Lent (Page 23)

Holy Saturday – April 19 Readings: Because the church celebrates the Easter vigil on Saturday evening, the readings for today are many!  In fact the readings really encapsulate the whole faith story, and I would highly recommend reading the progression at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/042019.cfm But for today, I am going to focus on the day between Jesus’ death and what happened after that. All that the disciples knew on this day was that their leader was dead after having been betrayed and…

Good Friday – April 19 Readings: IS 52:13—53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JN 18:1—19:42 Today’s first reading from Isaiah has a lot of overtones of what would be called “atonement” theology.  In this thinking, Jesus died for our sins.  Isaiah says it clearly, “Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured.”  Jews at the time would have also been familiar with the idea of the scapegoat.  In this ritual, a goat was ritually burdened with the…

Holy Thursday Readings: EX 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 COR 11:23-26; JN 13:1-15 The Pesach or Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays.  It is a beautiful ritual that remembers the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.  In many ways, it is the birth story of Israel.  In a very similar way, the gospel tells the birth story of a people that is remembered in what has come to be called the Last Supper which is then commemorated in the eucharist.…

Wednesday of Holy Week Readings: IS 50:4-9A; MT 26:14-25 We just heard this reading from Isaiah as part of the Sunday cycle, so I won’t say much more on it other than what I wrote the other day. The gospel tells the story of how Judas plotted against Jesus in exchange for silver.  Then at the Passover celebration, Jesus tells his friends, “One of you will betray me.”  Even Judas says, “Surely it is not I…”  But Jesus knows otherwise.…

Tuesday of Holy Week Readings: IS 49:1-6; JN 13:21-33, 36-38 The first reading from Isaiah offers us a line that I’m sure many of us can relate to, “I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength.”  I am guessing that anyone who is reading this has thought something similar about an undertaking or relationship.  We might have wondered, “Why did I pour myself into this for nothing?” My guess is that Jesus felt this…

Monday of Holy Week Readings: IS 42:1-7; JN 12:1-11 The first reading from Isaiah 42 tells the story of the “suffering servant” – the one who suffers so the victory of justice may come about.  These are the passages that the Jews who were followers of Jesus reread after his death and saw the life and work of Jesus in them.  We even hear echoes of Jesus’ ministry in this passage when it says that this chosen one will “open…

Palm Sunday Readings: LK 19:28-40; IS 50:4-7; PHIL 2:6-11; LK 22:14—23:56 And so we start the “high holy days” of the Christian calendar culminating in what is called the Triduum which starts on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter Sunday.  This week is the microcosm of the faith and encapsulates the wide range of human emotion. One of my favorite lines of scripture comes today from the book of Isaiah and I think of it often in my profession as…

Saturday, April 13 Readings: EZ 37:21-28; JN 11:45-56 In the first reading, we hear Ezekiel prophesy about a future when Israel would be unified under a leader and would enjoy peace and prosperity on their own soil.  For a nation that has been conquered, split and dispossessed, this is a deep longing. And in the gospel, we hear that the fame of Jesus was spreading but not just in the “Wow, he does some amazing stuff” sense.  People began to…

Friday, April 12 Readings: JER 20:10-13; JN 10:31-42 Jeremiah’s words probably describe how Jesus was feeling as the net began to close around him and his enemies and detractors gained momentum, “All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.” We might feel like this at times as well – when people turn against us, speak behind our backs, betray us or delight in our failures and missteps.  It’s a terrible feeling. Jesus tries…

Thursday, April 11 Readings: GN 17:3-9; JN 8:51-59 Today’s readings are setting the stage for the big confrontations that will emerge during Holy Week, and you can see from the gospel that what Jesus is saying is infuriating the religious authorities as well as some of the regular religious folk as well. Most of us know that Abraham was one of the most revered figures in the Jewish faith.  It’s actually hard to state just how important he was to…

Wednesday, April 10 Readings: DN 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; JN 8:31-42 The first reading tells the dramatic story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refuse to worship the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar.   So he throws them in the furnace where they are joined by a mysterious stranger and miraculously survive!  Nebuchadnezzar has a conversion moment (I mean, who wouldn’t!) and praises the God of Israel. In the gospel we continue to hear the sometimes obscure monologues from Jesus.  This time…

Tuesday, April 9 Readings: NM 21:4-9; JN 8:21-30 The reading from the book of Numbers is one of my favorites.  The Israelites are tired.  Yes, they were saved from slavery in Egypt, but now they’re wandering in the desert.  Their feet hurt.  They’re thirsty.  The food is stale and wretched. And so they start complaining.  God’s not pleased at this and sends snakes their way to bite them.  Many died from this and so they repent.  God tells Moses to…