Today marks the beginning of the end of our Lenten Journey. To call Good Friday a Christian holiday is clearly the statement of an unbeliever. For today is NOT a Holiday for us Christians! It is solemn day for us to remember individually as well as collectively that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ….

Died for me and you while we were sinners.

He suffered brutality and in dying on the cross, He paid the price for our sins.

Jesus died for love of me and you.

Through Him, God our Father’s promises are fulfilled. By being lifted up high upon the cross He has gathered us all unto to Him. We have been liberated and set free to live fully in union with the God our Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit now and forevermore!

I will spend this day reflecting on His great love for me. I mourn the sins I have committed. I confess all that I have done and all that I have failed to do. I truly detest all my sins and I am utterly remorseful.

Jesus my Lord and Saviour, I am truly sorry for all my sins against You. With Your mercy and grace; I endeavour this and every day never to fall into sin again. Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice

See, my servant will prosper,

he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.

As the crowds were appalled on seeing him

– so disfigured did he look

that he seemed no longer human –

so will the crowds be astonished at him,

and kings stand speechless before him;

for they shall see something never told

and witness something never heard before:

‘Who could believe what we have heard,

and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’

Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,

like a root in arid ground.

Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,

no looks to attract our eyes;

a thing despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,

a man to make people screen their faces;

he was despised and we took no account of him.

And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,

ours the sorrows he carried.

But we, we thought of him as someone punished,

struck by God, and brought low.

Yet he was pierced through for our faults,

crushed for our sins.

On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,

and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each taking his own way,

and the Lord burdened him

with the sins of all of us.

Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,

he never opened his mouth,

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,

like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers

never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;

would anyone plead his cause?

Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;

for our faults struck down in death.

They gave him a grave with the wicked,

a tomb with the rich,

though he had done no wrong

and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.

If he offers his life in atonement,

he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life

and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.

His soul’s anguish over

he shall see the light and be content.

By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,

taking their faults on himself.

Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,

he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,

for surrendering himself to death

and letting himself be taken for a sinner,

while he was bearing the faults of many

and praying all the time for sinners.

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Second reading

Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9 ·

The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

    During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.

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Gospel

John 18:1-19:42

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

    N. Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kedron valley. There was a garden there, and he went into it with his disciples. Judas the traitor knew the place well, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, and he brought the cohort to this place together with a detachment of guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. Knowing everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus then came forward and said,

    ✠ Who are you looking for?

    N. They answered,

    C. Jesus the Nazarene.

    N. He said,

    ✠ I am he.

    N. Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. He asked them a second time,

    ✠ Who are you looking for?

    N. They said,

    C. Jesus the Nazarene.

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.

    N. This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.’

    Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

    ✠ Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

    N. The cohort and its captain and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had suggested to the Jews, ‘It is better for one man to die for the people.’

    Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace, but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who was keeping the door and brought Peter in. The maid on duty at the door said to Peter,

    O. Aren’t you another of that man’s disciples?

    N. He answered,

    O. I am not.

    N. Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others.

    The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered,

    ✠ I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.

    N. At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying,

    O. Is that the way to answer the high priest?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?

    N. Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

    As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him,

    O. Aren’t you another of his disciples?

    N. He denied it, saying,

    O. I am not.

    N. One of the high priest’s servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

    O. Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?

    N. Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crew.

    They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves or they would be defiled and unable to eat the passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said,

    O. What charge do you bring against this man?

    N. They replied,

    C. If he were not a criminal, we should not be handing him over to you.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.

    N. The Jews answered,

    C. We are not allowed to put a man to death.

    N. This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.

    So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, and asked,

    O. Are you the king of the Jews?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?

    N. Pilate answered,

    O. Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. So you are a king, then?

    N. Jesus answered,

    ✠ It is you who say it. Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Truth? What is that?

    N. and with that he went out again to the Jews and said,

    O. I find no case against him. But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?

    N. At this they shouted:

    C. Not this man, but Barabbas.

    N. Barabbas was a brigand.

    Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him and saying,

    C. Hail, king of the Jews!

    N. and they slapped him in the face.

    Pilate came outside again and said to them,

    O. Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case.

    N. Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said,

    O. Here is the man.

    N. When they saw him the chief priests and the guards shouted,

    C. Crucify him! Crucify him!

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Take him yourselves and crucify him: I can find no case against him.

    N. The Jews replied,

    C. We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

    N. When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus

    O. Where do you come from?

    N. But Jesus made no answer. Pilate then said to him,

    O. Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?

    N. Jesus replied,

    ✠ You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.

    N. From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted,

    C. If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.

    N. Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated himself on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was Passover Preparation Day, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews,

    O. Here is your king.

    N. They said,

    C. Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!

    N. Pilate said,

    O. Do you want me to crucify your king?

    N. The chief priests answered,

    C. We have no king except Caesar.

    N. So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

    They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.’ This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate,

    C. You should not write ‘King of the Jews,’ but ‘This man said: “I am King of the Jews.”’

    N. Pilate answered,

    O. What I have written, I have written.

    N. When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another,

    C. Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.

    N. In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled:

    They shared out my clothing among them.

    They cast lots for my clothes.

This is exactly what the soldiers did.

    Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother,

    ✠ Woman, this is your son.

    N. Then to the disciple he said,

    ✠ This is your mother.

    N. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

    After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said:

    ✠ I am thirsty.

    N. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said,

    ✠ It is accomplished;

    N. and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

    Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

    It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:

    Not one bone of his will be broken;

and again, in another place scripture says:

    They will look on the one whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.

We are finally at the last stretch of our Lenten journey, the triduum before Easter if you will. Beginning at today’s Chrism Mass all the way to Holy Saturday. Let us reflect a little and ask ourselves are we ready to once again, enter into new life with Christ Jesus our resurrected Lord?

In this spiritual journey we had embarked on from Ash Wednesday into the wilderness of our lives, have we died to our past life in 2022, sins, waywardness, self indulgence, greed, wanton desires, workaholism and so on. Are the planted seeds of His Word, our prayer life, almsgiving starting to bear fruit? Have we grown deeper in love with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

If the answer is Yes! Then let us prepare ourselves for this Holy night, as we call to mind all whose feet we want to wash tonight. If we have the opportunity we will want to do so physically. Not necessarily actual washing of the feet, but the willingness to lower ourselves to perform act/s of love. No doubt the list of people in mind will have those whom we love and cherish but the list will not be complete unless it contains all those whom are difficult and challenging to love!

Teach me Lord how to love as You love. Amen

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First reading

Exodus 12:1-8,11-14 ·

The Passover is a day of festival for all generations, for ever

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:

    ‘This month is to be the first of all the others for you, the first month of your year. Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, “On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock, one for each family: one animal for each household. If the household is too small to eat the animal, a man must join with his neighbour, the nearest to his house, as the number of persons requires. You must take into account what each can eat in deciding the number for the animal. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may take it from either sheep or goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel shall slaughter it between the two evenings. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That night, the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it hastily: it is a passover in honour of the Lord. That night, I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord! The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour. For all generations you are to declare it a day of festival, for ever.”’

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Second reading

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ·

Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

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Gospel

John 13:1-15

Now he showed how perfect his love was

It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.

    They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’

    When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

As time draws closer to the end of our Lenten journey let us take a moment to ponder and dwell on our experiences. Are we that much closer in our relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Have we awoken each day to listen to Him like a disciple? Have we comforted those who are wearied, burdened and led them to Him? Have we used our spiritual gifts in the last thirty odd days to heal, restore, and cast out evil? Have we brought the peace of Christ to our homes, workplaces, Church and to the rest of the world?

Or have we instead chosen to sell our Lord off for ‘thirty pieces of silver’? By submitting to the temptations of the world?

My Jesus, my Saviour, I stand before You sinful and sorrowful for having let You down in moments of weakness. I am truly repentant of all my sins, look not on them Lord, but in Your mercy grant me pardon and peace. So that I may once again shine brightly for You as I bring Your light into the world. Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 50:4-9 ·

Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach me

The Lord has given me

a disciple’s tongue.

So that I may know how to reply to the wearied

he provides me with speech.

Each morning he wakes me to hear,

to listen like a disciple.

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,

neither did I turn away.

I offered my back to those who struck me,

my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;

I did not cover my face

against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,

so that I am untouched by the insults.

So, too, I set my face like flint;

I know I shall not be shamed.

My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me?

Then let us go to court together.

Who thinks he has a case against me?

Let him approach me.

The Lord is coming to my help,

who will dare to condemn me?

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Gospel

Matthew 26:14-25

‘The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will’

One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.

    Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ ‘Go to so-and-so in the city’ he replied ‘and say to him, “The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples.”’ The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.

    When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.’ They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’ He answered, ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas, who was to betray him; asked in his turn, ‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ ‘They are your own words’ answered Jesus.

