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Sunday, March 29, 2020
Meditation for Today
From our friends at Kairos;
Prayers for Today
Lord, so often I fail to love as You desire me to love. I am selfish and judgmental toward others. Soften my heart and then place in my heart the most generous love I have ever felt. Help me to turn that love to those in most need of Your Divine Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Fifth Sunday of Lent
Reading 1 Ez 37:12-14
Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8.
R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Reading 2 Rom 8:8-11
Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit dwelling in you.
Verse Before the GospelJn 11:25a, 26
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.
Gospel Jn 11:1-45
Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil
and dried his feet with her hair;
it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.
So the sisters sent word to him saying,
“Master, the one you love is ill.”
When Jesus heard this he said,
“This illness is not to end in death,
but is for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
So when he heard that he was ill,
he remained for two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you,
and you want to go back there?”
Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours in a day?
If one walks during the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if one walks at night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him.”
He said this, and then told them,
“Our friend Lazarus is asleep,
but I am going to awaken him.”
So the disciples said to him,
“Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus was talking about his death,
while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep.
So then Jesus said to them clearly,
“Lazarus has died.
And I am glad for you that I was not there,
that you may believe.
Let us go to him.”
So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples,
“Let us also go to die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
had already been in the tomb for four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away.
And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”
When she had said this,
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying,
“The teacher is here and is asking for you.”
As soon as she heard this,
she rose quickly and went to him.
For Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still where Martha had met him.
So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her
saw Mary get up quickly and go out,
they followed her,
presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said to him,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping,
he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?”
They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”
And Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.”
But some of them said,
“Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man
have done something so that this man would not have died?”
So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
It was a cave, and a stone lay across it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him,
“Lord, by now there will be a stench;
he has been dead for four days.”
Jesus said to her,
“Did I not tell you that if you believe
you will see the glory of God?”
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus raised his eyes and said,
“Father, I thank you for hearing me.
I know that you always hear me;
but because of the crowd here I have said this,
that they may believe that you sent me.”
And when he had said this,
He cried out in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out,
tied hand and foot with burial bands,
and his face was wrapped in a cloth.
So Jesus said to them,
“Untie him and let him go.”
Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
It has Worked
So with all the worry that having cancer breeds in one it has been prayer where I can come back to to look for strength. It seems the Lord is truly listening as my results are good. Yes I have some residual complications but no new indications. For this I have to Thank our Lord and various Saints that I pray to and thank for answering my request for help.
Now with this Corona Virus we all have to pray to get through this so please go online watch TV masses and pray pray pray and yes God will help us through he will hear us.
Stay safe pray and god bless!
Now with this Corona Virus we all have to pray to get through this so please go online watch TV masses and pray pray pray and yes God will help us through he will hear us.
Stay safe pray and god bless!
Prayers for Today
| Lord, I want to see. Help me to be healed of my blindness. Help me to see You at work in every ordinary activity of my life. Help me to see Your divine grace in the smallest events of my day. And as I see You alive and active, fill my heart with gratitude for this vision. Jesus, I trust in You. "Jesus, in your name the blind see, the lame walk, and the dead are raised to life. Come into our lives and heal the wounds of our broken hearts. Give us eyes of faith to see your glory and hearts of courage to bring you glory in all we say and do." Lord, help me to let go of all that is not of You. Help me, especially, to see my sin and to surrender it over to You. Help me to detach even from family in a holy way so that I am free to love them with Your Heart. May You, my Lord, be my one goal and love, and in this love may I discover how to love everyone with Your Heart. Jesus, I trust in You. |
Reflection
From A Catholic Moment here is the reflection for today's readings. God Bless!
INTRODUCTION
The readings of last sunday reveal how water symbolically served as the element of salvation, and today, the 4th Sunday of Lent, traditionally known as “Laetare Sunday,” (which invites us to rejoice) we are presented with light as another symbolic element that points to our salvation. This is not just light but Christ himself, the Light of the world who has come to restore the sight of those who are walking in darkness.
