Fourth Sunday of Lent
Joshua, Chapter 9, Verse 22-24
22 Joshua summoned the
Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us and say, ‘We live far off
from you’?—You live among us! 23 Now are you accursed: every one of you
shall always be a slave, hewers of wood and drawers of water, for the house of
my God.” 24 They
answered Joshua, “Your servants were fully informed of how the LORD, your God,
commanded Moses his servant that you be given the entire land and that all its
inhabitants be destroyed before you. Since, therefore, at your advance, we were
in great fear for our lives, we acted as we did.
If only our
nation returned to wisdom and prayed and sought the Lord’s instruction before
we entered into any treaties with other nations; sadly, we too are like Joshua.
I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit
of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches
nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is
to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness, I loved her, and I chose to
have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to
sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless
riches at her hands. (Wis. 7:7-11)
Worrying keeps you trapped.
Thinking sets you free.
When
Israel negotiated with the Gibeonites and ignored God’s order to destroy the
city, they allowed compromise to jeopardize their mission. While negotiation is
not wrong in itself, leaders must never negotiate their convictions, direct
orders, or core values. When we start negotiating these, we compromise our
mission.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
BY the
Introit of the Mass the Church reminds us of the joys of heaven, to encourage
us to persevering zeal in penance and fasting, and to patience under
persecution, crosses, and sorrows.
The
Introit of the Mass begins with the word Laetare (rejoice),
from
which the Sunday derives its name: Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together, all
you that love her. Rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow, that you may
exult and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I was glad at the
things that were said unto me: we shall go into the house of the Lord.
Prayer. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that we, who are
afflicted for our deeds as we deserve, may be relieved by the comfort of Thy
grace.
EPISTLE. Gal. iv. 23-31.
Brethren:
It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bond-woman, and the other
by a free-woman: but he who was of the bond-woman was born according to the
flesh: but he of the free-woman was by promise: which things are said by an
allegory: for these are the two testaments. The one from Mount Sina engendering
unto bondage: which is Agar: for Sina is a mountain in Arabia, which hath
affinity to that Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But
that Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother. For it is written:
Rejoice thou barren, that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that
travailest not; for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her
that hath a husband. Now, we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise. But as then he, that was born according to the flesh, persecuted him
that was after the spirit: so also, it is now. But what saith the Scripture?
Cast
out the bond-woman and her son; for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir
with the son of the free-woman. So then, brethren, we are not the children of
the bond-woman, but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ hath made us
free.
Explanation. The Jews, typified by Agar, served God like servants, from fear
of punishment and in the hope of rewards. Christians, typified by Sara, lift up
their hands to Him as their Father, and if they fulfil His will faithfully will
become partakers of His glory in heaven.
Prayer. O Jesus, grant that by fasting, prayer, and patience under
persecution I may partake in Thy sufferings, and be found worthy of Thy divine
promises and Thy eternal consolations in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.
GOSPEL. John vi. 1-15.
At that time: Jesus went
over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias: and a great multitude
followed Him, because they saw the miracles which He did on them that were
diseased. Jesus therefore went up into a mountain: and there He sat with His
disciples. Now the Pasch, the festival-day of the Jews, was near at hand. When
Jesus therefore had lifted up His eyes, and seen that a very great multitude
cometh to Him, He said to Philip: Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?
And this He said to try him,
for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him: Two hundred
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone may take a
little. One of His disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to Him:
There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are
these among so many?
Then Jesus said: Make the
men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men therefore sat
down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had
given thanks, He distributed to them that were sat down: in like manner also of
the fishes as much as they would. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples:
Gather up the fragments that remain, lest they be lost. They gathered up therefore,
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which
remained over and above to them that had eaten. Now those men, when they had
seen what a miracle Jesus had done, said: This is of a truth the prophet that
is to come into the world. Jesus, therefore, when He knew that they would come
to take Him by force and make Him king, fled again into the mountain Himself
alone.
Why did Christ thus try St. Philip?
1. To try his faith and
confidence.
2. To teach us to make use
of natural and ordinary means before we have recourse to the supernatural.
3. So that the miracle would
be the more striking to the people, when they were satisfied that the provisions,
they had been quite small and insufficient.
4. That we might have
confidence in God, Who is a helper in time of tribulation (Ps. ix. 10).
What ceremonies did Our Saviour use at this miracle,
and why? He first looked up to
heaven, to remind us that every good gift comes from above, and that it is God
only Who opens His hand, and fills all with benediction. Second. He thanked His
heavenly Father, to show us that we also should be careful to thank God for all
His benefits. The table, says St. Chrysostom, which begins and ends with prayer
shall never know want. Thirdly He blessed the bread that we might learn that it
is the Blessing of God which gives success.
Why did Jesus flee after this miracle?
1. To teach us to seek not
the admiration and applause of men, but only the glory of God and the good of
our neighbor.
2. To love solitude, that far
from the noise of the world, we may with more freedom converse with God.
Consolation in Poverty.
To
those poor who follow Christ this gospel is full of consolation, as it shows
that from the very beginning of the world God has cared for His children. For
the comfort and preservation of His chosen people He sent Joseph before them
into Egypt (Gen. xlv. 5; Ps. civ. 4). He sustained the children of [Israel during
forty years in the wilderness with bread from heaven He fed the prophet Elias,
sending him bread and flesh by a raven (in. Kings xvii. 6). He remembered Daniel
lying in the lion’s den (Dan. xiv. 37). In the New Testament also God has shown
His care for His own by nourishing and feeding them in their greatest need, at
times through the instrumentality of animals and at other times by that of angels
and of men as we read in the lives of the saints.
