Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Lectionary: 235
Lectionary: 235
Shepherd your people with your
staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who
removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
Responsorial
Psalm103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and
merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Verse Before
The GospelLK 15:18
I will get up and go to my father
and shall say to him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
GospelLK 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were
all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”
Meditation:
"Father,
I have sinned against heaven and you"
How
can you love someone who turns their back on you and still forgive them from
the heart? The prophets remind us that God does not abandon us, even if we turn
our backs on him (Micah 7:18). He calls us back to himself - over and over and
over again. Jesus' story of the father and his two sons (sometimes called the
parable of the prodigal son) is the longest parable in the Gospels.
Unbroken
love, mercy, and timely repentance
What is the main point or focus of the story? Is it the contrast between an obedient and a disobedient son or is it between the warm reception given to a spendthrift son by his father and the cold reception given by the eldest son? Jesus contrasts the father's merciful love with the eldest son's somewhat harsh reaction to his errant brother and to the lavish party his joyful father throws for his repentant son. While the errant son had wasted his father's money, his father, nonetheless, maintained unbroken love for his son.
What is the main point or focus of the story? Is it the contrast between an obedient and a disobedient son or is it between the warm reception given to a spendthrift son by his father and the cold reception given by the eldest son? Jesus contrasts the father's merciful love with the eldest son's somewhat harsh reaction to his errant brother and to the lavish party his joyful father throws for his repentant son. While the errant son had wasted his father's money, his father, nonetheless, maintained unbroken love for his son.
repentance
and forgiveness leads to restoration
The son, while he was away, learned a lot about himself. And he realized that his father had given him love which he had not returned. He had yet to learn about the depth of his father's love for him. His deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed on the husks of pigs and his reflection on all he had lost, led to his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father. While he hoped for reconciliation with his father, he could not have imagined a full restoration of relationship. The father did not need to speak words of forgiveness to his son; his actions spoke more loudly and clearly! The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet symbolize the new life - pure, worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God.
The son, while he was away, learned a lot about himself. And he realized that his father had given him love which he had not returned. He had yet to learn about the depth of his father's love for him. His deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed on the husks of pigs and his reflection on all he had lost, led to his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father. While he hoped for reconciliation with his father, he could not have imagined a full restoration of relationship. The father did not need to speak words of forgiveness to his son; his actions spoke more loudly and clearly! The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet symbolize the new life - pure, worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God.
Lack
of forgiveness and contempt bring isolation and division
The prodigal could not return to the garden of innocence, but he was welcomed and reinstated as a son. The errant son's dramatic change from grief and guilt to forgiveness and restoration express in picture-language the resurrection from the dead, a rebirth to new life from spiritual death. The parable also contrasts mercy and its opposite - unforgiveness. The father who had been wronged, was forgiving. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving. His unforgiveness turns into contempt and pride. And his resentment leads to his isolation, division, and estrangement from the community of forgiven sinners.
The prodigal could not return to the garden of innocence, but he was welcomed and reinstated as a son. The errant son's dramatic change from grief and guilt to forgiveness and restoration express in picture-language the resurrection from the dead, a rebirth to new life from spiritual death. The parable also contrasts mercy and its opposite - unforgiveness. The father who had been wronged, was forgiving. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving. His unforgiveness turns into contempt and pride. And his resentment leads to his isolation, division, and estrangement from the community of forgiven sinners.
In
this parable Jesus gives a vivid picture of God and what God is like. God is
truly kinder than us. He does not lose hope or give up when we stray. He
rejoices in finding the lost and in welcoming them home. Do you know the joy of
repentance and the restoration of relationship as a son or daughter of your
heavenly Father?
"Lord
Jesus, may I never doubt your love nor take for granted the mercy you have
shown to me. Fill me with your transforming love that I may be merciful as you
are merciful."
A
Daily Quote for Lent: Life
through death, by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Did
you make it possible for yourselves to merit God's mercy because you turned
back to him? If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn
back? Didn't the very One Who called you when you were opposed to Him make it
possible for you to turn back? Don't claim your conversion as your own doing.
Unless He had called you when you were running away from Him, you would not
have been able to turn back." (Commentary on Psalm 84, 8)
SATURDAY, MARCH 14, LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32
Lenten Weekday
(Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103)
Lenten Weekday
(Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103)
KEY VERSE: "But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again" (v. 32).
TO KNOW: The tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to Jesus, while the Pharisees and the scribes were looking for ways to ensnare him (Luke 15:1-2). When the religious leaders complained that Jesus associated with sinners, he reminded them of God's unconditional love by telling them a story, known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It might better be called the Parable of the Loving Father. The elder son represented the self-righteous, law-abiding religious leaders, while the younger son signified repentant sinners. When the younger son squandered his father's gifts, he realized the error of his ways and returned home. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and ran out to meet him. The lad made his confession of sin, but the father welcomed him back with a joyful celebration. The elder son referred to the younger son, not as "my brother," but as "your son" (v. 30). His attitude showed that obedience to his father was nothing more than grim duty and not loving service. We can all apply this story of repentance and reconciliation to our own lives. How often do we waste God's gifts and feel that we have lost God's love? Yet, when we take one step toward God, we discover that our Father is there to meet us at the banquet table of mercy and grace.
