Saturday - April 06, 2019
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”
--St. Thomas Aquinas
“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”
--St. Thomas Aquinas
April 6 2019
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 249
Reading 1JER 11:18-20
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more."
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more."
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
Responsorial PsalmPS 7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12
R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion's prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion's prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Verse Before The GospelSEE LK 8:15
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
GospelJN 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."
Then each went to his own house.
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."
Then each went to his own house.
******************************
What does holy vengeance look like?
Whenever we feel disbelieved, misunderstood or falsely accused, we can find comfort in knowing that Jesus suffered the same mistreatment, as we see in Saturday's Gospel reading (and which was foreshadowed in Saturday's first reading). The comfort comes when we thank Christ for the pains he endured for our sake and then offer our pains to him as a gift of solidarity with his mission.
Remember, he suffered so that we could be healed. That was his mission. He suffered so that we could be rescued from the destruction of our sins and have access to eternal life with our Father. He withstood rejection and false accusations so that you and I could enjoy the benefits of heaven even while we're still on earth.
Our sufferings should not be wasted in self-pity. Rather, by offering them to Jesus as a gift of solidarity, we discover meaning and value in our crosses.
In the responsorial Psalm for Saturday, we pray: "God, I take refuge in you!" We cry out for justice. As the final verse of the first reading says, "Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause!"
What kind of vengeance is this? Didn't Jesus say we should do good to our enemies? Yes he certainly did and, at the same time, he fulfilled the cry for vengeance. God's vengeance is not revenge for the sake of getting even, nor does he take delight in seeing that our enemies finally get what they deserve.
God's vengeance is an act of love; it works like this:
"The choice is yours. I offer you salvation. I offer you hope and love and freedom from the misery caused by your own sinfulness. Let me rescue you, but if you continue to reject my offer, you will continue to suffer from your self-destructive ways, and this could lead to a total and complete death."
As followers of Christ, we live in true faith by continuing his mission in today's modern world. As you fulfill your mission, you will be persecuted. You will be misunderstood. You will be rejected. But by imitating Christ whenever this happens, your faith will grow. And if the mistreatment continues despite all efforts to bring Christ's peace and healing to the relationship, you will see God's vengeance. It looks like this:
"The choice is yours," you will say with your actions as you turn away from their sin and turn to Jesus. "I will walk away from your abuses, but I will continue to love you and care about you. I will pray for your salvation. I will be like Jesus for you so that you see the God who can rescue you from your sins. And the pains you cause me I will unite to the sufferings that Jesus endured for your sake. What you do with this gift is up to you."
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment