Testimonies About Jesus

MARCH 31, 2022, THURSDAY

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 247

Reading I

Ex 32:7-14

The LORD said to Moses,

“Go down at once to your people

whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,

for they have become depraved.

They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,

making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,

sacrificing to it and crying out,

‘This is your God, O Israel,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’

The LORD said to Moses,

“I see how stiff-necked this people is.

Let me alone, then,

that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.

Then I will make of you a great nation.”

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,

“Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,

whom you brought out of the land of Egypt

with such great power and with so strong a hand?

Why should the Egyptians say,

‘With evil intent he brought them out,

that he might kill them in the mountains

and exterminate them from the face of the earth’?

Let your blazing wrath die down;

relent in punishing your people.

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,

and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,

‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;

and all this land that I promised,

I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’“

So the LORD relented in the punishment

he had threatened to inflict on his people.

Responsorial Psalm

106:19-20, 21-22, 23

R.        (4a)  Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Our fathers made a calf in Horeb

            and adored a molten image;

They exchanged their glory

            for the image of a grass-eating bullock.

R.        Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They forgot the God who had saved them,

            who had done great deeds in Egypt,

Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,

            terrible things at the Red Sea.

R.        Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Then he spoke of exterminating them,

            but Moses, his chosen one,

Withstood him in the breach

            to turn back his destructive wrath.

R.        Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel

Jn 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:

“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.

But there is another who testifies on my behalf,

and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.

You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.

I do not accept human testimony,

but I say this so that you may be saved.

He was a burning and shining lamp,

and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.

But I have testimony greater than John’s.

The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,

these works that I perform testify on my behalf

that the Father has sent me.

Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.

But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,

and you do not have his word remaining in you,

because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.

You search the Scriptures,

because you think you have eternal life through them;

even they testify on my behalf.

But you do not want to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept human praise;

moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.

I came in the name of my Father,

but you do not accept me;

yet if another comes in his own name,

you will accept him.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another

and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:

the one who will accuse you is Moses,

in whom you have placed your hope.

For if you had believed Moses,

you would have believed me,

because he wrote about me.

But if you do not believe his writings,

how will you believe my words?”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Today is a continuation of yesterdays gospel. Jesus telling us who he is.  He emphasises how the Jews are looking in the wrong places for the meaning of life.  We tend to make mistakes in our own search for meaning.  If you feel you have been gifted with friendship of Jesus, thank the Lord for that treasure.  Also thank Him for the people and circumstances He has used to help you find Him.  Our faith is a very precious gift.  Don’t forget that the way you live your faith can also be an avenue of grace for others.

PRAYER:

Thank the Lord for the encouragement that came from home, school and friends. Seek to forgive those who were a source of discouragement.

The Son Cannot Do Anything On His Own, But Only What He Sees The Father Doing

MARCH 30, 2022, WEDNESDAY

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 246

Reading I

Is 49:8-15

Thus says the LORD:

In a time of favor I answer you,

            on the day of salvation I help you;

            and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,

To restore the land

            and allot the desolate heritages,

Saying to the prisoners: Come out!

To those in darkness: Show yourselves!

Along the ways they shall find pasture,

            on every bare height shall their pastures be.

They shall not hunger or thirst,

            nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;

For he who pities them leads them

            and guides them beside springs of water.

I will cut a road through all my mountains,

            and make my highways level.

See, some shall come from afar,

            others from the north and the west,

            and some from the land of Syene.

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,

            break forth into song, you mountains.

For the LORD comforts his people

            and shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;

            my Lord has forgotten me.”

Can a mother forget her infant,

            be without tenderness for the child of her womb?

Even should she forget,

            I will never forget you.

Responsorial Psalm

145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18

R.        (8a)  The Lord is gracious and merciful.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

            slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

            and compassionate toward all his works.

R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.

The LORD is faithful in all his words

            and holy in all his works.

The LORD lifts up all who are falling

            and raises up all who are bowed down.

R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.

The LORD is just in all his ways

            and holy in all his works.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him,

            to all who call upon him in truth.

R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 11:25a, 26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;

whoever believes in me will never die.

Gospel

Jn 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews:

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,

because he not only broke the sabbath

but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,

but only what he sees the Father doing;

for what he does, the Son will do also.

