February 2010 - Bible Diary
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BIBLE DIARY 2010
Liturgical Readings and Reflections
| February 2010 |
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January ♦ February ♦ March ♦ April ♦ May ♦ June ♦ July
August ♦ September ♦ October ♦ November ♦ December
4th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 2 S 15:13–14, 30; 16:5–13*
A messenger came to report to David that the Israelites were siding with Absalom. Then David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Let us flee, for we cannot resist Absalom. …
David himself went up the Mount of Olives, weeping. He was barefooted and had his head covered, and all the people who were with him had their heads covered and wept as they went.
When King David came to Bahurim, a man from the clan of Saul’s family named Shimei, son of Gera, came out cursing him. He threw stones at David and his officers although the king’s men and warriors flanked the king…. Shimei said… “Go away! Go away! You …good-for-nothing! Yahweh has brought down on your head all the blood of the family of Saul. You became king in his place, but God has now placed the kingdom in the hands of your son Absalom. … David said to Abishai and his officers, “If my own son wants to kill me, how much more this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse me if Yahweh has ordered him to do so. … So David and his men went their way while Shimei, following on the hillside opposite him, continued to curse as he threw stones and flung dust at him.
►Gospel: Mk 5:1–20*
Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of the lake in the region of the Gerasenes. No sooner did Jesus leave the boat than he was met by a man with evil spirits who had come from the tombs. He lived among the tombs and no one could restrain him, even with a chain. He had often been bound with fetters and chains but he would pull the chains apart and smash the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. …
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell at his feet and cried with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? For God’s sake I beg you, do not torment me.” He said this because Jesus had commanded, “Come out of the man, evil spirit.” …
Now, a great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside, and the evil spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs and let us go into them.” So Jesus let them go. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs, and immediately the herd rushed down the cliff and all were drowned in the lake. The herdsmen fled and reported this …so all the people came to see what had happened.
They came to Jesus and saw the man freed of the evil spirits sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the same man who had been possessed by the legion. They were afraid. And when those who had seen it told what had happened to the man and to the pigs, the people begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood.
When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to stay with him. Jesus would not let him and said, “Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” So he went throughout the country of Decapolis telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were astonished.
REFLECTION
“So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.”
Conversion is both a grace and an obligation.
It’s actually very easy to get accustomed to evil.
Neither the man with the mental illness
nor the people of the town
really wanted things to change.
They simply wanted to complain about them.
But conversion is about really living differently.
Presentation of the Lord
►1st Reading: Mal 3:1–4
Now I am sending my messenger ahead of me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says Yahweh of hosts. Who can bear the day of his coming and remain standing when he appears? For he will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.
He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So Yahweh will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then Yahweh will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.
►2nd Reading: Heb 2:14–18
And because all those children share one same nature of flesh and blood, Jesus likewise had to share this nature. This is why his death destroyed the one holding the power of death, that is the devil, and freed those who remained in bondage all their lifetime because of the fear of death.
Jesus came to take by the hand not the angels but the human race. So he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every respect, in order to be the High Priest faithful to God and merciful to them, a priest able to ask pardon and atone for their sins. Having been tested through suffering, he is able to help those who are tested.
►Gospel: Lk 2:22–32 (or Lk 2:22–40)
When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law.
Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see.
Here is the light you will reveal to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”
REFLECTION
“There was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem....
The Holy Spirit was with him....
Simeon took the child in his arms and gave thanks to God....
There was a very old prophet, a widow named Anna....
That very same hour she arrived and gave thanks to God and spoke
about the child to all who were waiting for God to set Jerusalem free.”
Every one of us is called,
is empowered–
both women and men–
to preach the coming of Jesus
to the world.
In fact, every one of us is obligated
to make the God we know,
known to others.
4th Week in Ordinary Time
Blasé / Ansgar
►1st Reading: 2 S 24:2, 9–17
The king said to Joab and the commanders of the army who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people that I may know how many they are.”
Joab gave the total count of the people to the king: eight hundred thousand sword-wielding warriors in Israel and five hundred thousand men in Judah.
But after he had the people counted, David felt remorse and said to Yahweh, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done, but now, O Yahweh, I ask you to forgive my sin for I have acted foolishly.”
The following day, before David awoke, Yahweh’s word had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, “Go, and give David this message: I offer you three things and I will let one of them befall you according to your own choice.” So Gad went to David and asked him, “Do you want three years of famine in your land? Or do you want to be pursued for three months by your foes while you flee from them? Or do you want three days’ pestilence in your land? Now, think and decide what answer I shall give him who sent me.”
David answered Gad, “I am greatly troubled. Let me fall into the hands of Yahweh whose mercy is abundant; but let me not fall into human hands.”
So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel from morning until the appointed time, causing the death of seventy thousand men from Dan to Beersheba. When the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh would punish no more and said to the angel who was causing destruction among the people, “It is enough, hold back your hand.” The angel of Yahweh was already at the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel striking the people, he spoke to Yahweh and said, “I have sinned and acted wickedly, but these are only the sheep; what have they done? Let your hand strike me and my father’s family.”