FIRST READING: 1 Samuel 16 :1.6-7.10-13
CONTEXT
After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel had another phase of history under the leadership of the judges (men of integrity who played roles as military leaders before the period of monarchy) thus having Othniel as the first judge (Jgs. 3:7-11). Samuel (the last of the judges) within the years of his leadership succeeded in forming a confederation among the twelve tribes. But despite his leadership capacity and the interventions of Yahweh in the defence of the people against external forces, they rather preferred to be like the pagan nations who they judged to enjoy kings and political security. Their request to have their own king got Samuel disappointed, and Yahweh felt rejected by the people He loved. Finally, He granted them Saul as their first king (1030 BC). Though successful in many battles, Saul offended God, and the kingship was taken from him. It is Yahweh’s rejection of Saul that opens the page of the first reading of today. Prompted by Yahweh, Samuel left for Bethlehem to anoint the next king according the heart of Yahweh.
The description of God’s choice of David over his brothers is a tale of human blindness and their inability to see spiritual truth as God sees it. Divine wisdom searches the soul, knowing every thoughts of the mind and those who will live as children of the Light. Samuel almost lost sight of this Light. But Yahweh did not hesitate to remind him that His vision goes deeper than outward appearances. Hence, David who was the least among his brothers and “the almost forgotten in the choice of his father” became the greatest in the list of God whose criterion of judgement is the heart and not the physique. The Spirit that seized David was a mark of God’s presence in him and a pledge of success in his future mission as king over his people.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 5:8-14
From his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tries to make a contrast between the time before baptism and that of after baptism as a movement from darkness into the fulness of light in Christ. He tells the Ephesians that formally they were in darkness but thanks to the ritual bath they now have the light of the Lord. He insists that once exposed to this light, they must avoid the deeds of darkness that doesn’t allow the ‘seeds of light’ grow and produce. Thus they must bear the ‘fruit of light’ that is found in all that is good, right and true. Like the Ephesians, our sharing in the light-life of Christ must be reflected in the way we live. There should be no dark corners in our lives. No hypocritical style of living. We are children of the Light and that we must allow to shine in the darkness that surrounds the world around us. But not enough. We also have the obligation to expose the works of darkness. It is a light that must be set in action, that is why St. Paul calls us to wake up from slumber in order to have the fulness of Christ’s light.
GOSPEL: John 9:1-41
The Gospel places us in a time and context whereby physical impairments (and others) such as blindness were considered as a consequence of spiritual or moral deviance, thus generating social and religious segregation. The physical healing of the blind man and eventually his coming into faith is a clear expression of the essence of miracle that is, its interconnection with salvation. It is one of the Gospels carefully selected and read in the early Church during the rite of christian initiation at Easter vigil.
THREE THINGS THAT CHARACTERIZE THE HEALING PERFORMED BY JESUS:
1. Unlike many other passages whereby the sick persons themselves or friends, family members or even masters in the case of servants approached Jesus for healing, but the healing of this man was exclusively the initiative of Jesus. This simply underlines the boundless nature of God’s love who intervenes in the life of his people even when they do not merit it.
2. It was on a Sabbath. This is another strong effort from the evangelist to affirm the divinity of Christ. It is only God who is not a subject to any law because He is the owner of the universe and all that it contains. It equally shows the providential character of God who beats time, day and place to make sure that he provides for his people.
3. The gesture of healing with spittle and sand: In the ancient world, saliva (which contains anti-bacteria) was held strongly to have a healing property especially in ophthalmic (connected with the eye) and skin conditions. By the use of this gesture, Jesus simply tells the man, “I give you that which is part of me.” Not only that. Jesus equally broke the social barrier that might have existed between this man and others as a result of his condition through the symbolic act.
TWO CATEGORIES OF PERSONS IN THE WHOLE NARRATIVE:
1. The first category is the sick man. Situations of suffering especially the ones that have social consequences can generate desperation and make one to settle for any type of solution, but that is not the case here. The gradual unfolding of his story shows that he has a faith-filled disposition for healing. Without knowing Jesus, yet he trusted in the voice that told him to go and wash in the pool of siloam. And did something extra: he did not just go to wash. He equally came back. It is a sign of a new journey of discovery and search for intimacy with Jesus. This is evidenced in his gradual formulation of a credo:
“The man called Jesus told me…” (v.11)
“He is a prophet” (v.17)
He is from God (v.33)
He said, “Lord, I believe”, and worshipped Him (v.38). And as a sign of a new life in Jesus, he stood his ground and defended Him before the Pharisees (v. 27-33) even to the point of being expelled from the synagogue (v.34).