For the Father loves the Son

and shows him everything that he himself does,

and he will show him greater works than these,

so that you may be amazed.

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,

so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.

Nor does the Father judge anyone,

but he has given all judgment to the Son,

so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

Whoever does not honor the Son

does not honor the Father who sent him.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word

and believes in the one who sent me

has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,

but has passed from death to life.

Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and those who hear will live.

For just as the Father has life in himself,

so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.

And he gave him power to exercise judgment,

because he is the Son of Man.

Do not be amazed at this,

because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs

will hear his voice and will come out,

those who have done good deeds

to the resurrection of life,

but those who have done wicked deeds

to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;

I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,

because I do not seek my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The relationship between Jesus and his heavenly Father is the topic in this enigmatic passage. Jesus traces everything in his being and in his choices to their source in the Father. "I can do nothing on my own". "I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me" (the Father). He and his Father are intertwined in every way, so much so that they are one (Jn.10:30). Honour Jesus and you will be honouring the Father.

PRAYER:

Such was the unity of the Father and Jesus that the work of one is the work of the other. Jesus trusts me enough to call me into the same closeness. He reminds me that whatever I do I do with him and that what I do to others, I do to him.

Healing At The Pool

MARCH 29, 2022, TUESDAY

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 245

Reading I

Ez 47:1-9, 12

The angel brought me, Ezekiel,

back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,

and I saw water flowing out

from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,

for the façade of the temple was toward the east;

the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,

south of the altar.

He led me outside by the north gate,

and around to the outer gate facing the east,

where I saw water trickling from the right side.

Then when he had walked off to the east

with a measuring cord in his hand,

he measured off a thousand cubits

and had me wade through the water,

which was ankle-deep.

He measured off another thousand

and once more had me wade through the water,

which was now knee-deep.

Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade;

the water was up to my waist.

Once more he measured off a thousand,

but there was now a river through which I could not wade;

for the water had risen so high it had become a river

that could not be crossed except by swimming.

He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?”

Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.

Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.

He said to me,

“This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,

and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.

Wherever the river flows,

every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,

and there shall be abundant fish,

for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.

Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;

their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.

Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,

for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.

Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Responsorial Psalm

46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

R.        (8)  The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

God is our refuge and our strength,

            an ever-present help in distress.

Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken

            and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.

R.        The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,

            the holy dwelling of the Most High.

God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;

            God will help it at the break of dawn.

R.        The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

The LORD of hosts is with us;

            our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,

            the astounding things he has wrought on earth.

R.        The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 51:12a, 14a

A clean heart create for me, O God;

give me back the joy of your salvation.

Gospel

Jn 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate

a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.

In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.

One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.

When Jesus saw him lying there

and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,

“Do you want to be well?”

The sick man answered him,

“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool

when the water is stirred up;

while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.”

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”

Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath.

So the Jews said to the man who was cured,

“It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”

He answered them, “The man who made me well told me,

‘Take up your mat and walk.’“

They asked him,

“Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?”

The man who was healed did not know who it was,

for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.

After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,

“Look, you are well; do not sin any more,

so that nothing worse may happen to you.”

The man went and told the Jews

that Jesus was the one who had made him well.

Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus

because he did this on a sabbath.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Are there sick people in your family, among your friends? Bring them one by one, before the Lord asking him to do what is best for them. Maybe you are worried about your own health? Tell the Lord of your anxieties and leave them with him. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

PRAYER:

‘Christ as a light, illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield, o’ershadow and cover me. Christ be under me, Christ be over me, Christ be beside me, on left hand and right. Christ be before me, behind me, around me. Christ this day be within and without me. Amen.’

Jesus Heals An Officials Son

MARCH 28, 2022, MONDAY

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 244

Reading I

Is 65:17-21

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.

Responsorial Psalm

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.

Verse Before the Gospel

Am 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and the LORD will be with you.

Gospel

Jn 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.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The officer here looked on Jesus as someone special, and pleaded with him to come to his home, before the son died. It is interesting that he saw no survival after death. Still the son was alive, and so there was hope. Now we know that our trust in God must stretch beyond death.

This prayer was made humbly and wholeheartedly. A man was praying that his little boy would not die. Jesus saw true faith in his prayer; the boy was healed through the faith of his father. We pray constantly, ‘Lord, I believe, strengthen my belief’.

PRAYER:

Lord, forgive me for the times I have treated you like a messenger boy. I turn to you in a crisis, begging for a favour. When the crisis passes, I easily go back to living as though you did not exist. I want to find time for you, to live in your presence.

The Prodigal Son (FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - C)

MARCH 27, 2022, SUNDAY

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Rose or Violet)

LAETARE SUNDAY

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 33

Reading I

Jos 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua,

“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,

they celebrated the Passover

on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.

On the day after the Passover,

they ate of the produce of the land

in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.

On that same day after the Passover,

on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.

No longer was there manna for the Israelites,

who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7.

R. (9a)  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

I will bless the LORD at all times;

            his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

            the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me,

            let us together extol his name.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me

            and delivered me from all my fears.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

            and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

            and from all his distress he saved him.

R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II

2 Cor 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

And all this is from God,

who has reconciled us to himself through Christ

and given us the ministry of reconciliation,

namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting their trespasses against them

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Verse before the Gospel

Lk 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.

Gospel

Lk 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.’”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The parable of the Prodigal Son gives me a picture of the steadfast love of God. There, Lord, you show how your heavenly father would appear in human form. When he welcomes back his lost son with tears of delight, kills the fatted calf, brings out the best robe, and throws a great party, it is not to please other people, but to give expression to his own overwhelming pleasure that his child has come home. You delight in me.

Time and again and God promises me goodness. I pray that my eyes may be opened to appreciate where God is working in my life.

PRAYER:

Lord, help me, this Lent, not to focus entirely on my sin but to keep my heart fixed on your love. Don’t let me be distracted by any false image of myself, but allow me to hear your invitation to grow in your image, to reflect your love.

The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

MARCH 26, 2022, SATURDAY

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 242

Reading I

Hos 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,

it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;

he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.

He will revive us after two days;

on the third day he will raise us up,

to live in his presence.

Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;

as certain as the dawn is his coming,

and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!

He will come to us like the rain,

like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?

What can I do with you, Judah?

Your piety is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that early passes away.

For this reason I smote them through the prophets,

I slew them by the words of my mouth;

For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,

and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Responsorial Psalm

51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab

R.        (see Hosea 6:6)  It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;

            in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt

            and of my sin cleanse me.

R.        It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

For you are not pleased with sacrifices;

            should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

            a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

R.        It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness

            by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;

Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,

            burnt offerings and holocausts.

R.        It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 95:8

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

Gospel

Lk 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable

to those who were convinced of their own righteousness

and despised everyone else.

“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;

one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,

‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —

greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week,

and I pay tithes on my whole income.’

But the tax collector stood off at a distance

and would not even raise his eyes to heaven

but beat his breast and prayed,

‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;

for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

REFLECTION:

What would you like to boast to God about? Let's be honest. There are times when we want to tell him how good we are, or the good we have done. We may look down on others' moral or spiritual life. This is just human. But it's not to be the end of the story of our relationship with God. We look on what is good in ourselves and know that all is gift; both our talents and what we have made of them. We end up with the prayer of the taxman - cover me O Lord with your mercy, for, with all my good deeds and intentions, there is a deeply sinful side of me which needs your mercy.

PRAYER:

God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ – let this be my prayer today and always. I must not leave my place of prayer today, thankful that I am not like the Pharisee! It is God who ‘justifies’ the ungodly tax collector, whose only virtue is that he is honest before God.

Behold, The Handmaid Of The Lord! (SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION - C)

MARCH 25, 2022, FRIDAY

SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD (White)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 545

Reading I

Is 7:10-14; 8:10

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:

Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God;

let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

But Ahaz answered,

“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”

Then Isaiah said:

Listen, O house of David!

Is it not enough for you to weary people,

must you also weary my God?

Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:

the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,

and shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us!”        

Responsorial Psalm

40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

R.        (8a and 9a)  Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,

            but ears open to obedience you gave me.

Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;

            then said I, “Behold I come.”

R.        Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,

To do your will, O my God, is my delight,

            and your law is within my heart!”

R.        Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

            I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R.        Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;

            your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;

I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth

            in the vast assembly.

R.        Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Reading II

Heb 10:4-10

Brothers and sisters:

It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats

take away sins.