►Gospel: Mk 6:1–6
Jesus returned to his own country, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of those who heard him were astonished. They commented, “How did this come to him? What kind of wisdom has been given to him that he also performs such miracles? Who is he but the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joset and Judas and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here among us?” So they took offense at him.
And Jesus said to them, “Prophets are despised only in their own country, among their relatives and in their own family.” And he could work no miracles there, but only healed a few sick people by laying his hands on them. Jesus himself was astounded at their unbelief. Jesus then went around the villages teaching.
REFLECTION
“Prophets are respected everywhere but in their own hometown
and by their relatives and their family. He was not able to perform any miracles there.”
The healings that happen in our life
are as much a part of our readiness
to be healed
as it is of the holiness of the healer.
It is up to us to see goodness,
where we find it
and to open our hearts to it.
4th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 1 K 2:1–4, 10–12
When David was about to die, he gave his son Solomon this instruction, “I am about to go the way of all creatures. Be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the commandments of Yahweh your God and walk in his ways. Keep his statutes, his commands, his ordinances and declarations written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do and wherever you go. If you do so, Yahweh will fulfill the promise he made to me: ‘If your sons take care to walk before me faithfully with their whole heart and their whole soul, you shall always have one of your descendants on the throne of Israel.’
Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. David reigned over Israel for forty years: seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father and his reign was firmly established.
►Gospel: Mk 6:7–13
Jesus called the Twelve to him and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits. And he ordered them to take nothing for the journey except a staff; no food, no bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic.
And he added, “In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place. If any place doesn’t receive you and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them.”
So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them.
REFLECTION
“Don’t take anything on the trip except a walking stick.”
Our task in life is,
like Jesus,
to go about doing good
without demanding great reward for doing it.
We are to give our lives without expecting
more than our keep.
Doing the work of Jesus
is our responsibility now.
4th Week in Ordinary Time
Agatha
►1st Reading: Sir 47:2–11
As fat is selected from the peace offering, so David was chosen from among the Israelites.
He played with lions and bears as if they were lambs or young goats.
He was still young when he slew a giant to restore the honor of his people; with a sling he aimed a stone that killed the arrogant Goliath.
He invoked the Lord Most High, who gave him strength to slay a mighty warrior, and so exalt the power of his people.
So they glorified him for his ten thousands and praised him as a blessing from the Lord when he was chosen king.
For he wiped out his enemies on all sides and annihilated his adversaries, the Philistines, crushing their power forever.
In all that he did he gave thanks to the Most High, and showed his love for his Maker by singing with all his heart.
He placed singers accompanied by harps before the altar to make beautiful music; he gave splendor to feasts and even greater mag-nificence to the more solemn occasions, exalting the holy Name of the Lord and having the sanctuary ring with his praises from early morning.
The Lord forgave David’s sins and established his power forever; he made a covenant with him for the benefit of the kings and gave him a glorious throne in Israel.
►Gospel: Mk 6:14–29*(completed)
King Herod also heard about Jesus because his name had become well-known. Some people said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Others thought, “He is Eli-jah,” and others, “He is a prophet like the prophets of times past.” When Herod was told of this, he thought: “I had John beheaded, yet he has risen from the dead!”
For this is what had happened. Herod had ordered John to be arrested and had him bound and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her and John had told him, “It is not right for you to live with your brother’s wife.” So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because Herod respected John. He knew John to be an upright and holy man and kept him safe. And he liked listening to him, although he became very disturbed whenever he heard him.
Herodias had her chance on Herod’s birthday, when he gave a dinner for all the senior government officials, military chiefs and the leaders of Galilee. On that occasion the daughter of Herodias came in and danced; and she delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.” And he went so far as to say with many oaths, “I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.” She went out to consult her mother, “What shall I ask for?” The mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried to the king and made her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist, here and now, on a dish.”
The king was very displeased, but he would not refuse in front of his guests because of his oaths. So he sent one of the bodyguards with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded John in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and buried it.
REFLECTION
“When Herod heard about (Jesus’ reputation), he said,
“‘He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life.’”
Some things in life
cannot be avoided.
Then, when all attempts
to change them have been exhausted,
we must begin to ask ourselves
what of God is in this for us.
4th Week in Ordinary Time
Paul Mikki and Companions
►1st Reading: 1 K 3:4–13
The king used to sacrifice at Gibeon, the great high place; on the altar there he had offered a thousand burnt offerings. It was in Gibeon, during the night, that Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “You have shown your servant David my father a great and steadfast love because he served you faithfully and was righteous and sincere towards you. You have given him proof of your steadfast love in making a son of his sit on his throne this day. And now, O Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a young boy who does not know how to undertake anything. Meantime, your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen – a people so great that they can neither be numbered nor counted.
Give me, therefore, an understanding mind in governing your people that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this multitude of people of yours?”
