Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 254
Lectionary: 254
When Abram prostrated himself, God
spoke to him:
“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God.”
“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham:
“On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”
“On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”
Responsorial
Psalm105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Verse Before
The GospelPS 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
harden not your hearts.
GospelJN 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
For the readings of the Optional Memorial
of Saint Francis of Paola, please go here.
Meditation:
"Before
Abraham was, I am"
Do
you listen to Jesus' words as if your life depended on it? Jesus made a claim
which only God can make - "if any one keeps my word, he will never see
death." St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), explains this verse from
John 8:51:
"It
means nothing less than he saw another death from which he came to free us -
the second death, eternal death, the death of hell, the death of the damned,
which is shared with the devil and his angels! This is the
real death; the other kind of death is only a passage" (Tractates on the
Gospel of John 43.10-11).
Through
Christ God offers us an unbreakable covenant of love
When God established a relationship with Abraham, he offered him an unbreakable "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:7). Jesus came to fulfill that covenant so that we could know the living God and be united with him both now and for all eternity. God made us to know him and to be united with him and he gives us the gift of faith and understanding so that we may grow in the knowledge of what he has accomplished for us through his Son, Jesus Christ.
When God established a relationship with Abraham, he offered him an unbreakable "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:7). Jesus came to fulfill that covenant so that we could know the living God and be united with him both now and for all eternity. God made us to know him and to be united with him and he gives us the gift of faith and understanding so that we may grow in the knowledge of what he has accomplished for us through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus
challenged the people of Israel to accept his word as the very revelation of
God himself. His claim challenged the very foundation of their belief and
understanding of God. Jesus made a series of claims which are the very
foundation of his life and mission. What are these claims? First, Jesus claims
unique knowledge of God as the only begotten Son of the Father in heaven. Since
he claims to be in direct personal communion with his Father in heaven, he
knows everything about the Father. Jesus claims that the only way to full
knowledge of the mind and heart of God is through himself. Jesus also claims
unique obedience to God the Father. He thinks, lives and acts in the
knowledge of his Father's word. To look at his life is to "see
how God wishes me to live." In Jesus alone we see what God wants us to
know and what he wants us to be.
Jesus,
the Word of God, was one with the Father before time existed
When the Jewish authorities asked Jesus who do you claim to be? he answered, "before Abraham was, I am." Jesus claims to be timeless and there is only one in the universe who is timeless, namely God. Scripture tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus was not just a man who came, lived, died, and then rose again. He is the immortal timeless One, who always was and always will be. In Jesus we see the eternal God in visible flesh. He is God who became a man for our sake and for our salvation. His death and resurrection make it possible for us to share in his immortality. Do you believe the words of Jesus and obey them with all your heart, mind, and strength?
When the Jewish authorities asked Jesus who do you claim to be? he answered, "before Abraham was, I am." Jesus claims to be timeless and there is only one in the universe who is timeless, namely God. Scripture tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus was not just a man who came, lived, died, and then rose again. He is the immortal timeless One, who always was and always will be. In Jesus we see the eternal God in visible flesh. He is God who became a man for our sake and for our salvation. His death and resurrection make it possible for us to share in his immortality. Do you believe the words of Jesus and obey them with all your heart, mind, and strength?
"Lord
Jesus, let your word be on my lips and in my heart that I may walk in the
freedom of your everlasting love, truth and goodness."
A
Daily Quote for Lent: Christ
died that you might live, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"For
you Christ allowed Himself to be crucified, to teach you humility. He was
alive, and you were dead. He died that you might live. God vanquished death so
that death might not overcome human beings." (excerpt from Sermon
on John 2,4;14,13)
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, JOHN 8:51-59
Lenten Weekday
(Genesis 17:3-9; Psalm 105)
Lenten Weekday
(Genesis 17:3-9; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM" (v.58).
TO KNOW: Jesus said that those who were true to his words would never see death. The unbelievers scoffed, saying that all the prophets had died, and even the great father Abraham was dead. Did Jesus claim to be greater than them? Jesus answered that Abraham rejoiced that the divine promises were fulfilled in him. His enemies mocked Jesus asking if he claimed to have seen Abraham. Jesus used the divine name of God, "I AM" (egō eimi), a declaration that he existed before Abraham. His enemies were scandalized. Did Jesus claim equality with God? The penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning (Lv.24:16), but Jesus was able to evade their attempt to kill him.
TO LOVE: Do I show respect for the name of God?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to trust your promise of eternal life.