For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said:

            “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

                        but a body you prepared for me;

            in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.

            Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,

            behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”

First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,

holocausts and sin offerings,

you neither desired nor delighted in.”

These are offered according to the law.

Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.”

He takes away the first to establish the second.

By this “will,” we have been consecrated

through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Verse before the Gospel

Jn 1:14ab

The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us;

and we saw his glory.

Gospel

Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

For Mary the angel’s message is a blessing; but very much a blessing in disguise. It is placing her in a very difficult position, socially, culturally, religiously, personally. She has to trust this interior movement in her heart and ‘go with it’. And she does.

PRAYER:

"Rejoice, so highly favoured. The Lord is with you.” Mary, the young girl of no status, from the village of Nazareth, an utterly insignificant place is signaled out, called, chosen, and overshadowed with God’s Spirit. A unique gift, a “cause of our joy.”

Jesus Drives Out Demons

MARCH 24, 2022, THURSDAY

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 240

Reading I

Jer 7:23-28

Thus says the LORD:

This is what I commanded my people:

Listen to my voice;

then I will be your God and you shall be my people.

Walk in all the ways that I command you,

so that you may prosper.

But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.

They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts

and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.

From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,

I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.

Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;

they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.

When you speak all these words to them,

they will not listen to you either;

when you call to them, they will not answer you.

Say to them:

This is the nation that does not listen

to the voice of the LORD, its God,

or take correction.

Faithfulness has disappeared;

the word itself is banished from their speech.

Responsorial Psalm

95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R.        (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

            let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

            let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

R.        If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;

            let us kneel before the LORD who made us.

For he is our God,

            and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.

R.        If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:

            “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah

            as in the day of Massah in the desert,

Where your fathers tempted me;

            they tested me though they had seen my works.”

R.        If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Verse before the Gospel

Jl 2:12-13

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart,

for I am gracious and merciful.

Gospel

Lk 11:14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,

and when the demon had gone out,

the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.

Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,

he drives out demons.”

Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.

But he knew their thoughts and said to them,

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself,

how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?

Therefore they will be your judges.

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,

then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,

his possessions are safe.

But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,

he takes away the armor on which he relied

and distributes the spoils.

Whoever is not with me is against me,

and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus’ mission is to overcome evil in all its forms. This is an extraordinary task: it will cost him his life, but we believe that he will succeed. The darkness cannot overcome the light (Saint John 1:5). I thank God for this. It gives me hope to work for our world.

Different battles take place inside us all: the kingdom of the heart can be divided into the good we want to do, and the not-so-good or evil that gets into us also. Prayer is our time of nourishing the good in us, so that goodness wins over evil.

PRAYER:

Lord, let me not be one of the passive ones, who contribute to the triumph of evil by staying on the fence. If I am not on the way, I am in the way.

The Law And The Prophets

MARCH 23, 2022, WEDNESDAY

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 239

Reading I

Dt 4:1, 5-9

Moses spoke to the people and said:

“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees

which I am teaching you to observe,

that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land

which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees

as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,

that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.

Observe them carefully,

for thus will you give evidence

of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,

who will hear of all these statutes and say,

‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’

For what great nation is there

that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us

whenever we call upon him?

Or what great nation has statutes and decrees

that are as just as this whole law

which I am setting before you today?

“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard

not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,

nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,

but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Responsorial Psalm

147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

R.        (12a)  Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;

            praise your God, O Zion.

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;

            he has blessed your children within you.

R.        Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

He sends forth his command to the earth;

            swiftly runs his word!

He spreads snow like wool;

            frost he strews like ashes.

R.        Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,

            his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

He has not done thus for any other nation;

            his ordinances he has not made known to them.

R.        Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Verse before the Gospel

See Jn 6:63c, 68c

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;

you have the words of everlasting life.

Gospel

Mt 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,

not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter

will pass from the law,

until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments

and teaches others to do so

will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.

But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments

will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus teaches by word and action, by saying and doing. His example of life is our guide and our encouragement. There is a link between what we say and what we do, and when this link is strong, we are strong in the kingdom of God. We are ‘to walk it as we talk it'. Sincerity and integrity of life is what we are called to.

I ask God to continue to bless me and to lead me into the wisdom that Jesus had. I pray in respect for all who teach the faith that has come to us from the apostles.

