Thursday - March 17, 2022TODAY'S READINGS
THURSDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT
Lectionary: 233
Jer 17:5-10
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds.
Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Verse Before the Gospel Lk 8:15
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Gospel Lk 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.’”
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TO WHOM DO YOU RUN FIRST?
When you need God, to where do you run? If you're feeling lonely, do you seek a friend first or do you immediately crawl into God's lap? If someone hurts you, do you demand an apology before you ask Jesus to kiss your wound?
If your car breaks down, do you call a tow truck before you pray for God's protection and help? If you need to buy something expensive and you don't have enough money, do you put it on your credit card or do you seek God's will about the wisdom of buying this particular product at this particular time?
It's hard to train ourselves to seek first the Kingdom of God, but this is an important door-opener for blessings. Today's first reading tells us that we are "cursed" when we trust in anyone and anything other than God.
What does he mean by "cursed"? Insufficiently cared for. Lacking God's all and everything.
No one but God can ever give us enough of what we need -- no one else can give us enough love, enough hope, enough faith, enough help, enough attention, enough reliable guidance, enough patience, enough kindness, enough understanding, or anything else that we need.
Thus, we are like that barren bush that Jeremiah mentioned. We're stranded in the desert, we're hot and thirsty and wilting. But...
Blessed are we when we trust in the Lord, running to him first, even though things look bleak or impossible, for with God nothing is impossible.
Blessed are we when we live like the tree that grows beside the waters, for we're nourished by God's love and power.
Blessed are we for stretching out our roots to the stream, for we grow close to God's heart, and thus we don't fear the heat when it comes, because we know that God's love will overcome any problems that threaten to overwhelm us.
Our leaves stay green; we don't wither from the lack of other people's love and approval. In the year of drought, when everything seems to be going wrong, we don't worry about what we don't have, because our joy comes from that place in our souls where our friendship with God thrives. Our faith still bears good fruits. By waiting upon the Lord and relying upon his guidance, whatever we do, prospers (as it adds in today's responsorial Psalm).
Good always results from running first to God. Only he can give us fully the love and help and affirmation that we wish we could get from others. Only in God do we receive full healing for our woundedness and the total love that fills every hole in our lives.
Today’s Prayer
Deliver me, Lord, from the devil's deceits that distract me from my need for You. Give me an alert heart to discover Your presence in my neighbors and in my everyday life. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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