We might have made plans and declarations that at least for Holy Week we will fast, pray, give alms, be patient, loving and kind. Would it not sound a lot like this? “‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’”

Then someone very close to us says something to hurt us and we lose it! Or the stress at work builds up and we lash out! Or what starts out as a distraction grows into a fantasy! Have we not disowned Him by giving in to the lies of the enemy?

It is not that we should not make such declarations of love for our Lord but rather what is our resolve? Have we begun the week by reading His Word more? Are we dwelling in His presence? Are we not leaning into Him our strength? Does our integrity flow from our relationship with Him? Do we actively see ourselves as beacons of His light and so shine as brightly as we can for Him?

Jesus I know You have patiently waited for me! So here I am Lord! I come to do Your Will! Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 49:1-6 ·

I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth

Islands, listen to me,

pay attention, remotest peoples.

The Lord called me before I was born,

from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.

He made my mouth a sharp sword,

and hid me in the shadow of his hand.

He made me into a sharpened arrow,

and concealed me in his quiver.

He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)

in whom I shall be glorified’;

while I was thinking, ‘I have toiled in vain,

I have exhausted myself for nothing’;

and all the while my cause was with the Lord,

my reward with my God.

I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,

my God was my strength.

And now the Lord has spoken,

he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him,

to gather Israel to him:

‘It is not enough for you to be my servant,

to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel;

I will make you the light of the nations

so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’

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Gospel

John 13:21-33,36-38

‘What you are going to do, do quickly’

While at supper with his disciples, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means’, so leaning back on Jesus’ breast he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?’ ‘It is the one’ replied Jesus ‘to whom I give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ None of the others at table understood the reason he said this. Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’, or telling him to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. Night had fallen.

    When he had gone Jesus said:

‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,

and in him God has been glorified.

If God has been glorified in him,

God will in turn glorify him in himself,

and will glorify him very soon.

‘My little children,

I shall not be with you much longer.

You will look for me,

And, as I told the Jews,

where I am going, you cannot come.’

Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’

Having entered into Holy Week how wonderful to hear the very words God our Father speaks about Jesus in today’s reading; and hear them again as He speaks those very same words deep into our hearts! “Here is my beloved son, my beloved daughter whom I uphold, my chosen ones in whom my soul delights. I have endowed them with my spirit to bring my justice to the nations.”

And so sisters and brothers warmly embraced with our Father’s love how shall we respond? Shall we not perfume the air with His presence by and through our love where ever we go? Shall we count the cost before each endeavour we take up for our Lord? Or shall we instead, remember the price He paid so willingly to redeem us?

Lord let me Your light of the nations; to open the eyes of the blind, free captives from prison and those who live in darkness. Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 42:1-7 ·

Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delights

Here is my servant whom I uphold,

my chosen one in whom my soul delights.

I have endowed him with my spirit

that he may bring true justice to the nations.

He does not cry out or shout aloud,

or make his voice heard in the streets.

He does not break the crushed reed,

nor quench the wavering flame.

Faithfully he brings true justice;

he will neither waver, nor be crushed

until true justice is established on earth,

for the islands are awaiting his law.

Thus says God, the Lord,

he who created the heavens and spread them out,

who gave shape to the earth and what comes from it,

who gave breath to its people

and life to the creatures that move in it:

‘I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;

I have taken you by the hand and formed you;

I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,

‘to open the eyes of the blind,

to free captives from prison,

and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.’

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Gospel

John 12:1-11

‘She had to keep this scent for the day of my burial’

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, ‘Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions. So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’

    Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.

What joy it is that we are only days away from the biggest celebration of the year….Easter! And even now while still in the sombre Lenten mood we can rejoice because we see God our Father’s promises already fulfilled today in today’s first reading.

Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ indeed has gathered the nations unto Himself through His life, death and resurrection!

Because of what the Lord has done for us let us in turn prepare our hearts, minds and souls as we so that we can truly celebrate the joy of Easter. Remembering our promise on Ash Wednesday to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel. Amen

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First reading

Ezekiel 37:21-28 ·

I will bring them home and make them one nation

The Lord says this: ‘I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in my own land and on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their filthy practices and all their sins. I shall rescue them from all the betrayals they have been guilty of; I shall cleanse them; they shall be my people and I will be their God. My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my observances, respect my laws and practise them. They will live in the land that I gave my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children’s children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever. I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and increase them; I shall settle my sanctuary among them for ever. I shall make my home above them; I will be their God, they shall be my people. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever.’

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Gospel

John 11:45-56

Jesus was to die to gather together the scattered children of God

Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting. ‘Here is this man working all these signs’ they said ‘and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.’ One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, ‘You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.’ He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God. From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.

    The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, ‘What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?’

O God to come our aid, O Lord make haste to help us! The divine office begins all prayers with this introductory prayer, but how many of us have the faith that our Lord will swiftly come? How many of us remain skeptical? How many of us know and believe that the Lord is always by our side?

Is it wrong to be skeptical? In a sense no! But we must test them all things; hold on to what is good rejecting every kind of evil. 1 Tess 5:21-22 We must also be able to see the Lord working in the lives of our sisters and brothers. How many today are still being healed during a healing service? Is it not the Lord doing what He did through our brethren?

Lord I believe and trust in You! Amen

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First reading

Jeremiah 20:10-13 ·

He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men

Jeremiah said:

I hear so many disparaging me,

‘“Terror from every side!”

Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’

All those who used to be my friends

watched for my downfall,

‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.

Then we will master him

and take our revenge!’

But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;

my opponents will stumble, mastered,

confounded by their failure;

everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.

But you, O Lord of Hosts, you who probe with justice,

who scrutinise the loins and heart,

let me see the vengeance you will take on them,

for I have committed my cause to you.

Sing to the Lord,

praise the Lord,

for he has delivered the soul of the needy

from the hands of evil men.

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Gospel

John 10:31-42

They wanted to stone Jesus, but he eluded them

The Jews fetched stones to stone him, so Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good works for you to see, works from my Father; for which of these are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for blasphemy: you are only a man and you claim to be God.’ Jesus answered:

‘Is it not written in your Law:

I said, you are gods?

So the Law uses the word gods

of those to whom the word of God was addressed,

and scripture cannot be rejected.

Yet you say to someone the Father has consecrated and sent into the world,

“You are blaspheming,”

because he says, “I am the son of God.”

If I am not doing my Father’s work,

there is no need to believe me;

but if I am doing it,

then even if you refuse to believe in me,

at least believe in the work I do;

then you will know for sure

that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’

They wanted to arrest him then, but he eluded them.

    He went back again to the far side of the Jordan to stay in the district where John had once been baptising. Many people who came to him there said, ‘John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true’; and many of them believed in him.

God our Father deigned that Abraham should be a father of a multitude of nations, a precursor to what we now know to be true, that we are children of God our Father King of the Universe. Through the glory of His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we have entered into the deep and intimate relationship with God our Heavenly Father by our baptism. 

And so as we count down the days to Easter let us strive to remain holy and steadfast as we bow down to the ground in worship. Remembering the faithfulness of God our Father who keeps all His promises. Likewise let us be faithful unto Him. Amen 

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First reading

Genesis 17:3-9 ·

Abraham, the father of a multitude of nations

Abram bowed to the ground and God said this to him, ‘Here now is my covenant with you: you shall become the father of a multitude of nations. You shall no longer be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings. I will establish my Covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, a Covenant in perpetuity, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land you are living in, the whole land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity, and I will be your God.’

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Gospel

John 8:51-59

Your father Abraham saw my Day and was glad

Jesus said to the Jews:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

whoever keeps my word

will never see death.’

The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?’ Jesus answered:

‘If I were to seek my own glory

that would be no glory at all;

my glory is conferred by the Father,

by the one of whom you say, “He is our God”

although you do not know him.

But I know him,

and if I were to say: I do not know him,

I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves.

But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.

Your father Abraham rejoiced

to think that he would see my Day;

he saw it and was glad.’

The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

before Abraham ever was,

I Am.’

At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.

You know I had always thought to myself with somewhat faux bravado that should I ever face a situation like those in today’s first reading, I would gladly burn in the furnace then renounce my Lord and my God!

But what about losing my temper when the hawker gets my order wrong and refuses to change it? Or screaming at my children when they say and do something to upset me? What about reacting angrily when my spouse says something to irk me or put me down? Or turning to vice to distract me from woes and trials of daily life? All these things and more, are they not the same as me renouncing the Lord my God? Choosing to hear the lies of the evil one whispering sweet nothings in my ear?

If I give in too easily, it is because I have not made my Lord’s Word my home! For then I am not living the freedom of His truth within me.