TO LOVE: Loving Father, help me to confess my sins and amend my life.
TO SERVE: Do I plan to participate in the Sacrament of Penance this Lent?
Saturday 14 March 2020
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20. The Lord is kind and merciful
– Psalm 102(103):1-4, 9-12. Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.
The prodigal son
So much has been written about the parable of the prodigal son.
About the older brother we can sympathise with, about the younger brother who
repents, about the father who rushes out to meet him (and us) with mercy and
grace.
Sometimes, when we re-hear a familiar parable, we forget to
listen anew and only half-listen to a story we think we already know. But what
would happen if we pretended it was the first time we were hearing this
parable? What part of the story would we be struck by? Could we place ourselves
in the scene? Are we the younger brother at the moment, or the older brother,
or the father? Are we the servants, observing the goings-on of the household,
or preparing the feast for others to enjoy? Are we the person who has hired the
younger brother, a foreigner in our land? What is our response to such a
display of lavish generosity and love? Is there anyone in our lives who might
need to experience that mercy for themselves?
Saint Maximilian
Saint of the Day for March 14
(274 – March 12, 295)
Saint Maximilian’s Story
We have an early, almost unembellished account of the martyrdom
of Saint Maximilian in modern-day Algeria.
Brought before the proconsul Dion, Maximilian refused enlistment
in the Roman army saying, “I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.”
Dion replied: “You must serve or die.”
Maximilian: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I
will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is
the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you I am a
Christian.”
Dion: “There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers
Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius.”
Maximilian: “That is their business. I also am a Christian, and
I cannot serve.”
Dion: “But what harm do soldiers do?”
Maximilian: “You know well enough.”
Dion: “If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to
death for contempt of the army.”
Maximilian: “I shall not die. If I go from this earth, my soul
will live with Christ my Lord.”
Maximilian was 21 years old when he gladly offered his life to
God. His father went home from the execution site joyful, thanking God that he
had been able to offer heaven such a gift.
Reflection
In this celebration we find one inspirational son and one
incredible father. Both men were filled with strong faith and hope. Let’s ask
them to help us in our struggle to remain faithful.
Lectio Divina: Luke 15:1-3.11-32
Lectio Divina
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Season of Lent
1) Opening prayer
Faithful Father, You are our God
of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
When mercy and pardon
sound paternalistic to modern ears, make us realize, Lord,
that You challenge us to face ourselves
and to become new people,
responsible for our destiny
and for the happiness of others.
Make us responsive to Your love
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
When mercy and pardon
sound paternalistic to modern ears, make us realize, Lord,
that You challenge us to face ourselves
and to become new people,
responsible for our destiny
and for the happiness of others.
Make us responsive to Your love
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to
Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes
sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
"A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give
me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the
property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his
belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance
on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine
struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out
to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he
longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him
any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers
have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall
get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and
went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught
sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him
and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered
his servants, 'Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on
his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has
come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration
began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he
neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the
servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, 'Your brother
has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has
him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the
house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in
reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your
orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for
him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here
with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has
been found.'"
3) Reflection
• Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel includes the following
information: The tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen
to Him and the Pharisees and Scribes complained saying, “This man welcomes
sinners and eats with them” (Lk 15:1-3). Luke presents these three parables
which are bound together by the same theme: the lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), the
lost drachma (Lk 15:8-10), the lost son (Lk 15:11-32). This last parable
constitutes the theme of today’s Gospel.
• Luke 15:11-13: The younger son’s decision. A man had two sons.
The younger one asks for the part of the estate which will be his. The father
divides everything between the two and each receives his part. To receive the
inheritance is not any merit of ours. It is a gratuitous gift. The inheritance
of the gifts of God is distributed among all human beings, whether Jewish or
Gentiles, whether Christians or non-Christians. All receive something of the
inheritance of the Father, but not all take care of it in the same way. The
younger son leaves and goes to a distant country and squanders his money on a
life of debauchery, getting away from the father. At the time of Luke, the
elder one represented the communities which came from Judaism, and the younger
represented the gentile communities. Today, who would be the younger and who
the elder?
• Luke 15:14-19: The disillusionment and the will to return to
the father’s home. The need to find some food makes the young man lose his
freedom, and he becomes a farm worker and takes care of the pigs. This was the
condition of life of millions of slaves in the Roman Empire at the time of
Luke. The situation in which he finds himself makes the young man remember how
he was in his father’s home. Finally, he prepares the words which he will say
to his Father: “I no longer deserve to be called your son! Treat me as one of
your hired men!” The hired man executes the orders and fulfills the law of
servants. The younger son wants to fulfill the law as the Pharisees and the
Scribes of the time of Jesus wanted (Lk 15:1). The missionaries of the
Pharisees accused the Gentiles who were converted to the God of Abraham (Mt
23:15). At the time of Luke, some Christians who converted from Judaism
submitted themselves to the yoke of the Law (Gal 1:6-10).
