Tag: Lent

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” | Monday of the Second Week in Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 6:36-38)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

Jesus calls the disciples—and all of us—to perfect mercy by being merciful just as his Father is merciful. He gives examples of what mercy is: not judging or condemning but rather being forgiving and giving in relationships with others. To be merciful in this way seems an impossible task, yet that is exactly the way of life that Jesus invites us to adopt. When we ourselves, undeserving of mercy, receive it from God, Father of us all, it seems natural that we adopt the Spirit of the Father and do the same when encountering his sons and daughters. The gift he gives us becomes the gift we give away.

God, help me be merciful. I am quick to judge, and draw back from judgment and criticism only when I stop to consider what I am doing. Judgment is a two-edged sword that comes back to me time after time in some form. Instead, Lord, give me the grace to stand up against the dysfunction of judgment and forgive the faults of others or past hurts, not for the sake of self-gain but simply to stop judging. When I struggle to be merciful and forgiving, help me call to mind the words of Jesus and the result of being merciful: “Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you.” Lord, open my eyes today to the opportunity to be merciful.

From the responsorial psalm: “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”

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.

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” | Second Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:2-10)

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. . . . Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.

As Peter witnesses the Transfiguration, he says to Jesus: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Then, giving insight into Peter’s state of mind, Mark tells us, “He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.” Next, God’s voice comes from heaven telling Peter, James, and John to listen to the words of his beloved Son. Suddenly, all was as it had been before, and Jesus stood alone with them. He tells the disciples to relate to no one what they had just witnessed. Finally, Mark leaves us with this statement, which every Christian ponders throughout life: “So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.” In the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals in an astounding way the realization that he is the Son of the living God; even more, he unveils for a moment what one day we may become in remaining in him.

Father in heaven, help me connect the two voices I hear in today’s readings. In the first reading, you speak to Abraham, who you asked to sacrifice his own beloved son but then held him back, sparing his life. “Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore.” Ages later, you gave your beloved Son as a sacrifice for all, and did not hold back his death, but he willingly accepted death in order to destroy it and rise to new life—not for himself alone but for all. As Saint Paul said, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Strengthen my faith, Lord, so that I stand side by side as a witness of the Transfiguration, confirmed in hope of the glory of the Resurrection.

From the responsorial psalm: “I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” If God is for us, who can be against 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.

“Love your enemies.” | Saturday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:43-48)

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

In teaching the disciples, Jesus leaves no doubt about his command. Love of neighbor is universal, not merely for those whose relationship is based on love. Jesus goes on to tell the disciples to love without expecting anything from others in return, and to pray for our persecutors. “For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” Instead, he says, “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” For all who hear this, Jesus frees us to leave judgment to the Father and opens for us through himself the way to the Father—the source and aim of love that knows no limits.

Father in heaven, help me keep in mind today that everybody I encounter is your son or daughter and created in your image. In facing scorn or recalling past hurts, give me the grace to forgive others and pray for them. “Pray for those who persecute you,” Jesus says, “that you may be children of your heavenly Father.” Give me the opportunity today to use the grace I ask for, if it is your will. In such situations, help me call to mind to let go of judgment and love the person you place before me. Teach me, Lord, to love my enemies, the people who don’t like me and show it, the ones who are difficult to love.

From the verse before the Gospel: “Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”

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.

“Go first and be reconciled.” | Friday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 5:20-26)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.”

As a starting point to surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus tells his disciples to follow the Ten Commandments: “You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.” Moving beyond the commandments, Jesus calls the disciples, and all of us, to a higher standard. Along with righteousness, interior disposition opens up forgiveness, reconciliation, and love of neighbor. A scholar of the law asked Jesus, “Who is my brother?” What followed was the parable of the Good Samaritan. The brother Jesus refers to is not limited to family members but includes every person God places in our path.

God, give me the opportunity today to examine my disposition toward others, especially in regard to forgiveness. Letting go of past hurts inflicted by others obstructs my closeness to you, and I don’t want any part of that. I say that, but I know that left to myself, I struggle to forgive and reconcile. Give me the grace to imitate your Son in forgiving others, even from the cross, the place of greatest brokenness. Help me remember not to take myself so seriously, to acknowledge my own hard-heartedness and not be imprisoned by it but seek instead to enter your kingdom. “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”

From the verse before the Gospel: “Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD, And make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.”

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.

“Upon this rock I will build my Church” | Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16:13-19)

[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

Jesus questions the disciples about his identity, as if to gather a consensus of the people. Some of the disciples tell Jesus that people believe he is John the Baptist or Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Peter speaks up, taking no notice of the people’s opinion. “You are the Christ,” he says, “the Son of the living God.” Knowledge revealed to him by God, Peter’s profession of faith expressed to Jesus and the other disciples what he knew interiorly. In that moment, papal authority and its succession was born. As Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, he receives from Jesus the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. The source of that authority comes not from flesh and blood but from God the Father.

Father in heaven, you revealed to Peter supernatural insight to recognize the divine identity of Jesus your Son. Despite Peter’s human limitations, he received through revelation the Savior and Redeemer. While I use the gifts of reason and knowledge to recognize you as the living God, grant me the grace to trust that you reveal knowledge also through docility toward the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith, supernatural sight, that glimpses the beatific vision! It sees in the Eucharist what is invisible but real and incorporates into one’s being the Son of the Living God.

