Posted on 03/12/2008 9:46:24 AM PDT by Salvation
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Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
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Reading 1
Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”
King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”
Responsorial Psalm
Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
Gospel
Jn 8:31-42
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
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On Lent... and Lourdes (Benedict XVI's Angelus address)
Lent -- 2008 -- Come and Pray Each Day
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself
Lenten Workshop [lots of ideas for all]
Forty Days (of Lent) [Devotional/Reflections]
Pope Benedict takes his own advice, plans to go on retreat for Lent
GUIDE FOR LENT - What the Catholic Church Says
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008
40 Days for Life: 2008 Campaigns [Lent Registration this week]
Vatican Web Site Focuses on Lent
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving [Lent]
Lent: A Time for Prayer, Reflection and Giving
Denver Archbishop’s Lenten Message: “Restore us as a culture of Life”
Where does Ash Wednesday get its ashes?
Catholic Caucus: Daily Rosary Prayer for Lent
On the 40 Days of Lent General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI
Lenten Stations -- Stational Churches - visit each with us during Lent {Catholic Caucus}
Something New for Lent: Part I -- Holy Souls Saturdays
Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)
Lent 2007: The Love Letter Written by Pope Benedict
Pre-Lent through Easter Prayer and Reflections -- 2007
Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
For study and reflection during Lent - Mind, Heart, Soul [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Fast-Family observance Lenten season [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Pre-Lenten Days -- Family activities-Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent! [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Lenten Fasting or Feasting? [Catholic Caucus]
THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Three Practices of Lent: Praying, Fasting. Almsgiving
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006
Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI
Lent: A Time to Fast From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute
FOR OUR WORK
Glorious Saint Joseph, pattern of all who are devoted to toil, obtain for me the grace to toil in the spirit of penance, in order thereby to atone for my many sins; to toil conscientiously, putting devotion to duty before my own inclinations; to labor with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honor to employ and to develop, by my labor, the gifts I have received from Almighty God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties; to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of my empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of thee, 0 Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.
OFFERING TO SAINT JOSEPH
O great Saint Joseph, thou generous depositary and dispenser of immortal riches, behold us prostrate at thy feet, imploring thee to receive us as thy servants and as thy children. Next to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, of which thou art the faithful copy, we acknowledge that there is no heart more tender, more compassionate than thine.
What, then, have we to fear, or, rather, for what should we not hope, if thou dost deign to be our benefactor, our master, our model, our father and our mediator? Refuse not, then, this favor, O powerful protector! We ask it of thee by the love thou hast for Jesus and Mary. Into thy hands we commit our souls and bodies, but above all the last moments of our lives.
May we, after having honored, imitated, and served thee on earth, eternally sing with thee the mercies of Jesus and Mary. Amen.
FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH
O Joseph, virgin-father of Jesus, most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray every day for us to the same Jesus, the Son of God, that we, being defended by the power of His grace and striving dutifully in life, may be crowned by Him at the hour of death.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
St. Joseph
St. Joseph was an ordinary manual laborer although descended from the royal house of David. In the designs of Providence he was destined to become the spouse of the Mother of God. His high privilege is expressed in a single phrase, "Foster-father of Jesus." About him Sacred Scripture has little more to say than that he was a just man-an expression which indicates how faithfully he fulfilled his high trust of protecting and guarding God's greatest treasures upon earth, Jesus and Mary.
The darkest hours of his life may well have been those when he first learned of Mary's pregnancy; but precisely in this time of trial Joseph showed himself great. His suffering, which likewise formed a part of the work of the redemption, was not without great providential import: Joseph was to be, for all times, the trustworthy witness of the Messiah's virgin birth. After this, he modestly retires into the background of holy Scripture.
Of St. Joseph's death the Bible tells us nothing. There are indications, however, that he died before the beginning of Christ's public life. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Humbly and unknown, he passed his years at Nazareth, silent and almost forgotten he remained in the background through centuries of Church history. Only in more recent times has he been accorded greater honor. Liturgical veneration of St. Joseph began in the fifteenth century, fostered by Sts. Brigid of Sweden and Bernadine of Siena. St. Teresa, too, did much to further his cult.
