Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Lectionary: 234
Lectionary: 234
Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
for he was the child of his old age;
and he had made him a long tunic.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
One day, when his brothers had gone
to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
Israel said to Joseph,
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
They noticed him from a distance,
and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;
we could say that a wild beast devoured him.
We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
When Reuben heard this,
he tried to save him from their hands, saying,
"We must not take his life.
Instead of shedding blood," he continued,
"just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;
but do not kill him outright."
His purpose was to rescue him from their hands
and return him to his father.
So when Joseph came up to them,
they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
then they took him and threw him into the cistern,
which was empty and dry.
They then sat down to their meal.
Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,
their camels laden with gum, balm and resin
to be taken down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers:
"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,
instead of doing away with him ourselves.
After all, he is our brother, our own flesh."
His brothers agreed.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 105:16-17, 18-19,
20-21
R. (5a) Remember
the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Verse Before
The GospelJN 3:16
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
GospelMT 21:33-43, 45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
Meditation: The stone which the builders rejected
Do you ever feel cut off or separated from God? Joseph
was violently rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. His
betrayal and suffering, however, resulted in redemption and reconciliation for
his brothers. "Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you
meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many
people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:19-20). Joseph
prefigures Jesus who was betrayed by one of his own disciples and put to death
on the cross for our redemption. Jesus came to reconcile us with an all-just
and all-merciful God. His parables point to the mission he came to accomplish -
to bring us the kingdom of God.
Parable of the vineyard
What is the message of the parable of the vineyard? Jesus' story about an absentee landlord and his not-so-good tenants would have made sense to his audience. The hills of Galilee were lined with numerous vineyards, and it was quite common for the owners to let out their estates to tenants. Many did it for the sole purpose of collecting rent.Why did Jesus' story about wicked tenants cause offense to the scribes and Pharisees? It contained both a prophetic message and a warning. Isaiah had spoken of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:7). Jesus' listeners would have likely understood this parable as referring to God's dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people.
What is the message of the parable of the vineyard? Jesus' story about an absentee landlord and his not-so-good tenants would have made sense to his audience. The hills of Galilee were lined with numerous vineyards, and it was quite common for the owners to let out their estates to tenants. Many did it for the sole purpose of collecting rent.Why did Jesus' story about wicked tenants cause offense to the scribes and Pharisees? It contained both a prophetic message and a warning. Isaiah had spoken of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:7). Jesus' listeners would have likely understood this parable as referring to God's dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people.
This parable speaks to us today as well. It richly
conveys some important truths about God and the way he deals with his people.
First, it tells us of God's generosity and trust. The vineyard is well equipped
with everything the tenants need. The owner went away and left the vineyard in
the hands of the tenants. God, likewise trusts us enough to give us freedom to
run life as we choose. This parable also tells us of God's patience and
justice. Not once, but many times he forgives the tenants their debts. But
while the tenants take advantage of the owner's patience, his judgment and
justice prevail in the end.
Gift of the kingdom
Jesus foretold both his death on the cross and his ultimate triumph. He knew he would be rejected and be killed, but he also knew that would not be the end. After rejection would come glory - the glory of his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven. The Lord blesses his people today with the gift of his kingdom. And he promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in him (see John 15:1-11). He entrusts his gifts and grace to each of us and he gives us work to do in his vineyard - the body of Christ. He promises that our labor will not be in vain if we persevere with faith to the end (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). We can expect trials and even persecution. But in the end we will see triumph. Do you serve the Lord Jesus with joyful hope and confidence in his victory and gift of abundant life?
Jesus foretold both his death on the cross and his ultimate triumph. He knew he would be rejected and be killed, but he also knew that would not be the end. After rejection would come glory - the glory of his resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father in heaven. The Lord blesses his people today with the gift of his kingdom. And he promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in him (see John 15:1-11). He entrusts his gifts and grace to each of us and he gives us work to do in his vineyard - the body of Christ. He promises that our labor will not be in vain if we persevere with faith to the end (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). We can expect trials and even persecution. But in the end we will see triumph. Do you serve the Lord Jesus with joyful hope and confidence in his victory and gift of abundant life?
"Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the
benefits which you have given us - for all the pains and insults which you have
borne for us. O most merciful redeemer, friend, and brother, may we know you
more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, for your own
sake." (prayer of St. Richard of Chichester, 13th
century)
A Daily Quote for Lent: Life through death, by Augustine, Bishop
of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our
mortal flesh He could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal
God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double
sharing He brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for Him,
and He made life possible for us." (excerpt
from Sermon 218C, 1)
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, MATTHEW
21:33-43, 45-46
Lenten Weekday
(Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Psalm 105)
Lenten Weekday
(Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (v 42).
TO KNOW: Jesus told a parable concerning the religious leaders of Israel. In interpreting a parable it is important to remember that there is usually only one main point. Generally, it is a mistake to treat a parable as an allegory, but this case is different. Jesus used Isaiah's imagery of Israel as a vineyard (Is 5:1-7). The owner (God) lovingly cared for his vineyard (Israel), and in his absence he placed the tenants (the religious leaders) in charge. When vintage time came (the messianic age), the owner sent his servants (the prophets) to gather the fruit of the harvest, but the tenants treated them shamefully. Finally, the owner sent his own son (Jesus), but they dragged him "outside the vineyard" (Hb 13:12) and killed him. Because Israel had rejected the one who God had sent, others (the Gentiles) would benefit from God's mercy, and they would be the ones to yield an abundant harvest.
TO LOVE: Do I refuse to listen to the people who God sends to me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to produce good fruit in this Lenten season.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Patrick, Bishop
Patrick was kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. After six years as a shepherd, he had a dream in which he was commanded to return to Britain, and seeing it as a sign, he escaped. Patrick studied in monasteries, was ordained a Priest, and consecrated as a Bishop. Pope Celestine sent him to evangelize England, and then Ireland. Within 33 years he effectively converted Ireland. In the Middle Ages Ireland became known as the Land of Saints, and during the Dark Ages its monasteries were the great repositories of learning in Europe, all a consequence of Patrick's ministry.Saint Patrick' Breastplate: Christ shield me this day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.
SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
Much Irish folklore surrounds Saint Patrick's Day. Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland. But no snakes were native to Ireland, and this may be a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans. One traditional image of the day is the shamrock. This stems from a tale of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. Though originally a Catholic holy day, Saint Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday. Saint Patrick's Day was first publicly celebrated in America in 1737, in Boston, Massachusetts. Today, people celebrate the day with parades and the wearing of the green. One might say it has become the first green of spring.
AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Friday 17 March 2017
Fri 17th. St Patrick. Jr 1:4-9; Ac
13:46-49; Lk 10:1-12,17-20.
In this
special Lenten series – Darkness to light: An intimate journey with Jesus – our
guest writer looks to the Gospel stories for answers to the questions that many
of us ask when faced with difficult times.
‘Remember, I am sending you out like lambs
among wolves.’ Luke 10:3
St Patrick
travelled like a lamb among wolves. As a teenager he was captured by pirates
and sold into slavery. Being a slave, he learned about Jesus. He felt guilty
about a terrible crime he committed when was young. So powerful was his
experience of God’s love that he would became the indefatigable apostle of
Ireland, all for the love of Jesus. He stayed always close to Jesus, his
breastplate. He is said to have written in his Confessio: ‘The love of God and
his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was roused, so
that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the
night, nearly the same…. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before
dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.’ Christ, when I am among
wolves, be near me, be beside me, and be before me.
ST. PATRICK OF IRELAND
On March 17 Catholics will celebrate St. Patrick, the fifth
century bishop and patron of Ireland, whose life of holiness set the example
for many of the Church's future saints.
St. Patrick is said to have been born around 389 AD in Britain.
