Monday 25
February 2013
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Daniel
9:4-10
O Lord, God great and to be feared, you
keep the covenant and have kindness for those who love you and keep your
commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we
have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them.
We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to
our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people
of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in
every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have
committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings,
our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our
God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not
listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us
through his servants the prophets.
Lent is the time to recognize our sinfulness
before God. The book of Job tells us that even the heavens are not pure in his
sight. Every time we come into the presence of God, we must call on his mercy. We
may not be aware of our sins, but that is only because we are blind. Let us
pray with Daniel that we can see our sinfulness and repent.
Psalm
Psalm
78:8-9,11,13
Do not treat us according to our sins, O
Lord.
Do not hold the guilt of our fathers
against us.
Let your compassion hasten to meet us;
we are left in the depths of distress.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O
Lord.
O God our saviour, come to our help.
Come for the sake of the glory of your
name.
O Lord our God, forgive us our sins;
rescue us for the sake of your name.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O
Lord.
Let the groans of the prisoners come
before you;
let your strong arm reprieve those
condemned to die.
But we, your people, the flock of your
pasture,
will give you thanks for ever and ever.
We will tell your praise from age to
age.
Do not treat us according to our sins, O
Lord.
____________________
Gospel Acclamation
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the
sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for
ever.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Or
cf.Jn6:63,68
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they
are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
6:36-38
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be
compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not
be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves;
grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you:
a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured
into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be
given back.’
Children of a
Compassionate Father
The Church instructs us on how to live the Christian life.
The Christian life is a life of love manifested through our actions. It is a
life of compassion making allowances for the weakness of others. It is a life
of generosity and we share our possessions with those in need. In showing mercy
and compassion and in being generous we do not lose anything. We do everything
for the Father’s sake, and he will not disappoint us. His generosity knows no
limits and in faith we experience this already. One day we will experience the
mercy and love of the Father in vision. We are the ones who decide how God will
judge us. The way we have treated others will be the way God will treat us.
Does God see you as kind, merciful and forgiving? Do you share the sufferings
of others as Jesus shared ours?
Tuesday 26
February 2013
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Isaiah
1:10,16-20
Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the command of our God,
you people of Gomorrah.
‘Wash, make yourselves clean.
Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good,
search for justice,
help the oppressed,
be just to the orphan,
plead for the widow.
‘Come now, let us talk this over,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
‘If you are willing to obey,
you shall eat the good things of the
earth.
But if you persist in rebellion,
the sword shall eat you instead.’
The prophets constantly stress
that true religion involves justice and sharing. Justice involves giving to
people what is their right to have. The first right that everyone has is the
right to respect and dignity. They have a right to a sufficient share in this
world’s goods. The world has been given to everyone and not just to a few. However
the world’s wealth is in the hands of a few while the majority are deprived. We
are not only to practice justice but also to work for justice. Likewise we are
to share what we have with those who do not have. It is the teaching of the
Bible that what we do not need, we do not own and must share with others.
Psalm
Psalm
49:8-9,16-17,21,23
I will show God’s salvation to the
upright.
‘I find no fault with your sacrifices,
your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your
farms,
nor goats from among your herds.
I will show God’s salvation to the
upright.
‘But how can you recite my commandments
and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law
and throw my words to the winds,
I will show God’s salvation to the
upright.
‘You do this, and should I keep silence?
Do you think that I am like you?
A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me
and I will show God’s salvation to the
upright.’
I will show God’s salvation to the
upright.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Mt4:17
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at
hand.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or
Ezk18:31
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Shake off all your sins – it is the
Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a
new spirit.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew
23:1-12
Addressing the people and his disciples
Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must
therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be
guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie
up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger
to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like
wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place
of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted
obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.
‘You,
however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one
master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father,
since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow
yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’
Jesus mocks external
show
Pride is everything God is not.
Lucifer, created from nothing, claimed equality with God: “I will not serve,”
he said. Anyone who claims to be more than nothing deceives himself. The only
One who is Someone emptied himself and became a servant out of love. “The Son
of Man has not come to be served, but to serve” True disciples of Jesus
acknowledge that they are nothing and that everything they are is God’s gift.