At present there are two major feasts in his honor. On March 19 our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while on May 1 we honor him as the patron of workmen throughout the world and as our guide in the difficult matter of establishing equitable norms regarding obligations and rights in the social order.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
St. Joseph is invoked as patron for many causes. He is the patron of the Universal Church. He is the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed. He is also the patron of fathers, of carpenters, and of social justice. Many religious orders and communities are placed under his patronage.
Patron: Against doubt; against hesitation; Americas; Austria; Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Belgium; Bohemia; bursars; cabinetmakers; Canada; Carinthia; carpenters; China; Church; confectioners; craftsmen; Croatian people (in 1687 by decree of the Croatian parliament) dying people; emigrants; engineers; expectant mothers; families; fathers; Florence, Italy; happy death; holy death; house hunters; immigrants; interior souls; Korea; laborers; Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire; Mexico; Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee; New France; New World; Oblates of Saint Joseph; people in doubt; people who fight Communism; Peru; pioneers; pregnant women; protection of the Church; Diocese of San Jose, California; diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; social justice; Styria, Austria; travelers; Turin Italy; Tyrol Austria; unborn children Universal Church; Vatican II; Viet Nam; Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston West Virginia; wheelwrights; workers; working people.
Symbols: Bible; branch; capenter's square; carpenter's tools; chalice; cross; hand tools; infant Jesus; ladder; lamb; lily; monstrance; old man holding a lily and a carpenter's tool such as a square; old man holding the infant Jesus; plane; rod.
Things to Do:
Prayer to St. Joseph
Pope Pius X composed this prayer to St. Joseph, patron of working people, that expresses concisely the Christian attitude toward labor. It summarizes also for us the lessons of the Holy Family's work at Nazareth.
Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who devote their lives to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in order thereby to atone for my many sins; to work conscientiously, setting devotion to duty in preference to my own whims; to work with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honor to employ and to develop by my labor the gifts I have received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties; to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill spent, of talents wasted, of good omitted, and of vain complacency in success, which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of you, O Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my motto in life and in death, Amen.
Celebration of St. Joseph moved by Vatican for 2008
The Role and Responsibility of Fatherhood - St. Joseph as Model
St. Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus
St. Joseph the Worker, Memorial, May 1
Nothing Will Be Denied Him (St. Joseph)
The Heart of a Father [St. Joseph]
Quemadmodum Deus - Decree Under Blessed Pius IX, Making St. Joseph Patron of the Church
St. Joseph [Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary], Solemnity, March 19
MORE THAN PATRON OF HOMES, IT'S TIME FOR ST. JOSEPH TO GAIN HIGHEST OF RECOGNITION [Fatherhood]
(Saint) Joseph the Patriarch: A Reflection on the Solemnity of St. Joseph
How I Rediscovered a "Neglected" Saint: Work of Art Inspires Young Man to Rediscover St. Joseph
The Importance of Devotion to St. Joseph
St. Francis de Sales on St. Joseph (Some Excerpts for St. Joseph's Day 2004)
St. Joseph: REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS (Guardian Of The Redeemer)
St. Joseph's Humility (By St. Francis de Sales)
March 19 - Feast of St. Joseph - Husband of Mary - Intercessor of civil leaders
St. Joseph's Spirit of Silence
Father & Child (An Evangelical Minister preaches on St. Joseph)
Catholic Devotions: St. Joseph the Worker
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH, THE WORKER.
From: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 (New American Bible)
Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28 (Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate)
Condemnation For Those Who Will Not Worship the Golden Image (Continuation)
[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar,
we have no need to answer you in this matter. [17] If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out
of your hand, O king. [18] But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not
serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
[19] Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was
changed against Shacirach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace
heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. [20] And he ordered
certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and
to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
The King Acknowledges the God of the Jews
[28] Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him,
and set at nought the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than
serve and worship any god except their own God.”
