to be well?”
The sick man answered him,
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.
Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
“It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”
He answered them, “The man who made me well told me,
‘Take up your mat and walk.’“
They asked him,
“Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
“Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you.”
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.
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Commentary on Jn 5:1-16
 
This passage from St. John is the third sign used in the Lord’s self-revelation. Jesus cures the paralytic by his word, something that could not be accomplished by the waters of faith in Judaism. When Jesus first approached the paralytic, he complained that he could not get to the waters at the pool called Bethesda “when they were stirred up.” This is taken from a belief at the time that periodically an angel of God would come down and stir up the waters of the pool, and the first person to touch them in that state was cured.
 
It is explicitly mentioned that Jesus does this on the sabbath, which precipitates the controversy with the Jewish leadership. It is also noteworthy that Jesus does not say to the paralytic that his sin has caused his condition, he tells him “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you." This last reference is probably to final judgment.
 
CCC: Jn 5:1 583; Jn 5:10 575; Jn 5:14 583; Jn 5:16-18 594
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Reflection:
 
As population pressure continues to strain the resources of the world, one of the most important commodities seeming to be in short supply is potable water, that is water clean enough to drink and to cook with without becoming sick, not to mention bathing.  In many developing countries water means the difference between life and death.  Without it, human beings perish in short order.  Without water crops don’t grow and livestock also die.  In short, water is truly the source of physical life.  It is so important that determining its presence is a singular goal of space exploration. We look for it on the moon and Mars, seeing its presence as the key to establishing a long-term presence on those bodies.
 
In Scripture the term is used metaphorically and symbolically but with the same emphasis. Without faith, represented by water, there can be no life.  The prophet Ezekiel saw this in his vision with the metaphor of a garden flourishing along the stream that was faith in God, flowing from the temple.  Jesus later redefined the temple as residing in the new Jerusalem, and the faith that flows into the world springs from a wound in his side as a soldier’s lance opened that source. Just as surely as Moses' staff brought water from the rock as sign of God’s love in the desert, the water flowing from the side of Jesus as he gave up his life expressed his love.  It was even used in the movie Noah (which I do not recommend except for the special effects – a film in which the names should have been changed to protect the truth).
 
The interesting thing about this metaphor of the river of faith is that it has some additional lessons to teach us as we examine the analogy more closely.  First, the stream can be fouled if people try to throw contaminants in upstream.  This could be analogized by attempting to put things in that do not belong, twisting the faith to one’s own purpose as we see in some unscrupulous evangelists.  Water can likewise be diverted from its course, bottled up and sold to those who can afford it.  We can use our own imaginations here as to the meaning of this sort of misuse.
 
Perhaps one of the more interesting analogies about flowing water is that it can naturally pool when it gets to a depression, temporarily halting its progress.  This happens when it reaches a person or group that is afraid to let it flow through them to others; that person or group feels it is necessary to become insulated, trying to shut out the world but at the same time, denying water its course.  They don’t realize that it is the actual flow that is necessary.  Without it the water can become stagnant and foul; contained too long it can actually become deadly.
 
When we recognize that in order for our faith to remain vibrant and alive it must flow though us, we act on that knowledge, passing on what we have been freely given.  Our prayer this day is that what we have received, we can pass on faithfully in our words, our actions, and our prayers.
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 

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[1] The picture is “Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 1667-70.
[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.

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

 

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

“Jesus by the Sea”
by Alexandre Bida, 1850s

 
Readings for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading I: Isaiah 65:17-21
 
Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.
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Commentary on Is 65:17-21
 
The prophet Isaiah envisions the “new Jerusalem” with the return of the captives from exile. The beatific vision of the perfection brought forth by the return to God is later echoed as the vision of the eternal kingdom of God. It is not by human ingenuity that this is accomplished but by the will of God.
 
"Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, 'new heavens and a new earth' (2 Peter 3:13; cf. Revelation 21:1). It will be the definitive realization of God's plan to bring under a single head 'all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth' (Ephesians 1:10). In this new universe, the heavenly Jerusalem, God will have his dwelling among men. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away' (Revelation 21:4)." [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12a, 13b
 
 R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
 
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
 
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
 
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
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Commentary on Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12a, 13b
 
Psalm 30 is an individual hymn of praise. In this selection we find the singer praising God for deliverance. In the second part, others are asked to join in the hymn and then there is a return to thanks and praise in the final strophe. The image of resurrection is clearly evident in the first strophe: “O Lord, you brought me up from the netherworld; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.”
 