Come Lord Jesus, come dwell in my heart now and forevermore. And let Your Word be a lamp unto my feet. Amen

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First reading

Daniel 3:14-20,24-25,28

God has sent his angel to rescue his servants

King Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have erected? When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, or any other instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you must be thrown straight away into the burning fiery furnace; and where is the god who could save you from my power?’ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question hardly requires an answer: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, O king, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have erected.’ These words infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was very different now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual, and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.

    Then King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, O king.’ ‘But,’ he went on ‘I can see four men walking about freely in the heart of the fire without coming to any harm. And the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’

    Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: he has sent his angel to rescue the servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their own.’

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Gospel

John 8:31-42

If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed

To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said:

‘If you make my word your home

you will indeed be my disciples,

you will learn the truth

and the truth will make you free.’

They answered, ‘We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, “You will be made free”?’ Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

everyone who commits sin is a slave.

Now the slave’s place in the house is not assured,

but the son’s place is assured.

So if the Son makes you free,

you will be free indeed.

I know that you are descended from Abraham;

but in spite of that you want to kill me

because nothing I say has penetrated into you.

What I, for my part, speak of

is what I have seen with my Father;

but you, you put into action

the lessons learnt from your father.’

They repeated, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them:

‘If you were Abraham’s children,

you would do as Abraham did.

As it is, you want to kill me

when I tell you the truth

as I have learnt it from God;

that is not what Abraham did.

What you are doing is what your father does.’

‘We were not born of prostitution,’ they went on ‘we have one father: God.’ Jesus answered:

‘If God were your father, you would love me,

since I have come here from God;

yes, I have come from him;

not that I came because I chose,

no, I was sent, and by him.’

The perfect song for reflecting on today’s readings is entitled Song of The Cross….

I invite you now to open your hearts, listen and meditate on our Lord’s great love for us…

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

SONG OF THE CROSS

Love lifted on the cross for me:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Love lifted high to set me free:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Behold the wood of the cross,

behold the lamb that was slain.

Behold your king comes victorious,

behold he has risen again.

Love lifted on the cross for me:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Love lifted high to set me free:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

O be exalted, O God,

above the heavens and the earth.

For by your cross and resurrection

you have redeemed the world.

Love lifted on the cross for me:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Love lifted high to set me free:

my Lord, my God, my salvation.

Give glory to the Father,

give glory to the Son,

give glory to the Holy Spirit;

give glory to the Holy One.

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First reading

Numbers 21:4-9 ·

If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked up at the bronze serpent and lived

The Israelites left Mount Hor by the road to the Sea of Suph, to skirt the land of Edom. On the way the people lost patience. They spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is neither bread nor water here; we are sick of this unsatisfying food.’

    At this God sent fiery serpents among the people; their bite brought death to many in Israel. The people came and said to Moses, ‘We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Intercede for us with the Lord to save us from these serpents.’ Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord answered him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live.’ So Moses fashioned a bronze serpent which he put on a standard, and if anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.

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Gospel

John 8:21-30

When you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will know that I am He

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

‘I am going away;

you will look for me

and you will die in your sin.

Where I am going, you cannot come.’

The Jews said to one another, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ Jesus went on:

‘You are from below; I am from above.

You are of this world; I am not of this world.

I have told you already:

You will die in your sins.

Yes, if you do not believe that I am He,

you will die in your sins.’

So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered:

‘What I have told you from the outset.

About you I have much to say

and much to condemn;

but the one who sent me is truthful,

and what I have learnt from him

I declare to the world.’

They failed to understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus said:

‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He

and that I do nothing of myself:

what the Father has taught me is what I preach;

he who sent me is with me,

and has not left me to myself,

for I always do what pleases him.’

As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.

Today I am reminded once again to turn my eyes to Heaven and gaze upon my Lord! Especially when tempted by the lure of sexual fantasy or distraction. For while I am indeed of flesh, I am also created in the image and likeness of my Heavenly Father. Therefore, I shall choose to live in accordance with the Spirit and have mind set on what the Spirit desires. And living through the counsel of the Holy Spirit, I have life and peace!

Then, let me gaze into Heaven to see You O Lord. And as I see what You are doing, so I shall do as well. For You have told me, to love mercy, act justly and to walk humbly with You. Therefore I shall look upon my sisters and brothers with the same loving and merciful gaze that You have looked upon me. And lead them home to You. Amen

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First reading

Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62

Susannah and the elders

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim. He had married Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, because her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses. Joakim was a very rich man, and had a garden attached to his house; the Jews would often visit him since he was held in greater respect than any other man. Two elderly men had been selected from the people that year to act as judges. Of such the Lord said, ‘Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.’ These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them. At midday, when everyone had gone, Susanna used to take a walk in her husband’s garden. The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her. They threw reason aside, making no effort to turn their eyes to heaven, and forgetting its demands of virtue. So they waited for a favourable moment; and one day Susanna came as usual, accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden. There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place. She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’

    Hardly were the servants gone than the two elders were there after her. ‘Look,’ they said ‘the garden door is shut, no one can see us. We want to have you, so give in and let us! Refuse, and we will both give evidence that a young man was with you and that was why you sent your maids away.’ Susanna sighed. ‘I am trapped,’ she said ‘whatever I do. If I agree, that means my death; if I resist, I cannot get away from you. But I prefer to fall innocent into your power than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.’ Then she cried out as loud as she could. The two elders began shouting too, putting the blame on her, and one of them ran to open the garden door. The household, hearing the shouting in the garden, rushed out by the side entrance to see what was happening; once the elders had told their story the servants were thoroughly taken aback, since nothing of this sort had ever been said of Susanna.

    Next day a meeting was held at the house of her husband Joakim. The two elders arrived, in their vindictiveness determined to have her put to death. They addressed the company: ‘Summon Susanna daughter of Hilkiah and wife of Joakim.’ She was sent for, and came accompanied by her parents, her children and all her relations. All her own people were weeping, and so were all the others who saw her. The two elders stood up, with all the people round them, and laid their hands on the woman’s head. Tearfully she turned her eyes to heaven, her heart confident in God. The elders then spoke. ‘While we were walking by ourselves in the garden, this woman arrived with two servants. She shut the garden door and then dismissed the servants. A young man who had been hiding went over to her and they lay down together. From the end of the garden where we were, we saw this crime taking place and hurried towards them. Though we saw them together we were unable to catch the man: he was too strong for us; he opened the door and took to his heels. We did, however, catch this woman and ask her who the young man was. She refused to tell us. That is our evidence.’

    Since they were elders of the people, and judges, the assembly took their word: Susanna was condemned to death. She cried out as loud as she could, ‘Eternal God, you know all secrets and everything before it happens; you know that they have given false evidence against me. And now have I to die, innocent as I am of everything their malice has invented against me?’

    The Lord heard her cry and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the holy spirit residing in a young boy named Daniel who began to shout, ‘I am innocent of this woman’s death!’ At which all the people turned to him and asked, ‘What do you mean by these words?’ Standing in the middle of the crowd he replied, ‘Are you so stupid, sons of Israel, as to condemn a daughter of Israel unheard, and without troubling to find out the truth? Go back to the scene of the trial: these men have given false evidence against her.’

    All the people hurried back, and the elders said to Daniel, ‘Come and sit with us and tell us what you mean, since God has given you the gifts that elders have.’ Daniel said, ‘Keep the men well apart from each other for I want to question them.’ When the men had been separated, Daniel had one of them brought to him. ‘You have grown old in wickedness,’ he said ‘and now the sins of your earlier days have overtaken you, you with your unjust judgements, your condemnation of the innocent, your acquittal of guilty men, when the Lord has said, “You must not put the innocent and the just to death.” Now then, since you saw her so clearly, tell me what tree you saw them lying under?’ He replied, ‘Under a mastic tree.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God has already received your sentence from him and will slash you in half.’ He dismissed the man, ordered the other to be brought and said to him, ‘Spawn of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has led your heart astray! This is how you have been behaving with the daughters of Israel and they were too frightened to resist; but here is a daughter of Judah who could not stomach your wickedness! Now then, tell me what tree you surprised them under?’ He replied, ‘Under a holm oak.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God is waiting, with a sword to drive home and split you, and destroy the pair of you.’

    Then the whole assembly shouted, blessing God, the saviour of those who trust in him. And they turned on the two elders whom Daniel had convicted of false evidence out of their own mouths. As prescribed in the Law of Moses, they sentenced them to the same punishment as they had intended to inflict on their neighbour. They put them to death; the life of an innocent woman was spared that day.

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Gospel

John 8:1-11

‘Let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to throw a stone’

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.

    The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?’ They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’

“Let what you have said be done to me” Mary’s response at the Annunciation of our Lord.  “Here I am! I am coming to obey your will.” Jesus’s response to God our Heavenly Father.

What then is our response this day, to the call of our Lord Jesus Christ? Who wills that we should renounce ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Did we already forget the reminder on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday from Luke’s Gospel 9:22-25?