Yahweh was pleased that Solomon had made this request. And he told him, “Because you have requested this rather than long life or wealth or even vengeance on your enemies; indeed, because you have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I shall grant you your request. I now give you a wise and discerning mind such as no one has had before you nor anyone after you shall ever have.
“I will also give you what you have not asked for, both wealth and fame; and no king shall be your equal during your lifetime.
►Gospel: Mk 6:30–34
The apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, “Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest.” For there were so many people coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.
But people saw them leaving and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them.
As Jesus went ashore he saw a large crowd, and he had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began a long teaching session with them.
REFLECTION
“When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd
and his heart was filled with pity for them for they were like sheep without a shepherd.”
There is no one
on whom someone does not depend.
Meeting those needs,
responding to those people
no matter how tired we are ourselves
is the ministry of meaning
that makes up a life.
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Is 6:1–2a, 3–8
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; the train of his robe filled the Temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: two to cover the face, two to cover the feet, and two to fly with.
They were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh Sabaoth.
All the earth is filled with his Glory!”
At the sound of their voices the foundations of the threshold shook and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said, “Poor me! I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips, and yet I have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me; in his hands was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said,
“See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” I answered, “Here I am. Send me!”
►2nd Reading: 1 Cor 15:1–11 (or 1 Cor 15:3–8, 11)
Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you and which you received and on which you stand firm. By that Gospel you are saved, provided that you hold to it as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.
In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received: that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. Afterwards he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest. Then he appeared to James and after that to all the apostles. And last of all, he appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me. For I am the last of the apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been without fruit. Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although not I, rather the grace of God in me.
Now, whether it was I or they, this we preach and this you have believed.
►Gospel: Lk 5:1–11
One day, as Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, with a crowd gathered around him listening to the word of God, he caught sight of two boats left at the water’s edge by the fishermen now washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a little from the shore. There he sat and continued to teach the crowd.
When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will lower the nets.” This they did and caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats almost to the point of sinking.
Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and his companions were amazed at the catch they had made and so were Simon’s partners, James and John, Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. You will catch people from now on.” So they brought their boats to land and followed him, leaving everything.
REFLECTION
”‘Master’, Simon answered, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing.
But if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ They let them down
and caught such a large number of fish that the nets were about to break.’”
When we work for our own profit alone,
we work in vain.
When we work
in order to bring the reign of God,
–when we do the work that Jesus did–
God blesses that effort
whether we realize it or not.
5th Week in Ordinary Time
Jerome Emiliani / Josephine Bakhita
►1st Reading: 1 K 8:1–7, 9–13
Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, as well as the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, to bring up the ark of the cove-nant of Yahweh from the city of David, which is Zion.
All the Israelites assembled near King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests carried the ark of Yahweh and brought it up together with the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that were in the tent. After the priests and Levites had brought them up, King Solomon with the entire congregation of Israel that had assembled before him and were with him before the Ark, sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could neither be counted nor numbered. Then the priests laid the ark of the covenant of Yahweh in its place in the inner sanctuary of the House – the Most Holy Place – under-neath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark, providing a covering above the ark and its poles.
There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses placed there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, such a cloud filled Yahweh’s House that the priests could not continue to minister. Indeed, the glory of Yahweh filled his House.
Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. So the House I have built you will be your House, a place for you to dwell in forever.”
►Gospel: Mk 6:53–56
Having crossed the lake, they came ashore at Gennesaret where they tied up the boat. As soon as they landed, people recognized Jesus and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside. Wherever he was they brought to him the sick lying on their mats. And wherever he went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace and begged him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were cured.
REFLECTION
“People recognized Jesus at once. So they ran throughout the whole region
and wherever they heard he was, they brought to him the sick
lying on their mats.”
To be recognized
for doing good works
is the life purpose
of every follower of Jesus,
both then and now.
5th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 1 K 8:1–7, 9–13
Solomon stood before the altar of Yahweh in the presence of all the assembly of Israel. He raised his hands towards heaven and said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, there is no God like you either in heaven or on earth! You keep your covenant and show loving- kindness to your servants who walk before you wholeheartedly.
But will God really live among people on earth? If neither heavens nor the highest heavens can contain you, how much less can this House which I have built!
Yet, listen to the prayer and supplication of your servant, O Yahweh my God; hearken to the cries and pleas which your servant directs to you this day. Watch over this House of which you have said, ‘My name shall rest there.’ Hear the prayer of your servant in this place.
Listen to the supplication of your servant and your people Israel when they pray in this direction; listen from your dwelling place in heaven and, on listening, forgive.
►Gospel: Mk 7:1–13*(completed)
One day the Pharisees gathered around Jesus and with them were some teachers of the Law who had just come from Jerusalem.
They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. Now the Pharisees, and in fact, all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. Nor do they eat anything when they come from the market without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe, for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates.
So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?”
