Commemorating the suffering of Jesus. Highlight of the Church year.
Last 7 days of Lent.
Invitation
May I ask for your attention for
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation is to share the joy
of the gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day
Consideration
Mark, Matthew and John all mention the anointing in Bethany and the criticism of the waste. Mark refers to ‘some’, Matthew to ‘disciples’ and John gives Judas a good dressing-down. What is the point of this story? Certainly not the attention for the poor, but the emphasis is on the fact that Jesus will not always be with them. The woman proves through her approach how precious the presence of Jesus is. She expresses his majesty to all those present. At the same time it is a prophetic statement about the glory that conquers suffering, death and burial.
FIRST READING: Isaiah 42:1-7
He does not call out or raise his voice in the streets.
From the prophet Isaiah:
Thus says the Lord: ‘Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight:
I appoint him over the nations;
he will shepherd my people. He does not cry out or shout
nor does he raise his voice in the streets.
‘He will not break the crushed reed,
nor extinguish the wavering wick.
In truth, he will cause justice to shine.
’Tireless and unbroken
will he let justice prevail on earth:
The distant shores look forward to his teaching.”
Thus speaks the Lord God,
He who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and its crops,
who gave breath to its people
and spirit to those who move upon it:
“I, the Lord, call you in righteousness,
I take you by the hand and watch over you
and make you a sign of my covenant for people
and a light to the nations.
‘You will open the eyes of the blind,
free prisoners from their dungeon
and all those who sit in darkness from prison.’
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 27(26), 1, 2, 3, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my guide.
The Lord is my light and my guide,
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the guardian of my life,
of whom should I be afraid?
Though evildoers advance to devour me,
my enemies stumble, all my adversaries stumble.
Though they encamp against me, I will not be afraid,
though they wage war against me, I remain confident.
I still count on experiencing
the Lord’s goodness in my lifetime.
Look to the Lord and stand firm,
be courageous in your hearts and trust in the Lord.
VERSE FOR THE GOSPEL
Let us pay tribute to our King,
for He alone has shown mercy
for our guilt.
GOSPEL John 12:1-11
Let her do as she pleases. She has maintained this custom in anticipation of my funeral.
From the holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus lived
whom he had raised from the dead.
A meal was served in his honour.
Martha served
and Lazarus was one of those who had been in dispute with him.
Mary, then, took a pound of ointment of spikenard,
very costly and pure,
and anointed the feet of Jesus
and dried them with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
Then Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples,
the one who would betray him, said:
‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii
and the money given to the poor?’
He did not say this because he cared about the poor,
but because he was a thief
and had to steal what was put into the bag he was holding.
Jesus, however, said:
‘Let her commit.
’She has kept this custom
in anticipation of the day of my burial.
‘For the poor you will always have with you,
Me you will not always have.’ In the meantime, many Jews had heard
that Jesus was there
and came to him,
not only because of Jesus
but also to see Lazarus
whom he had raised from the dead.
The high priests then decided to get rid of Lazarus as well,
because many Jews were turning away from him and believing in Jesus.
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Fratelli tutti
Encyclical of
POPE FRANCIS
On fraternity and social friendship
248. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki must not
forgotten. Once more, ‘I recall all the victims in my thoughts
and I bow before the strength and dignity of those who, as survivors
of those first moments, bore in their own bodies for many years the
worst suffering and in their spirit the seeds of death which
continued to consume their vital energy. […] We cannot allow
current and future generations lose the memory of what has
happened, a memory that is a guarantee and a stimulus to build a
more just and fraternal future’. Nor
should we forget the persecutions, the slave trade and the ethnic massacres
that have taken place and are taking place in various
countries, and so many other historical facts that fill us with shame
to be human. This must always, over and over again, be remembered without
getting tired and letting ourselves be lulled to sleep.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken from The New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Fratelli tutti Official English translation __________________________________________________________________________