Thursday
of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 240
Lectionary: 240
Thus
says the LORD:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.
But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
R.
(8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Verse
Before The GospelJL 2:12-13
Even
now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
for I am gracious and merciful.
return to me with your whole heart,
for I am gracious and merciful.
GospelLK 11:14-23
Jesus
was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
Meditation: "God's
kingdom has come upon you"
What is the best
protection which brings lasting security to our lives? Scripture tells us that
true peace and security come to those who trust in God and obey his word.
"Obey my voice and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be
well with you" (Jeremiah 7:23). The struggle between choosing to do good
or evil, yielding to my will or God's will, God's way or my way, cannot be won
by human strength or will-power alone. Our enemy, the devil, conspires with the
world and our flesh, to lead us into hurtful and sinful desires.Peter the Apostles tells us, Our adversary, the devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls (1 Peter 5:8-9). God offers us grace and protection if we are willing to obey his word and resist the devil. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways (Psalm 91:9-11)
Jesus' numerous exorcisms brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and battled with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry. He overcame the evil one through his obedience to the will of his Father. Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to Jesus' healings and exorcisms and they opposed him with malicious slander. How could he get the power and authority to release individuals from Satan's power? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan. They attributed his power to Satan rather than to God.
Jesus answers their charge with two arguments. There were many exorcists in Palestine in Jesus' time. So Jesus retorted by saying that they also incriminate their own kin who cast out demons. If they condemn Jesus they also condemn themselves. In his second argument he asserts that no kingdom divided against itself can survive for long? We have witnessed enough civil wars in our own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his power against his own forces then he is finished. How can a strong person be defeated except by someone who is stronger? Jesus asserted his power and authority to cast out demons as a clear demonstration of the reign of God.
Jesus' reference to the finger of God points back to Moses' confrontation with Pharoah and his magicians who represented Satan and the kingdom of darkness (see Exodus 8:19). Jesus claims to be carrying on the tradition of Moses whose miracles freed the Israelites from bondage by the finger of God. God's power is clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that God's kingdom has come.
Is Jesus the Master of your life?
Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. There are two kingdoms in opposition to one another - the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God’s word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan in our lives. If you want to live in freedom from sin and Satan, then your house - your life and all you possess - must be occupied by Jesus where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior. Is the Lord Jesus the Master of your home, heart, mind, and will?
"O Lord, our God, grant us, we beseech you, patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all our spiritual foes. Grant us sorrow for our sins, thankfulness for your benefits, fear of your judgment, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence; now and for ever." (Prayer by John Cosin)
A Daily Quote for Lent: God's help for our complete conversion, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When we transform our old life and give our spirit a new image, we find it very hard and tiring to turn back from the darkness of earthly passions to the serene calm of the divine light. We must ask God to help us that a complete conversion may be brought about in us." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 6,5)
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, LUKE 11:14-23
Lenten Weekday
(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Psalm 95)
Lenten Weekday
(Jeremiah 7:23-28; Psalm 95)
KEY VERSE: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house" (v 17).
TO KNOW: Jesus was accused of casting out devils by the power of "Beelzebul" (Satan, a popular name for the master of demons). Jesus pointed out the absurdity of this accusation. He asked the crowd whether their own people performed exorcisms in the name of God or in Satan's name. If Satan (“adversary”) used his power to cast out demons, then Satan was working against himself and would eventually be defeated. Jesus was the "one mightier" prophesied by John the Baptist (Lk 3:16). Every word and act of Jesus' ministry was an attack on Satan's stronghold. Like Moses, Jesus power came from the "finger of God" (Ex 8:15). Whoever did not join Jesus in his opposition of evil assisted the adversary in his attempt to destroy God's realm.
TO LOVE: Do I pray for God's power to protect my household from evil?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me this Lent to oppose evil wherever I see it.
Optional Memorial of
Katharine Drexel
Katharine Drexel was the daughter of a wealthy railroad entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was taught from an early age to use her wealth for the benefit of others. Interested in the condition of Native Americans, she asked Pope Leo XIII to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend, Bishop James O'Connor. The pope replied, "Why don't you become a missionary?" Katharine visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux chief, and spent millions of the family fortunes to aid Indian missions. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy. Founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored, now known simply as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. By 1942 she had a system of Catholic schools for African Americans in 13 states, 40 mission centers, 23 rural schools, 50 Indian missions, and Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, the first United States university for blacks. Following a heart attack, she spent her last twenty years in prayer and meditation. The Shrine of Saint Katharine is located at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Pennsylvania, USA.