Jesus answered, “You, shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules. You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”
And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandment of God in order to implant your own tradition. For example, Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and: Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death. But according to you someone could say to his father or mother: ‘I already declared Corban, which means “offered to God,” what you could have expected from me.’ In this case, you no longer let him do anything for a father or mother. So you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”
REFLECTION
“These people honor me with their words but their heart is really far away from me.
It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules
as though they were my laws!”
It is not simply in keeping the laws
of an institution that sanctifies us;
it is keeping good laws that matters.
And good law, Jesus is clear,
is what makes both love of God
and love of neighbor
plain for all to see.
5th Week in Ordinary Time
Scholastica
►1st Reading: 1 K 10:1–10
The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon’s fame, and came to test him with difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a vast retinue and with camels loaded with spices, an abundance of gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she told him all that she had on her mind and Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing that the king could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food on his table, the residence of his officials, the attendance of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings which he offered at Yahweh’s House, it left her breathless.
Then she said to the king, “All that I heard in my own land concerning you and your wisdom was true. But I did not believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. And what did I see! I was told only half the story; for your wisdom and wealth surpass the report I heard.
Fortunate are your wives! Fortunate are your servants who are ever in your presence and hear your wisdom! Blessed be Yahweh your God, who has looked kindly on you and has put you on the throne of Israel! Because of Yahweh’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so that you may dispense justice and righteousness.”
Then she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in abundance, and precious stones. Such an abundance of spices as those which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon was never again seen.
►Gospel: Mk 7:14–23
Jesus called the people to him again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and try to understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes out from within that makes one unclean. Let everyone who has ears listen.” When Jesus got home and was away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this saying and he replied, “So even you are dull? Do you not see that whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean? Since it enters, not the heart but the stomach and is finally passed out.” Thus Jesus declared that all foods are clean. And he went on, “What comes out of a person is what defiles, for evil designs come out of the heart: theft, murder, adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness, deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.”
REFLECTION
“From the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas that lead you to do evil things...
Why we do what we do
is the key to holiness and right living.
No amount of ritual
can substitute for a pure heart,
a life full of love,
a soul bent on God.
Our Lady of Lourdes
World Day of the Sick
►1st Reading: 1 K 11:4–13
In Solomon’s old age, his wives led him astray to serve other gods and, unlike his father David, his heart was no longer wholly given to Yahweh his God. For he served Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites. He did what displeased Yahweh and, unlike his father David, was unfaithful to him. Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem and also for Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
Yahweh became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel. Yahweh appeared to him twice and commanded him not to follow other gods. But he did not obey Yahweh’s command. There-fore, Yahweh said to Solomon, “Since this has been your choice and you have kept neither my Covenant nor the statutes I commanded you, I will take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Neverthe-less, I will not do this during your lifetime for the sake of your father David; I will take it from your son. But I will not take it all; I will reserve one tribe for your son for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen.”
►Gospel: Mk 7:24–30
Jesus went to the border of the Tyrian country. There he entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not remain hidden. A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of him and came and fell at his feet. Now this woman was a pagan, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she replied, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.” Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a reply the demon has gone out of your daughter.” And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed and the demon gone.
REFLECTION
“Because of that answer,
go home where you will find that the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
In blessing the foreigner,
the woman not Jewish like Himself,
Jesus calls all of us to realize
that we are called to be blessing
to the entire world,
not simply to those
of our own race, nation, color or religion.
5th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 1 K 11:29–32; 12:19
Once, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahi-jah of Shiloh found him on the road. The two of them were alone in the open country when Ahijah, who had a new garment on, clutched and tore it into twelve pieces. He then said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself for this is the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hands to give you ten tribes. Only one tribe shall be left to him for the sake of my servant David and Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to the present time.
►Gospel: Mk 7:31–37
Again Jesus set out; from the country of Tyre, passed through Sidon and, skirting the sea of Galilee, he came to the territory of Decapolis. There a deaf man who also had difficulty in speaking was brought to him. They asked Jesus to lay his hand upon him.
Jesus took him apart from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then, looking up to heaven, he groaned and said to him, “Ephphetha,” that is, “Be opened.”
And his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly. Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone, but the more he insisted on this, the more they proclaimed it. The people were completely astonished and said, “He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”
REFLECTION
“At once the man began to hear, his speech impediment
was removed and he began to talk without any trouble.”
When we begin to really hear
what Jesus is saying
we, too, are driven to speak
the Word of God
in new and different ways,
with compassion, with conviction, with courage.
5th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: 1 K 12:26–32; 13:33–34
Jeroboam thought, “The kingdom could return to the house of David. Should this people go up to offer sacrifices in Yahweh’s House in Jerusalem, their heart would turn again to their master, Rehoboam king of Judah. They would kill me and go back to him.”
And so the king sought advice and made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” He put one of these in Bethel, the other in Dan. And so Jeroboam made the people sin; the people went as far as Dan to accompany one of them.
Jeroboam also built temples on high places, appointing priests who were not from the Levites. Jeroboam also appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in imitation of the feast in Judah, and he himself offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel and sacrificed to the calves that he had made; there he placed priests for the high places he had made.
