Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 249
Lectionary: 249
I knew their plot because the LORD
informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to
slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
“Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more.”
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
“Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more.”
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just
Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
Responsorial
Psalm7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12
R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you
I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion’s prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion’s prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Verse Before
The GospelLK 8:15
Blessed are they who have kept the
word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
GospelJN 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these
words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief
priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Then each went to his own house.
Meditation: Reaction
to Jesus' words
When
resistance and opposition to God's word rears its head how do you respond? With
fear and doubt? Or with faith and courage? The prophet Jeremiah was opposed by
his own people because the words he spoke in God's name did not sit right with
them. They plotted to silence him and to "cut him off from the land of the
living" (Jeremiah 11:19). Jeremiah responded with meekness and
prophetic insight "like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter" (Jeremiah
11:18).
Are
you willing to take a stand for the Lord Jesus?
No one can be indifferent for long when confronted with Jesus and his claim to be the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus' message and the miraculous signs he performed caused division for many in Israel. Some believed he was a prophet, some the Messiah, and some believed he was neither. The reaction of the armed officers was bewildered amazement. They went to arrest him and returned empty-handed because they never heard anyone speak as he did. The reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees was contempt. The reaction of Nicodemus was timid. His heart told him to defend Jesus, but his head told him not to take the risk.
No one can be indifferent for long when confronted with Jesus and his claim to be the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus' message and the miraculous signs he performed caused division for many in Israel. Some believed he was a prophet, some the Messiah, and some believed he was neither. The reaction of the armed officers was bewildered amazement. They went to arrest him and returned empty-handed because they never heard anyone speak as he did. The reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees was contempt. The reaction of Nicodemus was timid. His heart told him to defend Jesus, but his head told him not to take the risk.
Who
is Jesus for you? And are you ready to give him your full allegiance? There
will often come a time when we have to take a stand for the Lord Jesus and for
the truth of the Gospel - the good news of God's kingdom and the free gift of
salvation which Jesus came to bring us. To stand for Jesus and his kingdom may
provoke mockery and opposition. It may even entail suffering and hardship -
such as the loss of job, reputation, or life.The Lord Jesus richly rewards
those who suffer for his name's sake.
Costly
grace versus cheap grace
There are fundamentally only two choices that determine the course of our lives and the final destiny that awaits us: the choice to live for God's kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness or the pursuit of the world's kingdom which stands in opposition to God's authority and commandments. We can choose to obey God's word and believe in his promise of blessing or we can choose to follow the voice of those who promise success and happiness apart from God's truth and laws. The costly grace and freedom - which the Lord Jesus offers to those who embrace the cross for his sake - leads to joy and blessing in this life as well as the promise of eternal happiness with God. Cheap grace - which tries to bypass the cross for the sake of being my own master and the ruler of my own destiny - leads to emptiness and endless futility. Who do you choose to be the master and ruler of your life and destiny?
There are fundamentally only two choices that determine the course of our lives and the final destiny that awaits us: the choice to live for God's kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness or the pursuit of the world's kingdom which stands in opposition to God's authority and commandments. We can choose to obey God's word and believe in his promise of blessing or we can choose to follow the voice of those who promise success and happiness apart from God's truth and laws. The costly grace and freedom - which the Lord Jesus offers to those who embrace the cross for his sake - leads to joy and blessing in this life as well as the promise of eternal happiness with God. Cheap grace - which tries to bypass the cross for the sake of being my own master and the ruler of my own destiny - leads to emptiness and endless futility. Who do you choose to be the master and ruler of your life and destiny?
"Lord
Jesus, your Gospel brings joy and freedom. May I be loyal to you always, even
though it produce a cross on earth, that I may share in your crown of victory
for all eternity".
A
Daily Quote for Lent: Not
be walking but by loving, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"We
approach God not by walking but by loving. The purer our love for him toward
whom we are striving, the more present to us will he be. To him, therefore, who
is everywhere present and everywhere whole, we must proceed not by our feet but
by our moral virtues - judged not by the object of our knowledge but by the
object of our love." (excerpt from Letter 155,13)
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, JOHN 7:40-53
Lenten Weekday
Lenten Weekday
(Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 7)
KEY VERSE: "So a division occurred in the crowd because of him" (v.43).
