MARCH 09, 2013 : SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 242

Reading 1 Hos 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.

Responsorial Psalm PS 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.

Gospel Lk 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.”

www.usccb.org

Meditation: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled"

What kind of prayer is pleasing to God? The prophet Hosea, who spoke in God's name, said: "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). The prayers and sacrifices we make to God mean nothing to him if they do not spring from a heart of love for God and for one's neighbor. How can we expect God to hear our prayers if we do not approach him with humility and a contrite heart? We stand in constant need of his grace and mercy. That is why the Apostle James tells us that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
Jesus reinforced this warning with a vivid story of two men at prayer. Why did the Lord accept one person’s prayer and reject the other’s prayer? Luke gives us a hint: despising one’s neighbor closes the door to God’s heart. Contempt is more than being mean-minded.  It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to ascertain who is good and just.  Jesus' story caused offense for those who regarded "tax collectors" as unworthy of God's grace and favor. How could Jesus put down a "religious leader" and raise up a "public sinner"? Jesus' parable speaks about the nature of prayer and our relationship with God.  It does this by contrasting two very different attitudes towards prayer. The Pharisee, who represented those who take pride in their religious practices, exalted himself at the expense of others. Absorbed with his own sense of self-satisfaction and self-congratulation his prayer was centered on himself rather than on God. Rather than praising God and asking God for his mercy and help, this man praised himself while despising those he thought less worthy than himself. The Pharisee tried to justify himself before God and before those he despised; but only God can justify us. The tax collector, who represented those despised by religious-minded people, humbled himself before God and begged for mercy.  His prayer was heard by God because he had true sorrow for his sins. He sought God with humility rather than with pride.
This parable presents both an opportunity and a warning. Pride leads to illusion and self-deception. Humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are and it inclines us to God's grace and mercy. God dwells with the humble of heart who recognize their own sinfulness and who acknowledge God's mercy and saving grace.  I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). God cannot hear us if we despise others. Do you humbly seek God's mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially those you find difficult to love and to forgive?
"Lord Jesus, may your love control my thoughts and actions that I may do what is pleasing to you. Show me where I lack charity, mercy, and forgiveness toward my neighbor.  And help me to be generous in giving to others what you have so generously given to me."

www.dailyscripture.net

Into the Abyss of Our Unworthiness

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

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." Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you. I believe that you have created me and redeemed me from sin. I believe that everything that is good in my life comes from you : my existence, my faith, my education, what virtues I have. I come to you today in prayer to place my life before you. I know that you are the source of all goodness in me. So often I wonder if I really know how to pray. I wonder how fruitful my prayer is. In the face of my misery I offer you the one thing I know I can offer: my humility before your majesty. Petition: Lord, help me to be humble when I approach you in prayer 1. Parallel Monologues, Not Conversation: The Pharisee went up to the Temple to pray. We can assume that his intention was to talk with God. As he stood there in the Temple, he thought he was praying: he was in the right place, he was facing the right direction, he seemed to be doing the right thing. But his prayer was contorted. In fact it was not prayer at all; it was a self-righteous discourse. If a friend were to ask him the next day if he had said his prayers, he would have said, “Yes.” Is my own prayer sometimes a false prayer like the Pharisee’s? Do I think I am praying, doing all of the right things, but in reality not praying at all and only justifying myself? 2. The Bare Minimum Does Not Satisfy: The poor Pharisee gets painted as the “bad guy” in this parable. But in reality he is not an outwardly evil person. He does not commit grave sins. He is honest, faithful to his wife, generous in his giving. But his pride blinds him to a much deeper relationship with God. He lives his religion as the bare minimum of not committing grave sins. His prayer is sterile. I must examine myself to make sure I am not doing the same, thinking I am doing all the right things but in reality barely living my faith. God does not ask us simply to avoid evil. He invites us to do good. True generosity is what brings peace and fulfillment to our lives. 3. Humility - An Essential Element of Prayer: The tax collector is justified not because he has done all of the right things, but because he has the humility to recognize his own sinfulness. Perhaps he even heard what the Pharisee was saying and it moved him all the more to plead for God’s mercy. One of the most important characteristics of our prayer is that it be humble. When we go to pray we must approach God recognizing our sinfulness and weakness and the fact that we have received everything good that we have from him. This is what makes our prayer fruitful. God loves a humble, contrite heart. Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, grant me a humble, contrite heart. You know my misery. I offer you the misery of my sinfulness so that you can purify it and do with it as you will. I do not want to live my life merely avoiding the big sins. I want to have a deep and intimate relationship with you founded on substantial humility. Resolution: I will always make an act of humility at the beginning of my prayer.

