Saturday
of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 242
Lectionary: 242
“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.
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
Verse
Before The GospelPS 95:8
If
today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
harden not your hearts.
GospelLK 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.”
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.”
Meditation: "God,
be merciful to me a sinner!"
How can we know if our
prayer is pleasing to God or not? 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 with a contrite
heart that seeks mercy and forgiveness? We stand in constant need of God's
grace and help. That is why Scripture 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 people 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. Expressing disdain and contempt
for others is more than being mean-minded. It springs from the assumption that
one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to publicly shame those who
do not conform to our standards and religious practices. Jesus' story caused
offense to the religious-minded Pharisees who regarded "tax
collectors" as unworthy of God's grace and favor. How could Jesus put down
a "religious person" 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 boastful prayer was centered on his good religious
practices rather than on God's goodness, grace, and pardon. Rather than
humbling himself before God and asking for God's mercy and help, this man
praised himself while despising those he thought less worthy. 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 self-deception and spiritual
blindness. True humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are in God's
eyes and it inclines us to seek God's help 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 boast in ourselves and 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 and truth transform my life - my inner thoughts, intentions, and
attitudes, and my outward behavior, speech, and actions. Where I lack charity,
kindness, and forbearance, help me to embrace your merciful love and to seek
the good of my neighbor, even those who cause me ill-favor or offense. May I
always love as you have loved and forgive others as you have forgiven."
A Daily Quote for Lent: God's mercy is
our only hope, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Driven out of
paradise by You and exiled in a distant land, I cannot return by myself unless
You, O Lord, come to meet me in my wandering. My return is based on hope in
your mercy during all of my earthly life. My only hope, the only source of
confidence, and the only solid promise is your mercy." (excerpt from Commentary
on Psalm 24,5)
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, LUKE
18:9-14
Lenten Weekday
(Hosea 6:1-6; Psalm 51)
Lenten Weekday
(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).
TO KNOW: 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). 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, recognized 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.
TO LOVE: Does my pride get in the way of acknowledging my sins?
TO SERVE: Pray the ancient Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
With broken heart and contrite sigh, a trembling sinner, Lord, I cry. Thy pardoning grace is rich and free, O God, be merciful to me!
Saturday March 5 2016
Sat
5th. Hosea 5:15 – 6:6. It is steadfast love, not sacrifice, that God desires—Ps
50(51):3-4, 18-21. Luke 18:9-14.
Today,
God asks us to be steadfast in our love.
He
calls us to show this love through actions that have meaning. In the Gospel,
the Pharisee has all the outward signs of being a good person, but it is all
show. The media in Australia seems to like painting Christians as ‘sound and
fury signifying nothing’ and we don’t like this, but are they justified to some
extent? How many of us, when it is hard to be Christian, actually stand up and
are counted? Are we able to go beyond the words to actually risk ourselves to
do the right thing, or do we just give lip service?
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
God Works in Us
|
Our very ability to live is a constant gift. All the more then, to
be aware that if there is anything good that we do, it’s not anything that we
ourselves do but rather what God does in us.
March
5
St. John Joseph of the Cross
(1654-1734)
St. John Joseph of the Cross
(1654-1734)
Self-denial is never an end in
itself but is only a help toward greater charity—as the life of St. John Joseph
shows.
John Joseph was very ascetic
even as a young man. At 16 he joined the Franciscans in Naples; he was the
first Italian to follow the reform movement of St. Peter Alcantara. John
Joseph’s reputation for holiness prompted his superiors to put him in charge of
establishing a new friary even before he was ordained.
Obedience moved John Joseph to
accept appointments as novice master, guardian and, finally, provincial. His
years of mortification enabled him to offer these services to the friars with
great charity. As guardian he was not above working in the kitchen or carrying
the wood and water needed by the friars.
When his term as provincial
expired, John Joseph dedicated himself to hearing confessions and practicing
mortification, two concerns contrary to the spirit of the dawning Age of
Enlightenment. John Joseph was canonized in 1839.
Comment:
John Joseph’s mortification allowed him to be the kind of forgiving superior intended by St. Francis. Self-denial should lead us to charity—not to bitterness; it should help us clarify our priorities and make us more loving. John Joseph is living proof of Chesterton’s observation: "It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own" (G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, page 101).
John Joseph’s mortification allowed him to be the kind of forgiving superior intended by St. Francis. Self-denial should lead us to charity—not to bitterness; it should help us clarify our priorities and make us more loving. John Joseph is living proof of Chesterton’s observation: "It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own" (G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, page 101).
Quote:
"And by this I wish to know if you love the Lord God and me, his servant and yours—if you have acted in this manner: that is, there should not be any brother in the world who has sinned, however much he may have possibly sinned, who, after he has looked into your eyes, would go away without having received your mercy, if he is looking for mercy. And if he were not to seek mercy, you should ask him if he wants mercy. And if he should sin thereafter a thousand times before your very eyes, love him more than me so that you may draw him back to the Lord. Always be merciful to [brothers] such as these" (St. Francis, Letter to a Minister).
"And by this I wish to know if you love the Lord God and me, his servant and yours—if you have acted in this manner: that is, there should not be any brother in the world who has sinned, however much he may have possibly sinned, who, after he has looked into your eyes, would go away without having received your mercy, if he is looking for mercy. And if he were not to seek mercy, you should ask him if he wants mercy. And if he should sin thereafter a thousand times before your very eyes, love him more than me so that you may draw him back to the Lord. Always be merciful to [brothers] such as these" (St. Francis, Letter to a Minister).
LECTIO DIVINA: LUKE 18,9-14
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, March 5, 2016
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.
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)
in your great tenderness wipe away my offences;
wash me clean from my guilt,
purify me from my sin. (Ps 51,1-2)
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