We should be rejoicing as we close in to Easter, for the call is also a reminder that we are His favoured ones and that He is with us till the end of time!

Here I am Lord, I will go as You lead me, I will hold your people in my heart. Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 7:10-14,8:10 ·

The maiden is with child

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’

    Then Isaiah said:

‘Listen now, House of David:

are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men

without trying the patience of my God, too?

The Lord himself, therefore,

will give you a sign.

It is this: the maiden is with child

and will soon give birth to a son

whom she will call Immanuel,

a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’

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Second reading

Hebrews 10:4-10 ·

God’s will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,

prepared a body for me.

You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;

then I said,

just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,

‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

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Gospel

Luke 1:26-38

‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

How easy it is to deny our relationship with the Lord our God when we are placed in an uncomfortable situation. No?

How many would skip praying grace before meals when in the company of unbelievers? What about grace after meals? Or is that taking our faith to the extreme? What about talking about Jesus and what He has done for us with our friends and family? What about with our colleagues? What about in situations whether at the office or wherever we are when injustice is being done? Or when there is a temptation to go with the flow even though it is against our virtues or principles, or our integrity as children of God our Father? What about taking stationery from the office home for personal use? Is that not theft? How about entertaining indecent thoughts or fantasies with those in close proximity with us? Are there more subtle ways in which deny our relationship with the Lord our God? 

Jesus shows us in today’s Gospel, that even at the risk of being put to death, He would never deny His relationship with God His Father. He chooses to glorify Him in all things and seeks only to do His Will.

Grant me the grace Lord Jesus to follow after You in all things, always and above to do what God my Heavenly Father Wills for me. Through You, with You and in You. Amen

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First reading

Wisdom 2:1,12-22

Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man and condemn him to a shameful death

The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:

‘Our life is short and dreary,

nor is there any relief when man’s end comes,

nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades.

Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us

and opposes our way of life,

reproaches us for our breaches of the law

and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.

He claims to have knowledge of God,

and calls himself a son of the Lord.

Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking,

the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;

his way of life is not like other men’s,

the paths he treads are unfamiliar.

In his opinion we are counterfeit;

he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;

he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy

and boasts of having God for his father.

Let us see if what he says is true,

let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.

If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part

and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.

Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,

and thus explore this gentleness of his

and put his endurance to the proof.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death

since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’

This is the way they reason, but they are misled,

their malice makes them blind.

They do not know the hidden things of God,

they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded,

they can see no reward for blameless souls.

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Gospel

John 7:1-2,10,25-30

They would have arrested him, but his time had not yet come

Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.

    As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.’

    Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:

‘Yes, you know me

and you know where I came from.

Yet I have not come of myself:

no, there is one who sent me

and I really come from him,

and you do not know him,

but I know him because I have come from him

and it was he who sent me.’

They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 For such a person has a deep personal relationship with the Lord our God. A child of God who knows how deeply loved he or she is and will not be distracted by the ways of the world. A disciple of Jesus who seeks to draw others back to the heart of our Heavenly Father by interceding for them and leading them home to Him.

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, let us set our hope on the grace to be brought to us when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, let us not conform to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance. But just as He who called us is holy, so let us be holy in all we do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy. 1 Peter 13-16

Let us go forth giving heartfelt testimonies of Jesus for it is a spirit of prophesy! Jesus is for everyone! Amen

Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo pray for us…

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First reading

Exodus 32:7-14 ·

Moses pleads with the Lord his God to spare Israel

The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

    But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth”? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.’

    So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

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Gospel

John 5:31-47

You place your hopes on Moses but Moses will be your accuser

Jesus said to the Jews:

‘Were I to testify on my own behalf,

my testimony would not be valid;

but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf,

and I know that his testimony is valid.

You sent messengers to John,

and he gave his testimony to the truth:

not that I depend on human testimony;

no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.

John was a lamp alight and shining

and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.

But my testimony is greater than John’s:

the works my Father has given me to carry out,

these same works of mine testify

that the Father has sent me.

Besides, the Father who sent me

bears witness to me himself.

You have never heard his voice,

you have never seen his shape,

and his word finds no home in you

because you do not believe in the one he has sent.

‘You study the scriptures,

believing that in them you have eternal life;

now these same scriptures testify to me,

and yet you refuse to come to me for life!

As for human approval, this means nothing to me.

Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.

I have come in the name of my Father

and you refuse to accept me;

if someone else comes in his own name

you will accept him.

How can you believe,

since you look to one another for approval

and are not concerned

with the approval that comes from the one God?

Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father:

you place your hopes on Moses,

and Moses will be your accuser.

If you really believed him

you would believe me too,

since it was I that he was writing about;

but if you refuse to believe what he wrote,

how can you believe what I say?’

The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too. Likewise, we can do nothing by ourselves; we can only do what we see Jesus doing. Whatever Jesus did and is still doing then we too should be doing!

But how do we see what Jesus is doing? How do we see Him at all? We see Him alive in His Word, we see Him in the poor, the outcasts, those in prison, in the aged, helpless. We see Him most clearly in our deep personal and loving relationship with Him. For He has told us “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40

Let us therefore pursue the heart of Jesus for our brethren in our lives. For then we shall surely see our Lord face to face. And in our endeavour let us never be discouraged for He will never abandon us.

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things pass away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

He who has God

Finds he lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Amen (St Theresa of Jesus)

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First reading

Isaiah 49:8-15

On the day of salvation I will help you

Thus says the Lord:

At the favourable time I will answer you,

on the day of salvation I will help you.

(I have formed you and have appointed you

as covenant of the people.)

I will restore the land

and assign you the estates that lie waste.

I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,

to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

On every roadway they will graze,

and each bare height shall be their pasture.

They will never hunger or thirst,

scorching wind and sun shall never plague them;

for he who pities them will lead them

and guide them to springs of water.

I will make a highway of all the mountains,

and the high roads shall be banked up.

Some are on their way from afar,

others from the north and the west,

others from the land of Sinim.

Shout for joy, you heavens; exult, you earth!

You mountains, break into happy cries!

For the Lord consoles his people

and takes pity on those who are afflicted.

For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the Lord has forgotten me.’

Does a woman forget her baby at the breast,

or fail to cherish the son of her womb?

Yet even if these forget,

I will never forget you.

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Gospel

John 5:17-30

The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live

Jesus said to the Jews, ‘My Father goes on working, and so do I.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal.

    To this accusation Jesus replied:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

the Son can do nothing by himself;

he can do only what he sees the Father doing:

and whatever the Father does the Son does too.

For the Father loves the Son

and shows him everything he does himself,

and he will show him even greater things than these,

works that will astonish you.

Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,

so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;

for the Father judges no one;

he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,

so that all may honour the Son

as they honour the Father.

Whoever refuses honour to the Son

refuses honour to the Father who sent him.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever listens to my words,

and believes in the one who sent me,

has eternal life;

without being brought to judgement

he has passed from death to life.

I tell you most solemnly,

the hour will come – in fact it is here already –

when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,

and all who hear it will live.

For the Father, who is the source of life,

has made the Son the source of life;

and, because he is the Son of Man,

has appointed him supreme judge.

Do not be surprised at this,

for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves

at the sound of his voice:

those who did good will rise again to life;

and those who did evil, to condemnation.

I can do nothing by myself;

I can only judge as I am told to judge,

and my judging is just,

because my aim is to do not my own will,

but the will of him who sent me.’

Jesus offers us life giving water of great depths. Yet do we choose only to immerse our feet? Then come out to walk again in the scorching barren desert? This perhaps has been our Lenten journey thus far. We experience moments of great, peace, love and joy! We experience full redemption, but instead of affixing our eyes on Jesus, we allow the distractions of the world to overwhelm us. We fall back into habitual sin and allow the evil one to once again have a foothold into our lives.

Do you want to be well again? Restored and made whole to live in His presence? Then turn your heart fully to Jesus!  Pick up your ‘mat’ that is to stay awake! And walk in His light. Heed our Lord’s warning not to sin again or something worse may happen to you!

Thank You Lord for Your love and mercy, by Your Word I am healed! Amen

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First reading

Ezekiel 47:1-9,12 ·

Wherever the water flows, it will bring life and health

The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. The man went to the east holding his measuring line and measured off a thousand cubits; he then made me wade across the stream; the water reached my ankles. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across the stream again; the water reached my knees. He measured off another thousand and made me wade across again; the water reached my waist. He measured off another thousand; it was now a river which I could not cross; the stream had swollen and was now deep water, a river impossible to cross. He then said, ‘Do you see, son of man?’ He took me further, then brought me back to the bank of the river. When I got back, there were many trees on each bank of the river. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’

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Gospel

John 5:1-3,5-16

The healing at the pool of Bethesda

There was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now at the Sheep Pool in Jerusalem there is a building, called Bethzatha in Hebrew, consisting of five porticos; and under these were crowds of sick people – blind, lame, paralysed – waiting for the water to move. One man there had an illness which had lasted thirty-eight years, and when Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had been in this condition for a long time, he said, ‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.