From the verse before the Gospel: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Saint Peter, 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.

“Something greater than Solomon here.” | Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 11:29-32)

“At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Jesus refers to Jonah and Solomon as he speaks to the crowd about the need for repentance. He compares their time to his own. In Jonah’s time, as we read in the first reading, the people repented as Jonah announced the Lord’s message, including the king of Nineveh. In Solomon’s time, the queen of the South, also known as the Queen of Sheba heard about the wisdom of Solomon and traveled a great distance to see him with her own eyes. Jesus, referring to himself as the Messiah, tells the crowd, “there is something greater than Solomon here.” But the people of his own time would not believe him. Among the same crowd, Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

God of mercy, help me recognize what Jesus tells the crowd about repentance. In the daily struggle to remain in you as I acknowledge the limits of my ability to be merciful, strengthen me with your grace; call me to you. In the words of Saint Peter Damian: “If indeed the devil is so powerful that he is able to hurl you into the depths of vice, how much more effective is the strength of Christ to restore you to the lofty position from which you have plummeted.” Lord, let me remain in your word; keep me in your care!

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” Saint Peter Damian, 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.

“Your Father knows what you need.” | Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 6:7-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Jesus teaches the disciples the prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father. In the middle of today’s Gospel, Jesus prays the Our Father and before and after the prayer, he teaches us two vital lessons: don’t babble in prayer like pagans and forgive others as God forgives us. In the notes of the New American Bible Revised Edition for today’s passage, scholars suggest that pagans babbled because they recited a list of many deities, “hoping that one of them will force a response.” Jesus instead teaches deliberate, quieting prayer that addresses the “Father [who] knows what you need before you ask him.” After praying, Jesus turns to the disciples and says: “If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” God shares his mercy in a double way: what he does for us, he invites us to do for others.

God, you know what I need before I ask. That’s a reality in prayer that I might easily take for granted and then go on focusing on my way as the best way, as the answer to prayer. Help me remember the words of your Son: if I open my heart to a disposition of forgiveness, I am open to receiving your mercy and extending it to others. Give me the grace to forgive transgressions rather than hold grudges, to let go of hurts so I can receive your will and be merciful. Have mercy on me, Lord!

From the responsorial psalm: “When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. From all their distress God rescues the just.”

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.

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father.” | Monday of the First Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:31-46)

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

Jesus speaks to the disciples about his second coming and the criteria for judgment. In his glory, the Son of Man will sit upon his throne, all the angels with him, and all the nations will be assembled before him. “And he will separate them one from another,” Jesus says, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” To the ones who showed mercy to the hungry and thirsty, to the stranger and the naked, to the ill and those in prison, the Lord will say to them: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” To the ones who failed to show mercy, the Lord will say: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” Jesus makes clear beyond question how to treat others. In treating others with mercy, the person we care for, no matter their name, is Jesus: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

God, just as you spoke to the Israelites through Moses, you speak through Jesus, your final and best Word: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.” In showing mercy to others, time after time I come to recognize my shortcomings and turn to Jesus as the perfect model of holiness. How much I need to recognize your mercy, Lord, as I do to others as I would have them do to me. Give me the grace, Lord, to be a brother, to have the opportunity to try again to be holy as you are holy. Show me today and help me see the face of Christ in those who need mercy.

From the responsorial psalm: “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.”

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.

“Repent, and believe in the gospel.”| First Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:12-15)

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Before Jesus came to Galilee, Mark tells us that he was driven into the desert by the Spirit, where he remained for forty days, among wild beasts and tempted by Satan. Angels ministered to him. The Spirit that impelled Jesus brought him to a place of physical isolation from others but in uninterrupted spiritual contact with his Father and the purpose for which he came. The presence in the desert apart from food and family and friends—every human comfort—meant that Jesus could confront Satan in a way that put that part of his mission behind him, breaking from times past and clearing the way for him—true God and true man—to announce that the time of fulfillment had at last come.

God, help me understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit that drove Jesus out into the desert. As part of the fulfillment of his mission of salvation, he faced temptation to take on himself all human temptation. In order to conquer death, he took on the sins of all humanity. In facing temptation and subjecting himself to the test at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, it is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord, who returns from the desert and proclaims your kingdom. Give me the grace, Lord, to grasp the big picture and my part in the covenant relationship you have made with your people.

From the responsorial psalm: “Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.”

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.

“To call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” | Saturday after Ash Wednesday

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 5:27-32)

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

After Jesus calls him, Matthew immediately leaves his customs post and follows him. Matthew then gives a large banquet at his house, where many tax collectors gather at table with Jesus and Matthew. The criticism of the Pharisees is aimed at sinners and tax collectors. While Jesus, the divine physician, tells the Pharisees that he has come for the sick, the Pharisees fail to recognize that he includes them among the sick who need a physician. Little is different today when judgment of others comes into play. It’s easy to point out the faults of others, but only with fearless examination do our own deficiencies surface.

God, just as Jesus your Son called Levi to follow him, you call me also to follow you. If all I can remember throughout the day is the voice of Jesus saying “Follow me,” I have the hope of walking in your truth and trusting in your mercy. On paper, this is all too easy. I know I will forget you time after time in the events of the day and the people you place before me. Give me the grace to hear your voice today when I begin to turn away. I know you always hear me, just as you reveal to Isaiah in the first reading: “Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

From the responsorial psalm: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.”

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.