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Commentary:
3:1-4:3 This story has a very different tone to that of the previous ones, though
the scene is still the court of Babylon. It has to do with a confrontation between
Jews, worshippers of the one true God, and Gentiles, who worship idols; a similar
situation arises in chapter 6. Following the Greek version (which is what the Catho-
lic Church follows and which is used in modern Catholic translations [including the
RSVCE]), the passage can be divided into three parts: the first tells about the
young men’s refusal to worship the statue set up by the king; for this they are con-
demned to the fiery furnace (3:1-23); the second part, which does not exist in the
Aramajc text, records the prayers that the young men say in the furnace (3:1:68:
notice the italic verse-numbering in chap. 3); the third tells about the king’s dis-
covering that they are unscathed; as a result, he praises the God of Israel
(3:24-4:3). The RSVCE notes to the book of Daniel on page 886 of this volume
provide a concordance of verse numbers for this passage.
The entire passage shows that God can save from death those who are ready to
die rather than worship idols. Early on, the king asks: “Who is the God that will
deliver you out of my hands?” (3:15); he provides the answer himself when he
says at the end: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who has sent his angel and delivered his servants” (3:28).
3:16-18. The young men’s answer is a model of what people’s attitude to God
should be when tragedy strikes and particularly when martyrdom beckons: they
should hope that God will come to their rescue, but even if he takes no action,
they should stay true to him. “Because of their faith, they believe that they can
escape death, but they say “if he does not deliver us out of your hand” so that
the king will know that they may also die in the arms of the God they love” (St
Cyprian, “Epistolae”, 58, 5). They do not seek to “compel” God to save them;
they want to show that they obey his will, not the king’s. That is the attitude our
Lord had when his passion loomed: “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup
from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Lk 22:42).
3:24-4:3. At 3:24 the RSV in roman type links up again with the Aramaic text.
The Greek translations introduce these verses by saying that the king heard the
young men singing in the fiery furnace: hence his amazement; the Aramaic text
simply says that he was astonished that they were alive (v. 24). Their deliverance
reaches them in their place of torment, with the arrival of the angel to protect
them. Nebuchadnezzar, looking down, on the furnace, is able to see that they
are safe. To someone like the king, a believer in all sorts of gods,the fourth per-
son who looks like “a son of the gods” (v. 25) must have seemed a divine being;
but the author makes it clear that he is simply an angel (v. 28). It is through the
angel that God manifests his providence. The divine help given to the three young
men, Novatian comments, “will not allow even their clothes to be singed by flame.
This is just and right, for God sustains everything in the world in being and has
power over all, each and every thing; therefore, he can furnish any thing or person
with his help, since he is Lord of all” (”De Trinitate”, 8, 43).
The Fathers saw this “son of the gods” as meaning Christ. Daniel knew the Son
of God and saw the works of God. He saw the Son of God who cooled the fires
of the furnace with dew. But when he says “Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord”,
he does not include the Son among them, because he knows that He is not a
creature, but the One through whom all creatures were made, and who should be
praised and exalted in the Father” (St Athanasius, “Epistulae Ad Serapionem”,
2, 6).
There is not a little irony in what the text says about the king’s reaction: he
praises the very fact that the young men disobeyed his orders, risking their lives
in the process, and he rewards them for doing so. The very people that the king
ordered to worship the statue set up by himself, now benefit from a decree that
commands that the God of the Jews is to be respected. The young men’s
heroism (their readiness to accept martyrdom) and their miraculous deliverance
have completely changed the king’s attitude.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 8:31-42
Jesus Warns the Unbelieving Jews (Continuation)
[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits
sin is a slave of sin. [35] The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the
son continues for ever. [36] So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
[37] I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me, be-
cause My word finds no place in you. [38] I speak of what I have seen with My
Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
[39] They answered Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you
were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, [40] but now you seek
to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not
what Abraham did. [41] You do what your father did.” They said to Him, “We
were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” [42] Jesus said
them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded and came
forth from God; I came not on My own account, but He sent Me.”
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Commentary:
30-32. Of those Jews who do believe in Him Jesus asks much more than a
shallow faith resulting from superficial enthusiasm: they should be true disciples;
Jesus’ words should imbue their whole life. That kind of faith will bring them to
know the truth and to become really free persons.
The knowledge of the truth which Christ is speaking about is not just intellectual
knowledge; it is rather the maturing in the soul of the seed of divine Revelation.