• Luke 15:20-24: The joy of the father when he meets his younger
son again. The parable says that the younger son was still a long way off from
the house, but the father saw him, and ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms
and kissed him. The impression given by Jesus is that the Father remained all
the time at the window to see if his son would appear around the corner.
According to our human way of thinking and feeling, the joy of the father seems
exaggerated. He does not even allow his son to finish his words. Nobody
listens! The father does not want his son to be his slave. He wants him to be
his son! This is the Good News which Jesus has brought to us! A new robe, new sandals,
a ring on his finger, the calf, the feast! In the immense joy of the encounter,
Jesus allows us to see how great the sadness of the father is because of the
loss of his son. God was very sad and the people now become aware of this,
seeing the immense joy of the father because of the encounter with his son! It
is joy shared with all in the feast that he has prepared.
• Luke 15:25-28b: The reaction of the older son. The older son
returns from his work in the fields and finds that there is a feast in the
house. He refuses to enter. He wants to know what is happening. When he is told
the reason for the feast, he is very angry and does not want to go in. He
thinks that he is in the right. He does not like the feast and he does not
understand the why of his father’s joy. This is a sign that he did not have
great intimacy with the father, in spite of their having lived in the same
house. In fact, if he had had this intimacy, he would have noticed the father’s
sadness for the loss of his younger son and would have understood his joy when
the son returned. Those who live in a state of anxiety about the observance of
the Law of God run the risk of forgetting God himself! The young son, even
being far away from home, seemed to know the father better than the older son
who lived with him. The younger one had the courage to go back home to his
father, while the older one no longer wants to enter the the father’s house. He
does not realize that the father, without him, will lose his joy, because he,
the older son, is son as much as the younger one!
• Luke 15:28a-30: The attitude of the father and the older son’s
response. The Father goes out of the house and begs the older son to come
inside. But the son answers, “All these years I have slaved for you and never
once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid
for me to celebrate with my friends. But for this son of yours, when he comes
back after swallowing up your property, he and his loose women, you kill the
calf we had been fattening.” The older son also wants feast and joy, but only
with his own friends, not with his brother and much less with his father. He
does not even call his own brother “brother,” but rather “this son of yours,”
as if he were no longer his brother. And he, the older brother, speaks about
prostitutes. His malice makes him interpret his younger brother’s life in this
way. How many times does the older brother misinterpret the life of the younger
brother. How many times do we misinterpret the life and the practices of
others! The attitude of the father is the contrary! He accepts the younger son
but does not want to lose the older son. Both of them form part of the family.
One cannot exclude the other!
• Luke 15:31-32: The father’s final response. Like the
father who does not pay attention to the arguments of the younger son, in the
same way he does not pay attention to those of the older son. He says, “My son,
you are with me always and all I have is yours, but it was only right we should
celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life;
he was lost and is found!” Was the older son really aware that he was always
with his father and found in his presence the reason for his joy? The father’s
declaration - “All I have is yours!” also includes the younger son who has
returned! The older brother does not have the right to make a distinction, and
if he wants to be the father’s son, he has to accept the father as he is and
not as he would like him to be! The parable does not say what was the older
brother’s final response. It is up to the older son, who we are, to give it!
• The one who experiences the gratuitous and surprising eruption
of the love of God in his life becomes joyful and wishes to communicate this
joy to others. The salvific action of God is a source of joy: “Rejoice with
me!” (Lk 15:6,9). And from this experience of God’s gratuitousness the sense of
feast and joy emerges (Lk 15:32). At the end of the parable, the father asks
them to be happy and to celebrate, to feast. The joy is threatened by the older
son, who does not want to enter the house. He thinks he has the right to joy
only with his own friends and does not want to share joy with all the members
of the same human family. He represents those who consider themselves just and observant,
and who think that they do not need any conversion, just like the keepers of
the Law in Jesus’ time.
4) Personal questions
• What is the image of God that I have had since my childhood?
Has it changed as I changed, and why?
• With which of the two sons do I identify with: the younger one or the older one? Why?
• This parable has references to communities (Pharisees/Gentiles) as well as to individuals. Do those references apply today?
• With which of the two sons do I identify with: the younger one or the older one? Why?
• This parable has references to communities (Pharisees/Gentiles) as well as to individuals. Do those references apply today?
5) Concluding Prayer
Bless Yahweh, my soul,
from the depths of my being, His holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all His acts of kindness. (Ps 103:1-2)
from the depths of my being, His holy name;
bless Yahweh, my soul,
never forget all His acts of kindness. (Ps 103:1-2)
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