PRAYER:

I think of all those who have taught me, calling to mind the people who have helped me to understand God’s ways. I give thanks for them and ask for blessing. I pray that I may be such a person for those around me.

Parable Of The Unmerciful Servant

MARCH 22, 2022, TUESDAY

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 238

Reading I

Dn 3:25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,

            or make void your covenant.

Do not take away your mercy from us,

            for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,

            Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,

To whom you promised to multiply their offspring

            like the stars of heaven,

            or the sand on the shore of the sea.

For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,

            brought low everywhere in the world this day

            because of our sins.

We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,

            no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,

            no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.

But with contrite heart and humble spirit

            let us be received;

As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,

            or thousands of fat lambs,

So let our sacrifice be in your presence today

            as we follow you unreservedly;

            for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.

And now we follow you with our whole heart,

            we fear you and we pray to you.

Do not let us be put to shame,

            but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.

Deliver us by your wonders,

            and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

 

Responsorial Psalm

25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

R.        (6a)  Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;

            teach me your paths,

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

            for you are God my savior.

R.        Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,

            and your kindness are from of old.

In your kindness remember me,

            because of your goodness, O LORD.

R.        Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Good and upright is the LORD;

            thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice,

            he teaches the humble his way.

R.        Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Verse before the Gospel

Jl 2:12-13

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart;

for I am gracious and merciful.

Gospel

Mt 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive him?

As many as seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount.

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused.

Instead, he had him put in prison

until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair.

His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,

as I had pity on you?’

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers

until he should pay back the whole debt.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

This parable is about the mercy of God, which is one of the strongest divine qualities, if we may put it like that. Nothing except mercy born of compassion cancels a debt like the one referred to in the story. It further ends by calling us to be merciful as we have received mercy. Mercy is deeper than forgiveness; it sees into the heart of the other and walks around for a while in the others shoes. It includes compassion and active healing. Shakespeare's description still resounds, 'Mercy is twice bless'd - it blesseth him that gives and him that takes.' To live in an environment of mercy is to live in an atmosphere of peace, healing and growth.

As Jesus continues to emphasise forgiveness, I humbly bring myself before God who forgives me everything, who loves me beyond any sin. The forgiveness that God gives is often difficult for me to receive. I think of how it is given generously to me so that I may give it freely to others.

PRAYER:

Lord, to forgive from the heart is a grace I must pray for. I can’t do it on my own, and I know this. Often I am a ‘wicked slave’! You are always so good to me, but I can be so hard-hearted with those who offend me. Have mercy on me and change my heart!

Naaman, The Syrian

MARCH 21, 2022, MONDAY

Monday of the Third Week of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 237

Reading I

2 Kgs 5:1-15ab

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,

was highly esteemed and respected by his master,

for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.

But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.

Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel

a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman’s wife.

“If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,”

she said to her mistress, “he would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went and told his lord

just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.

“Go,” said the king of Aram.

“I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”

So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,

six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.

To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:

“With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,

that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

When he read the letter,

the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:

“Am I a god with power over life and death,

that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?

Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!”

When Elisha, the man of God,

heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,

he sent word to the king:

“Why have you torn your garments?

Let him come to me and find out

that there is a prophet in Israel.”

Naaman came with his horses and chariots

and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

The prophet sent him the message:

“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,

and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”

But Naaman went away angry, saying,

“I thought that he would surely come out and stand there

to invoke the LORD his God,

and would move his hand over the spot,

and thus cure the leprosy.

Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,

better than all the waters of Israel?

Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?”

With this, he turned about in anger and left.

But his servants came up and reasoned with him.

“My father,” they said,

“if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,

would you not have done it?

All the more now, since he said to you,

‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”

So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times

at the word of the man of God.

His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.

On his arrival he stood before him and said,

“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,

except in Israel.”

Responsorial Psalm

42:2, 3; 43:3, 4

R.        (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

As the hind longs for the running waters,

            so my soul longs for you, O God.

R.        Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

            When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R.        Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Send forth your light and your fidelity;

            they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain,

            to your dwelling-place.

R.        Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Then will I go in to the altar of God,

            the God of my gladness and joy;

Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,

            O God, my God!

R.        Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

Verse before the Gospel

See Ps 130:5, 7

I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word;

with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption.