That Revelation’s climax is to be found in Christ’s teaching and it constitutes a
genuine communication of supernatural life (cf. John 5:24): He who believes in
Jesus, and through Him in the Father, receives the wonderful gift of eternal life.
Knowing the truth is, in the last analysis, knowing Christ Himself, God become
man to save us; it means realizing that the inaccessible God has become man,
our Friend, our Life.
This is the only kind of knowledge which really sets us free, because it removes
us from a position of alienation from God—the state of sin and therefore of slavery
to the devil and to all attachments of our fallen nature—and puts us on the path
of friendship with God, the path of grace, of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the
liberation we obtain is not just light which shows us the way; it is grace, which
empowers us to keep to that way despite our limitations. “Jesus Christ meets
the man of every age, including our own, with the same words: `You will know
the truth, and the truth will make you free’ (John 8:32). These words contain both
a fundamental requirement and a warning: the requirement of an honest relation-
ship with regard to truth as a condition for authentic freedom, and the warning to
avoid every kind of illusory freedom, every superficial unilateral freedom, every
freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth about man and the world. Today
also, even after two thousand years, we see Christ as the One who brings man
freedom based on truth, frees man from what curtails, diminishes and as it were
breaks off this freedom at its root, in man’s soul, his heart and his conscience.
What a stupendous confirmation of this has been given and is still being given
by thosewho, thanks to Christ and in Christ, have reached true freedom and have
manifested it even in situations of external constraint!” (John Paul II, “Redemptor
Hominis”, 12).
“Christ Himself links liberation particularly with knowledge of the truth; `You will
know the truth and the truth will make you free’ (John 8:32). This sentence testi-
fies above all to the intimate significance of the freedom for which Christ liberates
us. Liberation means man’s inner transformation, which is a consequence of the
knowledge of truth. The transformation is, therefore, a spiritual process, in which
man matures `in true righteousness and holiness’ (Ephesians 4:24). [...] Truth is
important not only for the growth of human knowledge, deepening man’s interior
life in this way; truth has also a prophetic significance and power. It constitutes
the content of testimony and it calls for testimony. We find this prophetic power
of truth in the teaching of Christ. As a prophet, as a witness to truth, Christ re-
peatedly opposes non-truth; He does so with great forcefulness and decision and
often He does not hesitate to condemn falsehood” (John Paul II, “General
Audience”, 21 February 1979).
St. Thomas Aquinas explains the meaning of these words of our Lord in this way:
“In this passage, being made free does not refer to being freed of every type of
wrong [...]; it means being freed in the proper sense of the word, in three ways:
first, the truth of His teaching will free us from the error of untruth [...]; second,
the truth of grace will liberate us from the slavery of sin: `the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death’ (Romans 8:2);
third, the truth of eternity in Christ Jesus will free us from decay (cf. Romans
8:21)” (”Commentary on St. John, in loc.”).
“The truth will set you free. How great a truth is this, which opens the way to
freedom and gives it meaning throughout our lives. I will sum it up for you, with
the joy and certainty which flow from knowing there is a close relationship be-
tween God and His creatures. It is the knowledge that we have come from the
hands of God, that the Blessed Trinity looks upon us with predilection, that we
are children of so wonderful a Father. I ask my Lord to help us decide to take
this truth to heart, to dwell upon it day by day; only then will we be acting as
free men. Do not forget: anyone who does not realize that he is a child of God
is unaware of the deepest truth about himself. When he acts he lacks the do-
minion and self-mastery we find in those who love our Lord above all else” ([St]
J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 26).
33-34. For centuries the people of Israel were ruled by other nations (Egypt,
Babylon, Persia...), and now they were under the dominion of Rome. Therefore,
the Jews thought that He was referring to political bondage or dominion—which in
fact they had experienced but never accepted. In addition, since they belong to
the people chosen by God, they regarded themselves as free of the moral errors
and aberrations of Gentile nations.
They thought that true freedom was a matter of belonging to the chosen people.
