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."
Believe
and take Jesus at his word
It took raw bold 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 friends. 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 took raw bold 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 friends. 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!
The
Lord Jesus brings healing and restoration to those who trust in him
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.
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 is present to bring healing and restoration, by Gregory the
Great, 540-604 A.D.
"I see only one thing that I need to explain to you: why the one who had
come for a cure heard the words 'Unless you see signs and portents, you do not
believe.' The one who was seeking a cure for his son surely believed; he would
not be seeking a cure from one he did not believe could do it.
"Why, then, did he hear the words 'Unless you see signs and portents, you do not believe,' when he believed before he saw the sign? But recall what he was asking, and you will see that his faith was in doubt. He asked Jesus earnestly to come down and heal his son. He was asking for the physical presence of the Lord, who is nowhere absent in his spirit. He had little faith in one he thought could not heal unless he was physically present. If he had believed completely, he would have known that there was no place where God was not present. He was considerably distrustful, then, since it was not the Lord’s greatness he esteemed but his physical presence. He sought a cure for his son even though his faith was in doubt, since he believed that the one he had approached had the power to cure, and yet he thought he was not with his dying son. But the Lord whom he asked to come revealed that he was not absent from the place he was invited to. He who created everything by his will performed the cure by his command alone." (excerpt frpm FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 28.24)
"Why, then, did he hear the words 'Unless you see signs and portents, you do not believe,' when he believed before he saw the sign? But recall what he was asking, and you will see that his faith was in doubt. He asked Jesus earnestly to come down and heal his son. He was asking for the physical presence of the Lord, who is nowhere absent in his spirit. He had little faith in one he thought could not heal unless he was physically present. If he had believed completely, he would have known that there was no place where God was not present. He was considerably distrustful, then, since it was not the Lord’s greatness he esteemed but his physical presence. He sought a cure for his son even though his faith was in doubt, since he believed that the one he had approached had the power to cure, and yet he thought he was not with his dying son. But the Lord whom he asked to come revealed that he was not absent from the place he was invited to. He who created everything by his will performed the cure by his command alone." (excerpt frpm FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 28.24)
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 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). In John’s gospel this was the first "sign," or self-revelation of Jesus. 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. As he went on his 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.
April Fool's Day
Ancient cultures, including the Romans, celebrated New Year's Day on April 1, which closely follows the vernal equinox (March 20th or 21st.). In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated March 25, the Feast of Annunciation, as the beginning of the New Year. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian calendar) to replace the old Julian calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated January 1. Communication being what it was in those days, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate New Year on April 1. These backward folk, labeled as "fools," were subject to ridicule and made the butt of practical jokes.
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year." - Mark Twain
Monday 1 April 2019
Isaiah 65:17-21. Psalm 29(30):2, 4-6, 11-13. John 4:43-54.
I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me – Psalm 29(30):2,
4-6, 11-13.
‘Go. Your son will live.’
In the first reading, Isaiah is trying to lift the spirits of
his people. After long years of captivity in Babylon, they had returned home to
Jerusalem with high hopes of a new start, only to find their dreams dashed by
the harsh realities of life. ‘Put your trust in God’, Isaiah tells them. ‘God
alone can satisfy your yearnings for joy, gladness, peace.’
The gospel has the same theme. The dreams of the royal official
for his young son looked like being dashed by the boy’s impending death. It was
30 kilometres from his home in Capernaum to Cana where Jesus was staying. The
official made the desperate journey, disregarding what people might think or
say. He trusted in Jesus – and his faith was rewarded. Not only was the boy
cured, but the father ‘believed, along with his whole household’.
Saint Hugh of Grenoble
Saint of the Day for April 1
(1053 – April 1, 1132)
 |
| Saint Hugh of Grenoble in the Carthusian Refectory | Francisco de Zurbarán |
Saint Hugh of Grenoble’s Story
Today’s saint could be a patron for those of us who feel so
overwhelmed by all the problems in the world that we don’t know where to begin.
