Tag: incarnation

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders.

Saying these few words, Jesus then bends down and in that moment when no words are spoken, the crowd slowly disperses. In today’s Gospel, it is the elders who are the first to walk away from stoning the woman caught in adultery. In that still moment, they recognize that they also commit sin and are not free from guilt. By contrast, in the first reading from Daniel, it is the elders who are the first to accuse Susanna of adultery to hide their sin. John tells us in today’s Gospel that after the crowd goes away one by one, Jesus says to the woman: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She tells him, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus says to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Before saying this to the woman, Jesus straightens up the woman; this is a detail not to be missed. He reaches out his hand to her to raise up the helpless.

God, there are times, as in the responsorial psalm, where the day’s walk is through a dark valley. In the first reading and in the Gospel, the crowd—the mob—accuses and wants nothing more than to see justice carried out even to the point of death. This is the world you sent your son into. Am I sometimes the one in the midst of the mob? Even when Jesus says “Let the one among you who is without sin,” there is one who would throw a stone regardless. During the Gospel reading on Good Friday, the congregation takes the voice of the crowd, crying out “Crucify him.” Help me, Lord, be merciful and forgiving. You alone know the sins of others and are the just judge. Give me the grace to quiet the mob voice within me. In the dark valley of waywardness and sin, straighten me up so that I can find a way back to you; guide me in the way of forgiveness.

Be with me today, merciful Lord, and forgive me. “Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”

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.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Fifth Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

In this Sunday’s Gospel, both Martha and Mary say this to Jesus as he approaches their brother Lazarus’s tomb. Jesus makes clear to the disciples that he will raise Lazarus from the dead, saying, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” Martha, one of the two sisters who in another Gospel passage busies herself in the kitchen while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, says to Jesus: “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” She believes that Jesus is the Messiah, saying, “I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” Jesus then asks Martha to send for Mary, who was inside mourning. Using the same words as Martha, Mary says to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw Mary’s weeping and the weeping of friends who had come with her, John tells us that Jesus became perturbed and deeply troubled. Jesus asked where Lazarus was, and he wept before going to the tomb that kept Lazarus bound by death.

God, I want to see today’s Gospel with a fresh set of eyes. At its core is a stark reality: Jesus, your son, raised Lazarus from the dead. Help me see also Martha’s and Mary’s responses to their brother’s death and the faith and trust they had in your mercy. Martha is stouthearted in her faith, and expresses it in certain terms: “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Overcome with grief, Mary sheds tears that brings Jesus himself to weep. Both Mary and Martha reach out to your son in faith, and he responds to them with mercy by raising Lazarus from the dead. I believe, Lord; help my unbelief.

God, thank you for your mercy, your loving-kindness toward those in pain. Strengthen my faith in your son, who says to you before raising Lazarus from the dead: “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me.” 

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.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

These words of the angel Gabriel follow Mary’s question at the annunciation: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Rather than challenging God’s power and ability to do the impossible, Mary’s question suggests the nature of her relationship with God. Your will, God, not mine. After Gabriel responds to her, she says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. In her question also is a sense of the awe she felt before God. That same sense of wonder overshadowed her as she learned that her barren cousin Elizabeth had conceived a son and was in her sixth month. The last words Gabriel speaks before departing are “for nothing will be impossible for God.” There is so much beauty in the Annunciation, any aspect of it is worth spending time pondering.

Lord, I can imagine Mary pondered these words long after Gabriel left her; carrying them with her as she carried Jesus; carrying them with her in his infancy and childhood; and carrying them with her to the foot of the cross. Mary’s simple question—”How can this be?”—was answered again and again throughout her motherhood. Mary said yes to the Incarnation, obedient to the Lord’s merciful will; her son said yes to suffering and death, destroying death and rising to new life to bring all of us redemption. “How can this be?” That’s a question I can ask of myself every day to understand your will. Help me, Lord, respond by saying, “May it be done according to your word.”

Lord, thank you for the gift of your presence! Overshadow me today; make your will known.

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.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

Readings