The Word today, Lent1B24

February 19 - February 24, 2024

Monday 19 February

Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 The Old Testament has a very high moral vision—expressed quite concretely and practically in this reading. Even though the text is very old, the teaching still speaks today. The examples given illustrate how we may be compassionate and just or, in a word, holy, just as God himself is holy.

Matthew 25:31-46 Our Gospel is really more a tableau than a parable. Christ may be encountered in the vulnerable. When we ourselves are vulnerable, others may encounter Christ is us. Very simply: our choices have consequences.

Tuesday 20 February

Isaiah 55:10-11 The readings of Lent do indeed challenge, but they also encourage. Today we hear of God’s effective word, carrying out what it says. One way to listen might be to ask: has this been true for me in my life? Have I found the word of God an effective in my hearing and living? The link with the Gospel is most likely through the imagery of bread.

Matthew 6:7-15 We often tend to separate worship and life, thinking that when we’ve done our prayer, we’re done. A fundamental error! The prophets of old often pointed this out and Jesus does so again in the context of the Lord’s Prayer. Simps put, prayer from the heart, leads to forgiveness from the heart. The can be no separation.

Wednesday 21 February

St Peter Damian, bishop and doctor

Jonah 3:1-10 The ironic book of Jonah is serious about conversion as we see from the reaction not only of the humans, but even the beasts, herds and flocks! For our Lent purposes, the preaching of Jonah is taken at face value, inviting us today to a conversion of heart

Luke 11:29-32 There is more to the Gospel than a reference back to Jonah. Are we such a generation, unmoved and complacent? However, the reference to Jonah is a kind of a fortiori argument: if people listen to Jonah, how much more should we listen to Jesus, Son of God!

Thursday 22 February

The Chair of St Peter

1 Peter 5:1-4 Here we have simple and clear advice on Christian leadership which, for all its antiquity, is never out of date: watch over the flock of God, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it. This applies not only to those in leadership, but to us all.

Matthew 16:13-19 This Gospel passage reflects the role of Peter in the church at Antioch — the exemplary faith of the apostle is our foundation stone and principle of unity. The heart of it all is Peter’s faith in Christ.

Friday 23 February

St Polycarp, bishop and martyr

Ezekiel 18:21-28 We can all change and repentance is a possibility always on the table. This is God’s desire for us — and our slightly threatening reading is finally positive.

Matthew 5:20-26 Following the best Jewish tradition, Jesus teaches that sin come from the heart, from within. It is our attitudes which count, in every sense. The risk of any formal worship is to think that when we’ve done that, we’re done. No way, as Jesus illustrates in the appended parable.

Saturday 24 February

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 Against the background of the covenant, Moses outlines our side of the bargain. Notice that we are to keep his commands with our heart—the offer is twosided and conditional. The Gospel takes that a step deeper.

Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus demands of us a deeper and more costly love, taking us well beyond the conventional and even the natural. The argument is a good one: if people of no special religion manage to be at least decent, how much more is expected to all who have put their trust in God?

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024r, February 18). First Sunday of lent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021824.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

SOCL, Lent1B24

Sunday February 18, 2024

The time is fulfilled: the kingdom of God has come near

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See

In Italian, Lent is quaresima or forty (days). In German, it is Fastenzeit or time for bodily restraint. Our English word comes from an older Anglo-Saxon word for spring—len(c)ten— whence our Lent. Italian tells us how long it will last (with its symbolic overtones). German tells us what to do in that time. But English tells us what is supposed to happen, that is, we are supposed to experience a springtime of faith, a time growth and new life.

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Listen

Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25 [24]; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15

Psalm 25, Teach Me Your Ways, O Lord.

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Reflect

(Mark 1: 12-15)

-We are at a major turning point in the life of Jesus when he is about to start his public ministry. Mark tells us this was preceded by a deep inner struggle when his resolve to take on his God-given mission was tested. Recall important decisions in your own life. Were they accompanied by struggle and doubt? Who were the angels who supported you at that time? Give thanks for them.

-Such periods of anxiety may seem like wilderness experiences at the time with nothing positive about them. Later, with hindsight, we may see it as a necessary testing that was for our good. Perhaps, like Jesus, you recall a time when the Spirit of God led you into the wilderness to be tested and after the experience you had a clearer sense of your own identity or your purpose in life?

