Monday 4 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
2
Kings 5:1-15
Naaman, army commander to the king of
Aram, was a man who enjoyed his master’s respect and favour, since through him
the Lord had granted victory to the Aramaeans. But the man was a leper. Now on
one of their raids, the Aramaeans had carried off from the land of Israel a
little girl who had become a servant of Naaman’s wife. ‘She said to her
mistress, ‘If only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria. He would
cure him of his leprosy.’ Naaman went and told his master. ‘This and this’ he
reported ‘is what the girl from the land of Israel said.’ ‘Go by all means,’
said the king of Aram ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman
left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and
ten festal robes. He presented the letter to the king of Israel. It read: ‘With
this letter, I am sending my servant Naaman to you for you to cure him of his
leprosy.’ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his garments. ‘Am I
a god to give death and life,’ he said ‘that he sends a man to me and asks me
to cure him of his leprosy? Listen to this, and take note of it and see how he
intends to pick a quarrel with me.’
When
Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the
king, ‘Why did you tear your garments? Let him come to me, and he will find
there is a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his team and chariot and
drew up at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent him a messenger to say,
‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once
more.’ But Naaman was indignant and went off, saying, ‘Here was I thinking he
would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the
Lord his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part. Surely
Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel?
Could I not bathe in them and become clean?’ And he turned round and went off in
a rage. But his servants approached him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet
had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the
more reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’ So
he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told
him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little
child.
Returning
to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before him. ‘Now I know’
he said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.’
Notice how the cure of Naaman
came about through his servant girl telling about the prophet in Israel. When the
opportunity arises we must speak of what Jesus can do for people. He can in
fact do far more than the prophet Elisha. He can cure the leprosy of sin. He does
this by washing us in the waters of Baptism.
Psalm
Psalm
41:2-3,42:3-4
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of
my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
Like the deer that yearns
for running streams,
so my soul is yearning
for you, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of
my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
My soul is thirsting for God,
the God of my life;
when can I enter and see
the face of God?
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of
my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of
my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the
harp,
O God, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of
my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
2Co6:2
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Now is the favourable time:
this is the day of salvation.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Or
cf.Ps129:5,7
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word,
because with the Lord there is mercy
and fullness of redemption.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
4:24-30
Jesus came to Nazara and spoke to the
people in the synagogue: ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in
his own country.
‘There
were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven
remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged
throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent
to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time
there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the
Syrian, Naaman.’
When
they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their
feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the
hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he
slipped through the crowd and walked away.
Accepting Jesus and his teaching
In yesterday’s
reading, the Samaritans accepted Jesus. They were people whom the Jews despised.
The woman who brought this about had been a sinner and an outcast. The
Samaritans recognized him as the Messiah. In Nazareth Jesus preached with
authority like Elijah and Elisha, yet his own village folk, who thought they
knew him well, rejected him. They rejected his message too because they saw him
only as the son of Joseph. They thought they had claims on Jesus, because he
belonged to their village. However, God accepts and blesses all who are humble
before him. Later he will send missionaries to the gentiles. He does not look
at our race or status but at what we are. What are you in the depths of your
heart? The widow of Zarephath and the Syrian Naaman listened to a prophet. Do
you humbly listen to God’s Word coming through his Church?
Tuesday 5 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Daniel
3:25,34-43
Azariah stood in the heart of the fire,
and he began to pray:
Oh! Do not abandon us for ever,
for the sake of your name;
do not repudiate your covenant,
do not withdraw your favour from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac your servant,
and of Israel your holy one,
to whom you promised descendants as
countless as the stars of heaven
and as the grains of sand on the
seashore.
Lord, now we are the least of all the
nations,
now we are despised throughout the
world, today, because of our sins.
We have at this time no leader, no
prophet, no prince,
no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation,
no incense,
no place where we can offer you the
first-fruits
and win your favour.
But may the contrite soul, the humbled
spirit be as acceptable to you
as holocausts of rams and bullocks,
as thousands of fattened lambs:
such let our sacrifice be to you today,
and may it be your will that we follow
you wholeheartedly,
since those who put their trust in you
will not be disappointed.
And now we put our whole heart into
following you,
into fearing you and seeking your face
once more.
Do not disappoint us;
treat us gently, as you yourself are
gentle
and very merciful.
Grant us deliverance worthy of your
wonderful deeds,
let your name win glory, Lord.
Every person who realises who
they are will share the prayer of Azariah, both personally and for the Church.
God is a merciful Father and Jesus is a Brother who intercedes incessantly for
us. We can, then, pray with confidence. But the Gospel will teach us that as we
expect God to forgive us then we must forgive those who injure us.
Psalm
Psalm
24:4-6,7-9
Remember your mercy, Lord.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach
me:
for you are God my saviour.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
In you I hope all day long
because of your goodness, O Lord.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.
Remember your mercy, Lord.