Our Lord replies that it is not enough to belong to the line of Abraham: true free-
dom consists in not being slaves of sin. Both Jews and Gentiles were subject to
the slavery of original sin and personal sin (cf. Romans 5:12; 6:20 and 8:2). Only
Christ, the Son of God, can liberate man from that sorry state (cf. Galatians
4:21-51); but these Jews do not understand the redemptive work which Christ is
doing and which will reach its climax in His death and resurrection
“The Savior”, St. Augustine comments, “is here explaining that we will not be
freed from overlords, but from the devil; not from captivity of the body but from
malice of soul” (”Sermon”, 48).
35-36. The words slave and son are reminiscent of the two sons of Abraham:
Ishmael, born of the slave woman Hagar, who would be given no part in the in-
heritance; and Isaac, son of the free woman Sarah, who would be the heir to
God’s promises (cf. Genesis 21:10-12; Galatians 4:28-31). Physical descent
from Abraham is not enough for inheriting God’s promises and attaining salvation:
by faith and charity one must identify oneself with Jesus Christ, the true and only
Son of the Father, the only one who can make us sons of God and thereby bring
us true freedom (cf. Romans 8:21; Galatians 4:31). Christ gives “power to be-
come children of God [to those] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). Thus, a person who
identifies himself with Christ becomes a son of God and obtains the freedom
proper to sons.
“Freedom finds its true meaning when it is put to the service of the truth which
redeems, when it is spent seeking God’s infinite Love which liberates us from
all forms of slavery. Each passing day increases my yearning to proclaim to
the four winds this inexhaustible treasure that belongs to Christianity: `the glo-
rious freedom of the children of God!’ (Romans 8:21). [...] Where does our
freedom come from? It comes from Christ our Lord. This is the freedom with
which He has ransomed us (cf. Galatians 4:31). That is why He teaches, `if the
Son makes you free, you will be free indeed’ (John 8:36). We Christians do not
have to ask anyone to tell us the true meaning of this gift, because the only
freedom that can save man is Christian freedom” ([St] J. Escriva, “Friends of
God”, 27 and 35).
37-41. Our Lord replies to the Jew’s objection: yes indeed, they are Abraham’s
children, but only in a natural sense, according to the flesh; this is something
which does not count any more; what matters now is acceptance of Jesus as
the One sent by the Father. Jesus’ questioners are spiritually very far away from
being true children of Abraham: Abraham rejoiced to see the Messiah (cf. John
8:56); through his faith he was reckoned righteous (cf. Romans 4:1ff), and his
faith led him to act consequentially (cf. James 2:21-24); this was how he attained
the joy of eternal blessedness (cf. Matthew 8:11; Luke 16:24). Although those
Jews “derived from him the generation of the flesh, they had become degenerate,
by not imitating the faith of him whose sons they were” (St. Augustine, “In Ioann.
Evang.”, 42, 1). Those who live by faith, St. Paul says, are the true sons of Abra-
ham and like him they will be blessed by God (cf. Galatians 3:7-9). In point of
fact, the people who are arguing with our Lord have not only rejected His teaching:
their own deeds indicate that they have a radically different affiliation: “You do
what your father did” is a veiled accusation that they are children of the devil (cf.
verse 44).