www.regnumchristi.org

SATURDAY, MARCH 9
LENTEN WEEKDAY
LUKE 18:9-14
(Hosea 6:1-6; Psalm 51)
KEY VERSE: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted" (v 14).
READING: The Pharisees were a sect within Judaism who carefully observed the written law. In opposition to the Sadducees, the Pharisees also followed the traditional oral law, the 613 decrees beyond the Ten Commandments. Pharisees regarded themselves as the "separated ones" because of their staunch adherence of the law in contrast to what they assumed was the sinful behavior of the rest of humanity. Jesus tells the story of two individuals who went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector (Publican). Jesus compared the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee with that of the tax-collector. The arrogant Pharisee regarded himself as superior to others, especially the tax-collector whom he held in contempt. He smugly stated his virtues and did not ask pardon from God for his sins. The tax collector, on the other hand, acknowledged his sinfulness, and humbly prayed that God would forgive him. Jesus pronounced the tax-collector justified before God because he repented of his sins and confessed his need for salvation.
REFLECTING: Does my pride get in the way of serving God and others?
PRAYING: Pray the ancient Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Optional Memorial of Frances of Rome, religious

One of the greatest mystics of the fifteenth century, Frances was born at Rome, of a noble family, in 1384. Her desire was to enter the religion life, but at her father's wish she married Lorenzo de' Ponziani at the age of twelve. Frances was remarkable for her charity to the poor and her zeal for souls. She brought many Roman ladies into an association of oblates which later became the Benedictine Oblate Congregation of Tor di Specchi. Its members led the religious life, but without the strict cloister or formal vows, and gave themselves to prayer and good works. Frances had the gift of miracles and ecstasy, as well as the vision of her guardian angel, had revelations concerning purgatory and hell, and foretold the ending of the Western Schism. She was remarkable for her her obedience and patience, exemplified on the occasion of her husband's banishment, her son's death, and the loss of all her property. On the death of her husband (1436) she retired among her oblates at Tor di Specchi and was made superior. On the occasion of a visit to her son, she fell ill and died on the day she foretold. Paul V declared her a saint on 9 May,1608, though long before that the faithful venerated her body in the church of Santa Maria Nuova in the Roman Forum, now known as the church of Santa Francesca Romana. Legend says that when she went abroad at night, her guardian angel went before her lighting the road with a lantern, keeping her safe in her travels. On her feast day priests bless cars due to her patronage of drivers.

www.daily-word-of-life.com

It is steadfast love, not sacrifice, that God desires

The intent of our heart is what matters most to God.
Scripture is littered with stories of a faithful God and a people who fluctuate constantly. They know God’s love and protection, but wander backwards and forwards between their way of doing things and God’s - most often returning to God when things get tough.

It’s easy for us to read these stories and feel very self-righteous, looking down upon the people of scripture. When we stop and look inwards, we are no different. We walk away from God to do things our way and take control of our lives. What is it that calls us back to God? Does the deepest longing of our heart hear God’s call to loving relationship?

www.churchresources.info

March 9
St. Frances of Rome
(1384-1440)

Frances's life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome's poor.

Born of wealthy parents, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be her husband.
As she became acquainted with her new relatives, Frances soon discovered that the wife of her husband’s brother also wished to live a life of service and prayer. So the two, Frances and Vannozza, set out together—with their husbands’ blessings—to help the poor.
Frances fell ill for a time, but this apparently only deepened her commitment to the suffering people she met. The years passed, and Frances gave birth to two sons and a daughter. With the new responsibilities of family life, the young mother turned her attention more to the needs of her own household.
The family flourished under Frances’s care, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and left Frances’s second son dead. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later, Frances’s daughter died, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital.
Frances became more and more convinced that this way of life was so necessary for the world, and it was not long before she requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows. They simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor. Once the society was established, Frances chose not to live at the community residence, but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years, until her husband passed away, and then came to live the remainder of her life with the society—serving the poorest of the poor.

Comment:

Looking at the exemplary life of fidelity to God and devotion to her fellow human beings which Frances of Rome was blessed to lead, one cannot help but be reminded of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (September 5), who loved Jesus Christ in prayer and also in the poor. The life of Frances of Rome calls each of us not only to look deeply for God in prayer, but also to carry our devotion to Jesus living in the suffering of our world. Frances shows us that this life need not be restricted to those bound by vows.

