SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - April 09, 2022

 

Saturday - April 09, 2022 

The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory. In taking upon himself the death that he found in us, he has most faithfully promised to give us life in him, such as we cannot have of ourselves.

– St. Augustine

April 9, 2022

SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

Lectionary: 256

 

Reading 1                                                    

                                                                        Ez 37:21-28

 

Thus says the Lord GOD:

I will take the children of Israel from among the nations

to which they have come,

and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.

I will make them one nation upon the land,

in the mountains of Israel,

and there shall be one prince for them all.

Never again shall they be two nations,

and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.

 

No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,

their abominations, and all their transgressions.

I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy,

and cleanse them so that they may be my people

and I may be their God.

My servant David shall be prince over them,

and there shall be one shepherd for them all;

they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.

They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,

the land where their fathers lived;

they shall live on it forever,

they, and their children, and their children’s children,

with my servant David their prince forever.

I will make with them a covenant of peace;

it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,

and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.

My dwelling shall be with them;

I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD,

who make Israel holy,

when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

 

R.        (see 10d)  The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,

            proclaim it on distant isles, and say:

He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,

            he guards them as a shepherd his flock.

R.        The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

The LORD shall ransom Jacob,

            he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.

Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,

            they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings:

The grain, the wine, and the oil,

            the sheep and the oxen.

R.        The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,

            and young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourning into joy,

            I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.

R.        The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

Verse Before the Gospel                                      Ez 18:31                    

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,

and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 11:45-56

 

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary

and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.

But some of them went to the Pharisees

and told them what Jesus had done.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees

convened the Sanhedrin and said,

“What are we going to do?

This man is performing many signs.

If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,

and the Romans will come

and take away both our land and our nation.”

But one of them, Caiaphas,

who was high priest that year, said to them,

“You know nothing,

nor do you consider that it is better for you

that one man should die instead of the people,

so that the whole nation may not perish.”

He did not say this on his own,

but since he was high priest for that year,

he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,

and not only for the nation,

but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.

So from that day on they planned to kill him.

 

So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews,

but he left for the region near the desert,

to a town called Ephraim,

and there he remained with his disciples.

 

Now the Passover of the Jews was near,

and many went up from the country to Jerusalem

before Passover to purify themselves.

They looked for Jesus and said to one another

as they were in the temple area, “What do you think?

That he will not come to the feast?”

 

**********************************

 

Persecution for the Gospel

Opening Prayer: Jesus, be with me today as I read and meditate on your words in Scripture. I dedicate this time to the members of my family who do not believe in you and ask you for graces for their conversion.

Encountering Christ: 

1. Jesus Divides: The presence of Jesus among the Jews divided them. Many of them who had come to Mary and witnessed Lazarus rising from the dead began to believe. Others didn’t. They sought out the Pharisees, hoping most likely to put a halt to Jesus’ miracles and preaching. This same kind of division occurs today, in our society and in our families. When believers in Jesus share their enthusiasm with adult children, for example, the result is sometimes fractious contention. Why? We can ask ourselves if our approach was overzealous or insensitive (too much too soon), if we felt threatened by their disbelief (How could they abandon what we’ve worked so hard to teach them?), or if there was any arrogance or self-righteousness on our part. Any of these elements in our manner are likely to cause division instead of faith-sharing. The best way to share the faith is to live the Gospel truths and use words when necessary. 

2. The Sanhedrin: Jesus’ ministry had grown from grassroots, person-to-person, into a political problem for the Jews governed by Rome. He had become so popular that the Pharisees and Sadducees convened the Sanhedrin, which had civil, religious, and criminal jurisdiction. Ironically, Caiaphas, the high priest, prophesied that Jesus would die for the sake of the nation. And they planned to kill him. Did any of these political leaders question this seemingly rash decision to kill Jesus? Only Nicodemus—and he slipped out at night to interview Jesus privately. As disciples of Christ, we are called to be courageous in standing for the truth—in the public square, at our jobs, and in our families. “God's love calls us to move beyond fear. We ask God for the courage to abandon ourselves unreservedly so that we might be molded by God's grace, even as we cannot see where that path may lead us” (St. Ignatius Loyola).

3. Will He Not Come?: Political and religious tensions peaked just as the Passover was beginning in Jerusalem. Many Jews went early to perform the required cleansing rituals, and we can imagine them speculating, even gossiping about whether the controversy would keep Jesus away. The Pharisees had given orders to turn Jesus over to the authorities, but the people were fascinated by Christ. Word about Lazarus had spread. Into this cauldron of sentiment, Jesus not only came to the feast but rode in on a donkey and was received as a king. The crowds sang, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” In his omniscience, Jesus knew exactly what was at risk and entered Jerusalem to begin his Passion anyway. Love for each one of us was his sole motivation.

Conversing with Christ: It sometimes feels like I am surrounded by unbelievers like the Pharisees who object to my “religion.” Jesus, you show me how to respond as I consider the tensions and objections raised against your preaching and miracles. I am to be humble and loving, calm and truthful. I know I can count on the Holy Spirit in those moments for inspiration. Thank you for the personal relationship we share. May I be an effective witness to your love.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray “Come Holy Spirit” whenever I feel tension or sadness.

-----------------------------

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”