TO KNOW: The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew, Sukkot) was a commemoration of the people of God’s journey in the exodus. It was also a festival to thank God for the rain that brought forth the harvest. While Jesus was attending the feast, he proclaimed that he was the source of the "living water" of the Spirit (Jn 4:10; 7:37-38; 1 Cor.10:4). The people were divided in their opinion of Jesus. It was believed that the Messiah would come from David's city of Bethlehem in Judea (Mi 5:1), whereas, Jesus was from Galilee, the region of the gentiles, belittled because of its large Gentile population. However, the temple police were impressed by Jesus’ words and did not arrest him. The religious leaders contemptuously retorted that only the unlearned crowd believed in Jesus. Nicodemus, a doctor of the Law who had a personal encounter with Jesus (Jn 3:1-21), defended Jesus. The Pharisees sarcastically told Nicodemus to look in the Scriptures and find out the Messiah's origin for himself. Although they searched the scriptures, they did not realize that God's Word gave testimony to Jesus, the resurrection and the life.
TO LOVE: Do I defend my faith when others demean it?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to know you in a personal way as Nicodemus did.
Saturday 28 March 2020
Jeremiah 11:18-20. Lord, my God, I take shelter in
you – Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12. John 7:40-52.
‘Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from
Galilee.’
Sometimes we can become so caught up in what we expect that we
do not allow ourselves to be open to the wonder of the moment or a new
experience. This is the case with the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. They are so
caught up with the idea that a Messiah cannot come from Galilee that they close
themselves off to what could be an amazing new experience. They refuse to
believe he could be the Messiah, and dismiss the crowd as accursed for not
knowing the law. Their eyes are closed to the wonder of new knowledge.
It is so much easier to be cynical than make ourselves
vulnerable, but we have so much to gain from vulnerability. May we listen to
the voice of Nicodemus and not pass judgment until we have heard what Jesus has
to say. Let’s pray for the grace of openness.
Saint Catharine of Bologna
Saint of the Day for March 28
(September 8, 1413 -March 9, 1463 )
Saint Catharine of Bologna’s Story
Some Franciscan saints led fairly public lives; Catharine
represents the saints who served the Lord in obscurity.
Born in Bologna, Catharine was related to the nobility in
Ferrara, and was educated at court there. She received a liberal education at
the court and developed some interest and talent in painting. In later years as
a Poor Clare, Catharine sometimes did manuscript illumination and also painted
miniatures.
At the age of 17, she joined a group of religious women in
Ferrara. Four years later, the whole group joined the Poor Clares in that city.
Jobs as convent baker and portress preceded her selection as novice mistress.
In 1456, she and 15 other sisters were sent to establish a Poor
Clare monastery in Florence. As abbess, Catharine worked to preserve the peace
of the new community. Her reputation for holiness drew many young women to the
Poor Clare life. She was canonized in 1712. The Liturgical Feast of Saint
Catharine of Bologna is May 9.
Reflection
Appreciating Catharine’s life in a Poor Clare monastery may be
hard for us. “It seems like such a waste,” we may be tempted to say. Through
prayer, penance, and charity to her sisters, Catharine drew close to God. Our
goal is the same as hers, even if our paths are different.
Saint Catharine of Bologna is the Patron Saint of:
Art
Artists
Artists
Lectio Divina: John 7:40-53
Lectio Divina
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Season of Lent
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
when people encountered Your Son,
He became a source of division:
He affected their lives
one way or another. May we accept Him fully
and empty ourselves to make room for Him
in our everyday life, even when it hurts.
Help us, that with Him
we may always seek and do Your will.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
when people encountered Your Son,
He became a source of division:
He affected their lives
one way or another. May we accept Him fully
and empty ourselves to make room for Him
in our everyday life, even when it hurts.
