Monday of
the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 244
Lectionary: 244
Thus says the
LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 30:2 AND 4, 5-6,
11-12A AND 13B
R. (2a) I
will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Verse Before
The GospelAM 5:14
Seek good and
not evil so that you may live,
and the LORD will be with you.
and the LORD will be with you.
GospelJN 4:43-54
At that time
Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
Meditation: Jesus - the divine physician
Do you approach
the Lord Jesus with expectant faith for healing, pardon, and transformation in
Christ-like holiness? Isaiah prophesied that God would come not only to restore
his people, he would also come to recreate new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah
65:17). Jesus' miracles are signs that manifest the presence of God and the
coming of his kingdom of power and glory. When a high ranking official, who was
very likely from King Herod's court, heard the reports of Jesus’ preaching and
miracles, he decided to seek Jesus out for an extraordinary favor. If this
story happened today the media headlines would probably say: "High ranking
official leaves capital in search of miracle cure from a small town
carpenter."
It took raw
courage for a high ranking court official to travel twenty miles in search of
Jesus, the Galilean carpenter. He had to swallow his pride and put up with some
ridicule from his cronies. And when he found the healer carpenter, Jesus seemed
to put him off with the blunt statement that people would not believe unless
they saw some kind of miracle or sign from heaven. Jesus likely said this to
test the man to see if his faith was in earnest. If he turned away in
irritation or with discouragement, he would prove to be insincere. Jesus,
perceiving his faith, sent him home with the assurance that his prayer had been
heard.
It was probably
not easy for this man to return to his family with only an assuring word from
Jesus that his son would be healed. Couldn't Jesus have come to this man's
house and laid his hands on the dying child? However, without a moment's
hesitation the court official believed in Jesus and took him at his word. He
began his journey back home with renewed faith and hope - ready to face
whatever might await him - whether it be the anguish of his distraught family
and or the scorn of unbelieving neighbors. Before he could even make it all the
way back to his home town, news reached him that his son had recovered. What
astonishment must have greeted his family and friends when they heard that his
son was instantly restored to health at the very moment when Jesus had
pronounced the words - your son will live!
Jesus'
miraculous healings show his generous kindness and extravagant love - a love
that bends down in response to our misery and wretched condition. Is there any
area in your life where you need healing, pardon, change, and restoration? If
you seek the Lord with trust and expectant faith, he will not disappoint you.
He will meet you more than half way and give you what you need. The Lord Jesus
never refused anyone who put their trust in him. Surrender your doubts and
fears, your pride and guilt at his feet, and trust in his saving word and
healing love.
"Lord
Jesus, your love never fails and your mercy is unceasing. Give me the courage
to surrender my stubborn pride, fear and doubts to your surpassing love, wisdom
and knowledge. Make be strong in faith, persevering in hope, and constant in
love."
A Daily
Quote for Lent: Christ
our physician, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God sent
the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ
also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick,
and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is
Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2)
MONDAY, MARCH 7, JOHN 4:43-54
Lenten Weekday
(Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalm 30)
Lenten Weekday
(Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalm 30)
KEY VERSE: "Jesus said to him, `Your son will live,' and he and his whole household came to believe" (v 53).
TO KNOW: Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee where he had changed water to wine (Jn 2:1-12), the first "sign," or self-revelation of Jesus in John's gospel. A royal official approached Jesus and begged him to heal his dying son. Jesus was dismayed because the people refused to believe in him unless they witnessed "signs and wonders" (v 48). When the man begged him a second time, Jesus told him that his son would live. On the strength of Jesus' word, the official returned to his home. On the way, his servants met him and announced that the man's son had recovered at the very hour that Jesus declared he would live. The official and his whole household came to believe in Jesus' saving power. This was the second sign that Jesus performed in Cana in Galilee.
TO LOVE: Do I put my trust in the Lord's healing word?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to have faith even when I do not see any evidence.
Optional Memorial of Perpetua and Felicitas,
martyrs
Vibia Perpetua was born to a noble pagan family. She was a convert, wife and mother. Perpetua was martyred March 7, 203 at Carthage with her maid, friend, and fellow convert Felicity. Perpetua, the aristocrat, and Felicitas, the slave-girl, met martyrdom hand in hand. A significant account of their last days was recorded:
The day of the martyrs' victory dawned. They marched from their cells into the amphitheater, as if into heaven, with cheerful looks and graceful bearing. If they trembled it was for joy and not for fear. Perpetua was the first to be thrown down, and she fell prostrate. She got up and, seeing that Felicity was prostrate, went over and reached out her hand to her and lifted her up. Both stood up together. Rousing herself as if from sleep (so deeply had she been in spiritual ecstasy), she began to look around. To everyone's amazement she said, "When are we going to be led to the beasts?" When she heard that it had already happened she did not at first believe it until she saw the marks of violence on her body and her clothing. The people, however, had demanded that the martyrs be led to the middle of the amphitheater. They wanted to see the sword thrust into the bodies of the victims, so that their eyes might share in the slaughter. Without being asked they went where the people wanted them to go; but first they kissed one another, to complete their witness with the customary kiss of peace.