In the community of the Church, humility must be a distinguishing mark. It may
be necessary to distinguish people’s roles with names but no one is superior to
anyone else. Your Excellency, Your Grace, My Lord are titles which we do not
find in the Gospel. The danger is that if we embrace the title we will also
embrace the mentality that goes with it. Do you show deep respect for everyone
in the Church?
Wednesday 27
February 2013
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Jeremiah
18:18-20
‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a
plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without
him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit
at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’
Listen to me, O Lord,
hear what my adversaries are saying.
Should evil be returned for good?
For they are digging a pit for me.
Remember how I stood in your presence
to plead on their behalf,
to turn your wrath away from them.
Jeremiah lived among people who
hated and devised plans to destroy him. Jesus did the same. Many people today
live among those seek to harm them and even kill them.is God there to save
them. The test of faith is trust that God is there and will vindicate the
innocent. How he will do this is known to him. Can I trust like Jesus in the
fidelity of God?
Psalm
Psalm
30:5-6,14-16
Save me in your love, O Lord.
Release me from the snares they have
hidden
for you are my refuge, Lord.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
I have heard the slander of the crowd,
fear is all around me,
as they plot together against me,
as they plan to take my life.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
I say: ‘You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me
from the hands of those who hate me.
Save me in your love, O Lord.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
cf.Jn6:63,68
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they
are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
Or
Jn8:12
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the
light of life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word
of God!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew
20:17-28
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on
the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up
to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief
priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to
the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he
will rise again.’
Then
the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and
bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise
that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at
your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus
answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We
can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my
right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to
whom they have been allotted by my Father.’
When
the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus
called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it
over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen
among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and
anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.’
It Shall Not be so Among
You
Time was running out for Jesus. In a
few months he would be dead. Yet his disciples still did not understand. He
will be glorified, but not in this life. In this life, he will meet humiliation
and a cruel death. Yet his disciples think of a worldly kingdom and worldly
glory. "You do not know what you are asking”, Jesus says. Do we? During
Lent, we are to learn what following Jesus really entails. In the Church, no
one is to exercise authority as people do elsewhere. Other leaders and rulers
demand dignity, power, and wealth. “It shall not be so among you”. In his community,
the great will humbly serve. Rulers will pour out their lives day by day for
those they lead. Jesus is the Shepherd-King who gives his life for his sheep.
We are to do the same. Do you exercise your authority in humble service?
Thursday 28
February 2013
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Jeremiah
17:5-10
The Lord says this:
‘A curse on the man who puts his trust
in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes for it,
he settles in the parched places of the
wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.
‘A blessing on the man who puts his
trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the waterside
that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of drought,
and never ceases to bear fruit.
‘The heart is more devious than any
other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?
I, the Lord, search to the heart,
I probe the loins,
to give each man what his conduct
and his actions deserve.’
With profound insight Jeremiah
realised, “The heart is more devious than any other thing”. We are able to
convince ourselves and justify ourselves about anything that we want to do. That
is why we need to share our thoughts and actions with wise and independent
people, who have the courage to tell us whether what we do or plan is right or
wrong.
Psalm
Psalm
1:1-4,6
Happy the man who has placed his trust
in the Lord.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the
wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
Happy the man who has placed his trust
in the Lord.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Happy the man who has placed his trust
in the Lord.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Happy the man who has placed his trust
in the Lord.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Lk15:18
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
I will leave this place and go to my
father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you.’
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Or
cf.Lk8:15
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their
perseverance.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘There was
a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently
every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with
sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s
table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was
carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and
was buried.
‘In
his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus
in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these
flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things
came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being
comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you
a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our
side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”
‘The
rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house,
since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to
this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let
them listen to them..” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if
someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to
him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not
be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
Plan for the Future
Firstly Jesus teaches by this parable that nothing in this
life lasts for ever, whether it is our comfort or our pain. It pays us then to
look beyond this life. Secondly, our actions bear fruit for good or bad in our
future life. Thirdly, that it is to our peril to ignore those suffering
deprivation. Fourthly, that our future state is forever and there is no change
in it. Through his Word and through the Church, which proclaims it God warns us
of the future consequences of our actions. They are wise who listen. The rich
man was unconcerned about Lazarus. He should have seen him as his brother and
shared what he had with him. For not doing so, he suffered in hell. During Lent,
we are to learn to translate our love for God into active love for our
suffering neighbour. What do you plan to do?
