Tag: Pharisees

They began to believe in him. | Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Then the virgins shall make merry and dance, and young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows. The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 11:45-56, today’s readings)

Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Among the people who see firsthand the raising of Lazarus from the dead or hear of it, some begin to believe in Jesus, while others are concerned and tell the Pharisees. The division that results from the works Jesus performs is not accidental. The Sanhedrin convene to determine the best way to preserve their land and nation, and Caiaphas argues that the best way to accomplish this is to kill Jesus. All agree. The irony in this decision is that their intention was “to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” But God brought a scattered people to him in a new and different way. As the plot to kill Jesus unfolds, he suffers his passion and death. Ultimately, through his resurrection, Jesus brings to fulfillment the will of the Father in gathering all of the dispersed children—Jew and Gentile alike—into one true Church, the Body of Christ, in an everlasting covenant. “My dwelling shall be with them,” the LORD says. “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

God, help me understand your plan for me. Just as your plan for all humanity was fulfilled through the obedience of Jesus, teach me to understand and accomplish what you have planned for me. Give me the grace to widen my view of your plan. The Jews who sought to kill Jesus believed that their plan would preserve them as a people and as a nation. But through his resurrection, Jesus brought to every nation what Ezekiel prophesied in your words: “Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD.” As I use every good gift you have given me to choose freely the best step forward, let me remember that what I ought to pray for and hope for always is that your will be done. Jesus, be my guard and guide!

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.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “”Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.” Glory and praise for ever!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:31-42, today’s readings)

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”

By saying this and testifying even more strongly, Jesus makes clear that he comes from the Father and was sent by him. “I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” Despite this, they fail to recognize that Jesus comes to offer them freedom from slavery to sin by remaining in the truth of his word. “We have,” they say, “never been enslaved.” As Jesus offers to free them from sin, he invites them into his Father’s presence as adopted sons and daughters. “A son always remains free.” Still, they call Abraham their father and reject what Jesus teaches them as one who hears the truth of the Father and was sent by him. Consider this: Jesus did not come to coerce and crush opponents but to offer himself freely in sacrifice to destroy death and rise to new life so that we might come into his Father’s household—free forever.

God, help me recognize your gift of freedom we have in choosing Jesus to set us free in his truth. Remaining in his word—the Word that is you and what was from the beginning—I can choose not to roam as a slave of sin but instead find myself as a son in your household today and for endless length of days. In Jesus, your Son, let me place all of my hope and trust. He tells us as a man who has told us the truth of what he heard from you and at the same time as one who “came from God and [is] here.” Give me the grace, Lord, to persevere in choosing to remain in the Word. 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.

“Believe that I AM.” | Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:21-30, today’s readings)

He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.”

Twice, Jesus declares his divinity when he tells the Pharisees that he is I AM. When they ask directly who he is, he refers to the beginning of all creation, echoing the first words of Genesis and the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is able to tell the Pharisees that they will die in their sins if they do not believe in him because he is the Just Judge, the only one capable of judging who goes to eternal life and eternal condemnation. The Pharisees fail to see that Jesus is the Son of God, but Jesus tells them that they will know who he is when they “lift up the Son of Man” in the crucifixion as Jesus perfectly accomplishes the will of the Father. Always doing what is pleasing to the Father, even in that moment of abandonment, Jesus is not alone. Neither are we when we believe in him and come into his kingdom.

Father in heaven, help me see in Jesus’ treatment of the Pharisees an invitation to believe in him. Even as he tells them they will die in their sins, he invites them to come to him by saying, “If you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” Just as Moses listened to you in obedience by lifting up the bronze serpent so that the Israelites might have life, Jesus is lifted high on the cross so that believing, we have the hope of eternal life through his saving death and resurrection. God, nurture the little faith I have and let me see that it is your gift. The verse before the Gospel reminds me how I depend on you for every good gift: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever.”

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.

“The light of life.” | Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:12-20, today’s readings)

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going.”

Jesus continues to address the scribes and Pharisees. He tells them he is the light of the world and that he gives to his followers the light of life. The Pharisees question how this truth might be verified, but Jesus tells them that his testimony can be verified by the Father, where he came from and where he is going. They judge, Jesus says, by appearances and although he does not judge, his judgment is true because he is the just judge since he is one with the Father. “I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me,” Jesus says. The Pharisees ask, “Where is your father?” Jesus answers, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” Where the Father is, Jesus invites us to be. We hear this as the psalmist describes the dark valley of this life even as he looks forward to the life of the world to come: “And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.”

Father in heaven, keep me from walking in darkness by remaining in the light and life of Jesus, your Son. Let me consider his words so that I can take them to heart: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The world and its deceptions are passing away even as morning passes to afternoon and afternoon to nighttime. Yet, Jesus, light of the world is present here and now and offers the promise of eternal life to those who follow him. There will be darkness in the midst of day, but Christ is the light. There will be death throughout life and at the end of life, but Christ is the light of life. Jesus, light and life, lead 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.

“Neither do I condemn you.” | Fifth Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, They shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 8:1-11, today’s readings)

Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman accused of adultery to Jesus. When they first bring her to him, it isn’t because they don’t understand what Mosaic law prescribes as punishment; it’s because they want to accuse Jesus by using his judgment of the woman’s sin as an either-or trap. Would he agree to stone her or dismiss the law? But Jesus teaches the accusers, first in silence as he writes on the ground with his finger and then to expose their own sins as he straightens up and says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bends down in silence and writes on the ground. The accusers eventually walk away one by one, first the elder ones and then the others. Are the elders wiser? He speaks to all of us as sinners when he says, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” True God and true man, Jesus reveals truth and forgives the wickedness and snares of sin.

