Tag: God the Father

“Have you also been deceived?” | Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “A shield before me is God, who saves the upright of heart; A just judge is God, a God who punishes day by day. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 7:40-53, today’s readings)

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.”

The people react to Jesus in various ways as they hear him teach. Some say that he is the Prophet; others, that he is the Messiah. The chief priests and Pharisees ask why the guards did not bring Jesus with them. They answer that they have never heard anyone speak like him, and the Pharisees criticize them for being deceived. Only Nicodemus defends Jesus, saying it is just to hear him before he is judged. Just as Jeremiah was “like a trusting lamb led to slaughter” as people plotted against him, Jesus faced the rejection of the Pharisees and other skeptics who questioned which town the Messiah would come from. Jesus presents the truth to every person he encounters; whether they accept the truth of his divinity results in unity or division. John emphasizes this by noting the response of the Pharisees: “Then each went to his own house.”

God, guide me today to trust in your justice and judgment. Help me uphold what I know to be true, especially when truth is challenged or dismissed, because small truths matter and begin and end in your Truth. The guards in the Gospel failed to bring Jesus to the Pharisees because they had never heard anyone speak like him. Despite the guards’ witness to the truths Jesus spoke, the Pharisees rejected this, continuing to live outside of the reality of Jesus’ divinity: “Have you also been deceived?” they ask. Strengthen my faith; give me the grace to stand firm in the truth—the embodiment of truth in the person of Christ. O searcher of heart and soul, O just God, I take refuge in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I know him, because I am from him.” | Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30, today’s readings)

So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.

Although by leaving Galilee Jesus risks his life, he travels to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles when Jewish people remember God’s provision for them as they wandered in the desert. Jesus goes to Jerusalem, aware that some of the Jews are trying to kill him. Similarly, the wicked as described in the first reading plan to kill the just one who believes “God will take care of him.” Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem fail to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, saying, “When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” Some of them simply want Jesus dead. But in full communion with the Father, Jesus knows the Father and knows that he will take care of him. “I know him,” Jesus says, “because I am from him, and he sent me.” And God did provide. John tells us that no one laid a hand on Jesus because it was not yet his time.

God, help me recognize that as the Book of Wisdom teaches, there will always be the wicked and the just one. The wicked are many, and like the unclean sprit that Jesus drove out, Legion is its name and its way of being and speaking; it seeks to test gentleness and patience with many snares. Defend me, Lord. Give me the grace of single-mindedness to keep my eyes fixed on the cross. Through the cross, you took care of your Son in his passion, death, and resurrection, bringing him into your glory. Through the risen Christ, you offer the promise of salvation and the hope of eternal life. Saint Isidore, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I came in the name of my Father.” | Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:31-47, today’s readings)

“But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.”

The religious leaders Jesus addresses fail to recognize that he is the Messiah. The testimony he gives is not mere witness to himself but comes from the Father’s testimony about him. Sent by the Father to perform his works and accomplish his mission, Jesus sees their refusal to come to him in true faith and understanding and its consequences for eternal life. As Moses intercedes to God for the Israelites after they worship self-made idols, Jesus intercedes to the Father for the salvation of all through his passion, death, and resurrection. He speaks to everyone when he says of Moses, “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” Even now as he intercedes for us, Jesus calls us to deeper faith in him as the One sent by the Father to do his will. Glory to God in the highest!

God, I hear Jesus say he does not accept human testimony and praise. Help me come to you, Lord, to praise you by doing your will and to seek only the praise that comes from you. This is too much for me to do on my own. Give me the grace today to listen out for you and do what you ask me to do. I know I will find you when I move in peace. In calling to mind the Gloria, teach me more and more to have the love of you within me. “For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” | Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is just in all his ways and holy in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. The Lord is gracious and merciful.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:17-30, today’s readings)

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

Jesus continues to be persecuted by some of the Jews. He responds to them by saying, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For saying this, John tells us that they try all the more to kill Jesus. Through the love of the Father, Jesus does the Father’s will and performs works to bring salvation “so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Jesus sets an example for all who follow him, revealing that he is the just judge—the Son of God who perfectly performs the Father’s will and has “possession of life in himself.” May all honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

God, strengthen my faith in your Son and help my unbelief: The One who is the resurrection and the life offers eternal life, saying, “whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.” Lord, help me listen to Jesus and follow his example. He says he can do nothing on his own yet at the same time through you he has power to exercise judgment and “give life to whomever he wishes.” If Jesus does your will and can do nothing on his own, give me the grace to understand and accomplish your will for me. I know you hear me, Lord. As you say through Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Why does this generation seek a sign?” | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:11-13)

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.

The Pharisees approach Jesus and ask for a sign from heaven to prove his authority, and Jesus sighs over their lack of faith despite their witnessing his previous miracles and teachings. Aware that they are testing him, Jesus puts the question to the Pharisees why this generation seeks a sign. What matters, Jesus suggests by asking this, is faith and trust in him rather than seeking signs as the sole basis for belief. 

God, help me trust in your presence without the need for signs. Even more, help me remember you in the midst of the day, when communication with you becomes sparse. I imagine Jesus turning back to the Pharisees to answer them as he go into the boat. He questions them not out of annoyance but of love for them. He gave a deep sigh when he asks why they seek a sign. Strengthen my confidence in you, Lord, in the hidden works you perform each day and in the ones I overlook that are right before my eyes.

