by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 24, 2023 | Evangelium
SATURday 25 MARCH
The Annunciation of the Lord
Solemnity
The Feast of the Annunciation is the reason why we celebrate Christmas on December 25. Christmas comes exactly nine months after the Archangel Gabriel invited the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God, an event we commemorate on March 25. It is fruitful to reflect upon the incarnation of Jesus Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Entrance Antiphon: Heb 10: 5, 7
The Lord said, as he entered the world: Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
Collect
O God, who willed that your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, that we, who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in his divine nature. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 7: 10-14, 8: 10
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.” “No,” Ahaz answered “I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said: “Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’”
Psalm 39(40):7-11
R/ Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.
In the scroll of the book, it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart.
Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly. My lips I have not sealed; you know it, O Lord.
I have not hidden your justice in my heart but declared your faithful help. I have not hidden your love and your truth from the great assembly.
Second reading: Hebrews 10: 4-10
Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world: You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’ Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 1: 14
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, “Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” the angel answered, “and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” said Mary, “let what you have said be done to me.” And the angel left her.
Prayer over the Offerings
Be pleased, almighty God, to accept your Church’s offering, so that she, who is aware that her beginnings lie in the Incarnation of your Only Begotten Son, may rejoice to celebrate his mysteries on this Solemnity. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Is 7: 14
Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and his name will be called Emmanuel.
Prayer after Communion
Confirm in our minds the mysteries of the true faith, we pray, O Lord, so that, confessing that he who was conceived of the Virgin Mary is true God and true man, we may, through the saving power of his Resurrection, merit to attain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
Look upon your people, O Lord, and, as they draw near to the coming festivities, bestow upon them abundance of heavenly grace, that, helped by the consolations of this world, they may be impelled more readily towards higher goods that cannot be seen. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditaion
On this day the Church, our mother, gives us the opportunity to celebrate the solemnity of the Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The angel of the Lord is sent to a young virgin girl named Mary. Mary is the woman, “full of grace”, who found grace in the eyes of God to give birth to Jesus, the “Son of God”. The celebration of this day leads us to remember two things. The first is that God always fulfils his promises. He had announced since ancient times the coming of the Saviour. And it is the imminent coming of this Messiah that is made concrete in Mary who will conceive the “Son of the Most High”. And the second thing is that “nothing is impossible for God”. The God we believe in is the God of the impossible. Trust the Lord in your life and you will never be disappointed like Elizabeth, the barren one, and Mary, the virgin.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 23, 2023 | Evangelium
FRIday 24 MARCH
SAINT MACARTON
He was a convert from paganism and a companion of St Patrick, who made him bishop of Clogher in 454. He is the patron saint of the diocese.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 53: 3-4
O God, save me by your name; by your power, defend my cause. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
Collect
O God, who have prepared fitting helps for us in our weakness, grant, we pray, that we may receive their healing effects with joy and reflect them in a holy way of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Wisdom 2: 1, 12-22
The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning: “Our life is short and dreary, nor is there any relief when man’s end comes, nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for our breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of the Lord. Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking, the very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s, the paths he treads are unfamiliar. In his opinion we are counterfeit; he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth; he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy and boasts of having God for his father. Let us see if what he says is true, let us observe what kind of end he himself will have. If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the proof. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.” This is the way they reason, but they are misled, their malice makes them blind. They do not know the hidden things of God, they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded, they can see no reward for blameless souls.