God, give me the courage to live in your truth and to be just and merciful as Jesus is just and merciful. Help me take responsibility for the ways I have been hypocritical. When I recognize it in others, give me the grace of a discerning heart to live in the truth and name wrongdoing for what it is and at the same time offer mercy. The verse before the Gospel reminds me of this: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.” You are gracious, Lord, because you bring your truth and light to sin yet remain merciful when mercy is not deserved. Jesus easily silenced the Pharisees because he brought to light their hypocrisy in setting a trap for him. Jesus doesn’t play their game but instead says, as in Isaiah, “See, I am doing something new . . . for the people whom I formed for myself, that they might announce my praise.”

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.

“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.

A physician for the sick. | Saturday after Ash Wednesday

From the responsorial psalm: “Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me, for I am afflicted and poor. Keep my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (5:27-32, today’s readings)

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.”

While Matthew is at work at the customs post, Jesus sees him and calls him. He simply says, “Follow me.” Leaving everything behind, Matthew gets up and follows him. The suddenness of his following is contrasted with the reaction of the Pharisees, who attend a banquet Matthew gives for Jesus in his house. Their hesitancy in following Jesus takes the form of accusation: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Rather than follow immediately as Matthew does, the Pharisees hold back as they rely on preconceived ideas of justice and mercy. Out of love, Jesus says to them that because we are sinners, we need to hear the call of the divine physician, who calls us each by name. Bearing the oppression of sin and the ruin it leaves in our path, we follow Jesus when we bring a contrite heart to him, who is “good and forgiving, abounding in kindness” to all who call upon him. To you, O Lord, we lift up our souls.

God, keep me in your truth today as you take me under your wing and guard my soul. Help me say yes to you and make clear to me the love of Jesus Christ your Son in his call to repentance. To say yes to you is to walk in your truth and participate in the mystery of your presence. Teach me to see how your love and mercy are alive in the Eucharist, the scriptures, the community of believers, the sacraments, prayer, and in the marginalized. Give me the grace to hear and respond to the call of Jesus to come to him, trusting only in him. As Saint John of God said, “We must not trust in ourselves, because we shall fall into sin a thousand times a day, but trust only in Jesus Christ.” Saint John of God, 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.

“Do you still not understand?” | Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters, the LORD, over vast waters. The voice of the LORD is mighty; the voice of the LORD is majestic.  The Lord will bless his people with peace.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (8:14-21, today’s readings)

And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?” They answered him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

On a boat with the disciples, they tell Jesus they have only one loaf of bread with them. Jesus says to them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Jesus observes that they don’t understand him and asks them whether they comprehend what he means. “Are your hearts hardened?” he asks them. “Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?” Because they don’t yet understand the identity of Jesus as the Son of God and his mission, he goes on to remind them of his feeding of the crowds and asks again if they still don’t understand, spoken not out of questioning their ability to comprehend him but out of love. In this way, he brings us not to a place of self-doubt but one of greater trust in his divinity and goodness as he invites the disciples and all of us to understand him more deeply.

God, help me remember today what Jesus calls me to in questioning my understanding of him. This is not to cast a shadow on your gift of intellect but to draw me closer to him. Let me welcome the question “Do you not yet understand or comprehend?” In a million years, I would not yet understand. Yet, Jesus condescends to make a place for me nearer and nearer to him as I grow to greater understanding through childlike faith. Give me the grace, Lord, to trust in your providence for everything and to stay in the boat with you in the midst of adversity. Give to the LORD the glory due his name!

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

From the responsorial psalm: “’You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother’s son you spread rumors. When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.’ Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (6:17, 20-26, today’s readings)

“Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

The Pharisees come to Jesus asking for a sign from heaven. At this, Mark says, Jesus “sighed from the depth of his spirit.” After he tells them no sign will be given to them, he gets in the boat again and goes to the other shore, continuing his mission elsewhere. Jesus sighs, seeing as God sees, the blindness of his people. Just as God warned Cain about “a demon lurking at his door” and the psalmist calls out those who “sit speaking against your brother,” Jesus sees the evil we are capable of that he brings out into the light. God sees because he is God and we are not. Even in the presence of the Incarnate Word, the sight of faith sometimes fails to function. Jesus is not just a sign but the visible sign of the invisible God who delivers for us his ultimate plan for salvation.

God, help me see as you see. Through the truth of the risen Christ, I am set free to know and worship you, to find meaning even as I ponder the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. As Saint John Paul II said, “Through this revelation, men and women are offered the ultimate truth about their own life and about the goal of history.” I don’t see you, Lord, as I ought. In my shortcomings, strengthen my faith that you alone are the Lord, to offer you a sacrifice of praise in making yourself known through the incarnation of your Son. “I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father except through me.” 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.

“Evils come from within and they defile.”| Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

From the responsorial psalm: “Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak. O bless the Lord, my soul!”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 7:14-23, today’s readings)

“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.”

After the Pharisees criticize the disciples of Jesus for not following Jewish traditions of purification, Jesus tells the disciples, “Nothing that enters one from from outside can defile that person.” From the heart come a host of evil thoughts and actions, extending all the way back to original sin in the Garden of Eden. What defiles, Jesus tells us, is not what enters the stomach but what enters the heart and comes from within. This is why baptism and repentance are necessary to restore us to God, because God restores us to the truth. The Gospel acclamation for today is: “Your word, O Lord, is truth; consecrate us in the truth.” What we once took for ourselves from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Jesus gives us abundantly through the sacraments—the embodiment of his passion, death, and resurrection.

God, in recognition that what defiles comes from within, flood me with your grace and mercy today. Left to myself, I have nothing; you are the source of every good gift. The vices that come from my heart have no place to hide in the dark but are scattered by the light of your face. Help me call to mind that after looking on everything you made, you found it very good. Be with me today, 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.