31. TUE of Holy Week of Lent

Jn 12: 20-26: Jesus will die and the universal church will be born. Jesus allows his lifeless body to be laid in the earth; on rising from the tomb, his same body, now glorified, will also embrace the believers united to him. The life that is now his will be communicated to all the children of God. St. Alphonsa understood and lived according to what Jesus preached and practiced. 

30. MON of Holy Week of Lent

Jn. 11: 47-57: Caiaphas prophesies that Jesus would die for the salvation of all and that Jesus’ death would mean to gather together into one body, his church and Jesus would attract everyone from all corners into his church (v. 12:32) and this church would be universal and catholic uniting all races and cultures. However this visible church is only the beginning and sign of that which is atoned at the end times. 

29. VII SUN of Lent- Palm Sunday

Mt. 21: 1-17: 

a.     Jesus is the king of peace: custom of the time to travel on a donkey, on a colt (Zechariah 9:9) on peace times.

b.    Jesus is recognized as the one who saves: the people request Jesus to save them and to give them success.

c.     Jesus is the one who sanctifies: he succeeds in cleansing the temple again as was done in 2 Maccabees 10: 7.

d.    Jesus physically cleanse the temple (v.12 -13) from the market atmosphere and other defilements.

e.     Jesus exhorts the people to be like children:  to the request of the priests to stop the children from shouting “hosanna to the Son of David” jesus’ reply was by quoting Psalm 21: 16.

28. VI SAT of Lent

Jn. 12: 1-8: The anointing of Mary at Bethany is a prophetic action symbolizing the death and burial of Jesus. Mary loves Jesus wholeheartedly with self-effacing love. This love transforms her to accept Jesus as Savior and God. Only those who have true devotion to God and his Christ will have genuine and respectful love towards the poor. 

27. VI FRI of Lent

Jn. 11: 38-45: By giving physical life to Lazarus, Jesus manifests his glory through his seventh and last sign of God’s power of giving spiritual life. It also anticipates the glorious resurrection of Jesus the Lord and the bystanders are made to believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and Life.  

26. VI THU of Lent

Lk. 3: 8-11: John the Baptist demands a personal commitment to justice from every one. He exhorts them to share and care; and not to swindle or bully others. His call for personal conversion is also a call for the renewal of society such community and society will be known by their fruit – a change of heart and the action taken will speak louder for a social change. 

25. VI WED of Lent

Lk 1: 26-38: Mary was in two extreme situations to accept God’s will or to embrace material well being. By embracing the will of God, she for saw many trouble, risk involved. By accepting God’s will she gives the message to every Christian that one should always accept God’s will above all other petty wishes, fancies in life. It is way to freedom and truth – a way to the supreme power of God. 

24. VI TUE of Lent

Lk. 13: 31-35: Jesus, knowing the political power of Galilee,  is not afraid of his mission. His mission compels him to go to Jerusalem as planned by his Father in heaven. The metaphor of the mother-hen gathering her chicks brings out the loving concern of God for his people. The political power is against it and all these were foreseen by Jesus.  

23. VI MON of Lent

Jn. 12: 44-50: Jesus warns the people that what they have heard from Jesus would judge them. It is the truth of life. One cannot excuse them that he or she never heard them. But one who heard and never practiced would incur more punishment. So every wise things we heard, and every opportunity we had to know the truth, will in the end be a witness against us. 

22. VI SUN of Lent

Jn. 10: 11-18: Jesus is the model shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep as seen in Psalm 23. Having such a shepherd one should live confidently with trusting faith.  Jews being failed in recognizing Jesus as the savior, their place is being taken by the new followers i.e. the gentiles. 

21. V SAT of Lent

Mk. 10: 1-12: Love and fidelity are the norms in matrimony for husband and wife V.2:24 and 10:8. The conjugal union binds them in an indestructible bond. Though Jesus does not directly condemn the divorced but he denies authority to those who placates the conscience of the divorcees as if God does not demand anything more of them. 

9. IV MON of Lent

Jn. 5: 1-18: “I have no one to put me into the pool” v.7. If the above verse is the tragic fate of the poor even today v.17 is the hope for them all “My Father goes on working, and so do I”. Creation is a dynamic process which continues by the preservatory action of God. As the Father, so is Jesus perfecting creation bringing salvation (3:16).

9. IV MON of Lent

Jn. 5: 1-18: “I have no one to put me into the pool” v.7. If the above verse is the tragic fate of the poor even today v.17 is the hope for them all “My Father goes on working, and so do I”. Creation is a dynamic process which continues by the preservatory action of God. As the Father, so is Jesus perfecting creation bringing salvation (3:16).

8. IV SUN of Lent

Mt. 21: 33-44: Priests and Pharisees- the leaders of Jews killed the prophets of Israel and the Son of God who corrected and guided them time to time. Now the owner will entrust the vineyard (the people of God) to the care of the apostles under Peter. We are the ‘tenants’ and the ‘vineyard,’ if we are to produce the fruits of Gospel and Holy Spirit.  We are to be controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit.

7. III SATof Lent

Mt. 21: 28-32: Many people receive the message of Jesus in their life and are ahead of the priests, who were indifferent to and felt neither the desire nor the need to change. So also do many uncommitted Christians, who neither work as missionaries nor receive them, believing they do not need conversion.

6. III FRI of Lent

Mk. 12: 18-27: The Sadducees are silenced by Jesus by proposing to have faith in the power of God by highlighting their shallow understanding of their scripture. God is powerful to overcome death and give life – the resurrected life will enjoy uninterrupted communion with God. Our hope in resurrected life is based on the character of the ever-living God (v. 26 & 27)

5. III THU of Lent

Mk. 12: 35-40: Jesus comes out of the selfish title which the Jews had given to the Messiah (the son of David in Mt. 1:1 restrict his mission only to the Jews like King David) by quoting Psalm 110:1. He says Jesus’ sonship is more than a matter of human descent and will sit in his kingdom at the right hand of his heavenly Father by his passion and resurrection. 

4. III WED of Lent

Mt. 5: 43-48: The antitheses of the Sermon on the Mount reach their climax in the last one dealing with the scope of our love. “You must be perfect”(v.48) which means  that God loves his people with a mind of universality and single-mindedness. God loves all of us and each one of us totally. 

3. III TUE of Lent

Lk. 21: 29-36: During winter the figs shed their leaves and anyone will feel it is dead. So is the church which comes to life due to the grace of God from its death like winter (Joel 2:22). The kingdom of God is life, fruitfulness of the church in her activities and mission.

2. III MON of Lent

Mk. 12: 28-34: Although the question is about the first commandment, Jesus adds to it a second: Deut. 6:4-5 and Lev. 19:18. In effect he makes of the two precepts one dual commandment. For him, love of God is to be expressed in the love of human beings.

1. III SUN of Lent

Mt. 20: 17-28: Jesus paid in full as a ransom for us. There is the absolute truth that without Jesus and his life of service and his death of love, we would never have found our way back to the love of God. Jesus gives everything to bring man back to God. And we must walk in the steps of Him who loved to the uttermost.