Captured by Irish raiders when he was about 16, St. Patrick was taken as a
slave to Ireland where he lived for six years as a shepherd before escaping and
returning to his home.
At home, he studied the Christian faith at monastic settlements in
Italy and and what is now modern-day France. He was ordained a deacon by the
Bishop of Auxerre, France around the year 418 AD and ordained a bishop in 432
AD.
It was around this time when that he was assigned to minister to
the small, Christian communities in Ireland who lacked a central authority and
were isolated from one another.
When St. Patrick returned to Ireland, he was able to use his
knowledge of Irish culture that he gained during his years of captivity. Using
the traditions and symbols of the Celtic people, he explained Christianity in a
way that made sense to the Irish and was thus very successful in converting the
natives.
The shamrock, which St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity,
is a symbol that has become synonymous with Irish Catholic culture.
Although St. Patrick's Day is widely known and celebrated every
March the world over, various folklore and legend that surround the saint can
make it difficult to determine fact from fiction.
He is often mistakenly recognized as the man who drove away snakes
during his ministry despite the climate and location of Ireland, which have
never allowed snakes to inhabit the area.
St. Patrick is most revered not for what he drove away from
Ireland, but what brought and the foundation he built for the generations of
Christians who followed him.
Although not the first missionary to the country, he is widely
regarded as the most successful. The life of sacrifice, prayer and fasting has
laid the foundation for the many saints that the small island was home to
following his missionary work.
To this day, he continues to be revered as one of the most beloved
saints of Ireland.
In March of 2011, the Irish bishops' conference marked their
patron's feast by remembering him as “pioneer in an inhospitable climate.”
As the Church in Ireland faces her own recent difficulties
following clerical sex abuse scandals, comfort can be found in the plight of
St. Patrick, the bishops said.
They quoted The Confession of St. Patrick, which reads: “May it
never befall me to be separated by my God from his people whom he has won in
this most remote land. I pray God that he gives me perseverance, and that he
will deign that I should be a faithful witness for his sake right up to the
time of my passing.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 21,33-43.45-46
Lectio Divina:
Friday, March 17, 2017
Lent Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
God, we do not want to die;
we want to live.
We want to be happy
but without paying the price.
We belong to our times,
when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion.
God, make life worth the pain to be lived.
Give us back the age-old realization,
that life means to be born
again and again in pain,
that it may become again
a journey of hope to you,
together with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
we want to live.
We want to be happy
but without paying the price.
We belong to our times,
when sacrifice and suffering are out of fashion.
God, make life worth the pain to be lived.
Give us back the age-old realization,
that life means to be born
again and again in pain,
that it may become again
a journey of hope to you,
together with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - MATTHEW
21,33-43.45-46
Jesus said to the chief priests and the
elders of the people: 'Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner,
who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a
tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.
When vintage time drew near he sent his
servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his
servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.
Next he sent some more servants, this
time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way.
Finally he sent his son to them
thinking, "They will respect my son." But when the tenants saw the
son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him
and take over his inheritance." So they seized him and threw him out of
the vineyard and killed him.
Now when the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those tenants?' They answered, 'He will bring those
wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will
deliver the produce to him at the proper time.'
Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read
in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
this is the Lord's doing and we marvel at it? 'I tell you, then, that the
kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce
its fruit.'
When they heard his parables, the chief
priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they
would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on
him as a prophet.
3) REFLECTION
• The text of today’s Gospel forms part
of a whole which is more vast or extensive which includes Mathew 21, 23-40. The
chief priests and the Elders had asked Jesus with which authority he did those
things (Mt 21, 23). They considered themselves the patrons of everything and
they did not want anybody to do things without their permission. The answer of
Jesus is divided into three parts: 1) He, in turn, asks them a question because
he wants to know from them if John the Baptist was from heaven or from earth
(Mt 21, 24-27). 2) He then tells them the parable of the two sons (Mt 21,
28-32). 3) He tells them the parable of the vineyard (Mt 21, 33-46) which is
today’s Gospel.