Gospel
Acclamation
cf.Lk8:15
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Blessed are those who,
with a noble and generous heart,
take the word of God to themselves
and yield a harvest through their
perseverance.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or
Joel2:12-13
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Now, now – it is the Lord who
speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew
18:21-35
Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord,
how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’
Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And
so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his
accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man
who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master
gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all
his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at
his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And
the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the
debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who
owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to
throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his
feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other
would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should
pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had
happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.
Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all
that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have
pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the
master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And
that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your
brother from your heart.’
Forgive us as we
forgive others
Notice, that the second servant owes a
large debt. It is three months’ wages. However, it is nothing compared with the
first debt, which is enormous beyond reckoning. It is fundamental to the
Christian life to appreciate what God has done for us. Adam’s sin excluded the
entire human race from heaven. Personal grave sins carry the penalty of an
eternity of darkness and punishment. However, the Father through Jesus has not
only forgiven these sins but also made us his own children. We are now heirs
along with Jesus to the glory of God. This is God’s gift. We have not earned
it. We have not even asked for it. God is our Father. We are to imitate him. He
is compassionate to us. We are to be compassionate to others. He forgives all
our sins. We must forgive every offence committed against us. Are you
reconciled with everyone?
Wednesday 6
March 2013
Readings at Mass
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First reading
Deuteronomy
4:1,5-9
Moses said to the people:
‘Now,
Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe
them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that
the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.
‘See,
as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you
are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them,
observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and
understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No
other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what
great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us
whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and
customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?
‘But
take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes
have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather,
tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’
If through the grace of the Holy
Spirit we learn to keep God’s Law and listen to the teaching of Jesus which
brings the Old Testament Law to perfection, we will become fully human beings. Our
lives without out our noticing it will become examples to all around us. God is
a God who is love and all the commandments he gives will bring us happiness and
fulfilment in this life and Salvation in
the next.
Psalm
Psalm
147:12-13,15-16,19-20
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Zion, praise your God!
He has strengthened the bars of your
gates
he has blessed the children within you.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He sends out his word to the earth
and swiftly runs his command.
He showers down snow white as wool,
he scatters hoar-frost like ashes.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
He makes his word known to Jacob,
to Israel his laws and decrees.
He has not dealt thus with other
nations;
he has not taught them his decrees.
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
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!
Or
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!
____________________
Gospel
Matthew
5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not
imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to
abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth
disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law
until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered
the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them
will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
For me, Life is
Christ
Love was the basis of the Old
Testament too: Love the Lord your God, love your neighbour as yourself. The Law
endeavoured to safeguard the Covenant of love of God for man. Jesus is not
going to abolish this. In Jesus, God lives among men. Religion now means to
accept Jesus, to love and serve him. If the Old Testament was the plant, Jesus
is the flower on it. Everything now centres on him. He is our religion. The OT
prophets had called God the Bridegroom and now Jesus, God among us, is the
Bridegroom. He calls us to an intimate relationship. It is not a lawless life
but one of living to love and serve Jesus. We will fulfil all the Commandments
out of love for him. Is Jesus your Bridegroom and do you love and serve him
with all your heart? Do you please him in everything?
Thursday 7 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Jeremiah
7:23-28
These were my orders: Listen to my
voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the
end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not
listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own
evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day
your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have
persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.
But
they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn
and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them:
they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell
them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord
its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their
mouths.”
When you go to the celebration of
the Holy Eucharist or visit a church where the Holy Eucharist is preserved do
you experience the presence of Jesus? Do
you hear him speaking when the Word
of God is proclaimed? Do you listen for
his word in the homily? Is Jesus and his Word something real for you, a light
for your path? Is Jesus an experience in your life? If Jesus is not such in our
lives, then we are no better than the people of Jeremiah’s day in Jerusalem.
Gospel
Acclamation
Ezk18:31
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Shake off all your sins – it is the
Lord who speaks –
and make yourselves a new heart and a
new spirit.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Or
Joel2:12-13
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Now, now – it is the Lord who
speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
11:14-23
Jesus was casting out a devil and it was
dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were
amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils,
that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven;
but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against
itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.
So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom
stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out
devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do
your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is
through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of
God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own
palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks
and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and
shares out his spoil.
‘He
who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’
The Finger of God
We see in Jesus a man filled with the Holy Spirit, the One
come from God to vanquish Satan. We also see a man who becomes more and more
isolated. The crowds marvelled, but did they believe? Amazement at Jesus is not
the same as belief in him. Others openly said that the evil one possessed him
while others opposed him by asking for a sign from God. Each of us has to take
sides for or against him. Since Satan is not going to attack his own followers,
then Jesus drives out evil spirits by God’s power. With Jesus, the Reign of God
has come. Until Jesus’ time, Satan had a free range. Now Jesus binds him and
casts him out. With Jesus, we are safe from the Evil One. Have you committed
yourself to Jesus in every aspect of your life? Alternatively, do you simply
marvel at him?
Friday 8 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Hosea
14:2-10
The Lord says this:
Israel, come back to the Lord your God;
your iniquity was the cause of your
downfall.