2. The second category of persons:
a) The disciples of Jesus: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’ By this question, John the author of this Gospel and part of this group by this indicates that although they had been with Jesus for quite a long time but they were yet to log into his mind. In other words, they were still sharing some erroneous beliefs of the people of their time. Hence, they too need conversion.
b) The neighbours to the sick man: When these saw that he has received his sight, they expressed doubt. They were filled with awe, but not an awe led by faith but an awe led by prejudice. They refused to see him beyond the blind man that they were used to. For this, they remained indifferent and settled with ‘he looks like him’ syndrome. Hence, they are true image of those who do not welcome change in the life of others.
c) The Pharisees: The Pharisees bluntly refused to accept the miracle even when the confirmed from the parents that the man was born blind for two reasons: a) Because of their pride and hatred for Jesus so as not to give him credit. That is why even all attempts to disprove it failed, they told the man, ‘Give glory to God! But as for this man, he is a sinner’ (v.24): b). the second reason is linked to their blind interpretation of the Law. They have always subjected God to the sabbath rest which is a literary understanding of God who rested on the seventh day () forgetting that God who created the universe cannot stop governing the universe, and that He is free to do whatever He likes and whenever He likes which the evangelist affirmed in the person of Jesus as God. Thus, the presence of and their attitude in this narrative is an attempt by the evangelist to point out another type of blindness more serious than that of the sick man (they were spiritually blind).
d) The parents of the sick man: although they acknowledged that their son was born blind, but they were unable to stand their ground to openly profess their faith in the source of his healing knowing that it came from Jesus. They rather played a game of pushing the response to their son on the ground that he is an adult. They did this because of an ulterior motive of maintaining their place in the synagogue. Thus, they represent a set of persons who are much concerned with their position than the truth, and those who prefer to bow to religious leaders but in truth do not have fear of God in them.
LIFE MESSAGE1. OUR WORLD LIVES IN CULTURAL BLINDNESS:
Our culture has become so anesthetized to violence, encourage perverse sexual orientation in the name of freedom, advance the science of destructive practices such as embryonic stem-cell research, justifies homosexual “marriages,” and defends euthanasia as human right. What more can we say about cultural blindness? We live a culture that enjoys false media, normalize immorality and all forms of perversion that destroy the faith. We need the healing of Jesus.
2. INDIFFERENCE TO THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS:
It was obvious that many of those who surrounded the blind man healed by Jesus were indifferent. They preferred that he remain a blind begger and dependent on their mercy. It was a difficult thing for them to rejoice that the fellow was saved from a pain he had had to live with right from birth. We often find it difficult to appreciate the good things that come to others, and we are good at passing judgement and quick interpretations over them. Indifference is form of blindness, and the root causes of this blindness are, self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits and hardness of heart.
3. WE NEED THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS
“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” This is one of the soul moving hymns that has survived the test of time maybe because it is a life changing narrative of a man saved from the darkness of sin, John Newton.
There is something in each one of us that needs healing. We cannot pretend to be totally fine. Therefore I invite those who wish to hear Jesus say, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” to be free with the Spirit as the amazing grace of God flows once again:
“Through many dangers, tools and snares,
I have already come;
This grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”
PRAYER
Be close to us your people o Lord, for we count as nothing without you. Let your light shine in our lives for a total miraculous restoration. Amen.
PAX VOBIS!
FIRST READING: 1 Samuel 16 :1.6-7.10-13
CONTEXT
After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel had another phase of history under the leadership of the judges (men of integrity who played roles as military leaders before the period of monarchy) thus having Othniel as the first judge (Jgs. 3:7-11). Samuel (the last of the judges) within the years of his leadership succeeded in forming a confederation among the twelve tribes. But despite his leadership capacity and the interventions of Yahweh in the defence of the people against external forces, they rather preferred to be like the pagan nations who they judged to enjoy kings and political security. Their request to have their own king got Samuel disappointed, and Yahweh felt rejected by the people He loved. Finally, He granted them Saul as their first king (1030 BC). Though successful in many battles, Saul offended God, and the kingship was taken from him. It is Yahweh’s rejection of Saul that opens the page of the first reading of today. Prompted by Yahweh, Samuel left for Bethlehem to anoint the next king according the heart of Yahweh.