• Mathew 21, 33-40: The parable of the
vineyard. Jesus begins as follows: “Listen to another parable: There was a man,
a landowner, who planted a vineyard, he fenced it around, dug a winepress in it
and built a tower”. The parable is a beautiful summary of the history of
Israel, taken from the prophet Isaiah (Is 5, 1-7). Jesus addresses himself to
the chief priests, to the elders (Mt 21, 23) and to the Pharisees (Mt 21, 45)
and He gives a response to the question which they addressed to him asking
about the origin of his authority (Mt 21, 23). Through this parable, Jesus
clarifies several things: (a) He reveals the origin of his authority: He is the
Son, the heir. (b) He denounces the abuse of the authority of the tenants, that
is of the priests and elders who were not concerned and did not take care of
the people of God. (c) He defends the authority of the prophets, sent by God,
but who were killed by the priests and the elders. (4) He unmasks the authority
by which they manipulate the religion and kill the Son, because they do not
want to lose the source of income which they succeed to accumulate for
themselves, throughout the centuries.
• Mathew 21, 41: The sentence which they
give to themselves. At the end of the parable Jesus asks: “Now, when the owner
of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? They are not aware
that the parable was speaking precisely of them. This is why, with the response
that they give, they decree their own condemnation: “The chief priests and the
elders of the people answered: ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end
and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at
the proper time”. Several times Jesus uses this same method. He leads the
person to say the truth about himself, without being aware that he condemns
himself. For example in the case of the Pharisee who condemns the young woman
considering her a sinner (Luke 7, 42-43) and in the case of the parable of the
two sons (Mt 21, 28-32).
• Mathew 21, 42-46: The sentence given
by themselves was confirmed by their behaviour. From the clarification given by
Jesus, the chief priests, the elders and the Pharisees understand that the
parable speaks about them, but they do not convert. All the contrary! They keep
to their own project to kill Jesus. They will reject “the corner stone”. But
they do not have the courage to do it openly, because they fear the reaction of
the people.
• The diverse groups which held the
power at the time of Jesus. In today’s Gospel two groups appear which, at that
time, governed: the priests, the elders and the Pharisees. Then, some brief
information on the power which each of these groups and others had is given:
a) The priests: They were the ones in
charge of the worship in the Temple. The people took to the Temple the tithe
and the other taxes and offerings to pay the promises made. The High Priest
occupied a very important place in the life of the nation, especially after the
exile. He was chosen and appointed from among the three or four aristocratic
families who possessed more power and riches.
b) The elders or the Chief Priests of
the People: They were the local leaders in the different villages of the city.
Their origin came from the heads of the ancient tribes.
c) The Sadducees: they were the lay
aristocratic elite of society. Many of them were rich merchants or landlords.
From the religious point of view they were conservative. They did not accept
the changes supported by the Pharisees, for example, faith in the resurrection
and the existence of the angels.
d) The Pharisees: Pharisee means:
separated. They struggled in a way that through the perfect observance of the
Law of purity, people would succeed in being pure, separated and saint as the
Law and Tradition demanded! Because of the exemplary witness of their life
according to the norms of the time, their moral authority was greatly extended
in the villages of Galilee.
e) Scribe or doctor of the Law: They
were the ones in charge of teaching. They dedicated their life to the study of
the Law of God and taught people what to do to observe all the Law of God. Not
all the Scribes belonged to the same line. Some were united with the Pharisees,
others with the Sadducees.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Some times have you felt that you were
controlled in an undue manner, at home, at work, in the Church? Which was your
reaction? Was it the same as that of Jesus?
• If Jesus would return today and would
tell us the same parable, how would I react?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
As the height of heaven above earth,
so strong is faithful the love of the Lord for those who fear him.
As the distance of east from west,
so far from us does he put our faults. (Ps 103,11-12)
so strong is faithful the love of the Lord for those who fear him.
As the distance of east from west,
so far from us does he put our faults. (Ps 103,11-12)
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