Wednesday Fourth Week of Lent

Daily Readings for Lent
Today's readings: March 17, 2010
First Reading: Is 49:8-15;
Responsorial Psalm: 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18 ;
Gospel: Jn 5:17-30 ;

And here's an audio file and a video of a priest offering reflections.

First Reading:  Is 49:8-15
Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you;
and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land
and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
on every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene.
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted.
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you.

Responsorial Psalm  145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18
R.         The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R.        The Lord is gracious and merciful.

Gospel   Jn 5:17-30
Jesus answered the Jews:
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.”

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Commentary: First of all - Happy Saint Patrick's Day !! Learn more about St. Patrick if you like. Did you know, St. Patrick was actually born in Scotland?

The first reading from Isaiah offers very sweet and welcoming words as he recounts how much God loves us all, and also - how God loves, which many times is quite different from the way His children love each other. God's love for us however is constant and unchanging.

I am pretty sure Jesus did not consult his Dale Carnegie book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" before sharing His thoughts in today's Gospel. In fact, it would not surprise me in the least if He knew the words would not be well received. Have you ever been in that situation? When you really care about someone and feel compelled to share words that will be hard to hear, but feel compelled to say the words anyway, because you love them? There's a chance that over time the words will sink in and the person might listen, and change their ways that are hurtful or so you hope.

John's Gospel today is a continuation from yesterday's words about the healing of a man who was sick for 38 years. And the angry reaction of some people at the temple who sought to punish and maybe even kill Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. The Gospel today begins right where we left off yesterday - and Jesus shares with the people a great deal of information about Himself, his intentions and also about the will of God the Father. He tells us quite plainly - that everyone will resurrect when they hear Jesus' voice. But that the outcome and type of resurrection is quite different, depending or whether you have chosen to be a person who does good deeds or someone who has chosen to be wicked. Choosing to do good deeds leads to a resurrection of life, choosing to do the evil leads to a resurrection of condemnation and death.

The words are not very different from what Moses said a long time ago. (Dt 30). Choose life. But the message is said with much greater clarity and also more authority. But the words were too hard for many people to bear, though they were offered with nothing but pure love.

For some unknown reason, my mind has wandered off to a song I enjoyed as a young man. And I am reminded of a song called Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean, about the great impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. And these words in the lyrics.

And how you suffered for your sanity. How you tried to set them free.
they did not listen they did not know how... perhaps they'll listen now