The false security Jews felt on the grounds of being descended from Abraham
has its parallel in a Christian who is content with being baptized and with a few
religious observances, but does not live up to the requirements of faith in Christ.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
| First reading | Daniel 3:14 - 28 © |
|---|---|
| Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘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. And they walked in the heart of the flames, praising God and blessing the Lord. Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray: You have given a just sentence in all the disasters you have brought down on us and on Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors, since it is for our sins that you have treated us like this, fairly and as we deserved. |
|
| Psalm or canticle | Daniel 3:52 - 56 © |
|---|---|
| May you be blessed, Lord, God of our ancestors, be praised and extolled for ever. Blessed be your glorious and holy name, praised and extolled for ever. May you be blessed in the Temple of your sacred glory, exalted and glorified above all else for ever: blessed on the throne of your kingdom, praised and exalted above all else for ever. Blessed, you fathomer of the great depths, enthroned on the cherubs, praised and glorified above all else for ever; blessed in the vault of heaven, exalted and glorified above all else for ever. |
|
| Gospel | John 8:31 - 42 © |
|---|---|
| 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.’ |
|
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 17 (18) |
|---|
| Thanksgiving for salvation and victory |
| I will love you, Lord, my strength: Lord, you are my foundation and my refuge, you set me free. My God is my help: I will put my hope in him, my protector, my sign of salvation, the one who raises me up. I will call on the Lord – praise be to his name – and I will be saved from my enemies. The waves of death flooded round me, the torrents of Belial tossed me about, the cords of the underworld wound round me, death’s traps opened before me. In my distress I called on the Lord, I cried out to my God: from his temple he heard my voice, my cry to him came to his ears. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 17 (18) |
|---|
| The earth moved and shook, at the coming of his anger the roots of the mountains rocked and were shaken. Smoke rose from his nostrils, consuming fire came from his mouth, from it came forth flaming coals. He bowed down the heavens and descended, storm clouds were at his feet. He rode on the cherubim and flew, he travelled on the wings of the wind. He made dark clouds his covering; his dwelling-place, dark waters and clouds of the air. The cloud-masses were split by his lightnings, hail fell, hail and coals of fire. The Lord thundered from the heavens, the Most High let his voice be heard, with hail and coals of fire. He shot his arrows and scattered them, hurled thunderbolts and threw them into confusion. The depths of the oceans were laid bare, the foundations of the globe were revealed, at the sound of your anger, O Lord, at the onset of the gale of your wrath. He reached from on high and took me up, lifted me from the many waters. He snatched me from my powerful enemies, from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me. They attacked me in my time of trouble, but the Lord was my support. He led me to the open spaces, he was my deliverance, for he held me in favour. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 17 (18) |
|---|
| The Lord rewards me according to my uprightness, he repays me according to the purity of my hands, for I have kept to the paths of the Lord and have not departed wickedly from my God. For I keep all his decrees in my sight, and I will not reject his judgements; I am stainless before him, I have kept myself away from evil. And so the Lord has rewarded me according to my uprightness, according to the purity of my hands in his sight. You will be holy with the holy, kind with the kind, with the chosen you will be chosen, but with the crooked you will show your cunning. For you will bring salvation to a lowly people but make the proud ashamed. For you light my lamp, Lord; my God illuminates my path. For with you I will attack the enemy’s squadrons; with my God I will leap over their wall. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Reading | Hebrews 6:9 - 20 © |
|---|---|
| You, my dear people – in spite of what we have just said, we are sure you are in a better state and on the way to salvation. God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises. When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. |
|
| Reading | From a commentary on the psalms by Saint Augustine, bishop |
|---|---|
| Jesus Christ prays for us and in us and is the object of our prayers | |
| God could give no greater gift to men than to make his Word, through whom he created all things, their head and to join them to him as his members, so that the Word might be both Son of God and son of man, one God with the Father, and one man with all men. The result is that when we speak with God in prayer we do not separate the Son from him, and when the body of the Son prays it does not separate its head from itself: it is the one Saviour of his body, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who prays for us and in us and is himself the object of our prayers. He prays for us as our priest, he prays in us as our head, he is the object of our prayers as our God. Let us then recognise both our voice in his, and his voice in ours. When something is said, especially in prophecy, about the Lord Jesus Christ that seems to belong to a condition of lowliness unworthy of God, we must not hesitate to ascribe this condition to one who did not hesitate to unite himself with us. Every creature is his servant, for it was through him that every creature came to be. We contemplate his glory and divinity when we listen to these words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. Here we gaze on the divinity of the Son of God, something supremely great and surpassing all the greatness of his creatures. Yet in other parts of Scripture we hear him as one sighing, praying, giving praise and thanks. We hesitate to attribute these words to him because our minds are slow to come down to his humble level when we have just been contemplating him in his divinity. It is as though we were doing him an injustice in acknowledging in a man the words of one with whom we spoke when we spoke when we prayed to God; we are usually at a loss and try to change the meaning. Yet our minds find nothing in Scripture that does not go back to him, nothing that will allow us to stray from him. Our thoughts must then be awakened to keep their vigil of faith. We must realise that the one whom we were contemplating a short time before in his nature as God took to himself the nature of a servant; he was made in the likeness of men and found to be a man like others; he humbled himself by being obedient even to accepting death; as he hung on the cross he made the psalmist’s words his own: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? We pray to him as God, he prays for us as a servant. In the first case he is the Creator, in the second a creature. Himself unchanged, he took to himself our created nature in order to change it, and made us one man with himself, head and body. We pray then to him, through him, in him, and we speak along with him and he along with us. |
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| Concluding Prayer |
|---|
| O God of mercy and compassion, your children have been sanctified by penance: now enlighten their hearts. Give them the desire to worship you, and listen with kindness to their petitions. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Lenten Weekday (Total Consecration - Day 15) |
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Collect: Father of Mercy, hear the prayers of your repentant children who call on you in love. Enlighten our minds and sanctify our hearts. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Old Calendar: St. Gregory the Great, pope and doctor
"Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains." The hostility of the enemies of Jesus becomes increasingly clear, and the agitation around His person continues with greater intensity; but He awaits His "hour." Satan and the forces of evil will appear to triumph, but the real victory will come and it is God's victory.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII today is the feast of St. Gregory the Great. His feast has been transferred to September 3.