Monday March 7 2016
Mon
7th.(Ss Perpetua & Felicity). Isaiah 65:17-21. I will praise you, Lord, for
you have rescued me—Ps 29(30):2, 4-6, 11-13. John 4:43-54.
‘Look!
I am going to create new heavens and a new earth.’
Isaiah
speaks of a totally new world full of joy and gladness: a world without pain or
sadness, a world of prosperity and plenty. There will be a new Jerusalem, a
Messianic kingdom to come, of better and happier times to come. It paves the
way for the coming of Jesus, who, in today’s Gospel brings healing and
wholeness; where Jesus anticipates his later statement to Martha: ‘I am the
Resurrection and the Life’, which is the real point of the story. It’s not
about a miracle; it’s about believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing we might have life through His name. We do not expect to
live lives without pain, sickness or even tragedy, but what we can expect from
our commitment to Jesus’ Way is to experience the peace that only he can give.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Communion of Saints
|
We rejoice in the great things that St. Francis did during his
lifetime and continues to do in the communion of saints. But those who spend
time meditating on the words of Francis reflect on the hiddenness and humility
he so valued during his lifetime. It serves as a reminder not to desire fame
and fortune but to seek only the grace of God.
March 7
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
(d. 203?)
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
(d. 203?)
“When my father in his affection for me
was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I
said to him, ‘Do you see this vessel—waterpot or whatever it may be? Can it be
called by any other name than what it is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot
call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian.’”
So writes Perpetua, young, beautiful, well-educated, a
noblewoman of Carthage in North Africa, mother of an infant son and chronicler
of the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Septimius Severus.
Despite threats of persecution and death, Perpetua,
Felicity (a slavewoman and expectant mother) and three companions, Revocatus,
Secundulus and Saturninus, refused to renounce their Christian faith. For their
unwillingness, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater. There,
Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded, and the others killed by beasts.
Perpetua’s mother was a Christian and her father a
pagan. He continually pleaded with her to deny her faith. She refused and was
imprisoned at 22.
In her diary, Perpetua describes her period of
captivity: “What a day of horror! Terrible heat, owing to the crowds! Rough
treatment by the soldiers! To crown all, I was tormented with anxiety for my
baby.... Such anxieties I suffered for many days, but I obtained leave for my
baby to remain in the prison with me, and being relieved of my trouble and
anxiety for him, I at once recovered my health, and my prison became a palace
to me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.”
Felicity gave birth to a girl a few days before the
games commenced.
Perpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment ends
the day before the games. “Of what was done in the games themselves, let him
write who will.” The diary was finished by an eyewitness.
Comment:
Persecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who, with her family, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne, like Perpetua and Felicity, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary Anne writes, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground, and maintain our opinions, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God."
Persecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who, with her family, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne, like Perpetua and Felicity, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary Anne writes, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground, and maintain our opinions, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God."
Quote:
Perpetua, unwilling to renounce Christianity, comforted her father in his grief over her decision, “It shall happen as God shall choose, for assuredly we depend not on our own power but on the power of God.“
Perpetua, unwilling to renounce Christianity, comforted her father in his grief over her decision, “It shall happen as God shall choose, for assuredly we depend not on our own power but on the power of God.“
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 4,43-54
Lectio Divina:
Monday, March 7, 2016
Lent Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God, almighty Father,
you want us not to turn to the past
to regret it and to mourn over it
but to hope in the future,
in the new earth and the new heaven.
Give us a firm faith
in your Son Jesus Christ,
that notwithstanding the shortcomings of our time
we may have faith in the future,
which you want us to build up
with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
you want us not to turn to the past
to regret it and to mourn over it
but to hope in the future,
in the new earth and the new heaven.
Give us a firm faith
in your Son Jesus Christ,
that notwithstanding the shortcomings of our time
we may have faith in the future,
which you want us to build up
with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN 4, 43-54.
When the two days were over Jesus left
for Galilee. He himself had declared that a prophet is not honoured in his own
home town. On his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that
he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.
