March 15
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Bill Sovik / Leonard Smith
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah!
Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.
Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel Acclamation
Ezekiel 18:31
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Gospel
Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
“To the upright I will show the saving power of God.”
Reflection
The Lord says to us today through the prophet Isaiah, “Come to me, let us set things aright, though your sins be like scarlet, I will make them white as wool, if you are willing to listen and obey my word, you shall eat the good things of the land” (cf. Isaiah 1:16-20). And here is St. John Damascene (~675-750AD):
“Such are the promises made by God to them that turn to him, don’t delay … but draw near to Christ, our loving God, and be enlightened, and your face shall not be ashamed. For as soon as you go down into the bath of holy baptism, all the defilement of the old nature and all the burden of your many sins are buried in the water and pass into nothingness. And you come up from there a new person, pure from all pollution, with no spot or wrinkle of sin upon you.”
It is good for us to be reminded of what took place during our Baptism, especially as we are mindful of those preparing for Baptism at Easter (Please pray for Lizzy!) What a tremendous gift it is to be restored to the place of being a “new creation,” to be without sin, to be remade a vessel for grace, that the Holy Spirit may dwell within us and take up residence in us…
But what about us who were baptized long ago? Well the Lord always provides! In the Sacrament of Reconciliation Jesus offers us his mercy and forgiveness so that we might return to the state of our Baptism again, that we might be clothed anew with his life, and to again help us to live out our identity as beloved daughters and sons of God. This is our first and most important identity, and the more we reflect on how the Lord has claimed us as his own, the more we know we must live differently in this world. The mercy of Jesus not only blots out our sins, but it literally creates and breathes new life within us. Hand-in-hand with this unfathomable gift of mercy, however, is the invitation that we then go and practice what we preach, that we embody the message of the Gospel, that the word of the Lord be written on our hearts (cf. Matthew 23:1-12). Though we may not be the best at this, Jesus continues to offer us his grace that we may never cease to strive to live in his love!
Let’s take that simple advice we’ve received through Isaiah today: Come to the Lord. Let him set things right. Confess your sins, and receive anew the gift of life.
Peace,
Fr. Foley
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