Gospel

Lk 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:

“Amen, I say to you,

no prophet is accepted in his own native place.

Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel

in the days of Elijah

when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land.

It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,

but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.

Again, there were many lepers in Israel

during the time of Elisha the prophet;

yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

When the people in the synagogue heard this,

they were all filled with fury.

They rose up, drove him out of the town,

and led him to the brow of the hill

on which their town had been built,

to hurl him down headlong.

But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus, you experienced rejection from those close to you whom you were trying to help. Did you feel shocked, angry, unsure, depressed? How do I feel when others reject me? What did you do with your feelings? You went off to serve others, with the same risk of rejection again. Help me not to give in to despair when a relationship is difficult.

PRAYER:

I am the same, Lord. Even in my neediness my ego pushes through. I want to be not just a victim but a celebrity victim. I want not just a cure, but to be the centre of attention. Help me to centre on you, not on me.

Repent or Perish (Third Sunday of Lent - C)

MARCH 20, 2022, SUNDAY

Third Sunday of Lent (Violet)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 30

Reading I

Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,

the priest of Midian.

Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,

the mountain of God.

There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire

flaming out of a bush.

As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,

though on fire, was not consumed.

So Moses decided,

“I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,

and see why the bush is not burned.”

When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,

God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!”

He answered, “Here I am.”

God said, “Come no nearer!

Remove the sandals from your feet,

for the place where you stand is holy ground.

I am the God of your fathers, “ he continued,

“the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”

Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

But the LORD said,

“I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt

and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,

so I know well what they are suffering.

Therefore I have come down to rescue them

from the hands of the Egyptians

and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,

a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites

and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’

if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”

God replied, “I am who am.”

Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites:

I AM sent me to you.”

God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:

The LORD, the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,

has sent me to you.

“This is my name forever;

thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11.

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,

            heals all your ills,

He redeems your life from destruction,

            crowns you with kindness and compassion.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

The LORD secures justice

            and the rights of all the oppressed.

He has made known his ways to Moses,

            and his deeds to the children of Israel.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

            slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

            so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.

R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Reading II

1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,

that our ancestors were all under the cloud

and all passed through the sea,

and all of them were baptized into Moses

in the cloud and in the sea.

All ate the same spiritual food,

and all drank the same spiritual drink,

for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,

and the rock was the Christ.

Yet God was not pleased with most of them,

for they were struck down in the desert.

These things happened as examples for us,

so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.

Do not grumble as some of them did,

and suffered death by the destroyer.

These things happened to them as an example,

and they have been written down as a warning to us,

upon whom the end of the ages has come.

Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure

should take care not to fall.

Verse Before the Gospel

Mt 4:17

Repent, says the Lord;

the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gospel

Lk 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans

whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.

Jesus said to them in reply,

“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way

they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?

By no means!

But I tell you, if you do not repent,

you will all perish as they did!

Or those eighteen people who were killed

when the tower at Siloam fell on them—

do you think they were more guilty

than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?

By no means!

But I tell you, if you do not repent,

you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable:

“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,

and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,

he said to the gardener,

‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree

but have found none.

So cut it down.

Why should it exhaust the soil?’

He said to him in reply,

‘Sir, leave it for this year also,

and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;

it may bear fruit in the future.

If not you can cut it down.’”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

The story about the fig tree is about the patience of God, our need for time to repent and grow in our faith and prayer, and it is about the 'God of the many chances'. The God of Jesus never lets go on us, and always believes in our future. All of us carry particular faults and failings through life, and even though we try our best, find that they stay with us. God knows this and sees our efforts to change and be renewed. Prayer helps us to believe in ourselves as God believes in us.

PRAYER:

You speak to me too, Lord. You look to me for fruit, for signs of love in my life. I do not want to be wasting my opportunities, but I rely on you to have patience and help me. Dig around me and dung me, even if it hurts. You alone know how to make something good of my life.

Joseph Dreamed / Finding the Child Jesus at the Temple (FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY - C)

MARCH 19, 2022, SATURDAY

SOLEMNITY OF SAINT JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (White)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 543

Reading I

2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:

“Go, tell my servant David,

‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,

I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,

and I will make his kingdom firm.

It is he who shall build a house for my name.

And I will make his royal throne firm forever.

