Monday, March 7 2016 - Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Reading 1 Is 65:17-21

Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm PS 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Verse Before the Gospel Am 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the LORD will be with you.

Gospel Jn 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

REFLECTION

IN TWENTY DAYS

"You changed my mourning into dancing; You took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my soul might sing praise to You without ceasing; O Lord my God, forever will I give You thanks." –Psalm 30:12-13

The Lord is promising "to create new heavens and a new earth" (Is 65:17). "No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days" (Is 65:20). No longer will we chemically and surgically abort well over nine million babies each year in this country. "He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years" (Is 65:20). We will not be offering euthanasia to our elderly people, but we will be respecting them and valuing their sacrificial suffering. If we let God have His way, our culture of death will be displaced by a civilization of love and life.

Our culture is sick and near death (see Jn 4:46-47). We have asked Jesus to come down and restore it to health (see Jn 4:47). Jesus is challenging us to put our "trust in the word" (Jn 4:50). At the very hour we take Jesus at His word (see Jn 4:53), our culture will begin to be healed.

In twenty days, on the first day of Easter, the Church at every Mass in the entire world will challenge us to express our total and radical faith in the Lord by renewing our baptismal promises. If we say, mean, and live "I do" to the six baptismal promises, our culture will be raised from the death of sin. Jesus said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God and faith in Me" (Jn 14:1).

PRAYER:	Father, give me great and ever increasing faith.
PROMISE:	"There shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; for I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight." –Is 65:18
PRAISE:	St. Perpetua was so absorbed in God's love in the amphitheatre where she was martyred that she refused to believe she had already suffered great injuries until she was shown the marks on her body.

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Sunday, March 6 2016

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Reading 1 Jos 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua, 
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, 
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land 
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover, 
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites, 
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 2 Cor 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ 
and given us the ministry of reconciliation, 
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, 
not counting their trespasses against them 
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Verse Before the Gospel Lk 15:18

I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Gospel Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’”

REFLECTION

THE PRODIGALS' VICTIMS

"But we had to celebrate and rejoice! This brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost, and is found." –Luke 15:32

If someone raped and murdered your daughter and then repented, would you attend the party given by God in honor of the repentant rapist-murderer? If you are a normal human being, you would grow "angry at this and would not go in" (Lk 15:28).

By God's grace, there are many repentant rapists, murderers, blasphemers, persecutors, and men and women formerly filled with arrogance (see 1 Tm 1:13). God the Father is constantly throwing parties for all His returned prodigal children, and He invites all their victims and their families to come to the celebration. However, those who see themselves as victimized, rather than prodigal, naturally don't feel like going to the party.

Only by accepting God's grace to forgive the prodigals will the victims be able to come to the party. There they may realize that the prodigals are victims and the victims prodigals. There they will see even more clearly not only the horror of sin but also the miraculous glory of repentance and forgiveness. There they will see the Victim Who is not a prodigal. There they will see God.

PRAYER:	Father, by Your grace, may I forgive everyone for everything.
PROMISE:	"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old order has passed away; now all is new!" –2 Cor 5:17
PRAISE:	Praise You, Lord Jesus, for dying to forgive our sins. Praise You, Lord, Mercy incarnate. All glory to You forever and ever!

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Saturday, March 5 2016

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Hos 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Responsorial Psalm PS 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab

R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
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.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Verse Before the Gospel Ps 95:8

If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

Gospel Lk 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — 
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

REFLECTION

SICKENING GOD OR PLEASING HIM IN PRAYER

"For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts." –Hosea 6:6

We can go to church and spend our time thinking of ourselves rather than of God. We can put down other people rather than lift up the Lord (see Lk 18:11). We can say words in our prayer that are quite wonderful – if we only lived as if we believed in them (see Hos 6:1-3). We can so nauseate God (see Rv 3:16) in our prayers that He asks the question: "What can I do with you?" (Hos 6:4)

