Fourth Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 31

Reading 1 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

The LORD said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6.

R. (1)  The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2 Eph 5:8-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
 
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

Verse Before the GospelJn 8:12

I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Gospel Jn 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
 
He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
 
Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

 As Children of the Light we have indeed been called out of the darkness into the light to be bathed with its brilliance. Christ is the Light of the World and shines forth from and into all of God’s Creation. The darkness that we came from represents an ignorance of the truth which is Jesus Christ. It also represents a life without Jesus Christ and a lack of relationship with Him. Without Jesus in our lives we can find ourselves walking blindly, making wrong decisions, and ultimately going down the wrong road. Even though this can be exciting at times, it always leads to the same place: dead ends and desolate places.

 

When we explore a relationship with Jesus Christ and allow Him into our lives everything that came before, is now, and will be takes on a different meaning. Without Jesus Christ things are naturally interpreted and understood without the influence of Him. He is taken out of the equation because it is not known how He fits. When Jesus is taken into account things take on a different meaning because His influence on everything is then revealed. It is much like looking at a  painting. It can be looked at without taking into account the artists thoughts, feelings, or attitudes. When this is done there is no depth to the painting; no emotional or spiritual feeling that can be extracted from it. When that same painting is looked at with the perspective of the artist taken into account then an entirely different perception of the painting is revealed and experienced; it is deeper, more meaningful, and makes more sense then when it stood alone. In much the same way  God’s creation, including us in it, takes on a different meaning when the intent of the creator is taken into account and we enter into a relationship with Him. Things that might have baffled us before or caused confusion make complete sense and what might have caused us fear and anxiety are now accepted and put into the proper perspective. Most importantly, the Love of God can be felt and experienced the way God wanted us to be able to do in the first place.

 

This was what Jesus was referring to when speaking to the Pharisees. Well educated and well-versed in Jewish Law, they were blinded by the knowledge that they possessed and their interpretation thereof.  Jesus emphasized that for someone to see the truth and God’s creation for what it was everything that was known before and its interpretation must be forgotten and relearned through the perspective of Him: the Son of God. In other words, in order for one to see the truth he must become blind first in order that he may learn to see. There is a process of acceptance in this exercise. We must understand that a lot of what we have been told in our lives by other people is untrue and that the real truth lies within a relationship with Jesus Christ. Accepting Jesus as the Son of God and committing ourselves to a relationship with him clears away all of the clutter and conceptions that we have created over long periods of time and introduces us to a new world that is defined by the Light of Christ and puts Him in the center of everything where He belongs. It becomes a gigantic reset and one that is worthwhile. Just as the blind man was healed by his interaction with Jesus Christ we too are capable of being healed through our experiences with him.

 

As Christians we are encouraged to approach Jesus from where we are in our lives. There are no preconditions to a relationship with him only a child-like acceptance of who He is. From there, a relationship with him will foster and grow by leaps and bounds if only we allow it to. This does require a surrendering of what we thought we knew before and being open to what a life with Jesus if offering us. There is a process to this and it all begins with the first step out of the darkness into the light.

 

Deacon Tom

 

Third Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 28

Reading I

Ex 17:3-7

In those days, in their thirst for water,
the people grumbled against Moses,
saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?
Was it just to have us die here of thirst 
with our children and our livestock?”
So Moses cried out to the LORD, 
“What shall I do with this people?
a little more and they will stone me!”
The LORD answered Moses,
“Go over there in front of the people, 
along with some of the elders of Israel, 
holding in your hand, as you go, 
the staff with which you struck the river.
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb.
Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it 
for the people to drink.”
This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah, 
because the Israelites quarreled there
and tested the LORD, saying,
“Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

Responsorial Psalm

95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

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

Reading II

Rom 5:1-2, 5-8

Brothers and sisters:
Since we have been justified by faith, 
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
through whom we have gained access by faith 
to this grace in which we stand, 
and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint, 
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts 
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless, 
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, 
though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Verse Before the Gospel

Cf. Jn 4:42, 15

Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world;
give me living water, that I may never thirst again.

Gospel

Jn 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, 
near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.
It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.”
His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
The Samaritan woman said to him,
“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”
—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—
Jesus answered and said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God
and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘
you would have asked him 
and he would have given you living water.”
The woman said to him, 
“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; 
where then can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob, 
who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself 
with his children and his flocks?”
Jesus answered and said to her, 
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 
but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; 
the water I shall give will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty 
or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,
“Go call your husband and come back.”
The woman answered and said to him,
“I do not have a husband.”
Jesus answered her,
“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’
For you have had five husbands, 
and the one you have now is not your husband.
What you have said is true.”
The woman said to him,
“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.
Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; 
but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus said to her,
“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You people worship what you do not understand; 
we worship what we understand, 
because salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, 
when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; 
and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship him
must worship in Spirit and truth.”
The woman said to him,
“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; 
when he comes, he will tell us everything.”
Jesus said to her,
“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned, 
and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, 
but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” 
or “Why are you talking with her?”
The woman left her water jar 
and went into the town and said to the people, 
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.
Could he possibly be the Christ?”
They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”
But he said to them,
“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
So the disciples said to one another, 
“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”
Jesus said to them,
“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me
and to finish his work.
Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?
I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.
The reaper is already receiving payment 
and gathering crops for eternal life, 
so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.
For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; 
others have done the work, 
and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him
because of the word of the woman who testified, 
“He told me everything I have done.”
When the Samaritans came to him,

they invited him to stay with them; 
and he stayed there two days.
Many more began to believe in him because of his word, 
and they said to the woman, 
“We no longer believe because of your word; 
for we have heard for ourselves, 
and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