Psalm 33: 16, 18, 19-21, 23
R/ The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked to destroy their remembrance from the earth. They call and the Lord hears and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones, not one of his bones shall be broken. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
Gospel Acclamation: Joel 2: 12-13
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory! Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, for I am all tenderness and compassion. Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel: John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30
Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea because the Jews were out to kill him. As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, however, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.” Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out: “Yes, you know me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of myself: no, there is one who sent me and I really come from him, and you do not know him, but I know him because I have come from him and it was he who sent me.” They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Prayer over the Offerings
May this sacrifice, almighty God, cleanse us by its mighty power and lead us to approach its source with ever greater purity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Eph 1: 7
In Christ, we have redemption by his Blood, and forgiveness of our sins, in accord with the riches of his grace.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, as we pass from old to new, so, with former ways left behind, we may be renewed in holiness of mind. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
Look upon your servants, O Lord, and in your goodness protect with heavenly assistance those who trust in your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Meditation
The Jewish authorities are looking for Jesus and want to put him to death because he reveals the mysteries of God. He announces the truth about God and no one wants to believe in Him. People are closed to his teaching. They would rather see him as a simple man from Nazareth than as the Messiah of God. Jesus reveals to them his divine filiation but they only recognize in him the human filiation. This attitude of Jesus’ contemporaries often characterizes us as well. Instead of listening to the advice and messages of conversion from our brothers and sisters who invite us to turn away from the wrong path, we often persist in closing our hearts. We must recognize and see in every brother who speaks to us with love, the voice of God who invites us to conversion.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 22, 2023 | Evangelium
THURSday 23 MARCH
SAINT TURIBIUS OF MONGROVEJO
He was born in Spain in about 1538 and studied law at the University of Salamanca. He was named bishop of Lima in 1580. He was full of apostolic zeal. He died in Lima on 23 March 1606.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 104: 3-4
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.
Collect
We invoke your mercy in humble prayer, O Lord, that you may cause us, your servants, corrected by penance and schooled by good works, to persevere sincerely in your commands and come safely to the paschal festivities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Exodus 32: 7-14
The Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried, “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” The Lord said to Moses, “I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.” But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Why let the Egyptians say, “Ah, it was in treachery that he brought them out, to do them to death in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth? Leave your burning wrath; relent and do not bring this disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.” So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Psalm 105: 19-23
R/ O Lord, remember me out of the love you have for your people.
They fashioned a calf at Horeb and worshipped an image of metal, exchanging the God who was their glory for the image of a bull that eats grass.
They forgot the God who was their Saviour, who had done such great things in Egypt, such portents in the land of Ham, such marvels at the Red Sea.
For this he said he would destroy them, but Moses, the man he had chosen, stood in the breach before him, to turn back his anger from destruction.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Jn 6: ,68
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel: John 5: 31-47
Jesus said to the Jews: “Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid; but there is another witness who can speak on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is valid. You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth: not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this. John was a lamp alight and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave. But my testimony is greater than John’s: the works my Father has given me to carry out, these same works of mine testify that the Father has sent me. Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape, and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one he has sent. “You study the Scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life; now these same Scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for life! As for human approval, this means nothing to me. Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else comes in his own name you will accept him. How can you believe, since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God? Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you place your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be your accuser. If you really believed him you would believe me too, since it was I that he was writing about; but if you refuse to believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that what we offer in sacrifice may cleanse us in our frailty from every evil and always grant us your protection. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jer 31: 33
I will place my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
May this Sacrament we have received purify us, we pray, O Lord, and grant your servants freedom from all blame, that those bound by a guilty conscience may glory in the fullness of heavenly remedy. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
O God, protector of all who hope in you, bless your people, keep them safe, defend them, prepare them, that, free from sin and safe from the enemy, they may persevere always in your love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Meditation
Jesus rebukes us on this day for our hardness to believe. John the Baptist testified to Jesus not only by acknowledging that the latter was greater than he was, but also by presenting him as the lamb of God. But the people did not understand and did not believe. Jesus acts with power and authority by performing great signs that testify to the coming of the kingdom, yet people do not believe. They do not recognize in Him the liberator and the envoy of God. They claim to follow the law of Moses, but in reality they do not practice it. And it is because they do not practice the law of Moses that he will be their own judge. For he who truly follows Moses should also follow Jesus. Let us open our hearts to the word of the Lord and recognize Jesus as our true saviour.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 21, 2023 | Evangelium
WEDNESday 22 MARCH
SAINT DEOGRATIAS
He was an outstanding priest, very much loved and supported by the people because of his charity and preaching. He later became bishop of diocese of Carthage.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 68: 14
I pray to you, O Lord, for a time of your favour. In your great mercy, answer me, O God, with your salvation that never fails.