After this, however, Jeroboam did not abstain from doing evil. Instead he made priests for the high places from among the people; he consecrated anyone who wanted to be a priest for the high places. And this became the sin of the family of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.
►Gospel: Mk 8:1–10*(completed)
Soon afterwards Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd that obviously had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples and said to them, “I feel sorry for these people because they have been with me for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.”
His disciples replied, “Where in a deserted place like this could we get enough bread to feed these people?” He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.”
Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people. They also had some small fish, so Jesus said a blessing and asked that these be shared as well.
The people ate and were satisfied. The broken pieces were collected, seven wicker baskets full of leftovers. Now there have been about four thousand people. Jesus sent them away and immediately got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.
REFLECTION
Each of us has within us
the seven loaves and two fishes
we call our life.
Clearly, we, too, are meant to give it all away,
to pour ourselves out
for those around us who have nothing at all.
Then God will take care of our needs, as well.
February 14
Sunday
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Jer 17:5–8
This is what Yahweh says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart is drawn away from Yahweh! He is like a bunch of thistles in dry land, in parched desert places, in a salt land where no one lives and who never finds happiness.
“Blessed is the man who puts his trust in Yahweh and whose confidence is in him! He is like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots towards the stream.
“He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green; the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit.”
►2nd Reading: 1 Cor 15:12, 16–20
If Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith gives you nothing, and you are still in sin. Also those who fall asleep in Christ are lost. If it is only for this life that we hope in Christ, we are the most unfortunate of all people.
But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and he comes before all those who have fallen asleep.
►Gospel: Lk 6:17, 20–26
Coming down the hill with them, Jesus stood on a level place. Many of his disciples were there and a large crowd of people who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Then looking at his disciples, Jesus said,
“Fortunate are you who are poor, the kingdom of God is yours.
Fortunate are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
Fortunate are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Fortunate are you when people hate you, when they reject you and insult you and number you among criminals, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. Remember that is how the ancestors of this people treated the prophets.
But alas for you who have wealth, for you have been comforted now.
Alas for you who are full, for you will go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Alas for you when people speak well of you, for that is how the ancestors of these people treated the false prophets.”
REFLECTION
“The Kingdom of God will not come in such a way as to be seen....
because the Kingdom of God is within you.”
The world changes
only when we change.
Life becomes better for everyone
when we ourselves are living well.
The presence of God for everyone
depends on the presence of God in us.
February 15
Monday
6th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Jas 1:1–11
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.
Consider yourselves fortunate, my brothers and sisters, when you meet with every kind of trial, ‑for you know that the testing of your faith makes you steadfast. Let your steadfastness become perfect with deeds, that you yourselves may be perfect and blame-less, without any defect.
If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God who gives to all easily and unconditionally. But ask with faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave driven and tossed on the sea by the wind. Such a person should not expect anything from the Lord, since the doubter has two minds and his conduct will always be insecure.
Let the believer who is poor boast in been uplifted, and let the rich one boast in being humbled, because he will pass away like the flower of the field. The sun rises and its heat dries the grass; the flower withers and its beauty vanishes. So, too, will the rich person fade away even in the midst of his pursuits.
►Gospel: Mk 8:11–13
The Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass him, they asked for some heavenly sign. Then his spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.” Then he left them, got into the boat again and went to the other side of the lake.
REFLECTION
“To trap him, the Pharisees asked Jesus to perform
a miracle to prove that God approved of Him.”
Faith is the awareness
that the life and energy and power of God
is with us
in darkness as well as in light.
It is not the notion that God is a magic act
meant to shape life to our likeness.
6th Week in Ordinary Time
►1st Reading: Jas 1:12–18
Happy are those who patiently endure trials, because afterwards they will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him. No one, when tempted, should say, “This temptation comes from God.” God is never tempted and he can never tempt anyone. Instead, each of us is lured and enticed by our own evil desire. Once this desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown, gives birth to death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Light, in whom there is no change or shadow of a change. By his own will he gave us life through the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of offering to him among his creatures.
►Gospel: Mk 8:14–21
The disciples had forgotten to bring more bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” And they said to one another, “He saw that we have no bread.”
Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.” “And having seven loaves for the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
REFLECTION
“‘Take care, Jesus warned them, ‘and be on your guard
against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’”
In order to grow spiritually
it is necessary to nourish ourselves
on the right spiritual food.
It is the life and teachings of Jesus
that must be our guide,
however commanding
other institutions or leaders around us
may seem at the time.
Ash Wednesday
►1st Reading: Jl 2:12–18
Yahweh says, “Yet even now, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. Rend your heart, not your garment. Return to Yahweh, your God—gracious and com¬passionate.”
Yahweh is slow to anger, full of kindness, and he repents of having punished.
Who knows? Probably he will relent once more and spare some part of the harvest from which we may bring sacred offerings to Yahweh, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, pro¬claim a sacred fast, call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people, sanctify the community, bring together the elders, even the children and infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bed, and the bride her room.
Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, Yahweh’s ministers, weep and say: Spare your people, Yahweh. Do not humble them or make them an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peo¬ples: Where is their God?
Yahweh has become jealous for his land; he has had pity on his people.
►2nd Reading: 2 Cor 5:20–6:2
So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if God himself makes an appeal to you through us. Let God reconcile you; this we ask you in the name of Christ. He had no sin, but God made him bear our sin, so that in him we might share the holiness of God.
Being God’s helpers we beg you: let it not be in vain that you received this grace of God. Scripture says: At the favorable time I listened to you, on the day of salvation I helped you. This is the favorable time, this is the day of salvation.
►Gospel: Mt 6:1–6, 16–18
Jesus said to his disciples, “Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full.
“If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.
“When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.
“When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have been paid in full already. When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret will reward you.”
REFLECTION
“And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.”
The spiritual life is meant to be
an adventure between the soul and God.
It is not an act of religion
played out in front of the world
in order to impress the world.
It is, instead, the deepest relationship in life,
the one on which the very meaning of life depends.
Thursday After Ash Wednesday
►1st Reading: Dt 30:15–20
See, I set before you on this day life and good, evil and death. I command you to love Yahweh, your God and follow his ways. Observe his commandments, his norms and his laws, and you will live and increase, and Yahweh will give you his blessing in the land you are going to possess. But if your heart turns away and does not listen, if you are drawn away and bow before other gods to serve them, I declare on this day that you shall perish. You shall not last in the land you are going to occupy on the other side of the Jordan.
Let the heavens and the earth listen, that they may be witnesses against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life that you and your descendants may live, loving Yahweh, listening to his voice, and being one with him. In this is life for you and length of days in the land which Yahweh swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
►Gospel: Lk 9:22–25
Jesus said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the Law, and put to death. Then after three days he will be raised to life.”
Jesus also said to all the people, “If you wish to be a follower of mine, deny yourself and take up your cross each day, and follow me. For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it, and if you lose your life for my sake, you will save it. What does it profit you to gain the whole world while you destroy or damage yourself?”
REFLECTION
“If you lose your life for my sake, you will save it.”
To follow Jesus, to live a Christian life, costs.
It means that we will see life differently
than others do,
we will live life differently than most,
we will be regarded with misgiving by many.
But in the end, we will have lived life
in harmony with the entire cosmos.
Friday After Ash Wednesday
►1st Reading: Is 58:1–9a
Cry out aloud for all you are worth;
raise your voice like a trumpet blast;
tell my people of their offenses,
Jacob’s family of their sins.
Is it true that they seek me
day after day, longing to know my ways,
as a people that does what is right
and has not forsaken the word of its God?
They want to know the just laws
and not to drift away from their God.
“Why are we fasting,” they complain,
“and you do not even see it?
We are doing penance and you never notice it.”
Look, on your fast days you push your trade
and you oppress your laborers.
Yes, you fast but end up quarreling,
striking each other with wicked blows.
Fasting as you do
will not make your voice heard on high.
Is that the kind of fast that pleases me,
just a day to humble oneself?
Is fasting merely bowing down one’s head,
and making use of sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call that fasting,
a day acceptable to Yahweh?
See the fast that pleases me:
breaking the fetters of injustice
and unfastening the thongs of the yoke,
setting the oppressed free
and breaking every yoke.
Fast by sharing your food with the hungry,
bring to your house the homeless,
clothe the one you see naked
and do not turn away from your own kin.
Then will your light break forth as the dawn
and your healing come in a flash.
Your righteousness will be your vanguard,
the Glory of Yahweh your rearguard.
Then you will call and Yahweh will answer,
you will cry and he will say, I am here.
►Gospel: Mt 9:14–15
The disciples of John came to Jesus with the question, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not your disciples?”
Jesus answered them, “How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they will fast.”
REFLECTION
“The followers of John the Baptist came to Jesus asking,
‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples don’t fast at all?’”
The function of religion is not to make life miserable.
It is to teach us to live life well,
to enable us to respond to every different moment
in ways proper to that moment:
often with joy, sometimes with renewed commitment
to begin again to live life as God means us to live it.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
►1st Reading: Is 58:9b–14
Thus says the Lord: Then you will call and Yahweh will answer,
you will cry and he will say, I am here.
If you remove from your midst the yoke,
the clenched fist and the wicked word,
if you share your food with the hungry
and give relief to the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the dark,
your night will be like noon.
Yahweh will guide you always
and give you relief in desert places.
He will strengthen your bones;
he will make you as a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt,
the age-old foundations will be raised.
You will be called the Breach-mender,
and the Restorer of ruined houses.
If you stop profaning the sabbath
and doing as you please on the holy day,
if you call the sabbath a day of delight
and keep sacred Yahweh’s holy day,
if you honor it by not going your own way,
not doing as you please
and not speaking with malice,
then you will find happiness in Yahweh,
over the heights you will ride triumphantly,
and feast joyfully on the inheritance of your father Jacob.