Quote:

Malcolm Muggeridge's book Something Beautiful for God contains this quote from Mother Teresa about each sister in her community: “Let Christ radiate and live his life in her and through her in the slums. Let the poor seeing her be drawn to Christ and invite him to enter their homes and lives.” Says Frances of Rome: “It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping” (Butler’s Lives of the Saints).

Patron Saint of:

Motorists
Widows

www.americancatholic.org

Lectio: Luke 18,9-14

Lectio:

Saturday, March 9, 2013 

Lent Time

1) Opening prayer

Lord our God,

you yourself remind us through your holy people

that all our religious practices,

even this eucharistic sacrifice,are not worth anything

if we use them to bend you our way.

God, may we come to you

in humility and repentance,

ready to encounter you in love

and to turn your way.

Accept us as your sons and daughters,

together with Jesus Christ,

your Son and our Lord for ever.

2) Gospel Reading - Luke 18,9-14

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright 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 everyone else, 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 justified; the other did not. For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.'

3) Reflection

• In today’s Gospel, Jesus, in order to teach us to pray, tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus has a different way of seeing things. He saw something positive in the tax collector, of whom everybody said: “He does not know how to pray!” Jesus, through prayer, lived so united to the Father that everything became an expression of prayer for him.

• The way of presenting the parable is very didactic. Luke gives a brief introduction which serves as the key for reading. Then Jesus tells the parable and at the end Jesus himself applies the parable to life.

• Luke 18, 9: The introduction. The parable is presented by the following phrase: “He spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being upright and despised everyone else!” This phrase is Luke’s. It refers to the time of Jesus. But it also refers to our own time. There are always persons and groups of persons who consider themselves upright and faithful and who despise others, considering them ignorant and unfaithful.

• Luke 18, 10-13: The Parable. Two men went up to the Temple to pray: one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. According to the opinion of people at that time, the tax collectors were not considered at all, and they could not address themselves to God because they were impure persons. In the parable, the Pharisee thanks God because he is better than others. His prayer is nothing other than a praise of himself, an exaltation of his good qualities and contempt for others and for the tax collector. The tax collector does not even raise his eyes, but he beats his breast and says: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He places himself in his own place, that which belongs to him before God.

• Luke 18, 14: The application. If Jesus would have allowed people to express their opinion and say which of the two went home justified, all would have answered: “the Pharisee!” Because at that time, this was the common opinion. Jesus thinks in a different way. For him, the one who returns home justified, in a good relationship with God, is not the Pharisee, but rather the tax collector. Jesus turns all things upside down. It is certain that the religious authority of that time was not pleased with the application which he makes of the parable.

• Jesus prays. Luke informs us, especially, about the life of prayer of Jesus. He presents Jesus in constant prayer. The following is a list of texts of Luke’s Gospel, in which Jesus appears in prayer: Lk 2, 46-50; 3. 21; 4, 1-12; 4, 16; 5, 16; 6, 12; 9, 16.18.28; 10, 21; 11, 1; 22, 32; 22, 7-14; 22, 40-46; 23, 34; 23, 46; 24, 30). In reading Luke’s Gospel you can find other texts which speak about the prayer of Jesus. Jesus lived in contact with the Father. To do the will of the Father was the breathing of his life (Jn 5, 19). Jesus prayed very much and, insisted so that people and his disciples would do the same, because from the union with God springs truth and the person is able to discover and find self, in all reality and humility . In Jesus prayer was intimately bound to concrete facts of life and to the decisions which he had to take. In order to be faithful to the Father’s project, he sought to remain alone with Him in order to listen to Him. Jesus prayed the Psalms. He did it like any other pious Jew and he knew them by heart. Jesus even succeeded in composing his own Psalm. It is the Our Father. His whole life was permanent prayer: “By himself the Son can do nothing; he can do only what he sees the Father doing!” (Jn 5, 19.30). To him can be applied what the Psalm says: “All I can do is pray!” (Ps 109, 4).

4) Personal questions

• Looking into the mirror of this parable, am I like the Pharisee or like the tax collector?

• There are persons who say that they do not know how to pray, but they speak with God all the time. Do you know any persons like this?

5) Concluding Prayer

Have mercy on me, O God, in your faithful love,

in your great tenderness wipe away my offences;

wash me clean from my guilt,

purify me from my sin. (Ps 51,1-2)

www.ocarm.org