Hugh, who served as a bishop in France for 52 years, had his
work cut out for him from the start. Corruption seemed to loom in every
direction: the buying and selling of Church offices, violations of clerical
celibacy, lay control of Church property, religious indifference and/or
ignorance. After serving as bishop for two years, he’d had his fill. He tried
disappearing to a monastery, but the pope called him back to continue the work
of reform.
Ironically, Hugh was reasonably effective in the role of
reformer—surely because of his devotion to the Church but also because of his
strong character. In conflicts between Church and state he was an unflinching
defender of the Church. He fearlessly supported the papacy. He was eloquent as
a preacher. He restored his own cathedral, made civic improvements in the town,
and weathered a brief exile.
Hugh may be best known as patron and benefactor of Saint Bruno,
founder of the Carthusian Order. He died in 1132. He was canonized only
two years later.
Reflection
In the midst of our confusing life these days, let us pray for
the ability to rise above the fray and to see things in the light of faith as
did Saint Hugh.
Lectio Divina: John 4:43-54
Lectio Divina
Monday, April 1, 2019
Season of Lent
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.
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.
3) Reflection
• Jesus had left Galilee and set forth toward Judah in order to
arrive in Jerusalem on the occasion of the festival (Jn 4:45) and, passing
through Samaria, He was returning again to 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). When the Assyrians conquered Israel, the Jews there
ended up scattered throughout the area and the Assyrians adopted the the God of
Israel, Yahweh, and their practices. The Jews within Judah denied that any
non-Hebrew had a right to worship Yahweh, or to worship outside of Jerusalem.
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 to Galilee. Even though Jesus knew
that the people of Galilee had certain reservations about Him, He wished to
return to His own home town. John refers to how badly Jesus was received
in Nazareth of Galilee. Jesus himself had declared that “No prophet is honored
in his own home town” (Lk 4:24). But now, given the evidence of what He had
done in Jerusalem, the Galileans change their opinion and receive 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 gentile. A short time before, in Samaria, Jesus had spoken with a
Samaritan woman, a heretical person according to the Jews, to whom Jesus
revealed His condition of Messiah (Jn 4:26). And now, in Galilee, He receives a
gentile, 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: Jesus’ answer 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 the
official’s request? What did Jesus want to accomplish through this response?
Jesus wants to explain 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. We often expect God to accomplish His work in the way we think it
should be done.
• John 4:49-50: The official repeats his petition and Jesus
repeats the response. In spite of Jesus’ answer, the man does not keep silence
and repeats the same petition: “Sir, come down before my child dies!” Jesus
continues to stand His ground. 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 believe 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 could 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 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 performed.” John prefers to
speak of sign and not of miracle. The word sign connotes something which I see
with my eyes, but only faith can make me discover its profound sense. Faith is
like an X-Ray: it enables one to see what 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 perceptible experiences?
• Jesus accepts heretics and foreigners in a way that fosters conversion. How do I relate with people who are different from me? How do I foster their conversion through that relationship?
• These early cultures, like the Assyrians adopting the religion of the Hebrews over time, mixed their beliefs as they assimilated. That was probably one reason there was such resistance to outsiders among the Jews in Judah. This is true among cultures today. How should different cultures be welcomed within and into the Church, while preserving the Church’s teachings, doctrine, and culture?
• Jesus accepts heretics and foreigners in a way that fosters conversion. How do I relate with people who are different from me? How do I foster their conversion through that relationship?
• These early cultures, like the Assyrians adopting the religion of the Hebrews over time, mixed their beliefs as they assimilated. That was probably one reason there was such resistance to outsiders among the Jews in Judah. This is true among cultures today. How should different cultures be welcomed within and into the Church, while preserving the Church’s teachings, doctrine, and culture?
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 favor throughout 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 favor throughout life;
In the evening come tears,
but with dawn cries of joy. (Ps 30:4-5)
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