Friday 1 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Genesis
37:3-4,12-13,17-28
Israel loved Joseph more than all his
other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long
sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more
than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a
civil word to him.
His
brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to
Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers with the flock at Shechem? Come, I am going to
send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
They
saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among
themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one
another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say
that a wild beast devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’
But
Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’
he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the
wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him
from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his
brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was
wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well
with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.
Looking
up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels
laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into
Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother
and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us
not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His
brothers agreed.
Now
some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men
took Joseph to Egypt.
The brothers were planning evil,
but God was planning good. We are reminded of Romans 8:28. God always works for
the good of those who love him. God created you first in the depths of his
heart and he created you out of love. It was only later that there was your
second creation in the womb of your mother. The secret of life is to allow God
to love you into the beautiful person he envisioned at your first creation. Let
us relax in his presence and let go.
Psalm
Psalm
104:16-21
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
The Lord called down a famine on the
land;
he broke the staff that supported them.
He had sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
His feet were put in chains,
his neck was bound with iron,
until what he said came to pass
and the word of the Lord proved him
true.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
Then the king sent and released him
the ruler of the people set him free,
making him master of his house
and ruler of all he possessed.
Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Jn3:16
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
God loved the world so much that he gave
his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal
life.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew
21:33-43,45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the
elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner,
who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a
tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew
near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the
tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.
Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with
them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my
son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This
is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they
seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner
of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He
will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants
who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to
them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
It was the stone rejected by the
builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?
‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of
God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’
When
they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was
speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were
afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.
For or Against Jesus
God chose the Jews from the time of
Abraham. Moses founded them as a nation. He was ‘the friend of God’. However,
throughout their history they resisted God. They ill-treated the prophets. Now
Jesus, the Son, has come. They reject him and want to kill him.. They have
hardened their hearts against him. It is not only a question of the Jews. It is
a question of us. What is your attitude to Jesus? Do you open yourself to him
and accept him with all your heart? Alternatively, are you like the Jews? ‘They
honour me with their lips but their heart is far from me.’ Lent calls us back
to Jesus to make him the centre of our life. Everything we have and are has
come from him. He looks for our love and gratitude. Do you give at least some time
daily to listen to his Word and pray?
Saturday 2 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Micah
7:14-15,18-20
With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your
people to pasture,
the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest
with meadow land all around.
Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of
Egypt
grant us to see wonders.
What god can compare with you: taking
fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.
God takes delight in showing
mercy. Until you understand and experience happiness in the knowledge that God
loves you, you will never be able to understand Jesus nor the Good News that he
proclaims. The Good News that Jesus brings us is that God is like the Father in
parable he tells. Verse 20, - while he was still a long way off his father saw
him, and was moved with pity for him and rushed out to meet him etc – describes God and you.
Psalm
Psalm
102:1-4,9-12
The Lord is compassion and love.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.
The Lord is compassion and love.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our
sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
The Lord is compassion and love.
For as the heavens are high above the
earth
so strong is his love for those who fear
him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
The Lord is compassion and love.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Lk15:18
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
I will leave this place and go to my
father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
15:1-3,11-32
The tax collectors and the sinners were
all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees
and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats
with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘A
man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the
share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property
between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had
and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of
debauchery.
‘When
he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began
to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who
put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his
belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then
he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have
more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this
place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your
paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.
‘While
he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran
to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to
be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the
best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a
feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to
life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.
‘Now
the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the
house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked
what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your
father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and
sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to
plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have
slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me
so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of
yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his
women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”
‘The
father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it
was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was
dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’
Come and Stay
Jesus has come to search for and save
the lost. He has come for you. He invites you to return home. What is your
response? You are precious to God. However you may feel about yourself, he
longs for you. The father in the parable is God and the prodigal son is you.
Repentance and confession are joyful actions because God is our Father who
welcomes us with open arms. If you will stay at home, he will bless you in
every way. We return with our sinfulness and weakness. That is not the problem.
We must return with sincerity and wholeheartedly want to be with God. Sincerity
will show itself in what we do. Do we confess our sins? Do we make God our
Father the centre of our life now? Do we seriously listen to his Word daily and
give time to prayer each day? Do you?