The description of God’s choice of David over his brothers is a tale of human blindness and their inability to see spiritual truth as God sees it. Divine wisdom searches the soul, knowing every thoughts of the mind and those who will live as children of the Light. Samuel almost lost sight of this Light. But Yahweh did not hesitate to remind him that His vision goes deeper than outward appearances. Hence, David who was the least among his brothers and “the almost forgotten in the choice of his father” became the greatest in the list of God whose criterion of judgement is the heart and not the physique. The Spirit that seized David was a mark of God’s presence in him and a pledge of success in his future mission as king over his people.
SECOND READING: Ephesians 5:8-14
From his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul tries to make a contrast between the time before baptism and that of after baptism as a movement from darkness into the fulness of light in Christ. He tells the Ephesians that formally they were in darkness but thanks to the ritual bath they now have the light of the Lord. He insists that once exposed to this light, they must avoid the deeds of darkness that doesn’t allow the ‘seeds of light’ grow and produce. Thus they must bear the ‘fruit of light’ that is found in all that is good, right and true. Like the Ephesians, our sharing in the light-life of Christ must be reflected in the way we live. There should be no dark corners in our lives. No hypocritical style of living. We are children of the Light and that we must allow to shine in the darkness that surrounds the world around us. But not enough. We also have the obligation to expose the works of darkness. It is a light that must be set in action, that is why St. Paul calls us to wake up from slumber in order to have the fulness of Christ’s light.
GOSPEL: John 9:1-41
The Gospel places us in a time and context whereby physical impairments (and others) such as blindness were considered as a consequence of spiritual or moral deviance, thus generating social and religious segregation. The physical healing of the blind man and eventually his coming into faith is a clear expression of the essence of miracle that is, its interconnection with salvation. It is one of the Gospels carefully selected and read in the early Church during the rite of christian initiation at Easter vigil.
THREE THINGS THAT CHARACTERIZE THE HEALING PERFORMED BY JESUS:
1. Unlike many other passages whereby the sick persons themselves or friends, family members or even masters in the case of servants approached Jesus for healing, but the healing of this man was exclusively the initiative of Jesus. This simply underlines the boundless nature of God’s love who intervenes in the life of his people even when they do not merit it.
2. It was on a Sabbath. This is another strong effort from the evangelist to affirm the divinity of Christ. It is only God who is not a subject to any law because He is the owner of the universe and all that it contains. It equally shows the providential character of God who beats time, day and place to make sure that he provides for his people.
3. The gesture of healing with spittle and sand: In the ancient world, saliva (which contains anti-bacteria) was held strongly to have a healing property especially in ophthalmic (connected with the eye) and skin conditions. By the use of this gesture, Jesus simply tells the man, “I give you that which is part of me.” Not only that. Jesus equally broke the social barrier that might have existed between this man and others as a result of his condition through the symbolic act.
TWO CATEGORIES OF PERSONS IN THE WHOLE NARRATIVE:
1. The first category is the sick man. Situations of suffering especially the ones that have social consequences can generate desperation and make one to settle for any type of solution, but that is not the case here. The gradual unfolding of his story shows that he has a faith-filled disposition for healing. Without knowing Jesus, yet he trusted in the voice that told him to go and wash in the pool of siloam. And did something extra: he did not just go to wash. He equally came back. It is a sign of a new journey of discovery and search for intimacy with Jesus. This is evidenced in his gradual formulation of a credo:
“The man called Jesus told me…” (v.11)
“He is a prophet” (v.17)
He is from God (v.33)
He said, “Lord, I believe”, and worshipped Him (v.38). And as a sign of a new life in Jesus, he stood his ground and defended Him before the Pharisees (v. 27-33) even to the point of being expelled from the synagogue (v.34).