Collect
O God, who reward the merits of the just and offer pardon to sinners who do penance, have mercy, we pray, on those who call upon you, that the admission of our guilt may serve to obtain your pardon for our sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 49: 8-15
Thus says the Lord: “At the favourable time I will answer you, on the day of salvation I will help you. (I have formed you and have appointed you as covenant of the people.) I will restore the land and assign you the estates that lie waste. I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out’, to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ On every roadway they will graze, and each bare height shall be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun shall never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them and guide them to springs of water. I will make a highway of all the mountains, and the high roads shall be banked up. Some are on their way from afar, others from the north and the west, others from the land of Sinim. Shout for joy, you heavens; exult, you earth! You mountains, break into happy cries! For the Lord consoles his people and takes pity on those who are afflicted. For Zion was saying, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you.”
Psalm 144: 8-9, 13-14, 17-18
R/The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all his creatures.
The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who fall and raises all who are bowed down.
The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 3:16
Glory and praise to you, O Christ! God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son: everyone who believes in him has eternal life. Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel: John 5: 17-30
Jesus said to the Jews, “My Father goes on working, and so do I.” But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because, not content with breaking the sabbath, he spoke of God as his own Father, and so made himself God’s equal. To this accusation Jesus replied: “I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does himself, and he will show him even greater things than these, works that will astonish you. Thus, as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses; for the Father judges no one; he has entrusted all judgement to the Son, so that all may honour the Son as they honour the Father. Whoever refuses honour to the Son refuses honour to the Father who sent him. I tell you most solemnly, whoever listens to my words, and believes in the one who sent me, has eternal life; without being brought to judgement he has passed from death to life. I tell you most solemnly, the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live. For the Father, who is the source of life, has made the Son the source of life; and, because he is the Son of Man, has appointed him supreme judge. Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will rise again to life; and those who did evil, to condemnation. I can do nothing by myself; I can only judge as I am told to judge, and my judging is just, because my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”
Prayer over the Offerings
May the power of this sacrifice, O Lord, we pray, mercifully wipe away what is old in us, and increase in us grace of salvation and newness of life. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 3: 17
God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Prayer after Communion
May your heavenly gifts, O Lord, we pray, which you bestow as a heavenly remedy on your people, not bring judgement to those who receive them. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Jesus came into the world to do the will of God. This will of God is that men should have life. And for us to have life, we must listen to and believe in Jesus. But in the Gospel, we see this closure of the Jews to Jesus’ message. They oppose Him and do not want to recognize that He is the Son of God. By refusing to listen to and believe in Him, they are rejecting God’s salvation. Jesus tells us something fundamental today, life is given to us and we have the choice to accept it or not. Indeed, the Gospel is a proposal of this salvation offered to all. It is up to us to make the right choice; it is up to us to take the path of life. Each one of us is this dead person to whom Jesus grants resurrection and life if we believe in his word of love and put it into practice.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 19, 2023 | Evangelium
MONday 20 MARCH
SAINT JOSEPH HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Solemnity
He was a carpenter. He accepted the will of God and supported Mary and brought up Jesus. He is widely venerated as a patron of artisans and of workers in general.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12: 42
Behold, a faithful and prudent steward, whom the Lord set over his household.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by Saint Joseph’s intercession, your Church may constantly watch over the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation, whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Samuel 7:4 -5, 12-14, 16
The word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus the Lord speaks: When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure for ever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Yet I will not withdraw my favour from him, as I withdrew it from your predecessor. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.’”
Psalm 88: 2-5, 27, 29
R/ His dynasty shall last for ever.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty for ever and set up your throne through all ages.
He will say to me: You are my father, my God, the rock who saves me. I will keep my love for him always; with him my covenant shall last.
Second reading: Romans 4: 13, 16-18, 22
The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As Scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations – Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist. Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’
Gospel Acclamation: Ps 83: 5
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord, for ever singing your praise. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Gospel: Matthew 1: 16, 18-21, 24
Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.” When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.