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Gospel: John 4:43-54
 
At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.
 
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
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Commentary on Jn 4:43-54
 
This selection from St. John’s Gospel is the story of Jesus’ arrival in Cana in Galilee and the second sign of his messianic identity. Here we find the life-giving word of Jesus being displayed. Jesus challenges the official asking for his aid: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The official's faithful response provides the setting.  Jesus tells him: “You may go; your son will live.” This statement coincides with the healing that occurred some distance away.
 
We note that of the 37 miracles documented in the Gospels (not including the conversion of St. Paul documented in the Acts of the Apostles), this occurrence and the healing of the daughter of the Syrophoenician Woman (Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30)  are the only healing miracles done at a distance.  This is important in that it shows that Christ’s will is omnipresent, that is, he can direct the love of God to any place he chooses.
 
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Reflection:
 
We have seen the need for on-going conversion throughout this Lenten season. We are constantly reminded that we need to have faith, and faith, we are told, can do amazing things. The lack of it can also be devastating.
 
A few years ago, an old friend who has a parish in the Lansing area called me and asked if I could run over and see the son of one of his parishioners who was gravely ill at the University of Michigan Medical Center. The man, in his early 50’s, was suffering from hepatitis and his liver was failing. In short, without a liver transplant, his prospects were grim. He was divorced and had a young family with 3 sons ranging from 8 to 15 years old who lived with him.
 
When I got to his room it was clear he was in trouble. Not just because his illness was really causing him discomfort, but because he was alone, and I don’t mean because there was no one in his room. You see, many years ago, this man had lost his faith and did not have anything to support him now. I asked him how he was doing and his first words to me were: “I am afraid.”
 
I need to tell you; I was taken aback. Some of you know that several years ago I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I went through many tests and ended up in the operating room at the same hospital where I visited the liver patient. I can tell you truthfully the one emotion I never felt was fear, even when two very senior docs at the university told me my prospects were not good. I felt regret, I even felt some anger. I figured that it was my pipe smoking that had gotten me there and I was angry that I had not quit years ago. But I was not afraid. You see, in spite of my constant battle to find faith, when I was confronted with a potentially devastating situation, faith was just… there. God buoyed me up. He gave me the strength to be an example to others, even as I struggled to overcome the weakness the inflammatory pseudo-tumor (that’s how it was finally diagnosed – it’s another story and my miracle) caused me discomfort.
 
I was at peace. I was confident that, whatever happened, it would be God’s will. It was this sense of peace I tried to give the man at the hospital that night (and again the following morning). I told him, in much the same way the Lord told the official in Galilee, that he needed to let go of his fear and give it to God. God was there with him, just as surely as I was there with him. Michael (that was his name) told me that, while he did not go to church, he talked to God all the time. But it was clear from his state of mind that talking to God is not making a commitment to God and that talking to God did not mean listening to what God had to say to him.
 
We continue to pray for Michael. He miraculously got his transplant and made a good recovery. However, two years later, that same man lost two of his three sons in a car accident. God tests the faith he gives.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is “Jesus by the Sea” by Alexandre Bida, 1850s.
[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 Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.279.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

 

Catechism Links [1]

CCC 1439, 1465, 1481, 1700, 2839: The prodigal son
CCC 207, 212, 214: God is faithful to his promises
CCC 1441, 1443: God pardons sin and restores the sinner to the community
CCC 982: The door of pardon is open to all who repent
CCC 1334: Israel’s daily bread was the fruit of the promised land
 
Today in the Church those who are participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will begin a series of Scrutinies. 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.

“The Return of the Prodigal Son”
by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1636

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
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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Commentary on Jos 5:9a, 10-12
 
Joshua, the successor of Moses, is leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. In vv.2-9 Joshua is commanded by the Lord to make flint knives and circumcise all the Israelites. This implies that during the 40 years of the sojourn in the desert the people had fallen away from this ritual. This was done and when it was accomplished, we see in v. 9 this occasioned the removal of the reproach of Egypt from them. [5]
 
In this passage the people have reached the land and are beginning to prosper from it. We are told that the people celebrate the Passover, probably relating to the 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 supply all their needs.
 