2. The second category of persons:
a) The disciples of Jesus: ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’ By this question, John the author of this Gospel and part of this group by this indicates that although they had been with Jesus for quite a long time but they were yet to log into his mind. In other words, they were still sharing some erroneous beliefs of the people of their time. Hence, they too need conversion.
b) The neighbours to the sick man: When these saw that he has received his sight, they expressed doubt. They were filled with awe, but not an awe led by faith but an awe led by prejudice. They refused to see him beyond the blind man that they were used to. For this, they remained indifferent and settled with ‘he looks like him’ syndrome. Hence, they are true image of those who do not welcome change in the life of others.
c) The Pharisees: The Pharisees bluntly refused to accept the miracle even when the confirmed from the parents that the man was born blind for two reasons: a) Because of their pride and hatred for Jesus so as not to give him credit. That is why even all attempts to disprove it failed, they told the man, ‘Give glory to God! But as for this man, he is a sinner’ (v.24): b). the second reason is linked to their blind interpretation of the Law. They have always subjected God to the sabbath rest which is a literary understanding of God who rested on the seventh day () forgetting that God who created the universe cannot stop governing the universe, and that He is free to do whatever He likes and whenever He likes which the evangelist affirmed in the person of Jesus as God. Thus, the presence of and their attitude in this narrative is an attempt by the evangelist to point out another type of blindness more serious than that of the sick man (they were spiritually blind).
d) The parents of the sick man: although they acknowledged that their son was born blind, but they were unable to stand their ground to openly profess their faith in the source of his healing knowing that it came from Jesus. They rather played a game of pushing the response to their son on the ground that he is an adult. They did this because of an ulterior motive of maintaining their place in the synagogue. Thus, they represent a set of persons who are much concerned with their position than the truth, and those who prefer to bow to religious leaders but in truth do not have fear of God in them.
LIFE MESSAGE1. OUR WORLD LIVES IN CULTURAL BLINDNESS:
Our culture has become so anesthetized to violence, encourage perverse sexual orientation in the name of freedom, advance the science of destructive practices such as embryonic stem-cell research, justifies homosexual “marriages,” and defends euthanasia as human right. What more can we say about cultural blindness? We live a culture that enjoys false media, normalize immorality and all forms of perversion that destroy the faith. We need the healing of Jesus.
2. INDIFFERENCE TO THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS:
It was obvious that many of those who surrounded the blind man healed by Jesus were indifferent. They preferred that he remain a blind begger and dependent on their mercy. It was a difficult thing for them to rejoice that the fellow was saved from a pain he had had to live with right from birth. We often find it difficult to appreciate the good things that come to others, and we are good at passing judgement and quick interpretations over them. Indifference is form of blindness, and the root causes of this blindness are, self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits and hardness of heart.
3. WE NEED THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS
“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” This is one of the soul moving hymns that has survived the test of time maybe because it is a life changing narrative of a man saved from the darkness of sin, John Newton.
There is something in each one of us that needs healing. We cannot pretend to be totally fine. Therefore I invite those who wish to hear Jesus say, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” to be free with the Spirit as the amazing grace of God flows once again:
“Through many dangers, tools and snares,
I have already come;
This grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”
PRAYER
Be close to us your people o Lord, for we count as nothing without you. Let your light shine in our lives for a total miraculous restoration. Amen.
PAX VOBIS!
4th Sunday of Lent Year A, March 22, 2020
| First reading |
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| 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13 © |
David is anointed by Samuel
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands there before him,’ but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him: God does not see as man sees: man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
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The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
| Second reading |
|---|
| Ephesians 5:8-14 © |
Anything exposed by the light will turn into light
You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said:
Wake up from your sleep,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
| Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
|---|
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
| Gospel | John 9:1-41 © |
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The blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored
As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’ ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
‘As long as the day lasts
I must carry out the work of the one who sent me;
the night will soon be here when no one can work.
As long as I am in the world
I am the light of the world.’
Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.
His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.
They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’
So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.
Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.
Jesus said:
‘It is for judgement
that I have come into this world,
so that those without sight may see
and those with sight turn blind.’
Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’ Jesus replied:
‘Blind? If you were,
you would not be guilty,
but since you say, “We see,”
your guilt remains.’
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary March 19 2020
Reading 12 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.’”
“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 Psalm89:2-3, 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.
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 2ROM 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.
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 GospelPS 84:5
Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you.
they never cease to praise you.
GospelMT 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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Stations of the Cross
At this time in Lent we are privileged to be able to Pray the Stations of the Cross. So I have provided you with a link to the prayer and copied it and put up here. I found this at Our Lady's Warriors;
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