Prayer over the Offerings
We pray, O Lord, that, just as Saint Joseph served with loving care your Only Begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, so we may be worthy to minister with a pure heart at your altar. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Mt 25: 21
Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy.
Prayer after Communion
Defend with unfailing protection, O Lord, we pray, the family you have nourished with food from this altar, as they rejoice at the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, and graciously keep safe your gifts among them. Through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the People
Renew your people within and without, O Lord, and, since it is your will that they be unhindered by bodily delights, give them, we pray, perseverance in their spiritual intent. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today, the Church invites us to meditate on the figure of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and adoptive father of Jesus. From today’s Gospel, Joseph is presented to us as a just man, a man of listening, a man who submits to the will of God. Joseph not only accepted to take Mary as his wife, even though she was pregnant, but also to take upon himself the paternity of a child that was not his own. By this act, he agreed to adjust his will to that of God through an interior attitude of reflection, deep meditation and acceptance. Joseph’s life teaches us to listen to our inner voice in order avoid making bad decisions in life. It was this listening to the voice of God within him that helped him to be a good husband and a true father. May his example stimulate us.
by Jude Thaddeus Langeh | Mar 18, 2023 | Evangelium
SUNday 19 MARCH
4th Sunday of Lent,
Psalter week IV
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Is 66: 10-11
Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.
Collect
O God, who through your Word, reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way, grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith, the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13
The Lord said to Samuel, “Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.” When Samuel arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands there before him,” but the Lord said to Samuel, “Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him: God does not see as man sees: man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” He then asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” He answered, “There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.” Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, “Come, anoint him, for this is the one.” At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on.
Psalm 22(23)
R/ The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Second reading: Ephesians 5: 8-14
You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth. Try to discover what the Lord wants of you, having nothing to do with the futile works of darkness but exposing them by contrast. The things which are done in secret are things that people are ashamed even to speak of; but anything exposed by the light will be illuminated and anything illuminated turns into light. That is why it is said: Wake up from your sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Gospel Acclamation: Ephesians 5: 8-14
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God! I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!
Gospel: John 4:5-16,19-26,39-42
Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat straight down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman 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, ‘What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?’ – Jews, in fact, do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus replied: ‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water.’ ‘You have no bucket, sir,’ she answered ‘and the well is deep: how could you get this living water? Are you a greater man than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus replied: ‘Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again; but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.’ ‘Sir,’ said the woman ‘give me some of that water, so that I may never get thirsty and never have to come here again to draw water. I see you are a prophet, sir. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said: ‘Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know: for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour will come – in fact it is here already – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah – that is, Christ – is coming; and when he comes he will tell us everything.’ ‘I who am speaking to you,’ said Jesus ‘I am he.’ Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony when she said, ‘He told me all I have ever done’, so, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and when he spoke to them many more came to believe; and they said to the woman, ‘Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the saviour of the world.’
Prayer over the Offerings
We place before you with joy these offerings which bring eternal remedy, O Lord, praying that we may both faithfully revere them and present them to you, as is fitting, for the salvation of all the world. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon
The Lord anointed my eyes: I went, I washed, I saw and I believed in God.
Prayer after Communion
O God, who enlighten everyone who comes into this world, illuminate our hearts, we pray, with the splendour of your grace, that we may always ponder what is worthy and pleasing to your majesty and love you in all sincerity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The Gospel of this fourth Sunday of Lent presents Jesus as the “son of man”, the one who came into the world to dispel the darkness and heal all our blindness, both physical and spiritual. But the healing that he performs on a man born blind does not delight everyone; it even creates controversy around his person. Some are unhappy with his action because they like to rejoice in the misfortune of others. They like to see others languish in suffering. This proves to what extent some people work for the shackling and the misfortune of others in our societies. May the Lord preserve us from such a blindness that would prevent us not only from seeing in Jesus the prophet of God, but also from rejoicing in the happiness of others.