I will be a father to him,

and he shall be a son to me.

Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;

your throne shall stand firm forever.’”

Responsorial Psalm

89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

R.        (37)  The son of David will live for ever.

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;

            through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,

For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;

            in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

R.        The son of David will live for ever.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

            I have sworn to David my servant:

Forever will I confirm your posterity

            and establish your throne for all generations.”

R.        The son of David will live for ever.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father

            my God, the Rock, my savior.’

Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,

            and my covenant with him stands firm.”

R.        The son of David will live for ever.

Reading II

Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22

Brothers and sisters:

It was not through the law

that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants

that he would inherit the world,

but through the righteousness that comes from faith.

For this reason, it depends on faith,

so that it may be a gift,

and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,

not to those who only adhere to the law

but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,

who is the father of all of us, as it is written,

I have made you father of many nations.

He is our father in the sight of God,

in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead

and calls into being what does not exist.

He believed, hoping against hope,

that he would become the father of many nations,

according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.

That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

Verse Before the Gospel

Ps 84:5

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;

they never cease to praise you.

Gospel

Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

or:

Lk 2:41-51a

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,

and when he was twelve years old,

they went up according to festival custom.

After they had completed its days, as they were returning,

the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,

but his parents did not know it.

Thinking that he was in the caravan,

they journeyed for a day

and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,

but not finding him,

they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple,

sitting in the midst of the teachers,

listening to them and asking them questions,

and all who heard him were astounded

at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him,

they were astonished,

and his mother said to him,

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them,

“Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them.

Parable Of The Wicked Tenants

MARCH 18, 2022, FRIDAY

Friday of the Second Week of Lent (Violet)

Optional Memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

CYCLE C - YEAR II

Lectionary: 234

Reading I

Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons,

for he was the child of his old age;

and he had made him a long tunic.

When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,

they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.

One day, when his brothers had gone

to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem,

Israel said to Joseph,

“Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.

Get ready; I will send you to them.”

So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.

They noticed him from a distance,

and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another: “Here comes that master dreamer!

Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here;

we could say that a wild beast devoured him.

We shall then see what comes of his dreams.”

When Reuben heard this,

he tried to save him from their hands, saying,

“We must not take his life.

Instead of shedding blood,” he continued,

“just throw him into that cistern there in the desert;

but do not kill him outright.”

His purpose was to rescue him from their hands

and return him to his father.

So when Joseph came up to them,

they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;

then they took him and threw him into the cistern,

which was empty and dry.

They then sat down to their meal.

Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,

their camels laden with gum, balm and resin

to be taken down to Egypt.

Judah said to his brothers:

“What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?

Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,

instead of doing away with him ourselves.

After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.”

His brothers agreed.

They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Responsorial Psalm

105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21

R.        (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

When the LORD called down a famine on the land

            and ruined the crop that sustained them,

He sent a man before them,

            Joseph, sold as a slave.

R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

They had weighed him down with fetters,

            and he was bound with chains,

Till his prediction came to pas

            and the word of the LORD proved him true.

R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

The king sent and released him,

            the ruler of the peoples set him free.

He made him lord of his house

            and ruler of all his possessions.

R.        Remember the marvels the Lord has done.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel

Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:

“Hear another parable.

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,

put a hedge around it,

dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.

Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.

When vintage time drew near,

he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,

another they killed, and a third they stoned.

Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,

but they treated them in the same way.

Finally, he sent his son to them,

thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,

‘This is the heir.

Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’

They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”

They answered him,

“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death

and lease his vineyard to other tenants

who will give him the produce at the proper times.”

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:

            The stone that the builders rejected

                        has become the cornerstone;

            by the Lord has this been done,

                        and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,

the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you

and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,

they knew that he was speaking about them.

And although they were attempting to arrest him,

they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: 

We are the tenants in the parable. We are provided by God with everything we need to make our vineyard prosper. God gives us the freedom to run the vineyard as we choose – but it is God’s. We need to be sensitive to what God desires of us. This is what prayer is about – coming to know the mind of God about our lives.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you were thrown out and killed. But you took no revenge. Instead you excused your torturers and by your love you reconciled everyone with God. You showed what divine love is like. You love me totally, no matter what I do. May I always wish others well, and pray for them instead of taking revenge on them when they hurt me.