Help us, that with Him
we may always seek and do Your will.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - John 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet." Others said, "This is the
Christ." But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee,
will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family and
come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?" So a division
occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and
Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?" The guards
answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man." So the
Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the
authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not
know the law, is accursed." Nicodemus, one of their members who had come
to him earlier, said to them, "Does our law condemn a man before it first
hears him and finds out what he is doing?" They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet
arises from Galilee." Then each went to his own house.
3) Reflection
• In chapter 7, John confirms that there were diverse opinions
and much confusion among the people regarding Jesus. The relatives thought
something (Jn 7:2-5) and the people thought something different (Jn 7:12). Some
said: “He is a prophet!” (Jn 7:40). Others said: “He leads the people astray!”
(Jn 7:12). Some praised Him: “He is a good man!” (Jn 7:12). Others criticized
Him: “He has not been educated, has not studied!” (Jn 7:15). Each one had his
own arguments, taken from the Bible or from Tradition. But nobody remembered
the Messiah Servant, announced by Isaiah (Is 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13;
53:12; 61:1-2). Today, too, there is much discussion on religion, and all take
their arguments from the Bible. As in the past, it happens many times that
little ones are deceived by the discourses of the great ones and, some times,
even by the discourses of those who belong to the Church. It is important to
understand the full picture, and not be led astray by personal interpretations
or the person sitting next to us. It is a personal responsibility to seek and
learn every day, while discerning the authenticity, history, and meaning of
what we see, hear, or find.
• John 7:40-44: The confusion among the people. The reaction of
the people is very diverse. Some say: He is the prophet. Others: He is the
Messiah; the Christ. Others claim: He cannot be because the Messiah will come
from Bethlehem and He comes from Galilee! These diverse ideas on the Messiah
produce division and confrontation. There were some who wanted to take Him, to
arrest Him, but they did not do it. Perhaps because they were afraid of the
people (cf. Mt 14:2). There were many sources of authority at the time, both formal
and informal, from the Roman occupation, to the Elders, the priests and
religious leaders, and even to the people themselves who were able to demand
and obtain Jesus’ execution despite there not being cause.
• John 7:45-49: The arguments of the authority. Previously,
before the reaction of the people who were in favor of Jesus, the Pharisees had
sent some guards to arrest Him (Jn 7:32). But the guards returned without
Jesus. They had been greatly impressed in hearing people speak so well: “No one
has ever spoken like this man!” The Pharisees reacted: “Have you also been led
astray?” According to the Pharisees who said: “This rabble knows nothing about
the Law” and allows itself to be deceived by Jesus. It is as if they said: “No,
we the chief priests know things better and we do not allow ourselves to be led
astray!” and they say that the people are “damned”! The religious authority of
that time treated people with great contempt.
• John 7, 50-52: The defense of Jesus by Nicodemus. Before this
stupid argument, the honesty of Nicodemus emerges and he raises his voice to
defend Jesus: “But surely our Law does not allow us to pass judgment on anyone
without first giving him a hearing and discovering what He is doing?” The
reaction of the others is that Nicodemus is mocking them: “Nicodemus are you
also from Galilee? Look at the Bible and you will see for yourself that
prophets do not arise in Galilee!” They are sure! Holding the book of the past,
they defend themselves against the future which arrives and disturbs them.
4) Personal questions
• Today, what are the diverse opinions that people have about
Jesus? In your community, are there different opinions which cause confusion?
What are they? Name them, describe them.
• There are people who accept only the new which agree with their own ideas and their past. There are others today that accept every new idea no matter how crazy. How do you discern authentic change and not be tossed about by every new idea?
• There are people who accept only the new which agree with their own ideas and their past. There are others today that accept every new idea no matter how crazy. How do you discern authentic change and not be tossed about by every new idea?
5) Concluding Prayer
Have mercy on me, O God,
in Your faithful love,
in Your great tenderness wipe away my offenses;
wash me clean from my guilt,
purify me from my sin. (Ps 51:1-2)
in Your faithful love,
in Your great tenderness wipe away my offenses;
wash me clean from my guilt,
purify me from my sin. (Ps 51:1-2)
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