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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.
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Commentary on Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
 
Psalm 34 sings a song of salvation at the hands of the Lord. It tells of God’s love for those who serve him. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom.
 
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.
 
CCC: Ps 34:3 716
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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.
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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 continues to exhort the Corinthians. He calls them to faithfulness, to be reconciled with God in Christ because of Jesus’ great sacrifice for us all.
 
CCC: 2 Cor 5:17 1214, 1265; 2 Cor 5:17-18 1999; 2 Cor 5:18-21 2844; 2 Cor 5:18 981, 1442, 1461; 2 Cor 5:19 433, 620; 2 Cor 5:20 859, 1424, 1442; 2 Cor 5:21 602
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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.’”
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Commentary on Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
 
The topic of repentance and forgiveness comes to a climax with St. Luke’s Parable of the Prodigal Son, one of the two “Parables of Mercy” found in this section.  The parables distill the essence of the Good News. Found only in St. Luke’s Gospel, the imagery is instantly clear that this is to be an analogy. The father in the story represents God and the prodigal son followers of Christ, when they repent their sins. Interestingly, the older brother also represents Christians when they do not forgive those who have also sinned. We are given the picture of the loving father welcoming his son home, an allusion used also in the parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7). The invitation implicit is that those who seek forgiveness find it in God.
 
"Although the word 'mercy' does not appear, this parable nevertheless expresses the essence of the divine mercy in a particularly clear way" (St. John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 5).
 
CCC: Lk 15 1443, 1846; Lk 15:1-2 589; Lk 15:11-32 545, 2839; Lk 15:11-31 1700; Lk 15:11-24 1439; Lk 15:18 1423, 2795; Lk 15:21 2795; Lk 15:23-32 589; Lk 15:32 1468
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Reflection:
Today we take a step back from our penitential discipline, adding festive white to our Lenten purple.  It is difficult to maintain our penitential attitude without lapsing into gloom, so today we rejoice.  We rejoice because the love of God is so clearly proclaimed.
 
From the beginning of the human experience of God we find that critical element of love, forgiveness.  We recognize that God’s forgiveness transcends the usual definition we normally use when we use the term.  When God forgives, as we see in the first reading from Joshua, he accepts completely those who have sinned against him, even the sins that were repeated countless times.  We heard in Joshua: “No longer was there manna for the Israelites.”  Remember God provided manna because they had challenged God, even rebuking him for leading them into the wilderness (forgetting that it was from hard bondage they were being led).  Still he fulfilled his promise.  Time and again, like ungrateful children, God’s cherished children have turned away from him and still he welcomes them back, loving them.
 
Forgiveness is also at the heart of our adoption as God’s heirs through baptism.  God’s Only Begotten Son, Jesus, offered himself as a sacrifice, taking onto himself our sins, so that the doors of the kingdom of heaven, closed by our fall from grace due to Adam’s original sin, might be opened.  Christ died in the ultimate act of forgiveness.
 
Finally, we are offered the parable of the return of the prodigal son.  In this story, one of the three “Mercy Parables,” we understand forgiveness at a very personal level.  It is a story we can all relate to since we live that same story over and over in our own lives.  There is a compelling statement found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that expresses our journey beautifully.  Paragraph # 1439 states:
 
“The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father: the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy — all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life — pure, worthy, and joyful — of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.”
 
What better way to celebrate God's mercy than to contemplate our own constant struggle to return to our Heavenly Father?  We see in the prodigal’s return our own attempt to embrace all the Father hopes for us.  We know what he has called us to.  We have heard it in simple terms countless times: Love God and love one another.  We know the Great Commandment and we know how many times we have failed to keep it.  Yet we rejoice remembering all those times God has demonstrated his love for us.  He loved the stiff-necked Hebrew people who rejected him in the wilderness.  He cherished St. Paul who persecuted the followers of God’s Son.  And through the words of the Gospel he reminds us that we may always come home to him.
 