Katharine Drexel was the daughter of a wealthy railroad entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was taught from an early age to use her wealth for the benefit of others. Interested in the condition of Native Americans, she asked Pope Leo XIII to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend, Bishop James O'Connor. The pope replied, "Why don't you become a missionary?" Katharine visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux chief, and spent millions of the family fortunes to aid Indian missions. She entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy. Founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored, now known simply as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. By 1942 she had a system of Catholic schools for African Americans in 13 states, 40 mission centers, 23 rural schools, 50 Indian missions, and Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, the first United States university for blacks. Following a heart attack, she spent her last twenty years in prayer and meditation. The Shrine of Saint Katharine is located at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Pennsylvania, USA.
Thursday March 3 2016
Thu
3rd. Jeremiah 7:23-28. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts—Ps
94(95):1-2, 6-9. Luke 11:14-23.
How
sweet an invitation God extends!
Today’s
readings tell of a God who pursues His people and relationship with them, and
of a people who have turned their backs. How sweet an invitation God extends!
That we should be his people, and he our God. He offers us the highest
blessing, and the fulfillment of our most profound needs, to dwell in his
pastures and be tended by his gentle hand. In the face of this though, we have
tragically hardened our hearts, failing to heed his prophets and even Jesus.
Ruled by our passions, our desire for worldly goods, power and esteem, we deny
ourselves all that he offers, to try instead to fill ourselves with the passing
things of this world. What holds me back from the Lord? Where do I still seek
the world instead of Him? How can I heed the call of the Psalmist to be open to
God’s voice?
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Pure of Heart
|
To be pure of heart in the biblical sense means, above all, to
have our eyes focused straight on God, or to be single-minded. In other words,
blessed are the single-minded, the people who take whatever happens in their
lives and focus it all toward God. They are single-mindedly concerned about
worshipping God in every possible way they can.
March
3
St. Katharine Drexel
(1858-1955)
St. Katharine Drexel
(1858-1955)
If your father is an
international banker and you ride in a private railroad car, you are not likely
to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your
home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each
evening in prayer, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the
poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that.
She was born in Philadelphia in
1858. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she
had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a
three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety
from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn.
She had always been interested
in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by what she read
in Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor. While on a
European tour, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to
Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied, “Why don’t you
become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new
possibilities.
Back home, Katharine
visited the Dakotas, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic
aid to Indian missions.
She could easily have married.
But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor, she wrote in 1889, “The feast
of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the
Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven
Million!”
After three and a half years of
training, she and her first band of nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for
Indians and Colored) opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of
foundations followed. By 1942 she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13
states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed
her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50
missions for Indians in 16 states.
Two saints met
when Katharine was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of
getting her Order’s Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the
founding of Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in
the United States for African Americans.
At 77, she suffered a heart
attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came
almost 20 years of quiet, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the
sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers,
ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000.
Comment:
Saints have always said the same thing: Pray, be humble, accept the cross, love and forgive. But it is good to hear these things in the American idiom from one who, for instance, had her ears pierced as a teenager, who resolved to have “no cake, no preserves,” who wore a watch, was interviewed by the press, traveled by train and could concern herself with the proper size of pipe for a new mission. These are obvious reminders that holiness can be lived in today’s culture as well as in that of Jerusalem or Rome.
Saints have always said the same thing: Pray, be humble, accept the cross, love and forgive. But it is good to hear these things in the American idiom from one who, for instance, had her ears pierced as a teenager, who resolved to have “no cake, no preserves,” who wore a watch, was interviewed by the press, traveled by train and could concern herself with the proper size of pipe for a new mission. These are obvious reminders that holiness can be lived in today’s culture as well as in that of Jerusalem or Rome.
Quote:
“The patient and humble endurance of the cross—whatever nature it may be—is the highest work we have to do.” “Oh, how far I am at 84 years of age from being an image of Jesus in his sacred life on earth!” (St. Katharine Drexel)
“The patient and humble endurance of the cross—whatever nature it may be—is the highest work we have to do.” “Oh, how far I am at 84 years of age from being an image of Jesus in his sacred life on earth!” (St. Katharine Drexel)
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 11:14-23
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Lent Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
many of us never had it so good
and so we have become smug and self-satisfied,
happy in our own little world.
God, may our ears remain open to your word
and our hearts to you
and to our brothers and sisters.
Do not allow us to forget you,
or to place our trust in ourselves.
Make us restless for you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
many of us never had it so good
and so we have become smug and self-satisfied,
happy in our own little world.