Provide yourself with words
and come back to the Lord.
Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away
so that we may have happiness again
and offer you our words of praise.
Assyria cannot save us,
we will not ride horses any more,
or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands
have made,
for you are the one in whom orphans find
compassion.’
– I will heal their disloyalty,
I will love them with all my heart,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will fall like dew on Israel.
He shall bloom like the lily,
and thrust out roots like the poplar,
his shoots will spread far;
he will have the beauty of the olive
and the fragrance of Lebanon.
They will come back to live in my shade;
they will grow corn that flourishes,
they will cultivate vines
as renowned as the wine of Helbon.
What has Ephraim to do with idols any
more
when it is I who hear his prayer and
care for him?
I am like a cypress ever green,
all your fruitfulness comes from me.
Let the wise man understand these words.
Let the intelligent man grasp their
meaning.
For the ways of the Lord are straight,
and virtuous men walk in them,
but sinners stumble.
The first word of the first
commandment is “Listen” – Listen Oh Israel, the Lord your God is one. The prophet
here tells us that if we make God’s Word the guiding light of our lives then we
will receive the blessings of God. Sin only brings misery. However God looks at
things in the light of eternity and not just as we do, in the short term. We may
find that in the short term listening to his Word brings hardships.
Psalm
Psalm
80:6,8-11,14,17
I am the Lord your God: listen to my
warning.
A voice I did not know said to me:
‘I freed your shoulder from the burden;
your hands were freed from the load.
You called in distress and I saved you.
I am the Lord your God: listen to my
warning.
‘I answered, concealed in the storm
cloud;
at the waters of Meribah I tested you.
Listen, my people, to my warning.
O Israel, if only you would heed!
I am the Lord your God: listen to my
warning.
‘Let there be no foreign god among you.
no worship of an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you from the land of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God: listen to my
warning.
‘O that my people would heed me,
that Israel would walk in my ways!
But Israel I would feed with finest
wheat
and fill them with honey from the rock.’
I am the Lord your God: listen to my
warning.
____________________
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
Mt4:17
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at
hand.
Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!
____________________
Gospel
Mark
12:28-34
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and
put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus
replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord,
and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must
love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’
The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that
he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your
understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far
more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he
had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no
one dared to question him any more.
As we treat others,
so we treat God
The first
commandment is to listen to God, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel”.
Everything we are and have is a gift from God out of love for us. Since God
created us out of love then we must love God in return. Since we cannot see,
hear or touch God we show our love for him by loving those whom he loves. We
cannot love God without loving our neighbour. In our everyday life the way we
love our neighbour is precisely the way we love God. The way we treat others,
whoever they are, is precisely the way we treat God. Here we have the gauge for
our love of God. If you despise one person, you despise God. If you have hatred
towards one person, you have hatred towards God. Love for God expresses itself
in the heart of daily life. How then do you love God?
Saturday 9 March
2013
Readings at Mass
____________________
First reading
Hosea
5:15-6:6
The Lord says this:
They will search for me in their misery.
‘Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces, but he will
heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will
bandage our wounds;
after a day or two he will bring us back
to life,
on the third day he will raise us
and we shall live in his presence.
Let us set ourselves to know the Lord;
that he will come is as certain as the
dawn
his judgement will rise like the light,
he will come to us as showers come,
like spring rains watering the earth.’
What am I to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I to do with you, Judah?
This love of yours is like a morning
cloud,
like the dew that quickly disappears.
This is why I have torn them to pieces
by the prophets,
why I slaughtered them with the words
from my mouth,
since what I want is love, not
sacrifice;
knowledge of God, not holocausts.
Since God is love and he is
manifest in the Person of Jesus whose mission was to love people and the entire
human race, so this is what God demands of us. We are called to love. The defects
in our love are our sins. Since we can never love as the man Jesus loves, then
we will always be defective. We are always sinners.
Psalm
Psalm
50:3-4,18-21
What I want is love, not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
What I want is love, not sacrifice.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not
spurn.
What I want is love, not sacrifice.
In your goodness, show favour to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful
sacrifice,
burnt offerings wholly consumed.
What I want is love, not sacrifice.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Ps94:8
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
18:9-14
Jesus spoke the following parable to
some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else:
‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank
you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind,
and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a
week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away,
not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God,
be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights
with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
A Child and his
Father
To pray we must enter the silence of our heart and encounter
God. Who is God? He is the Mighty One who is our Father, a Father who loves us
whatever we have done. His love is without conditions attached. He is the
Father of love and compassion who delights in forgiving his repentant children.
Who are we? In the secret of our heart, we realise how often we have been
unfaithful to God and to others. If we have never abandoned God, we will
realise that this is through his grace and not through our strength. In prayer,
a child meets his Father. It is a meeting of humble gratitude for all God has
done for us. Because of our own weakness, we rely on the mercy of God, our
Father. He is our strength and our healing. Do you pray with humble trust in
the presence of God?
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