    Now that day happened to be the sabbath, so the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; you are not allowed to carry your sleeping-mat.’ He replied, ‘But the man who cured me told me, “Pick up your mat and walk.”’ They asked, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Pick up your mat and walk”?’ The man had no idea who it was, since Jesus had disappeared into the crowd that filled the place. After a while Jesus met him in the Temple and said, ‘Now you are well again, be sure not to sin any more, or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had cured him. It was because he did things like this on the sabbath that the Jews began to persecute Jesus.

In our modern-day context, Joseph could have said “No way, too farfetched to believe!” “Nothing doing!” “Choose someone else” or “I am not worthy if this is true” “Why me?” “You’ve got to be kidding!” “Show me a sign so that I may be believe this is from You Lord!”

Have you not wondered how it is that Joseph was so obedient? So faithful? From this little passage in today’s Gospel we can see how kind, honourable, righteous in the eyes of God our Father he was?

I would dare say Joseph was a man of great faith, who knew the Lord intimately and recognised the movements and guidance of the Holy Spirit? Joseph was anointed by God our Heavenly Father and through his faithfulness, He brought Jesus into the line of David and the Word of God was fulfilled.

Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary pray for us… 

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First reading

2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16 ·

The Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David

The word of the Lord came to Nathan:

    ‘Go and tell my servant David, Thus the Lord speaks: “When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure for ever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Yet I will not withdraw my favour from him, as I withdrew it from your predecessor. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

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Second reading

Romans 4:13,16-18,22 ·

Abraham hoped, and he believed

The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations – Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.

    Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’

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Gospel

Matthew 1:16,18-21,24

How Jesus Christ came to be born

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

    This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.

We cannot buy or earn our way into Heaven. We can only love our way into Heaven. Love not as in the emotion, but the living sacrifice of willing the good in another, through the grace of the Lord our God. Our faithfulness must therefore mirror the faithfulness of God our Heavenly Father.

When we pray, we come enter into His presence in perfect contrition for what we have done and what we failed to do. In humble adoration of our merciful Lord, we dwell in His love; knowing that He heal and restore us.  So that we may go out into the world sharing the joy of the Gospel.

Lord I am not worthy to come into Your presence, only say the word and I shall be healed. Amen

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem pray for us…

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First reading

Hosea 5:15-6:6 ·

What I want is love, not sacrifice and holocausts

The Lord says this:

They will search for me in their misery.

‘Come, let us return to the Lord.

He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us;

he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds;

after a day or two he will bring us back to life,

on the third day he will raise us

and we shall live in his presence.

Let us set ourselves to know the Lord;

that he will come is as certain as the dawn

his judgement will rise like the light,

he will come to us as showers come,

like spring rains watering the earth.’

What am I to do with you, Ephraim?

What am I to do with you, Judah?

This love of yours is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that quickly disappears.

This is why I have torn them to pieces by the prophets,

why I slaughtered them with the words from my mouth,

since what I want is love, not sacrifice;

knowledge of God, not holocausts.

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Gospel

Luke 18:9-14

The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Not one or the other but both! Love God and Love neighbour only difference is the order. For loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength above and beyond, is how we can then truly love neighbour or even ourselves. For He our loving Lord, loved us first even while we were still sinners!

No matter how holy or perfect we think we are, the battle of sin is ongoing with each and every one of us. We will all fall from time to time but let us never forget that we have a merciful Lord who will always embrace us with His mercy when we turn back to Him. So let us shut out the lies of the evil one who whispers unworthiness, unforgiveness, condemnation, guilt and shame!

So, with contrite hearts let us cry out “O Father I have sinned against heaven and against You, I am no longer good enough to be Your Son.” (Your daughter) “But only say the Word and I shall be healed, I shall be restored.” Amen

Saint Patrick pray for us…

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First reading

Hosea 14:2-10

A call to conversion and promise of safety

The Lord says this:

Israel, come back to the Lord your God;

your iniquity was the cause of your downfall.

Provide yourself with words

and come back to the Lord.

Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away

so that we may have happiness again

and offer you our words of praise.

Assyria cannot save us,

we will not ride horses any more,

or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have made,

for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’

– I will heal their disloyalty,

I will love them with all my heart,

for my anger has turned from them.

I will fall like dew on Israel.

He shall bloom like the lily,

and thrust out roots like the poplar,

his shoots will spread far;

he will have the beauty of the olive

and the fragrance of Lebanon.

They will come back to live in my shade;

they will grow corn that flourishes,

they will cultivate vines

as renowned as the wine of Helbon.

What has Ephraim to do with idols any more

when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him?

I am like a cypress ever green,

all your fruitfulness comes from me.

Let the wise man understand these words.

Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning.

For the ways of the Lord are straight,

and virtuous men walk in them,

but sinners stumble.

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Gospel

Mark 12:28-34

‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must 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 must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

The Lord calls us in a gentle loving voice to come back with all our hearts to Him. For just as many of us long to be in His presence, so too does He want be present to us for all time. He our God and we His people, One in Holy Communion.

Yet many of us still struggle on a daily basis with sin, some habitual. Which in a sense is normal, because the evil one is never resting and always lurking. Hence we need to put on the helmet of salvation and arm ourselves with the word of God and through the power and grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we will overcome all that is evil.

For we are children of the light, and through the power of our Lord’s resurrection we live free as light for the world. Amen

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First reading

Jeremiah 7:23-28

Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God

These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.

    But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”

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Gospel

Luke 11:14-23

Know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you

Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.

    ‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’

The laws of the Lord our God is written on our hearts. For through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we have been fully reconciled to God our Heavenly Father. No one can feign ignorance of the laws of the Lord our God, for through our baptism we have the Holy Spirit to guide us into the fullness of His truth.

And it our duty to lead one another into the Heavenly Kingdom by teaching all that the Lord had taught and commanded us.  For He said “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20

Jesus grant me the grace to remain steadfast in Your love. Amen

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First reading

Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9

Keep these laws and observe them

Moses said to the people:

    ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.

    ‘See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?

    ‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’

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Gospel

Matthew 5:17-19

I have not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’

Be quick to forgive and be set free! No matter how deep the hurt and pain, forgive. If you find it extremely hard to forgive, then ask the Lord for the grace to forgive and He will grant it to You. For just as the Lord our God is merciful so too, we must be merciful. Jesus forgave us from the cross can we do any less?

There are many cases of health issues that have arisen from unforgiveness. For such cases, healing begins when those afflicted begins to forgive and remember that they have forgiven. Do not let unforgiveness be the obstacle for your own healing! For the Lord desires that you are made whole, to live your life to the fullest in His presence. Turn to Him and He will set you free!

Treat us gently Lord, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful. Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds. Amen

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First reading

Daniel 3:25,34-43

Let our sacrifice to you today be a contrite soul and humbled spirit

Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:

Oh! Do not abandon us for ever,

for the sake of your name;

do not repudiate your covenant,

do not withdraw your favour from us,

for the sake of Abraham, your friend,

of Isaac your servant,

and of Israel your holy one,

to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven

and as the grains of sand on the seashore.

Lord, now we are the least of all the nations,

now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins.

We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince,

no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense,

no place where we can offer you the first-fruits

and win your favour.

But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you

as holocausts of rams and bullocks,

as thousands of fattened lambs:

such let our sacrifice be to you today,

and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly,

since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed.

And now we put our whole heart into following you,

into fearing you and seeking your face once more.

Do not disappoint us;

treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle

and very merciful.

Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds,

let your name win glory, Lord.

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Gospel

Matthew 18:21-35

To be forgiven, you must forgive

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

    ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Humility and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ! That is what is lacking in many of us. We live our lives as ‘army commanders’ directing others on what needs to be done, making all the decisions that govern our lives and that of others. Whether it is our families, colleagues or friends. We think and believe we know best! Can we really ever surrender ourselves to Jesus? Can we renounce ourselves, take up our cross to follow after Him?

What if a prophet is sent our way to perhaps correct something that the Lord wants us to correct? Are we prepared to listen? What if the Lord wants to heal us by a certain way? Will we allow it to be done according to His will? Just the day before yesterday,  I met a brother in Christ who was recovering from a post-op procedure. I asked how he was doing? He replied he is still in pain, but is well as can be at this stage. The doctor had told him that it would take at least six months for a full pain-free recovery. I asked him if he wanted to be healed this very moment, he laughed and repeated that the doctor had already said it would take six months.

Our loving Lord indeed desires to heal us and restore us, whether physically or spiritually. He will not withhold healing from us because we are bad. Neither will He heal us because we are good. He had already died on the cross for us while we were still sinners so that we are fully redeemed.