God, may our ears remain open to your word
and our hearts to you
and to our brothers and sisters.
Do not allow us to forget you,
or to place our trust in ourselves.
Make us restless for you
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - LUKE 11, 14-23
He was driving out a devil and it was
dumb; and it happened that 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 drives devils out.'
Others asked him, as a test, for a sign
from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, 'Any
kingdom which is divided against itself is heading for ruin, and house
collapses against house. So, too, with Satan: if he is divided against himself,
how can his kingdom last? - since you claim that it is through Beelzebul that I
drive devils out. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I drive devils out,
through whom do your own sons drive them out? They shall be your judges, then.
But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the
kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares. So long as a strong man fully
armed guards his own home, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger
than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the
weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
'Anyone who is not with me is against
me; and anyone who does not gather in with me throws away.
3) REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel is that of Luke. We
already meditated on the parallel text of Mark (Mk 3, 22-27) during January.
• Luke 11, 14-16: The diverse
reactions before the expulsion of a devil. Jesus had expelled a devil
which was dumb. The expulsion produced two different reactions. On the one
side, the crowd of persons who remain astonished and surprised. The people
accept Jesus and believe in him. On the other side, those who do not accept
Jesus and do not believe in him. Among the latter, some said that Jesus cast
out the devils in the name of Beelzebul, the prince of devils, and others wanted
a sign from heaven. Mark says that it was a question of the Scribes who had
come from Jerusalem (Mk 3,22), who were not in agreement with the liberty of
Jesus. They wanted to defend the Tradition against the novelty of Jesus.
• Luke 11, 17-22: Jesus’ answer is
divided into three parts:
1st part: Comparison
with a divided kingdom. (vv. 17-18a) Jesus denounces the
absurdity of the calumny of the Scribes. To say that he casts out the devils
with the help of the prince of the devils means to deny the evidence. It is the
same thing as saying that water is dry, and that the sun is darkness. The
Doctors of Jerusalem slandered against him because they did not know how to
explain the benefits which Jesus fulfilled for the people. They were afraid to
lose their leadership. They felt threatened in their authority before the
people.
2nd part: through whom
do your own sons drive them out? (
vv. 18b-20) Jesus provokes the
accusers and asks: “”But if it is through Beelzebul that I drive out devils, in
whose name do your disciples drive them out?” Let them respond and explain
themselves! “If I drive out the devil through the finger of God, then the
Kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares”.
3rd part: when someone
stronger than himself attacks and defeats him, the stronger one takes away all
weapons. (vv. 21-22) Jesus compares the devil to a strong man. Nobody, except a
stronger person, can rob in the house of a strong man: Jesus is the strongest.
This is why he succeeds to enter into the house and to get hold of the strong
man. He succeeds in driving out the devils. Jesus seizes the strong man and now
robs in his house, that is, he liberates the persons who were under the power
of evil. The Prophet Isaiah had used the same comparison to describe the coming
of the Messiah (Is 49, 24-25). This is why Luke says that the expulsion of the
devil is an evident sign that the Kingdom of God has arrived.
• Luke 11, 23: Anyone who is not
with me is against me. Jesus ends his response with this phrase:
“Anyone who is not with me is against me. And anyone who does not gather in
with me throws away”. On another occasion, also regarding the expulsion of a
devil, the disciples prevented a man to use the name of Jesus to drive out the
devil because he was not one of their group. Jesus answered: “You must not stop
him: anyone who is not against you is for you!”. (Lk 9, 50). These two phrases
seem to be contradictory, but they are not. The phrase in today’s Gospel is
said against the enemies who have a preconception against Jesus: “Anyone who is
not with me is against me. And anyone who does not gather in with me throws
away”. The preconception and the lack of acceptance make dialogue impossible
and break the union. The other phrase is said for the disciples who thought
they had the monopoly on Jesus. “Anyone who is not against you is for you!”
Many persons who are not Christians practice love, goodness, justice, many
times in a much better way than Christians. We cannot exclude them. They are
brothers and workers in the construction of the Kingdom. We Christians are not
the owners of Jesus. On the contrary: Jesus is our Lord!
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• “Anyone who is not with me, is against
me. And anyone who does not gather in with me, throws away”. How does this take
place in my life?
• “Do not stop him, because anyone who
is not against you is for you!” How does this take place in my life?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Come, let us cry out with joy to Yahweh,
acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving,
acclaim him with music. (Ps 95-1-2)
acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving,
acclaim him with music. (Ps 95-1-2)
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