Because of our sin and rebellion, our prayer can be an abomination to the Lord (Prv 28:9). The Lord may even detest, get tired of, and be burdened by our church services (Is 1:14). The Lord has said: "I hate, I spurn your feasts, I take no pleasure in your solemnities" (Am 5:21). The Lord has had enough of our hypocrisy, so He declares: "When you spread out your hands, I close My eyes to you; though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean!" (Is 1:15-16)

On the other hand, our prayers can be as sweet-smelling incense to the Lord (see Ps 141:2). We can be a joy and a delight to the Lord (Is 65:18). Our lives, prayers, and church services can be so pleasing to the Lord that He rejoices over us with gladness, renews us in His love, and sings joyfully because of us, "as one sings at festivals" (Zep 3:17, 18).

What is God getting out of hearing your prayers and your church services?

PRAYER:	Father, teach me to live and pray to please You.
PROMISE:	"Believe Me, this man went home from the temple justified but the other did not." –Lk 18:14
PRAISE:	John thanks God he found the Catholic Church, Confession, and the Eucharist. He takes the call to repentance very seriously as he begins each Lent by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

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Friday, March 4 2016

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10

Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”

I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”– 
Because of me you bear fruit!

Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.

Responsorial Psalm PS 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17

R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them.”
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.

Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:17

Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gospel Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, 
with all your soul, 
with all your mind, 
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding, 
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

REFLECTION

GUILTY PARTIES

"Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. –Hosea 14:2

Because there are such things as good and bad, because we all sin, and because we all have consciences (even if they may be malformed and suppressed), we all have guilt to some degree. We can minimize guilt by either accepting God's grace to live a good life or by suppressing our consciences and hoping we die before reality reactivates them. However, some guilt is part of being a human being.

We can benefit from guilt rather than run away from it. We can benefit from it when it comes from a good conscience. For our consciences to be good, they must be formed by God's revelation of the truth through the Church and her Bible. A good conscience will make us feel guilty when we have sinned. A badly formed conscience will make us feel guilty when we have not sinned but are confused. A good conscience will make us feel guilty as soon as we have sinned. This should lead us to repentance and guilt-free, restored innocence. A bad conscience will delay our feelings of guilt for days or even years. Then our sins will be multiplied. We will hurt ourselves and others more and more seriously. Finally, if we don't die first, our guilt will explode and condemn us. Fast guilt warns us to prevent more serious sin and more damage. Slow guilt condemns us. May our consciences be good and our guilt true and fast.

PRAYER:	Father, this Lent send Your Spirit to form my conscience. If I sin, may I feel guilty immediately.
PROMISE:	"I will love them freely." –Hos 14:5
PRAISE:	St. Casimir was a prince by birth, a poet by avocation, and an example to all Christians.

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Thursday, March 3 2016

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Jer 7:23-28

Thus says the LORD: 
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper.

But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.

Responsorial Psalm PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Verse Before the Gospel Jl 2:12-13

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
for I am gracious and merciful.

Gospel Lk 11:14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons.”
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, 
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

REFLECTION

HARD – AND HARDENING – HEARTS

"They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts." –Jeremiah 7:24

If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts (see Ps 95:7-8).

We can have hardening of our hearts for years, even for generations (Jer 7:26). For centuries, we can ignore God and become progressively worse than our fathers, who were worse than their fathers and grandfathers (see Jer 7:26). The hardening of hearts can be chosen not only by individuals but by nations (see Jer 7:28). Hard and hardening hearts can be generational, epidemic, deteriorating, and international. They can become so hard that we kill God's prophets, forget that there is faithfulness (Jer 7:28), accuse Jesus of working for the devil (Lk 11:15), become pawns of the devil, kill millions of babies in the womb, constantly watch sin on TV for entertainment, never bother to read the Bible, rebel against God's Church, and be involved in other related perversions, self-deceptions, and atrocities.

If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts.