Perhaps the hardest part about understanding God’s love and forgiveness is the knowledge that we are called to be like him in his mercy.  We too are called to love others, even others who hate us.  The part we play is not just the returning son in the story of the prodigal son; we are also the elder brother who became upset at his father’s forgiveness. 
 
Today we rejoice in the Father’s relentless love that allows us to experience his forgiveness.  We recognize that we too are called to forgive others.  It is this call to constant conversion that drives us forward on a journey to our loving Father who will welcome us into his loving arms.
 
Pax

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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 is “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1636.
[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] The Word Biblical Commentary, Joshua 1-12, Volume 7A, © 2014 by Trent C. Butler, pp. 334-37.

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

 

During the Third Week of Lent (especially in Years B and C when the Gospel of the Samaritan woman is not read on the Third Sunday of Lent) optional Mass Texts are offered.

“The Pharisee and the Publican”
Artist and Date are UNKNOWN

Readings for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
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
 
Hosea portrays the people of Israel as the faithless harlot. Repenting past sins she thinks to return to God who will raise Israel 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.
 
"Central to the entire passage is the hurtful, angry proclamation by God in 6:6-7. God rejected Isreal's partial fulfillment of the covenant as no fulfillment at all. By concentrating only on the rituals, the people treated the covenant like 'dirt.' " [4]
 
CCC: Hos 6:1-6 2787; Hos 6:2 627; Hos 6:6 589, 2100
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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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Commentary on Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
 
The psalm response is taken from the end of Hosea. 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.
 
CCC: Ps 51:19 1428, 2100
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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.”
-------------------------------------------
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. It is the second of two consecutive parables on prayer. In this one, the Lord takes a critical stance against the prideful Pharisee, telling his disciples that, like the tax collector, their prayer must recognize that all have sinned, and all must be humble before God. The parable carries a message and image similar to the earlier parable (Luke 7:36-50) where Christ forgives the sinful woman in the house of Simon.
 
Jesus points out that the Pharisee, who focuses on pious acts to demonstrate his own holiness, misses the point of God’s desire for authentic worship, while because of his humility and authenticity, the tax collector will be “justified.” It is easier to hear in the Jerusalem Bible version which says; “This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not.”
 
CCC: Lk 18:9-14 2559, 2613; Lk 18:9 588; Lk 18:13 2631, 2667, 2839
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
The readings, starting with Hosea, moving through Psalm 51, and concluding with the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican from St. Luke’s Gospel have one focal theme. The Lord wants BELIEF, not just a demonstration.
 
There is a temptation that we may experience at this point in our Lenten journey. For those of us who have been faithful to the discipline of Lent, it is easy to look at what we have done to this point with a sense of accomplishment. We have, after all, been rigorous in observing meatless Fridays. We have stalwartly maintained our self-denial (holding fast to what we “gave up” for Lent). We may have attended Stations of the Cross each Friday or some other part of a self-imposed discipline. Having done these things, it is easy to look back at three weeks of “holiness” and say, “How good am I? I’m so much better than those who have fallen away, or than those who are so casual about their faith that they do not even observe the Lenten fast.” Placing the reminder of the need for humility contained in Scripture at this point in our journey was a stroke of genius by the compilers of the Roman Missal.
 
What we do for the sake of our faith must be done for God and God alone. It should not be done for others to see. We should not be tempted to the sins of pride or vanity because we have been given the gift of religious freedom and the luxury of time to be able to follow the discipline of our faith.
 
Our worship must be for the greater glory of God and with a clear recognition that it is with the utmost humility that we should approach the Lord of the universe. We who claim to know him best through our prayer and devotion should be the most awed by his beneficence, not believing we have some special insight and privilege to God’s favor.
 
When we start feeling “full of ourselves,” let us remember how far we have to travel to reach the level of understanding of the saints whom we hope to join one day. We leave you today with the words of Saint Augustine, quoted by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his encyclical Spe Salvi:
 
“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved”.
 
“The Gospel terrifies me”[5]
 
Pax
 
Stations of the Cross
 

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[1] The picture is “The Pharisee and the Publican” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN.
[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] Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, Vol 31, Word Biblical Commentary, (Thomas Nelson Inc. 1988), p.113.
[5] Sermo 340, 3: PL 38, 1484; cf. F. Van der Meer, Augustine the Bishop, London and New York 1961, p.268.