Aspiration. In Thy power and goodness, O my God, I put my trust. I firmly
believe if I fear Thee, and do what is right, I shall, though poor here, after
this life have abundance of good things from Thee.
Helping Jesus in Disguise[1]
In
keeping with the theme "Help Jesus in Disguise," the funds collected
this Sunday through the CRS support vital Catholic programs that share in the
Catholic mission of promoting the sacredness of human life and the dignity of
the human person.
In a
statement
dated September 10, 2013, the U.S. bishops stated their full support of CRS:
(a.k.a. Laetare,
or Mid-Lent Sunday)[2]
A note of joy is struck, for having died to sin with
Christ during Lent, we will rise again with Him and be part of His mystical
Body, the Church which is the new Jerusalem. Thus, the Introit: "Rejoice,
Jerusalem."
The
Second Scrutiny
On
this Sunday is celebrated the second scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of
the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian
Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Invitation to Silent Prayer
After
the homily the elect and their godparents come before the celebrant. The
celebrant first addresses the assembly of the faithful, inviting them to pray
in silence. The celebrant invites the elect to pray.
Celebrant: Elect of God, bow your heads (or kneel
down) and pray. (While prayer is being said for the elect, the godparents place
their right hand on the shoulder of the one they are sponsoring.
All
pray for some time in silence. Then the community and the elect stand for the
intercessions.)
Intercessions for the Elect
The
celebrant addresses the assembly of the faithful in the following words.
Celebrant: Let us pray for these elect whom God has
called, that they may remain faithful to him and boldly give witness to the
words of eternal life.
Reader: That, trusting in the truth of
Christ, they may find freedom of mind and heart and preserve it always, let us
pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader: That, preferring the folly of the
cross to the wisdom of the world, they may glory in God alone, let us pray to
the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: That freed by the power of the
Spirit, they may put all fear behind
them and press forward with confidence, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader: That transformed in the Spirit, they
may seek those things that are holy and just, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader:
That all who suffers persecution for Christ’s name may find their strength in
him; let us pray to the Lord: R.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader:
That those families and nations prevented from embracing the faith may be
granted freedom to believe the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader:
That we who are faced with the values of the world may remain faithful to the
spirit of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader:
That the whole world, which the Father so loves, may attain in the Church
complete spiritual freedom, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650), founder
of Analytical Geometry and Modern Philosophy
In the
beginning of his Meditations (1641) Descartes wrote:
“I
have always been of the opinion that the two questions respecting God and the
Soul were the chief of those that ought to be determined by help of Philosophy
rather than of Theology; for although to us, the faithful, it be sufficient to
hold as matters of faith, that the human soul does not perish with the body,
and that God exists, it yet assuredly seems impossible ever to persuade
infidels of the reality of any religion, or almost even any moral virtue,
unless, first of all, those two things be proved to them by natural reason. And
since in this life there are frequently greater rewards held out to vice than
to virtue, few would prefer the right to the useful, if they were restrained
neither by the fear of God nor the expectation of another life.” (Descartes
1901).
“It
is absolutely true that we must believe in God, because it is also taught by
the Holy Scriptures. On the other hand, we must believe in the Sacred
Scriptures because they come from God.” (Descartes 1950, Letter of Dedication).
“And
thus, I very clearly see that the certitude and truth of all science depends on
the knowledge alone of the true God, insomuch that, before I knew him, I could
have no perfect knowledge of any other thing. And now that I know him, I
possess the means of acquiring a perfect knowledge respecting innumerable
matters, as well relative to God himself and other intellectual objects as to
corporeal nature.” (Descartes 1901, Meditation V).
Aids in Battle [2] The
Enemy’s Strategies
·
The
adversary of our human nature examines from every side all our virtues: theological,
cardinal, and moral. Wherever he discovers the defenses of eternal salvation to
be the weakest and most lacking, there he attacks and tries to take us by
storm. ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA
·
[St.
Catherine of Siena reports that Our Lord said to her:] I have told you that the
Devil invites men to the water of death— that is, to the things he has. Then,
blinding them with the pleasures and circumstances of the world, he catches
them with the hook of pleasure through the lure of something good. He could
catch them in no other way; they would not allow themselves to be caught if
they saw that no good or pleasure for themselves could be obtained in this
manner. For the soul, by her very nature, always relishes good. Yet it is true
that the soul, blinded by self-love, does not know and discern what is truly
good and profitable to the soul and to the body. So, the Devil, seeing them
blinded by self-love, wickedly places before these souls diverse and various
delights, colored so as to have the appearance of some benefit or good. He
tempts each one, according to his condition, to those principal vices to which
that soul seems to be most disposed.
·
When
the sly demon, after using many devices, fails to hinder the prayer of the
diligent, he desists for a little while. But when the man has finished his
prayers, the demon takes his revenge. He either fires the man’s anger and thus
destroys the good condition produced by prayer, or he excites an impulse toward
some animal pleasure and thus mocks the man’s mind. ST. NILUS OF SINAI
Daily Devotions
[1]http://www.usccb.org/catholic-giving/opportunities-for-giving/catholic-relief-services-collection/index.cfm
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