-The arrest of John the Baptist was the occasion of the start of the public ministry of Jesus. When has some event outside of your control unexpectedly led you into some new and fruitful activity?

-Convert and believe the good news was the heart of the message of Jesus. It was not a call to penance but to a change of heart, a change of attitude, leading to a change in behaviour. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of right relationships: with God, with one another, with creation, with ourselves. It is a change that leads to a fuller life. When have you found that a change in your attitude towards God, others, yourself, or the world around you, has led you to a more fulfilled or more fruitful life?

-There is immediacy about the call of Jesus: “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near”. Recall when you had a realisation that now was the moment of opportunity – for a change in your life, for a spiritual renewal, or a time to give a wholehearted yes to life. At this moment to what do you believe you are invited to say yes?

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Pray

God of the covenant, O God of mystery, as the forty days of deluge swept away the world’s corruption and watered new beginnings of righteousness and life, so in the saving flood of baptism your people are washed clean and born again. Throughout these forty days, we beg you, unseal for us the wellspring of your grace, cleanse our hearts of all that is not holy, and cause your gift of new life to flourish once again. Grant this through your Son, Jesus Christ, our liberator from sin, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Act

-Grow for 40: Set a 40-day growth challenge.

-Restraint Time: Practice moderation or cut out unhealthy habits.

-Soul Spring Clean: Engage in spiritual practices for personal growth.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024r, February 18). First Sunday of lent. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021824.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/

The Word today, 6B24

February 12 - February 17, 2024

Monday 12 February

James 1:1-11 Our first reading from James (over two weeks) delights in paradoxes and directness. Are you experiencing trials? Do you need wisdom? Listen carefully!

Mark 8:11-13 Though not explicitly observed, we see in this reading the frustration, not to say the anger of Jesus. The Pharisees are looking for some kind of guaranteed evidence—this could be true of us today.

Tuesday 13 February

James 1:12-18 The gestation of sin is narrated—graphically and frighteningly. There is hope, however, in the next verse.

Mark 8:14-21 On its own, this passage is hard to read. The Gospel writer wants us to think again about the meanings (plural) of the two multiplications. Jesus is bread of life for both Jews and Gentiles — all are welcome!

Wednesday 14 February

Joel 2:12-18 The passage which opens the journey of Lent is an invitation, an invitation to come back to the Lord with all our heart. The whole community—all of us without distinction—is called to change of heart and life.

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 Paul’s message insists on today, now, as the moment of conversion. The past is over and the future is not yet. All we have is the present moment: let us take hold of it with all our energy.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 There was a traditional triad in Judaism: almsgiving, prayer and fasting—all really good and necessary. That inherent good can be compromised by the desire for notice and approval. It is enough and more than enough that the Father who sees in secret sees our good deed done in secret.

Thursday 15 February

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Life is full of choices, minor and major. Today, we hear a major choice: life and prosperity or death and disaster. Such sharp alternatives are found also in the wisdom writings of the people, such as today’s Psalm 1. We know, of course, that things are often not quite so stark and clear. But even in the minor choices, we are implying greater choices and even a fundamental direction of life.

Luke 9:22-25 As usual, a prediction of the passion is joined to a teaching on discipleship. In this Gospel, the death of Jesus casts a long shadow, starting with the words of Simeon to Mary. The immediate context is the question to Peter: who do you say I am? Once we say who Jesus is, we find ourselves also saying who we are.

Friday 16 February

Isaiah 58:1-9 What is true fasting? What does God require of us? Isaiah does not mince his words. Sure fasting means to live your ordinary life with integrity and justice.

Matthew 9:14-15 It looks as if Jesus did not practice fasting (apart from the forty, symbolic days). Naturally, people wondered why not. In the later tradition, disciples did take up fasting and in our Gospel Jesus gives “permission” for that to happen.

Saturday 17 February

The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order St Fintan, abbot

Isaiah 58:9-14 Continuing from yesterday, we are reminded that righteousness—right living from the inside out—is what God hopes for from us. If you listen carefully, this prophecy is strongly against violence of any kind.

Luke 5:27-32 Eating was always regarded as a kind of sacred fellowship, a kind of holy communion. Hence the shock of onlookers who saw Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinner, in effect, establishing communion with them.

References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2024p, February 11). Sixth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021124.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/