St. Francis of Paola
St. Francis was born at Paula in the Italian province of Calabria. After living as a hermit for five years (from age 14-19) he gathered around him some companions. These "Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi" dwelt in small houses, and endeavored to live a more austere and humble life than the Fratres Minores. This was the origin of a new order, to which he gave the name of Minims, "the least" in the house of God. The saint worked numerous miracles. Pope Sixtus IV sent him to France to help Louis XI on his deathbed. He remained there and founded a house of his Minims at Tours.
Thursday 2 April 2020
St Francis of Paola
Genesis 17:3-9. The Lord remembers his covenant for
ever – Psalm 104(105):4-9. John 8:51-59.
Your father Abraham saw my Day and was glad
Today’s Gospel describes one of Jesus’ most plain, forceful and
frankly audacious revelations of his identity. Not only does Jesus claim to be
greater than Abraham, the father of the Israelites, but something greater even
than this. Not only does Jesus hold himself out as the fulfilment of God’s
promises to Abraham, and so the very purpose of Israel’s election, but as
somehow more definitive than this. Jesus’ rhetoric reaches its greatest height
at the end of the exchange as he claims for himself both pre-existence and the
Divine Name itself. In identifying himself as the great I AM, Jesus claims to
be the very God of Israel who spoke to the patriarchs, and the fulfilment of
all that they looked forward to. This claim should strike us with the same
force that it did those who heard it.
Saint Francis of Paola
Saint of the Day for April 2
(March 27, 1416 – April 2, 1507)
 |
| Saint Francis of Paula holding a walking stick and looking | Engraving | Wellcome Images |
Saint Francis of Paola’s Story
Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative
solitude and wished only to be the “least in the household of God.” Yet, when
the Church called him to active service in the world, he became a
miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations.
After accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and
Assisi, he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola,
on Italy’s southern seacoast. Before he was 20, he received the first followers
who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years later, when his
disciples had grown in number, Francis established a Rule for his austere
community and sought Church approval. This was the founding of the Hermits of St.
Francis of Assisi, who were approved by the Holy See in 1474.
In 1492, Francis changed the name of his community to “Minims”
because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi) in the
household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the brothers as it had
been in Francis’s personal life. Besides the vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience, Francis enjoined upon his followers the fourth obligation of a
perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic mortification was necessary as a
means for spiritual growth.
It was Francis’s desire to be a contemplative hermit, yet he
believed that God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the
gifts he had received, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy, to minister
to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed, Francis incurred
the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he directed toward
the king and his sons.
Following the request of Pope Sixtus IV, Francis traveled to
Paris to help Louis XI of France prepare for his death. While ministering to
the king, Francis was able to influence the course of national politics. He
helped to restore peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage
between the ruling families, and between France and Spain by persuading Louis
XI to return some disputed land.
Francis died while at the French court.
Reflection
The life of Francis of Paola speaks plainly to an overactive
world. He was a contemplative man called to active ministry and must have felt
keenly the tension between prayer and service. Yet, in Francis’s life it was a
productive tension, for he clearly utilized the fruits of contemplation in his
ministry, which came to involve the workings of nations. He responded so
readily and so well to the call of the Church from a solid foundation in prayer
and mortification. When he went out to the world, it was not he who worked but
Christ working through him—“the least in the household of God.”
Saint Francis of Paola is the Patron Saint of:
Sailors
Lectio Divina: John 8:51-59
Lectio Divina
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Season of Lent
1) Opening prayer
Lord God,
in Your son Jesus Christ
You have given us a new name,
the name of Your Son himself.
May we live up to our new destiny,
to be people-for-others
who serve and commit ourselves
together with Jesus,
Your Son and our Lord for ever.
in Your son Jesus Christ
You have given us a new name,
the name of Your Son himself.
May we live up to our new destiny,
to be people-for-others
who serve and commit ourselves
together with Jesus,
Your Son and our Lord for ever.
2) Gospel Reading - John 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever
keeps my word will never see death." So the Jews said to him, "Now we
are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you
say, 'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.' Are you greater than our
father Abraham, who died? Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself
out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth
nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our
God.' You do not know him, but I know him. And if I should say that I do not
know him, I would be like you a liar. But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad." So
the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen
Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before
Abraham came to be, I AM." So they picked up stones to throw at him; but
Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
3) Reflection
• Chapter 8 seems an exhibition of works of art, where it is
possible to admire and contemplate famous paintings, next to one another.
Today’s Gospel presents us a painting, and a dialogue, between Jesus and the
Jews. There is not too much connection between one and the other painting. It
is the spectator who, thanks to his/her attentive and prayerful observation,
succeeds in discovering the invisible thread that binds the paintings. Thus, we
penetrate into the divine mystery which envelops the person of Jesus.