The mouth of Yahweh has spoken.
►Gospel: Lk 5:27–32
Jesus noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax-office, he said to him, “Follow me.” So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus.
Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house and took their place at table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their fellow teachers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it that you eat and drink with tax collectors and other sinners?” But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I have come to call to repentance; I call sinners, not the righteous.”
REFLECTION
(Jesus said) “There were many people suffering from a dreaded skin disease
at the time of the prophet Elisha, yet not one of them was cured but only Naaman the Syrian.”
It is who we become
in the deepest part of us,
not who we are outside–
meaning our connections,
our race, our gender, even our religion–
that counts in the end.
It is the one in whom Jesus most clearly sees himself
who will be wrapped in the saving love of God.
February 21
Sunday
1st Sunday of Lent
►1st Reading: Dt 26:4–10
Then the priest shall take the large basket from your hands and place it before the altar of Yahweh, your God, and you shall say these words before Yahweh, “My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt to find refuge there, while still few in number; but in that country, he became a great and powerful nation.
“The Egyptians maltreated us, oppressed us and subjected us to harsh slavery. So we called to Yahweh, the God of our ancestors, and Yahweh listened to us. He saw our humiliation, our hard labor and the oppression to which we were subjected. He brought us out of Egypt with a firm hand, manifesting his power with signs and awesome wonders. And he brought us here to give us this land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring and offer the firstfruits of the land which you, Yahweh, have given me.”
►2nd Reading: Rom 10:8–13
True righteousness coming from faith also says: The word of God is near you, on your lips and in your hearts. This is the message that we preach, and this is faith.
You are saved if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart you believe that God raised him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips you are saved. For Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
►Gospel: Lk 4:1–13
Jesus was now full of Holy Spirit. As he returned from the Jordan, the Spirit led him into the desert where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. He did not eat anything during that time, and in the end he was hungry. The devil then said to him, “If you are son of God, tell this stone to turn into bread.” But Jesus answered, “Scripture says: People cannot live on bread alone.”
Then the devil took him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the nations of the world. And he said to Jesus, “I can give you power over all the nations and their wealth will be yours, for power and wealth have been delivered to me and I give them to whom I wish. All this will be yours provided you worship me.” But Jesus replied, “Scripture says: You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him alone.”
Then the devil took him up to Jerusalem and set him on the highest wall of the Temple; and he said, “If you are son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: God will order his angels to take care of you and again: They will hold you in their hands, lest you hurt your foot on the stones.” But Jesus replied, “It is written: You shall not challenge the Lord your God.”
When the devil had exhausted every way of tempting Jesus he left him, to return another time.
REFLECTION
“The Devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, order these stones to be turned into bread.
But Jesus answered, ‘“The scripture says that human beings cannot live on bread alone.’”
Wealth and power and security
are the window dressing of life.
It is the things of the spirit–
an awareness of the presence of God,
deep faith in the midst of despair,
a love of the simple things of life–
that make us fully human.
Chair of Peter
►1st Reading: 1 P 5:1–4
I now address myself to those elders among you; I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, hoping to share the Glory that is to be revealed. Shepherd the flock which God has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for God’s sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart; do not lord it over those in your care, rather be an example to your flock. Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be given a crown of unfading glory.
►Gospel: Mt 16:13–19
Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, “What do people say of the Son of Man? Who do they say I am?” They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.
“And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”
REFLECTION
“And who do you say that I am?”
Coming to know who Jesus is for us
is the central task
of the Christian life.
Once Jesus is everything to us–
the very beginning and end of everything we do–
nothing else can harm us.
1st Week of Lent
Polycarp
►1st Reading: Is 55:10–11
Thus says Yahweh:
As the rain and the snow come down
from the heavens and do not return
till they have watered the earth,
making it yield seed for the sower
and food for others to eat,
so is my word that goes forth out of my mouth:
it will not return to me idle,
but it shall accomplish my will,
the purpose for which it has been sent.
►Gospel: Mt 6:7–15
Jesus said to his disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
holy be your name,
your kingdom come
and your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today the kind of bread we need.
Forgive us our debts
just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
Do not bring us to the test
but deliver us from the evil one.
“If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either.”
REFLECTION
“If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you,
your Father in heaven will also forgive you.”
Now is the time to ask ourselves
who has hurt us.
Who do we ourselves have yet to forgive?
Now is the time to do it. Really.
For once we have shown mercy
we will know the very mercy
we ourselves so dearly need.
1st Week of Lent
►1st Reading: Jon 3:1–10
The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time: “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and announce to them the message I give you.” In obedience to the word of Yahweh, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large city, and it took three days just to cross it. So Jonah walked a single day’s journey and began proclaiming, “Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed.”
The people of the city believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
Upon hearing the news, the king of Nineveh got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. He issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles, no people or beasts, herd or flock, will taste anything; neither will they eat nor drink. But let people and beasts be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call aloud to God, turn from his evil ways and violence. Who knows? God may yet relent, turn from his fierce anger and spare us.”