Glory and Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ! Amen

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First reading

2 Kings 5:1-15 ·

There were many lepers in Israel, but only Naaman, the Syrian, was cured

Naaman, army commander to the king of Aram, was a man who enjoyed his master’s respect and favour, since through him the Lord had granted victory to the Aramaeans. But the man was a leper.

    Now on one of their raids, the Aramaeans had carried off from the land of Israel a little girl who had become a servant of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy.’

    Naaman went and told his master. ‘This and this’ he reported ‘is what the girl from the land of Israel said.’

    ‘Go by all means,’ said the king of Aram ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’

    So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten festal robes. He presented the letter to the king of Israel. It read: ‘With this letter, I am sending my servant Naaman to you for you to cure him of his leprosy.’ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his garments. ‘Am I a god to give death and life,’ he said ‘that he sends a man to me and asks me to cure him of his leprosy? Listen to this, and take note of it and see how he intends to pick a quarrel with me.’

    When Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king, ‘Why did you tear your garments? Let him come to me, and he will find there is a prophet in Israel.’

    So Naaman came with his team and chariot and drew up at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent him a messenger to say, ‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.’

    But Naaman was indignant and went off, saying, ‘Here was I thinking he would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part. Surely Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could I not bathe in them and become clean?’ And he turned round and went off in a rage.

    But his servants approached him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’

    So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child.

    Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before him. ‘Now I know’ he said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.’

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Gospel

Luke 4:24-30

No prophet is ever accepted in his own country

Jesus came to Nazara and spoke to the people in the synagogue: ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

    ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

    When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.

Never shall I take the love and mercy of my Lord and God for granted!

We can all relate in someway or another to today’s Gospel, which ever so often we find that we switch roles in the story of our lives. We are the prodigal son, we are the elder son and then sometimes we are the father in the story!

We like the younger son had chosen our own way, to leave behind everything to do as we please. Then we got into trouble, despair and turned back. We like the elder son, have had a performance based mentality. Instead of leaning into a loving relationship with the father, we had chosen to try as with all our might and strength to earn his love and respect. When we should have known had we had that intimate relationship with him that He loves us for who we are not what we do. By growing in our love with Him we can minister to others out of that love. And finally like the father we know that when we choose to love over everything else, ridding ourselves of any and all disappointment then we have chosen to be like our Heavenly Father.

Yes I have faltered, been restored, then faltered again! But it is my heart’s desire to turn away from all sin so that I can remain fully in the heavenly embrace of my Heavenly Father. Yes indeed, time and time again; He has been slow to anger, merciful and kind. Otherwise I would be doomed to lead a life of misery. So while I plead with Him to remember not my faults, I would do well to remember His faithfulness; and likewise be faithful.

Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; yet I know You still love me. Cleanse me that I may be white as snow. Let Your will be done in me, now and forever. Amen

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First reading

Micah 7:14-15,18-20 ·

Have pity on us one more time

With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture,

the flock that is your heritage,

living confined in a forest

with meadow land all around.

Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead

as in the days of old.

As in the days when you came out of Egypt

grant us to see wonders.

What god can compare with you: taking fault away,

pardoning crime,

not cherishing anger for ever

but delighting in showing mercy?

Once more have pity on us,

tread down our faults,

to the bottom of the sea

throw all our sins.

Grant Jacob your faithfulness,

and Abraham your mercy,

as you swore to our fathers

from the days of long ago.

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Gospel

Luke 15:1-3,11-32

The prodigal son

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:

    ‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

    ‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.

    ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

    ‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

    ‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’

If we read the first reading on its own, we might find that Joseph’s brothers are just a heinous, ruthless, jealous and treacherous bunch. We forget that the father was partly to blame for their behaviour. Because he doted on Joseph while not paying much if any attention nor affection for the rest of his sons. Joseph too had a share of the blame for his brother’s actions against him, for he prided in himself and his talents. He was quick to put them down!

Are we any different from Joseph’s brothers? Have we not thought to ourselves how is it that some folks are so blessed and happy, while we have to go through hardship and challenges after challenges! Does God our Father love them more than us? We will be surprised to learn that God our loving Father loves each and everyone of us, just like Israel loved Joseph! That it is His heart’s desire to have coats made with long sleeves for all of us! That we be clothed in His glory!

Are we then like Joseph at this juncture? Strutting ourselves like peacocks, filled with vainglory? Or will folks look at us and see humility and love? Will they see the face of Christ in us?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Amen

(1 Cor 13:4-7)

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First reading

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28 ·

Let us kill him: then we shall see what becomes of his dreams

Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.

    His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers with the flock at Shechem? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

    They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’

    But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’ he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.

    Looking up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed.

    Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.

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Gospel

Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

This is the landlord’s heir: come, let us kill him

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

    When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.

Today as I dwell upon on what it means to be a servant to all, I find that the answer is far too challenging, and I am still very far from being one. Yes, I do serve but have I truly given my all!

For the answer I have found is that to be a servant to all; is to do whatever and however long it takes to lead everyone sent my way, into God’s Kingdom. To open the gates of heaven so that all may see the glory of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! To heal and to make disciples of nations through the power of the Holy Spirit. To do this I must love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with my Lord. I have not yet given my all! So how then can I say that I am indeed a servant to all.

Lord Jesus strengthen my resolve to take up my cross and follow after You, my Lord and my God. Amen

Saint John of God pray for us….

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First reading

Jeremiah 18:18-20

My enemies are digging a pit for me

‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word. Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’

Listen to me, O Lord,

hear what my adversaries are saying.

Should evil be returned for good?

For they are digging a pit for me.

Remember how I stood in your presence

to plead on their behalf,

to turn your wrath away from them.

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Gospel

Matthew 20:17-28

They will condemn the Son of Man to death

Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.’

    Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’

    When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

The worst thing we can be are of two minds and living lives of duality. We want people to honour and respect us, yet we do not want them to know this is in our heart. And so, we perform acts of humility even saying things like “Never will I let my left hand know what my right is doing.” Yet it is always about what I have done, my own accomplishments ending it with “To God be the glory.” In front of fellow leaders, we are nice and respectful but behind them we say unkind things about them and their leadership. We often talk down to others whom we think are beneath us and our intellect; but behave as though we are fully justified by our actions.

Whom are we kidding? Never mind the Lord our God who knows and sees everything, but do we think our hypocrisy can be hidden from our brethren? Do we think no one will ever know? Even if we are just to the orphan or plead for the widow on occasion, how much good can come from us living double lives? For unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Come Lord Jesus! I repent! Transfigure me, cleanse me from within, so that I shall be white as snow. Amen

Saints Perpetua and Felicity pray for us…

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First reading

Isaiah 1:10,16-20

Cease to do evil; learn to do good

Hear the word of the Lord,

you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the command of our God,

you people of Gomorrah.

‘Wash, make yourselves clean.

Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.

Cease to do evil.

Learn to do good,

search for justice,

help the oppressed,

be just to the orphan,

plead for the widow.

‘Come now, let us talk this over,

says the Lord.

Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool.

‘If you are willing to obey,

you shall eat the good things of the earth.

But if you persist in rebellion,

the sword shall eat you instead.’

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Gospel

Matthew 23:1-12

They do not practise what they preach

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.

    ‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’

“Be merciful, compassionate, non-judgmental, and bless everyone around you.” This is what the Lord wants us to do in today’s Gospel. If we do not pray for the Holy Spirit each day for the grace and strength to do so, then this good habit to do so will not form. We will be left where we were at before Lent began or worse.

For just as our Father in Heaven is compassionate, merciful and kind towards us. We want to carry and show His image to the world because we were created in His likeness and image. Can we then be uncompassionate, judgmental, unforgiving and condemning?

Lord Jesus make me more like You. Amen

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First reading

Daniel 9:4-10

Yours is the integrity, Lord; ours the shame

O Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and have kindness for those who love you and keep your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and your ordinances and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Integrity, Lord, is yours; ours the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the citizens of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every country to which you have dispersed us because of the treason we have committed against you. To us, Lord, the look of shame belongs, to our kings, our princes, our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God mercy and pardon belong, because we have betrayed him, and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.

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Gospel

Luke 6:36-38

Grant pardon, and you will be pardoned

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Do you dwell upon the fact that you are consecrated? Perhaps for many this is too big a word or too deep to think about for now? Nay sisters and brothers the more often we dwell upon this fact the more we will be able to resist sin. For we will make extra efforts to guard our souls from all evil so as to remain Holy unto Him.

Simply to be consecrated, is to be ‘set apart’ for and to be with God our Father. We are made Holy and dedicated to His divine purpose. We declare that His Will be done in us, so that in all things we say and do we glorify and praise Him. For we worship and love Him with our hearts, minds, strength and soul!