The Station today is at the church of St. Marcellus at the Corso. Legend claims that Pope St. Marcellus (308-309) was sentenced by Emperor Maxentius to look after the horses at the station of the Imperial mail on the Via Lata, where the Via del Corso now lies. He was freed by the people, and hidden in the house of the Roman lady Lucina (see also San Lorenzo in Lucina). He was rearrested, and imprisoned in the stables.
The Church dispenses Christ's forgiveness through the power of the keys: "whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven." Christ's pardon of us is limitless. Just as the small quantity of oil, increasing miraculously at the word of Elias, enabled the poor widow to pay all her debts, so the infinite merits of Christ enable us to expiate all our sins.
Love of God and of neighbor imposes on us constant self-denial and self-mastery. Only love working through mortification will enable us to ascend the "holy hill" and dwell in "God's tabernacle."
— The Cathedral Daily Missal by Right Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas
Things to Do:
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 35 (36) |
|---|
| The sinner's wickedness; God's goodness |
| Evil whispers to the sinner in the depths of his heart: the fear of God does not stand before his eyes. Evil’s flattering light disguises his wickedness, so that he does not hate it. His words are false and deceitful, he no longer considers how to do good. Even when in bed he plots mischief; he follows the wrong path; he does not hate malice. Lord, your mercy fills the heavens, your faithfulness rises to the sky. Your justice is like the mountains of God, your judgements are like the deeps of the sea. Lord, you protect both men and beasts. How precious is your kindness, O God! The sons of men will take shelter under your wings; they will eat their fill from the riches of your house, drink all they want from the stream of your joy. For with you is the spring of life-giving water, in your light we see true light. Hold out your mercy to those who know you, offer your justice to the upright in heart. Let me not be crushed under the heels of the proud, nor dispossessed by the hands of sinners. The doers of evil have fallen where they stood, they are cast down and cannot rise. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Judith 16 |
|---|---|
| The Lord, creator of the world, protects his people | |
| Make music to my God with drums, sing to my Lord with cymbals. Begin a new song to him, extol and call upon his name. You are the God who crushes battle-lines, you set up your camp among your people, you save me from the grip of my persecutors. I will sing a new song to God: Lord, you are great and glorious, wonderful in your unconquerable power. Let all your creatures serve you, for you spoke and they were made, you sent forth your spirit, and they were created: there is no-one who can resist your command. For the mountains will be shaken to their roots, the seas will be stirred up, at your sight the rocks will melt like wax – but to those who fear you, you will show your loving kindness. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
|
| Psalm 46 (47) |
|---|
| The Lord is King |
| All nations, clap your hands; cry out to God in exultation, for the Lord, the Most High, is greatly to be feared, and King over all the earth. He has made whole peoples our subjects, put nations beneath our feet. He has chosen our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God ascends amid rejoicing, the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. Sing to God, sing praise. Sing to our king, sing praise. God is king over the whole earth: sing to him with all your skill. God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. The nobles of the peoples join together with the people of the God of Abraham, for to God belong the armies of the earth; he is high above all things. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Short reading | Isaiah 50:5 - 7 © |
|---|---|
| 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. | |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
|---|---|
| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| O God of mercy and compassion, your children have been sanctified by penance: now enlighten their hearts. Give them the desire to worship you, and listen with kindness to their petitions. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
| Jn 8:31-42 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 31 | Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. | dicebat ergo Iesus ad eos qui crediderunt ei Iudaeos si vos manseritis in sermone meo vere discipuli mei eritis |