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened upon them.
►Gospel: Lk 11:29–32
As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, “People of the present time are evil people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah.”
REFLECTION
“On Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you,
because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach
and I assure you that there is something here greater than Jonah.”
We keep wanting proof that God exists,
that Jesus is the Son of God,
that life is meant for greater things.
But we have already seen it in the lives
of those holy ones around us.
Why, like the Israelites, do we, too, fail to hear?
1st Week of Lent
►1st Reading: Est C:12, 14–16, 23–25
Seized with anguish in her fear of death, Queen Esther likewise had recourse to the Lord.
Then she prayed to the Lord God of Israel:
My Lord, you who stand alone, come to my help; I am alone and have no help but you. Through my own choice I am endangering my life.
As a child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forebears that you, O Lord, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from among their ancestors to be your lasting heritage; that you did for them, all that you have promised.
Remember us, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our calamity. Give me courage, King of gods and master of all power. Make my words persuasive when I face the lion; turn his heart against our enemy, that the latter and his like may be brought to their end.
Save us by your hand; help me who am alone and have none but you, O Lord.
►Gospel: Mt 7:7–12
Jesus said to his disciples, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks. Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there you have the Law and the Prophets.”
REFLECTION
“Seek and you shall find.”
The spiritual life is a gift for the asking
but it does not come without effort,
without nourishing it,
without consciously seeking
the things that are above.
But for those who do seek,
life with God begins here and now.
1st Week of Lent
►1st Reading: Ezk 18:21–28
Thus says Yahweh, “If the sinner turns from his sin, observes my decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die. None of the sins he committed will be charged against him; he will live as a consequence of his righteous deeds. Do I want the death of the sinner?—word of Yahweh. Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live? But if the righteous man turns away from what is good and commits sins as the wicked do, will he live? His righteous deeds will no longer be credited to him, but he will die because of his infidelity and his sins. But you say: Yahweh’s way is not just! Why, Israel! Is my position wrong? Is it not rather that yours is wrong? If the righteous man dies after turning from his righteous deeds and sinning, he dies because of his sins. And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed, he will save his life. He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes and turned from the sins he had committed.
►Gospel: Mt 5:20–26
Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever calls a brother or a sister ‘Fool’ deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.
“Don’t forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.”
REFLECTION
“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember
that your brother or sister has something against you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace
with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift to God.”
To be in union with God
we must first be at peace
with one another.
We must see the other, too,
as beloved of God,
do them no harm,
care for their cares as well as our own.
1st Week of Lent
►1st Reading: Dt 26:16–19
On this day, Yahweh, your God, commands you to fulfill these norms and these commandments. Obey them now and put them into practice with all your heart and with all your soul.
Today Yahweh has declared to you that he will be your God, and so you shall follow his ways, observing his norms, his commandments and his laws, and listening to his voice.
Today Yahweh has declared that you will be his very own people even as he had promised you, and you must obey all his commandments. He, for his part, will give you honor, renown and glory, and set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will become a nation consecrated to Yahweh, your God, as he has declared.
►Gospel: Mt 5:43–48
Jesus said to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.
“If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.”
REFLECTION
“Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you?”
Jesus is not exclusive
and he does not want us
to be exclusive either.
If our hearts are really open to the world
so must our doors and our time
and our social circles be, as well.
2nd Sunday of Lent
►1st Reading: Gen 15:5–12, 17–18
Yahweh brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”
Abram believed Yahweh who, because of this, held him to be an upright man. And he said, “I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”
Then Abram asked, “My Lord, how am I to know that it shall be mine?” Yahweh replied, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.” Abram brought all these animals, cut them in two, and laid each half facing its other half, but he did not cut the birds in half. The birds of prey came down upon them, but Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and a dreadful darkness took hold of him.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the victims. On that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this country from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
►2nd Reading: Phil 3:17—4:1 (or (Phil 3:20—4:1)
Unite in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and look at those who walk in our way of life. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. I have said it to you many times, and now I repeat it with tears: they are heading for ruin; their belly is their god and they feel proud of what should be their shame. They only think of earthly things.
For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like his own body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is his to submit everything to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.
►Gospel: Lk 9:28b–36
About eight days after Jesus had said all this, he took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became dazzling white. Two men were talking with Jesus: Moses and Elijah. They had just appeared in heavenly glory and were telling him about his departure that had to take place in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had fallen asleep, but they awoke suddenly and saw Jesus’ Glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter said to him, “Master, how good it is for us to be here for we can make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For Peter didn’t know what to say. And no sooner had he spoken than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, “This is my Son, my Chosen one, listen to him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone.
The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.
RELECTION
“And Peter said, ‘Master, how good it is that we are here. We will make three tents...’”
It is so easy to assume that by praying alone
we will arrive at the pinnacle
of the spiritual life.
But it is exactly then that Jesus
is calling us to leave our little mountaintops
to care for the world as He cared for the world.