• John 8:51: Whoever keeps the word of Jesus will not see death. Jesus makes a solemn affirmation; the prophets said: Oracle of the Lord! Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you!” And the solemn affirmation is the following: “Whoever keeps My word will not see death!” This same theme appears and reappears many times in the Gospel of John. These are words of a great depth. Notice how the prophets speak on behalf of God, but Jesus speaks in the first person with authority as God!
• John 8:52-53: Abraham and the prophets died. The reaction of the Jews is immediate: “Now we know that you are out of Your mind. Abraham died and the prophets also died. And you say: “Whoever keeps My word will never see death”. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who are you claiming to be?” They did not understand the importance and significance of the affirmation of Jesus. It was a dialogue of the deaf.
• John, 8:54-56: I am glorified by My Father. Once again and as always Jesus hits on the same key: He is so united to the Father that everything that He says or does is His. Everything is the Father’s. And He says: “The one who glorifies Me is My Father, the one whom you say, ‘He is our God!” and you do not know Him. But I know Him. And if I were to say, ‘I do not know Him’, I should be a liar, as you yourselves are. But I do know Him and I observe His word. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to think that he would see My Day; he saw it and was glad”. These words of Jesus must have been like a sword which wounded the self esteem of the Jews. To tell the religious authority: “You do not know the God whom you say you know. I know Him and you do not know Him!” It is like accusing them of total ignorance exactly regarding the theme on which they think they are specialized doctors. And the final word increases the measure: “Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing My Day, he saw it and was glad”.
• John 8:57-59: “You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham! They took everything literally, thus showing that they did not understand anything of what Jesus was saying. And Jesus makes another solemn affirmation: "In all truth I tell you: before Abraham ever was, I AM”.
For those who believe in Jesus, here we reach the heart of the mystery of the story. Once again they pick up stones to kill Jesus. But neither this time will they succeed, because His hour has not as yet come. The one who determines the hour is Jesus himself.
• John 8:51: Whoever keeps the word of Jesus will not see death. Jesus makes a solemn affirmation; the prophets said: Oracle of the Lord! Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you!” And the solemn affirmation is the following: “Whoever keeps My word will not see death!” This same theme appears and reappears many times in the Gospel of John. These are words of a great depth. Notice how the prophets speak on behalf of God, but Jesus speaks in the first person with authority as God!
• John 8:52-53: Abraham and the prophets died. The reaction of the Jews is immediate: “Now we know that you are out of Your mind. Abraham died and the prophets also died. And you say: “Whoever keeps My word will never see death”. Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who are you claiming to be?” They did not understand the importance and significance of the affirmation of Jesus. It was a dialogue of the deaf.
• John, 8:54-56: I am glorified by My Father. Once again and as always Jesus hits on the same key: He is so united to the Father that everything that He says or does is His. Everything is the Father’s. And He says: “The one who glorifies Me is My Father, the one whom you say, ‘He is our God!” and you do not know Him. But I know Him. And if I were to say, ‘I do not know Him’, I should be a liar, as you yourselves are. But I do know Him and I observe His word. Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to think that he would see My Day; he saw it and was glad”. These words of Jesus must have been like a sword which wounded the self esteem of the Jews. To tell the religious authority: “You do not know the God whom you say you know. I know Him and you do not know Him!” It is like accusing them of total ignorance exactly regarding the theme on which they think they are specialized doctors. And the final word increases the measure: “Abraham, your father, rejoiced in the hope of seeing My Day, he saw it and was glad”.
• John 8:57-59: “You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham! They took everything literally, thus showing that they did not understand anything of what Jesus was saying. And Jesus makes another solemn affirmation: "In all truth I tell you: before Abraham ever was, I AM”.
For those who believe in Jesus, here we reach the heart of the mystery of the story. Once again they pick up stones to kill Jesus. But neither this time will they succeed, because His hour has not as yet come. The one who determines the hour is Jesus himself.
4) Personal questions
• It is a dialogue with the deaf between Jesus and the Jews.
Have you sometimes had the experience of speaking with a person who thinks
exactly the opposite of what you think and is not aware of it?
• How do you react when you are shown your errors? Do you consider the arguments or hold on to your thinking?
• How do you react when you are shown your errors? Do you consider the arguments or hold on to your thinking?
5) Concluding Prayer
Seek Yahweh and His strength,
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done,
His wonders, the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
tirelessly seek His presence!
Remember the marvels He has done,
His wonders, the judgments He has spoken. (Ps 105:4-5)
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