Monday of Holy Week
Isaiah 42:1-7  +  John 12:1-11
April 15, 2019

Here is my servant whom I uphold, / my chosen one with whom I am pleased….

The Old Testament’s Book of the Prophet Isaiah contains four brief passages called “servant songs”.  Isaiah never names the servant who is described.  But in the earliest years of the Church, these servant songs were sung in praise of Christ, who fulfilled during Holy Week what they proclaim. Continue reading →

Palm Sunday [C]
Lk 19:28-40  +  Isa 50:4-7  +  Phil 2:6-11  +  Lk 22:14—23:56
April 14, 2019

“… he humbled himself, / becoming obedient to the point of death, / even death on a cross.”

The Roman Missal is the book from which Father offers most of the prayers at Holy Mass.  During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, it rests upon the altar of sacrifice.  Within this book, in the header for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, it states:  “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from this Sunday may be observed.” Continue reading →

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Ezekiel 37:21-28  +  John 11:45-56
April 13, 2019

So from that day on they planned to kill him.

This morning’s Gospel Reading bears a sense of anxious anticipation.  Its final verse leaves us on the edge of our pew:  “They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, ‘What do you think?  That he will not come to the feast?’” Continue reading →

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Jeremiah 20:10-13  +  John 10:31-42
April 12, 2019

   “If I do not perform my Father’s works, put no faith in me.”  

Some disagree with the saying, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” claiming that a little is better than none.  They do not see that those having the “little” often self-righteously and proudly conclude they “know it all.” Continue reading →

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Genesis 17:3-9  +  John 8:51-59
April 11, 2019

“Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

While yesterday’s Gospel Reading looked in part upon Abraham, today’s Scriptures double down on this focus.  Today both the First Reading and Gospel Reading look at “our father in faith”.  In fact, it is Abraham as father that is the specific focus. Continue reading →

Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Daniel 3:14-20,91-92,95  +  John 8:31-42
April 10, 2019

“…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Historically, freedom for the Jews was based upon two figures of their past.  First, descent from Abraham—their father in faith—was considered the foundation of the People of God.  Second in importance was adherence to the Law of Moses, who led God’s People from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.  Yet the Gospel accounts show that many in Jesus’ day who were living in the Holy Land were in fact slaves. Continue reading →

Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Numbers 21:4-9  +  John 8:21-30
April 9, 2019

“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize
that I AM….”

It’s questionable whether, when Jesus told the Pharisees that they would realize Jesus’ identity when they lifted up the Son of Man, they understood that He was foretelling His being lifted up on the Cross.  Yet perhaps the Pharisees had already at this point plotted the death of Jesus in detail.
Continue reading →

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Daniel 13:41-62  +  John 8:12-20
April 8, 2019

Please note:  Because the Gospel Reading yesterday [for the Fifth Sunday of Lent – Year C] was John 8:1-11, today’s Gospel Reading is changed to the passage that immediately follows it.

“So they said to him, ‘Where is your father?’”

Today’s Gospel Reading has many different threads.  There is much going on within the passage.  This means that for the Christian who wants to take up today’s Gospel Reading and use it for meditation, there are many options. Continue reading →

The Fifth Sunday of Lent [C]
Isa 43:16-21  +  Phil 3:8-14  +  Jn 8:1-11
April 7, 2019

For His sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish….

Lent focuses our attention on human sin, but always against the backdrop of divine mercy.  Never think about your sins without first reflecting on God’s merciful love for you.  Likewise, never think of God’s love for you without also recalling the depths to which Jesus sank to pour that love into your sinful heart. Continue reading →