It does not take us long to forget the good things that we have been given in this life and the gifts that we have already received from God when we start to encounter bad things or bad situations. Whatever good things that might have come before, are quickly forgotten and the miserable state that we find ourselves in takes precedence. As God’s children, we have the propensity to act like little children when we are in relationship with Him. The First Scripture Reading today reminds us that God is always in our midst, regardless if the circumstances are good or bad. In fact, His presence can be felt all the more when we cry out to Him for His help and mercy. It is then that He joins us to guide us and help us through what are facing. At the same time, we cannot take God for granted. We should constantly be seeking His presence in all our thoughts and actions. This will ensure that our relationship with Him will remain strong and bear much fruit. Relationships are always reciprocal, and one with God is no different. He was the initiator of our relationship with Him, for He created us for no other reason but to love us completely and have us love Him in return. So, it is up to us to respond to that love and allow it to impact our lives.

 

God furthermore has given us His only Son completely for our salvation. The ultimate expression of that love that He has for us. Through our acknowledgement of Jesus, we further delve into this powerful force which is the love of God. Jesus gives us hope, solidified by Him dying for us. The Apostle Paul reminds us that,

 

“because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

 

What a beautiful vision this offers. We are emersed in the love of God and deluged with His graces, just by being aware of His presence and recognizing who He is.

 

This Sunday marks The Third Sunday of Lent. It is where we get this interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well. It is geared for those who are coming forward to be baptized and confirmed in their faith during The Easter Season. All of the readings serve a as a reminder of the nourishment that Jesus Christ has to offer to all of God’s creation by giving salvation to all those who accept Him. Regardless of where we are in our lives, Jesus calls all of us forward to be healed by His presence and to come and glorify the Father. This is the vision He brings forward about being the Living Water. He has the capability of washing us clean and refreshing us. It is through Jesus Christ that we are made whole. He did not judge the Samaritan woman. He instead offered her healing and love. He instructed her and showed her a better way, even though it would indeed cause a scandal, especially amongst His disciples. Just as everything is made better with Jesus, He used this as a teachable moment to everyone and the glory of God was revealed through His actions.

 

God was there at Massah and Meribah, He too is everywhere ready to offer us a better way. We first become part of the harvest that He has prepared through Jesus Christ. We then set to work as reapers of those who have come after us. Our duties and functions constantly change as we carry out our good works in the name of Jesus Christ. We are all invited to spend some time with Jesus at the well and have a conversation. We come as we are instead of who we want to become. It is here that Jesus will then ask us to drink deeply of the Living Water.

 

Deacon Tom

 

Second Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 25

Reading 1

Gn 12:1-4a

The LORD said to Abram:
"Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.

"I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you."

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22.

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Reading 2

2 Tm 1:8b-10

Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.

Verse Before the Gospel

Cf. Mt 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel

Mt 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

The Transfiguration of Jesus was a major event that impacted Peter, James, and John significantly. It is mentioned in all four Gospels and in one of Peter’s letters. It obviously left a lasting impression, which was of course by design. Having Peter, James, and John present was also of significance, since they were the three who would be instrumental in the development and building up of the early Church. It would be through them that we would receive the earliest interpretations of Jesus’ teachings and the Church traditions that we carry on today. We also gain an understanding of Jesus being the fulfillment of everything that came from God before. The appearance of Elijah, representative of all of the prophets, and of Moses (the Law) shows that all these things are brought to perfection through Jesus Christ. All these things lead to the Incarnation; the Word becoming flesh. Jesus’ divinity is then revealed as Him being the Son of God. This is the second full revelation of the Trinity, the first being during Jesus’ baptism. We have the Son present, the Father introducing Him, and the Holy Spirit which transfigured Jesus. So many astounding truths being revealed simultaneously in this one glorious event, which was also meant to impact us in our daily lives.

 

We too have the opportunity to be transfigured by our relationship with Jesus, by focusing on our relationship with Him. We too are invited to climb that mountain before us, which is representative of the challenges to our faith present in our lives. The more that we focus on the journey, the more the fruits of our labor will be revealed. As in all things, the more time and dedication invested in something will produce positive results. When we focus on the good things that will bring about a transformative experience in us, then there can be no doubt that only good things will happen. During this Season of Lent, we are offered a chance to join billions of Christians around the world in a journey that will affect all of God’s creation. We can be a part of a global movement, that can remove us from all that is wrong in the world and put us into the Living Body of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. We have already taken up our crosses, now we have to continue climbing the mountain before us. The Transfiguration gives us a vision of what lies at the end of the journey. This can offer strength and hope, but cannot take away from the central theme of Lent, which is The Crucified Christ. All these themes should be working together as we journey towards Calvary.

 

When we recognize who Jesus is and accept Him, we then become partakers in the covenant that God made with Abraham. We become part of that “great nation” that God promised to Him. From that moment, we become receivers of God’s grace and our personal salvation story begins. The hardships that we endure become opportunities for our faith to be strengthened. What once threatened to harm us, makes us stronger as we make our climb to a better life and a better existence in the present. Everything becomes better because it is focused on the ultimate good, which is found through, by, and in Jesus Christ. The Transfiguration is offered as a testament to what we are a part of so that we may be constantly reminded as to why we embrace our crosses and continue that climb up the mountain. What is at the top validates all the hard work and suffering that comes before.

 

Deacon Tom