Daily Scripture Reflection - April 2

Wednesday Fourth Week of Lent

 

Isaiah 49: 8-15

John 5: 17-30

 

In the first reading Israel is in exile and despondent, thinking that God had forgot them.  Isaiah the prophet reassures them that there are no limits to God’s love, and uses the love of a mother for her child as an example of God’s love for them.  Isaiah says that God will deliver them.  There will be a new exodus during which God will lead them like a shepherd.

 

Israel had to learn to trust in God and so do we!

 

In the gospel, the religious leaders complain that Jesus is not following the law of Sabbath rest because he cures people on the Sabbath.  Jesus defends his curing on the Sabbath and gets the religious leaders to admit that God could not rest on the Sabbath.  If he did the world would cease to exist.  Jesus then says that since the Father does not rest on the Sabbath, neither does the Son.

 

The religious leaders understand the implications of this – Jesus was making himself equal to God and that was something they couldn’t accept. Jesus continues to tell them that he can do greater things than miracles.  He can give spiritual life to those who are dead in sin; and he can judge men – giving life or condemnation depending on whether they accept him or reject him.

 

This reading is an invitation to us to renew our faith in Christ as the giver of new life.  This Lent we need to let the Lord forgive our sins and give us life!

 

By Fr. Bill Kramer

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #21

THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS

4^TH Wednesday of Lent

Read Matthew 25:1-13.

What determined whether the virgins were wise or foolish?  Why were the foolish virgins shut out of the wedding feast?

What is this passage saying to modern day Christians? 

Notes on the text:

The oil is this passage symbolizes good deeds.

Verse 13: “Stay awake” is this context means “be prepared” since all the virgins fell asleep in the passage.

PARISH MADNESS - FINAL ROUND!

PARISH MADNESS - FINAL ROUND!

Are you still mourning the defeat of UD in the Elite Eight? Well, you can still cheer on your favorite Bible Hero or Stalwart Saint here. It has come down to the last round. Who wins the Golden Chalice?

Mary Magdalene for the Bible Heroes?

OR

St. Francis of Assisi for the Stalwart Saints?

Vote for your favorite in the poll on the right side of this page.

Daily Scripture Meditation - April 1

4^th TUESDAY OF LENT, APRIL 1

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12

John 5:1-16

When I was four years old, our car broke down while crossing the desert in New Mexico.  Perhaps the experience is exaggerated in my memory, but I can still remember waiting for hours until a tow truck happened upon us and sitting in the little shade provided by the side of the car while we waited.  I can also remember being thirsty and hungry and oh so very hot and crying because of those feelings.  Picture yourself in my four-year-old shoes.  How grateful would you be to find a stream of cool, crystal clear water, not just deep enough for wading, but deep enough for swimming, and pure enough for drinking, and surrounded by delicious fruit trees which never ceased to bear the most juicy, sweet fruit.

This was the word picture painted by the prophet Ezekiel for the Israelites, who spent their whole lives living in a desert community, to show them the abundance of God’s grace and mercy.  This abundance is also what Jesus demonstrated when he healed the man at the pool of Bethesda.  Imagine being sick and lame, too infirmed to drag yourself a few feet to the source of healing, always being beaten by someone just a little less lame than you, and lying there day after day, never knowing when or if it would be your turn to be healed.  One day, a man comes up to you, out of the many who surround you, and speaks a word, and you are completely healed.

God wants to pour out an abundance of mercy and grace upon each one of us.  What do we have to do to receive this grace and mercy?  Absolutely nothing but receive it.

• By Lisa Lenard Chiles

Daily Scripture Meditation - March 28

March 28^th

                Hosea 14:2-10

                Mark 12:28-34

 

Today’s Gospel is a familiar one, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” (Mark 12:28) This could be a trick question and I can imagine the crowd waiting with baited breath for Jesus’ choice. Jewish Law was extensive- how would he choose one over all the others? But of course Jesus’ answer is simple. He quoted the Old Testament, which sums up the first three commandments in one statement: love God (Deuteronomy 6:5). The other statement: love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

                All the moral teachings of the Catholic Church are rooted in these two commandments. If a person does not love God and other people, religion is just meaningless prayers and empty practices. Weekly Mass is important to our faith life; we gather together to worship in community. We hear the Word and refocus. We come to the table for Eucharist and are nourished. But what do we do when we leave. Some parishes have a sign at the exit of the parking lot, “You are now entering the mission field”. Jesus calls us to love- not just during Mass- but every day with everyone. Earlier I said that Jesus’ answer was simple. A simple statement yes, but a complex challenge to live out.

 

Write these laws of love in your mind and in your heart. Let them guide everything that you think, do and say.

 

Patty Larger (much of this was taken from a reflection in the Breakthrough Bible for Young Catholics distributed by St. Mary’s Press. This is a good choice for children 3^rd grade through junior high)

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #20

THE FIG TREE, THE UNKNOWN DAY, & THE SERVANT

4^TH Tuesday of Lent

Read Matthew 24:32-51.

What constitutes a faithful servant in this passage?

What makes a Christian into a faithful servant?  Are you a faithful servant?

Notes on the text:

Verse 34 embodies the theology of the early Church who believed Jesus was to return immediately – before the 1^st and 2^nd generation of Christians had entirely passed away.

The belief Jesus will return immediately is counter-balanced by the reminder that only the Father knows for certain when he will return.  As early Christians witnessed the 1^st and 2^nd generation of Christians dying off, they struggled with their faith.

LENTEN BIBLE STUDY #19

CALAMITIES, TRIBULATION, & THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN

4^TH Monday of Lent

Read Matthew 24:3-31.

If you knew your world was going to end tomorrow, what would you want to do today?  What would you want to say to your loved ones?  Should you go ahead and say these things today?

Notes on the text:

While many try to associate the events foretold in this passage with current events in the news, Catholic teaching tells us that only God knows when Jesus will return.  Therefore, instead of spending our time looking for an end of the entire world, we should focus on what we know is a certainty: the end of our own lives and the judgment of our own deeds.

Matthew’s church still expected Jesus to return at any moment.  Their theology is embodied in Matthew’s retelling of this discourse. 

Verse 15 refers to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.  Matthew borrows language from 1 Maccabees 1:54 and Daniel 12:11 which describe the earlier desecration of the Temple by the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 BCE.

Verse 19: the journey would be particularly difficult for nursing mothers or pregnant women.

Verses 26-28: the Second Coming of the Messiah will not be in secret.