He went again to Cana in Galilee, where
he had changed the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son
was ill at Capernaum; hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he
went and asked him to come and cure his son, as he was at the point of death.
Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and portents you will not believe!'
'Sir,' answered the official, 'come down before my child dies.' 'Go home,' said
Jesus, 'your son will live.' The man believed what Jesus had said and went on
his way home; and while he was still on the way his servants met him with the
news that his boy was alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover.
They replied, 'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.' The father
realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, 'Your son will
live'; and he and all his household believed. This new sign, the second, Jesus
performed on his return from Judaea to Galilee.
3) REFLECTION
• Jesus had left Galilee, and directed
himself toward Judah, in order to arrive to Jerusalem on the occasion of the
festival (Jn 4, 45) and, passing through Samaria, he was returning again toward
Galilee (Jn 4, 3-4). The observant Jews were forbidden to pass through Samaria,
and they could not even speak with the Samaritans (Jn 4, 9). Jesus did not care
about these norms which prevented friendship and dialogue. He remained several
days in Samaria and many people were converted (Jn 4, 40). After that, he
decided to return to Galilee.
• John 4, 43-46ª: The return toward
Galilee. Even though Jesus knew that the people of Galilee had a certain
reservation toward him, he wished to return to his own home town. Probably,
John refers to how badly Jesus was received, accepted in Nazareth of Galilee.
Jesus himself had declared that “No prophet is honoured in his own home town”
(Lk 4, 24). But now, before the evidence of what he had done in Jerusalem, the
Galileans change their opinion and received him well. Jesus then returns to
Cana where he had worked the first “sign” (Jn 2,11).
• John 4, 46b-47: The petition of the
court official. It is the case of a pagan. A short time before, in Samaria,
Jesus had spoken with a Samaritan woman, an heretic person according to the
Jews, to whom Jesus revealed his condition of Messiah (Jn 4, 26). And now, in
Galilee, he receives a pagan, the official of the king, who was seeking help
for his sick son. Jesus does not limit himself to help those of his race only,
nor those of his own religion. He is ecumenical and receives all.
• John 4, 48: The answer of Jesus to the
court official. The official wanted Jesus to go with him to his house to cure
his son. Jesus answered: “Unless you see signs and portents you will not
believe!” A harsh and strange answer. Why does Jesus answer in this way? What
was wrong with the petition of the official? What did Jesus want to attain
through this response? Jesus wants to teach how our faith should be. The
official would believe only if Jesus went with him to his house. He wanted to
see Jesus curing. In general, this is the attitude that we all have. We are not
aware of the deficiency of our faith.
• John 4, 49-50: The official repeats
his petition and Jesus repeats the response. In spite of the answer of Jesus,
the man does not keep silence and repeats the same petition:. “Sir, come down
before my child dies!” Jesus continues to keep his stand. He does not respond
to the petition and does not go with the man to his house and repeats the same
response, but formulated in a different way: “Go home! Your son will live!”
Both in the first as well as in the second response, Jesus asks for faith, much
faith. He asks that the official believes that his son has already been cured.
And the true miracle takes place! Without seeing any sign, nor any portent, the
man believes in Jesus’ word and returns home. It should not have been easy.
This is the true miracle of faith; to believe without any other guarantee,
except the Word of Jesus. The ideal is to believe in the word of Jesus, even
without seeing (cf. Jn 20, 29).
• John 4, 51-53: The result of faith in
the word of Jesus. When the man was on the way to his home, his servants saw
him and ran to meet him to tell him that his son had been cured, that he was
alive. He asked them when the boy had begun to recover and discovered that it
was exactly the time when Jesus had said: “Your son will live!” He was
confirmed in his faith.
• John 4, 54: A summary presented by
John, the Evangelist. John ends by saying: “This new sign, the second, Jesus
preformed”. John prefers to speak of sign and not of miracle. The word sign recalls
something which I see with my eyes, but which only faith can make me discover
its profound sense. Faith is like an X-Ray: it makes one discover that which
the naked eye cannot see.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• How do you live your faith? Do you
have faith in God’s word or do you only believe in miracles and in sensitive,
perceptible experiences?
• Jesus accepts heretics and foreigners.
And I, how do I relate with persons?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Make music for Yahweh,
all you who are faithful to him,
praise his unforgettable holiness.
His anger lasts but a moment,
his favour through life;
In the evening come tears,
but with dawn cries of joy. (Ps 30,4-5)
all you who are faithful to him,
praise his unforgettable holiness.
His anger lasts but a moment,
his favour through life;
In the evening come tears,
but with dawn cries of joy. (Ps 30,4-5)
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