PRAYER:	Father, this Lent melt my heart and the most hardened hearts.
PROMISE:	"Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord Who made us. For He is our God, and we are the people He shepherds, the flock He guides." –Ps 95:6-7
PRAISE:	For her last eighteen years, St. Katharine struggled with illness, yet chose to use this circumstance to intensify her focus on adoration and contemplation.

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Wednesday, March 2 2016

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1 Dt 4:1, 5-9

Moses spoke to the people and said:
“Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land 
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees
as the LORD, my God, has commanded me,
that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?

“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard
not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen,
nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live,
but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20

R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
He spreads snow like wool;
frost he strews like ashes.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Verse Before the Gospel 

See Jn 6:63c, 68c

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

Gospel Mt 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

REFLECTION

LOVING THE SWORD

"Whoever fulfills and teaches these commands shall be great in the kingdom of God." –Matthew 5:19

During Lent, we especially try to imitate Jesus when He was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert. There Jesus overcame the temptations of the evil one by using God's Word. We also should use God's Word to have victory over temptations.

However, to do this, we must deeply believe that the Bible is much more than "the word of men, but...truly is, the word of God at work within [we] who believe" (1 Thes 2:13). We won't use God's Word in our temptations if we don't hear, read, pray, live, and share it at other times. Even if we do quote the Scriptures, why should the devil tremble if we don't tremble at God's Word (Is 66:2), but only give it lip service? Victory through God's Word is based on living in God's Word. When we know, cherish, and obey every letter and part of a letter of God's law and Word (see Mt 5:18), the Lord will bring down the strongholds, "sophistries and every proud pretension that raises itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor 10:4-5). When our obedience to the Lord's Word is complete, we will have the power to "bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5). Before we use God's Word as a sword (see Heb 4:12), we must first cherish it as the "joy and the happiness" of our hearts (Jer 15:16).

Love, live, obey, and share God's Word. Then you can use it to fight the evil one.

PRAYER:	Father, first teach me to love Your Word and then to use it as a weapon.
PROMISE:	"Take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children." –Dt 4:9
PRAISE:	Greg writes a weekly reflection on the Sunday readings and e-mails it to his children and grandchildren, who faithfully read it and reflect on the message.

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Tuesday, March 1 2016

Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

Lectionary: 238

Reading 1 Dn 3:25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel Jl 2:12-13

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.

Gospel Mt 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

REFLECTION

"THE PATH TO PEACE" (Lk 19:42)

"Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths." –Psalm 25:4

God first taught His ways to His people by giving them His Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1ff). His people lost their way, so God "tried again" (Jer 18:4). He sent them prophets to teach them His ways, and promised to write His laws and ways upon their hearts (Jer 31:33). God's people struggled to grasp His ways (Is 55:8-9).

God's next step was to send Jesus as a Teacher to teach us His ways and paths (Jn 3:2). Jesus taught us that God's way is to forgive repeatedly from the heart (Mt 18:35). Next, Jesus personally made known to us God's paths. He shouldered His cross and walked up the path to Calvary. In so doing, Jesus taught us God's path, the path of forgiveness, saying, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). Jesus forgave those who were hurting Him far more than seventy times seven times (Mt 18:22). He forgives all sinners of all times.

The lesson "is finished" (Jn 19:30). Now it's time for the final exam. The Lord is testing you in the heat of the Lenten desert to determine if you are sincere about following His ways and His paths (see Dt 8:2; 13:4). As part of the forgiveness test, the Lord sends into your life people close enough to be able to hurt you more than seven times, such as a family member, associate, relative, or boss (Mt 18:21). Will you forgive them repeatedly from your heart? Follow the narrow path and pass the forgiveness test.

PRAYER:	Father, forgive me my trespasses in the same manner that I forgive those who trespass against me (Mt 6:12).
PROMISE:	"Good and upright is the Lord; thus He shows sinners the way." –Ps 25:8
PRAISE:	Jesus forgave Levi and he became St. Matthew.

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