Because He first loved us, we too can love. Just as we were His enemies through sin, we have become His friends through the mercy and love of Christ Jesus our Lord. And so we can boldly declare both in word and deed that we love our enemies just as we ought to love our neighbour. Amen! Thank You Jesus!

Saint Casimir Pray for us…

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First reading

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 ·

You will be a people consecrated to the Lord

Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God today commands you to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

    ‘You have today made this declaration about the Lord: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and listen to his voice. And the Lord has today made this declaration about you: that you will be his very own people as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and honour he will set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to the Lord, as he promised.’

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Gospel

Matthew 5:43-48

Pray for those who persecute you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

If we were marked for death for all our heinous sins against the Lord our God and one another then who indeed can survive? But by His love and mercy God our loving gave us Jesus to remove every mark and every stain. So that we may live free in His love. Free from the bondages of sin and death.

Why then should we return to the shackles of sin? Why do we want to give in so easily to temptation? Why lead a mediocre, listless life? Or one that appears to be happiness but by its very nature is fleeting? Why withhold forgiveness when we are ourselves are in dire need of forgiveness? If we want to be more like our Lord who is mercy and love then we must be loving and merciful ourselves. We were created for more!

Let us make a decison today that we will live free from all sin, and in the light of our resurrected Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! To glorify Him in all that we say and do. Jesus we love You! Amen

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First reading

Ezekiel 18:21-28 ·

I prefer to see the wicked man renounce his wickedness and live

Thus says the Lord:

    ‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practised. What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man – it is the Lord who speaks – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live?

    ‘But if the upright man renounces his integrity, commits sin, copies the wicked man and practises every kind of filth, is he to live? All the integrity he has practised shall be forgotten from then on; but this is because he himself has broken faith and committed sin, and for this he shall die. But you object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’

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Gospel

Matthew 5:20-26

Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

    ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.’

Bearing in mind that the Lord our God already know what we need and that He will surely answer even if it is a no, how then shall we pray?

Queen Esther’s prayer in today’s first reading is inspiring because it is a prayer fully surrendered to the Lord our God, in love and reverence! It is one that shows complete confidence and dependence on His divine Will.

Learning from her, having united ourselves fully with Him; we ask, and it will be given to us; search, and we will surely find; knock, and the door will be opened to us. We love because he first loved us. 1 Jn 4:19 Any by our love through Him, with and in Him all will know that we are His disciples. Amen

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First reading

Esther 4:17 ·

I am alone, Lord, and have no-one but you

Queen Esther took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words:

‘My Lord, our King, the only one,

come to my help, for I am alone

and have no helper but you

and am about to take my life in my hands.

‘I have been taught from my earliest years, in the bosom of my family,

that you, Lord, chose

Israel out of all the nations

and our ancestors out of all the people of old times

to be your heritage for ever;

and that you have treated them as you promised.

‘Remember, Lord; reveal yourself

in the time of our distress.

‘As for me, give me courage,

King of gods and master of all power.

Put persuasive words into my mouth

when I face the lion;

change his feeling into hatred for our enemy,

that the latter and all like him may be brought to their end.

‘As for ourselves, save us by your hand,

and come to my help, for I am alone

and have no one but you, Lord.’

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Gospel

Matthew 7:7-12

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

    ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’

Whether the book of Jonah is fictitious or historical does not matter for it is inspired scripture. Lest we forget that Jesus references the book in today’s Gospel. Let us then reflect on how we might be the people of Nineveh in today’s context or how we might be Jonah?

Have we listened to the call of the Lord our God who yearns for us to repent and turn back to Him? Either through His prophet, priest, laity, family or friend? Have we refused to listen because we feel we know best when, where or how. Or have we started this Lenten journey as One Body in Christ; knowing that by this powerful act of unity in desiring to draw close to Him, there is a ripple effect of conversion in the world!

Are we anything like Jonah? Who was inward looking, refusing to heed the call of our loving Lord to go on a mission? Are we fearful with self-doubt? Do we doubt that we will be given power from on high to complete the mission? That our words will echo His words and in His Word there is power! Power to transform and change.

Lord Jesus let me be Your sign of love in the world in all that I say and do. Amen

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First reading

Jonah 3:1-10 ·

The Ninevites repent, and God spares them

The word of the Lord was addressed to Jonah: ‘Up!’ he said ‘Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach to them as I told you to.’ Jonah set out and went to Nineveh in obedience to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare: it took three days to cross it. Jonah went on into the city, making a day’s journey. He preached in these words, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least. The news reached the king of Nineveh, who rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. A proclamation was then promulgated throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his ministers, as follows: ‘Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce his evil behaviour and the wicked things he has done. Who knows if God will not change his mind and relent, if he will not renounce his burning wrath, so that we do not perish?’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil behaviour, and God relented: he did not inflict on them the disaster which he had threatened.

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Gospel

Luke 11:29-32

As Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign

The crowds got even bigger, and Jesus addressed them:

    ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. On Judgement day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and 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. On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’

From Fat Tuesday to a much thinner one, apart from physical changes has the seedlings of our faith journey started to sprout? Has change begun in us? Are we drawing closer to our Lord, through our Lenten observances?

Most when asked to list the seven top priorities for their life, will list the Lord our God first, followed by six most pressing priorities and often family will rank second. This is usually when asked by a fellow Christian. It may change if asked by anyone else; for some, even God is omitted. And they will rationalise by saying, He is first always in my heart; everyone else does not need to know.

Unfortunately, many while their mouth is sweet to say God is first. The actual truth is that even as they utter the Our Father, it is lived in reverse. Work, games and so on comes first! Give me my daily bread first! I will forgive when I am ready. Guard me against all evil! Do not put obstacles in my, clear them! I will forgive when I am ready. Then I will surely bring my family to Church on Sundays.  The life transforming Word of the Lord our God is absent from their lives. Lent is just another season that will pass and fade quickly.

Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear Lord. Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 55:10-11 ·

The word that goes out from my mouth does not return to me empty

Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’

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Gospel

Matthew 6:7-15

How to pray

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:

‘Our Father in heaven,

may your name be held holy,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.

And do not put us to the test,

but save us from the evil one.

‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’

By the very colour of Lent I am first reminded that I am clothed in the purple robes of empowerment from on high. By my very baptism, I am priest, prophet and king! I wear these colour in my heart which remind me that my Lord of lords, King of kings wore it through an act of derision by Pilate, He bore the shame and suffered for my sins.  He loved me from the cross, can I do any less for my sisters and brothers whom He has left in my charge? That I should love them as He loved me.

Jesus our Lord reminds us today of a fact we often rationalise away. Especially when it concerns someone who might have hurt us or of whom we dislike. He said “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” With this in our minds we will surely see all He sends our way in a different light.

Lord Jesus let my thoughts and words be filled with You. Let me always do what I am called to do and not what I want to do. Through You, with and in You. Amen

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First reading

Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 ·

Only pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice

The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:

    ‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

    ‘“You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.

    ‘“You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord. You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’

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Gospel

Matthew 25:31-46

I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

    ‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”

    ‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”

    ‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isa 9:2 Yes, we know, with all our hearts that we have seen the light of the world in our midst! Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Even on our Lenten Journey to new life anew in Him, our hearts rejoice for we have tasted, and we have seen. So, leave everything behind, get up and we follow Him.

Have our light not risen in the darkness through Him? Have our night become like the noonday. Isa 58:10 For Jesus died for our sins and we now we live as free children of God our Father so loved by Him!

Shall we not then, children of light; shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. To guide their feet into the path of peace? Luke 1:79 How can we not sit with sinners as Jesus did? Are we so afraid to be tainted? When we have the power from on high to minister to them! Where ever we go, we bring the presence of Christ Jesus with us.

Sweet Jesus let Your wellspring of living water flow through me, like a well that never runs dry! Amen

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First reading

Isaiah 58:9-14

You will be like a spring whose waters never run dry

The Lord says this:

If you do away with the yoke,

the clenched fist, the wicked word,

if you give your bread to the hungry,

and relief to the oppressed,

your light will rise in the darkness,

and your shadows become like noon.

The Lord will always guide you,

giving you relief in desert places.

He will give strength to your bones

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water

whose waters never run dry.

You will rebuild the ancient ruins,

build up on the old foundations.

You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,

‘Restorer of ruined houses.’

If you refrain from trampling the sabbath,

and doing business on the holy day,

if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’,

and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,

if you honour it by abstaining from travel,

from doing business and from gossip,

then shall you find your happiness in the Lord

and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.

I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

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Gospel

Luke 5:27-32

Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.

    In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

, whose company he seemed to enjoy. It is striking to see how willingly they left their lucrative but degrading employment: here Levi; in another version of the story it is Matthew; and at Jericho the story is told of Zacchaeus. Either Jesus lost all claim to be God’s representative or the Pharisees had got their priorities wrong.

