FIFTH WEEK OF LENT Gathering What Is Scattered Introduction At a time of the purifying trial of the exile, Ezekiel preaches God’s utopian dream: Israel will be gathered into one: one nation, one land, one sanctuary, ruled by one shepherd and servant king under one God in a covenant of peace. After the […]
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FIFTH WEEK OF LENT Sign of Contradiction Introduction Jesus, the Son of God, showed in his life and actions that he was no ordinary human being, even in the face of contradiction. Christians, sons and daughters of God without a capital s or d, who take their faith seriously will also meet contradiction. […]
FIFTH WEEK OF LENT THE LORD’S ANNUNCIATION Introduction We celebrate today the solemn feast of the Annunciation. “Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said the old missal. That was correct, in a way, for the angel came to announce glad tidings to Mary. “Annunciation of the Lord,” says the new missal. Yes, this […]
FIFTH WEEK OF LENT The Truth Will Set You Free — Believe Like Abraham Introduction Persons who trust in God fight enslavement to sin. In the face of abuse of authority, persecution or coercion of any kind, even of tradition or of the […]
FIFTH WEEK OF LENT Look Up to Christ Introduction An incontestable truth is that only faith saves. For the Jews wandering in the desert, faith in God’s power—presented here in the form of a bronze serpent—will save the rebellious people of God. The Pharisees have to accept Christ in faith if they want […]
FIFTH WEEK OF LENT Do not condemn. God forgives Introduction The first reading is an addition from a later period to the Book of Daniel. Probably, Shushanna (Lily) stands for faithful Israel. And so, in the form of an allegorical tale the story comments on the faithfulness of the pious Jews to Yahweh, […]
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Losing One’s Life to Find Life Like a Grain of Wheat Greeting (see Second Reading) Christ, the Son of God, learned to obey through suffering; and so he became to all who obey him the source of eternal salvation. May this Lord Jesus be with you […]
Fourth Week of Lent Sign of Contradiction Introduction It is hard for a person who “has been seduced by God,” as Jeremiah says, to be rejected by the very community to which one has dedicated one’s life and before which one bears witness to the spiritual. He is a source of division. So […]
Fourth Week of Lent SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH Patron of the Church Introduction Today’s gospel calls Joseph “a just man.” It is a title that the scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments give to people who try to live according to God’s […]
Fourth Week of Lent Jesus Mediator Introduction From today on and in the Holy Week, the opposition between the Jewish leaders and Jesus is growing. People always tend to adore their own god—a god or gods made in their own image and likeness, rather than accepting in humility, conscious of our limitations, that […]