From the responsorial psalm: “You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“I do will it. Be made clean.” | Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:40-45)

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

“I do will it. Be made clean.” These words of Jesus to the leper reveal the Father’s will for all of his people. Leprosy was not part of God’s plan for humanity. Illness, disease, and death were not part of God’s plan. With a compassionate touch, Jesus heals the leper, showing his divine authority over human illnesses, isolation, and sin—and through his death and resurrection—even death. Jesus sternly warns the leper not to tell anyone about this miracle. Instead, he tells him to be obedient to Mosaic law in regard to the treatment of leprosy, which the first reading gives us a glimpse of. Instead, the man tells everybody he encounters; as a result, Jesus is unable to go unnoticed, and people come to him from everywhere.

God, help me understand today’s Gospel. Although from a time long ago and a place far away, Jesus’ treatment of the leper is living and effective today because he lives today and is truly present. The healing of the leper is not isolated in time and space, Lord, but is your mercy expressed here and now. Your will is to restore me to wholeness, to reconcile me to you. I want to fix in my mind the words of Jesus to the leper: “I do will it. Be made clean.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered. Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“My heart is moved with pity.” | Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

“New Skete: St Scholastica” flickr photo by jimforest https://flickr.com/photos/jimforest/5125868728 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 8:1-10)

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.”

Having experienced it personally in his own body, Jesus sees and knows the limits of human stamina and the need for nourishment to sustain strength. The compassion he shows for the crowd, that he fears they will collapse on the way home, is a prelude to the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, where Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed more than four thousand people. The disciples ask Jesus, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” In response, Jesus performs a miracle. No man can get enough to satisfy the crowd; one true God has more than enough to satisfy, basketsful more than what satisfies. Jesus knows we come a great distance to close the gap between ourselves and him. His grace, the sustenance of true food in his body and blood, strengthens us to walk the long way back home with him.

God, help me today to remember this miracle. If I stop to look around in seemingly deserted places, places of weakness and brokenness, your many blessings are all around me, and more than enough to sustain me. More than that, you give me this life-sustaining food always in the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament. Thank you, Lord, for your abundant mercy!

From the Gospel acclamation: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Saint Scholastica, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“He has done all things well.” | Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:31-37)

And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

People begin to recognize Jesus wherever he goes. Knowing he is capable of healing, people in the district of Decapolis bring him a deaf man who has a speech impediment. Mark tells us that Jesus takes the man with him away from the crowd. Jesus puts his finger into the man’s ears, spits, touches his tongue, looks up to heaven, and says, “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened.” Immediately, the man’s ears are opened, and he is able to hear and speak clearly. Although Jesus instructs the people to keep quiet about this miracle, their amazement can’t be contained, and they proclaim his power and goodness to anyone who would hear.

God, you sent Jesus to heal the deaf and mute man, just as you sent him to heal all people. Help me be honest in examining my own life, what to bring to you that most needs healing. Jesus, the Divine Physician, knows better than I do what those things are. But in bringing them to him, I open myself to receiving his mercy, recognizing whose eyes are on me as I am healed. Lord, you want me to be free to love you, to be unencumbered so that I can hear and proclaim your word. For this, I need your grace and merciful gaze upon me. Stay with me, Lord!

From the Gospel acclamation: “Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“For saying this, you may go.” | Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:24-30)

She replied and said to [Jesus], “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Even as Jesus attempts to escape notice, he encounters a Syrophoenician woman who asks him to heal her daughter, who has an unclean spirit. Jesus at first responds to her in a way that reflects Jewish perspective in Jesus’ time toward Gentiles: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Willing to receive whatever Jesus could offer her, the woman’s response demonstrates her great humility, faith, and trust in him. As Jesus says these words, the woman’s daughter is immediately healed: “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” The woman who asks for scraps from the table finds so much more—the grace and mercy of the Divine Physician.

God, the woman who came to Jesus clearly knew what she wanted. But in her humility, she was willing to settle for scraps—a crumb of mercy to fall from the table. I often begin my day not knowing what to ask of you and find it hard to bring to the surface what I really need. You know better what I need than I do. Seeing how Jesus responded to the woman for the sake of her daughter, maybe the question is, What do you want to give me today? Give me the grace today to put aside what I think I need and recognize the gifts you place in plain sight before me. Give us this day our daily bread.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“From within . . . come evil thoughts.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:14-23)

Jesus said to the disciples: “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

Jesus tells the crowd and later explains to the disciples: “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” The list of evils that plagued people of his time are no less a threat to souls today, and external practices fail to remedy the cause. From within, from the heart, sin defiles; from within, Jesus heals. He recognizes the root cause and invites us to repentance, reconciling us to the Father. By naming evils, he calls us near for the salvation of souls, to preserve us for eternal life through the power of his grace.

God, help me reflect on my inclination toward sin and my need for redemption. Time after time, Jesus associated himself with sinners, inviting them to repent and follow him. The list of evils Jesus names could go on and on. As much an identification of human illnesses, listing sin by name demonstrates the endless permutations of sin that Christ can heal as the Divine Physician. Help me recognize that there is no sin that Christ is not aware of, that there is no sin that he cannot eradicate through his passion, death, and resurrection. God, help me turn to you with a contrite heart in the hope of eternal life; help me trust in your mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Commit to the LORD your way; trust in him, and he will act. He will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.