    So Jesus replies with two of those splendid, forceful contrasts which are so characteristic of his speech: not healthy but sick, not virtuous but sinners. In other words, it is not the details of the Law which matter, but the purpose of the Law: to bring men and women to God. Jesus positively welcomes sinners, so at the beginning of Lent there is no point in denying that we are sinners. We would fit nicely into the dirty, degraded company of Jesus. But let’s see if we can just hang on to Jesus for a bit. Pope Francis wants a dirty Church, too!

Have you dwelled on the act of fasting itself?

Those of whom who can fast, that is those who are medically fit should fast during this Lenten period. You will find that you do not actually need as much food as you thought. Perhaps you had given in to gluttony even in its mildest form. Fasting from food and drink is also a prophetic act of sorts, that is to say we empty ourselves so that the Lord our God can fill us with His grace. Coupled with pray, we invite Him to unite with us more fully and His presence fills us to the brim!

Fasting from food and drink alone is only the foundation on which we build up our spiritual ‘muscles’. We must also fast from anger, loose tongues, unkind words, entertaining impure thoughts, greed, jealousy and anything that is not from our Lord.

For what follows, is that we must strive to perform acts of corporal and spiritual acts of mercy; throughout our Lenten journey. So that all who look upon us will see that our bridegroom, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ walks with us. Amen

Corporal Acts of Mercy

To feed the hungry;

To give drink to the thirsty;

To clothe the naked;

To harbour the harbourless;

To visit the sick;

To ransom the captive;

To bury the dead.

Spiritual Acts of Mercy

To instruct the ignorant;

To counsel the doubtful;

To admonish sinners;

To bear wrongs patiently;

To forgive offences willingly;

To comfort the afflicted;

To pray for the living and the dead.

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First reading

Isaiah 58:1-9 ·

The sort of fast that pleases me

Thus says the Lord:

Shout for all you are worth,

    raise your voice like a trumpet.

Proclaim their faults to my people,

    their sins to the House of Jacob.

They seek me day after day,

    they long to know my ways,

like a nation that wants to act with integrity

    and not ignore the law of its God.

They ask me for laws that are just,

    they long for God to draw near:

‘Why should we fast if you never see it,

    why do penance if you never notice?’

Look, you do business on your fast-days,

    you oppress all your workmen;

look, you quarrel and squabble when you fast

    and strike the poor man with your fist.

Fasting like yours today

    will never make your voice heard on high.

Is that the sort of fast that pleases me,

    a truly penitential day for men?

Hanging your head like a reed,

    lying down on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call fasting,

    a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me

 – it is the Lord who speaks –

to break unjust fetters and

    undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

    and break every yoke,

to share your bread with the hungry,

    and shelter the homeless poor,

to clothe the man you see to be naked

    and not turn from your own kin?

Then will your light shine like the dawn

    and your wound be quickly healed over.

Your integrity will go before you

    and the glory of the Lord behind you.

Cry, and the Lord will answer;

    call, and he will say, ‘I am here.’

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Gospel

Matthew 9:14-15

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

John’s disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

We are called to live a life to the fullest and we can do so because God our loving Father sent His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to save us from death and sin!

We cannot be more free than we are living in His presence! And so we were marked with Ashes yesterday, we have made our commitment to turn away from all sin and to be faithful to the Gospel. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We have decided to renounce ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus each and every day of our lives.

I was overjoyed to see the turn out at my Parish, while not a day of obligation yet the church was full and overflowing! Babies, youths, adults both young and old; all gathered together as One as we began our Lenten journey! Glory and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Saint Polycarp Pray for us…

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First reading

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ·

I set before you today life or death, blessing or curse

Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’

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Gospel

Luke 9:22-25

Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it

Jesus said to his disciples:

    ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’

    Then to all he said:

    ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’

I pray and hope that like just me, you have eagerly awaited this wonderful and Blessed day! The start of spring cleaning if you will, of all the ‘spiritual fats’ accumulated not from the Holy Spirit, but either from the human one or the evil one. The deluge of sin that occurred through our lack of prayer, fasting and almsgiving! And so, we begin this wonderful journey, to not only be fully reconciled with God our loving Father; but to grow far deeper in love and faith, then we have ever been before.

We know His enduring love for us and have great confidence that our Lord will help us with our reform, our metanoia. So that come Easter we will be transfigured in Him! With renewed minds, body and Spirit we will illuminate the world by His light in us.

So let us begin this fast by emptying ourselves fully, so as to be filled with His grace. As we renew our commitment to turn away from all sin and be faithful to the Gospel. Amen

Glory and Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!

________

Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, (one) God, for ever and ever. Amen

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First reading

Joel 2:12-18 ·

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn

‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –

come back to me with all your heart,

fasting, weeping, mourning.’

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,

turn to the Lord your God again,

for he is all tenderness and compassion,

slow to anger, rich in graciousness,

and ready to relent.

Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,

will not leave a blessing as he passes,

oblation and libation

for the Lord your God?

Sound the trumpet in Zion!

Order a fast,

proclaim a solemn assembly,

call the people together,

summon the community,

assemble the elders,

gather the children,

even the infants at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom

and the bride her alcove.

Between vestibule and altar let the priests,

the ministers of the Lord, lament.

Let them say,

‘Spare your people, Lord!

Do not make your heritage a thing of shame,

a byword for the nations.

Why should it be said among the nations,

“Where is their God?”’

Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land,

took pity on his people.

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Second reading

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

Be reconciled to God

We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.

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Gospel

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

    ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

    ‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

When I rose up to leadership which I reluctantly pursued, my heart was only on one thing. How I would work closely with the rest of the leaders to train, disciple and coach the next team of leaders to build our Lord’s Kingdom.

Then a new Parish priest arrived and decided that what we had planned was too complex, complicated and was not in line with his vision. Eventually I was ousted and reprimanded in front of my peers during a meeting. Needless to say I could not wrap my brain round it and even though I put on a brave front, I was deeply wounded.

I lost focus for many months trying hard to snap out of it! I kept asking the Lord why? Then within three months I received the same bible verses twice the same one in today’s first reading from two brothers in Christ who were deeply prayerful. I read the whole of the chapter not just this bit and was not only encouraged but I got back my focus; and that is the Lord and God our Father’s children where ever they may be. I was healed!

Lord Jesus let me gaze upon Your shining face this day and every day of my life. That I may see Your face upon the faces of our loving Father’s children and welcome them as You have welcomed me into Your heart. Amen

Saint Peter Damian, pray for us…

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First reading

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11 ·

The chosen are tested like gold in the fire

My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord,

    prepare yourself for an ordeal.

Be sincere of heart, be steadfast,

    and do not be alarmed when disaster comes.

Cling to him and do not leave him,

    so that you may be honoured at the end of your days.

Whatever happens to you, accept it,

    and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient,

since gold is tested in the fire,

    and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation.

Trust him and he will uphold you,

    follow a straight path and hope in him.

You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;

    do not turn aside in case you fall.

You who fear the Lord, trust him,

    and you will not be baulked of your reward.

You who fear the Lord hope for good things,

    for everlasting happiness and mercy.

Look at the generations of old and see:

    who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?

Or who ever feared him steadfastly and was left forsaken?

    Or who ever called out to him, and was ignored?

For the Lord is compassionate and merciful,

    he forgives sins, and saves in days of distress.

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Gospel

Mark 9:30-37

Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.

    They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Are we praying for others with wisdom and power from on high? If not, then why not?

For are not children of God our Father so loved by Him, that through Jesus His Son we have been empowered to heal the sick, cast our demons and such? Are we still not able to connect fully to the Lord our God in His presence through our prayer? How then will we be able to set the boy from today’s Gospel free?

What is prayer put into action? Jesus tells us in Jn 5:19 “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

Lord Jesus let me see Your good works, and let me work them as well in Your most precious name. Amen

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First reading

Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10 ·

Before all other things, wisdom was created

All wisdom is from the Lord,

    and it is his own for ever.

The sand of the sea and the raindrops,

    and the days of eternity, who can assess them?

The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth,

    and the depth of the abyss, who can probe them?

Before all other things wisdom was created,

    shrewd understanding is everlasting.

For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered?

    Her resourceful ways, who knows them?

One only is wise, terrible indeed,

    seated on his throne, the Lord.

He himself has created her, looked on her and assessed her,

    and poured her out on all his works

to be with all mankind as his gift,

    and he conveyed her to those who love him.

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Gospel

Mark 9:14-29

Help the little faith I have!

When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples, they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, ‘Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.’ ‘You faithless generation’ he said to them in reply. ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ ‘From childhood,’ he replied ‘and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ retorted Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.’ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, ‘I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!’ And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. ‘Deaf and dumb spirit,’ he said ‘I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.’ Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ ‘This is the kind’ he answered ‘that can only be driven out by prayer.’