| 32 | And you shall know the truth: and the truth shall make you free. | et cognoscetis veritatem et veritas liberabit vos |
| 33 | They answered him: We are the seed of Abraham: and we have never been slaves to any man. How sayest thou: You shall be free? | responderunt ei semen Abrahae sumus et nemini servivimus umquam quomodo tu dicis liberi eritis |
| 34 | Jesus answered them: Amen, amen, I say unto you that whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. | respondit eis Iesus amen amen dico vobis quia omnis qui facit peccatum servus est peccati |
| 35 | Now the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the son abideth for ever. | servus autem non manet in domo in aeternum filius manet in aeternum |
| 36 | If therefore the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. | si ergo Filius vos liberaverit vere liberi eritis |
| 37 | I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. | scio quia filii Abrahae estis sed quaeritis me interficere quia sermo meus non capit in vobis |
| 38 | I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do the things that you have seen with your father. | ego quod vidi apud Patrem loquor et vos quae vidistis apud patrem vestrum facitis |
| 39 | They answered and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. | responderunt et dixerunt ei pater noster Abraham est dicit eis Iesus si filii Abrahae estis opera Abrahae facite |
| 40 | But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not. | nunc autem quaeritis me interficere hominem qui veritatem vobis locutus sum quam audivi a Deo hoc Abraham non fecit |
| 41 | You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God. | vos facitis opera patris vestri dixerunt itaque ei nos ex fornicatione non sumus nati unum patrem habemus Deum |
| 42 | Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded and came. For I came not of myself: but he sent me. | dixit ergo eis Iesus si Deus pater vester esset diligeretis utique me ego enim ex Deo processi et veni neque enim a me ipso veni sed ille me misit |
Wishing blessings to everyone as we head toward Holy Week.
Blessings to you too!
|
The Truth Will Set You Free Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent John 8: 31-42 Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to make the most of this time of prayer to recharge my batteries from your source of infinite power. Help me to put aside all distractions, so I can give you my undivided attention. I know you have something special to tell me. Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Petition: Help me value obedience, Lord, to the point where I share your motto: “Death before disobedience.” 1. The Witness 2. Slaves 3. Disciples Conversation with Christ: Dearest Lord, I want to be free. Help me use this desire you have placed in my heart to use my freedom to choose your will consciously at every moment of my day, refusing to run after and justify my selfish passions. I am weak, and I need your help. I want to remain in your word. I want to be your disciple. Resolution: I will choose freedom over slavery by deciding not to commit any conscious sin today, not even venial. |
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| Other Articles by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph. D. Printer Friendly Version |
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| I Could Never Do That! | ||
Dn 3:14-20,91-92,95 / Jn 8:31-42
Throughout history there are abundant examples of people who succumbed to the threats and torments of torturers and confessed to all manner of non-existent crimes or agreed to do all kinds of dreadful things that were contrary to their beliefs. How overwhelming and paralyzing their fears must have been. We can only wonder what we'd have done in their place.
But once in a while we confront real heroes, like the three young men in today’s reading from the prophet Daniel. Standing at the very door of a raging furnace, they spoke to the king, "If God will save us from the white-hot furnace, may He do so. But even if He will not, we will not worship the golden statue which you set up."
"I could never do that," we say, and we’re right. We couldn’t, but God living and working deep within us can do that, if we give Him free reign. Remember what St. Paul said, "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." And so can we, but first we have to ask, and ask honestly, with all our heart: "Strengthen me Lord to do your will."
That is a prayer, when prayed wholeheartedly, that is always answered!
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