March 30
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Scott Baker / Kelly Parisi
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 49:8-15
Thus says the LORD: In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you; and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, To restore the land and allot the desolate heritages, Saying to the prisoners: Come out! To those in darkness: Show yourselves! Along the ways they shall find pasture, on every bare height shall their pastures be. They shall not hunger or thirst, nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them; For he who pities them leads them and guides them beside springs of water. I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make my highways level. See, some shall come from afar, others from the north and the west, and some from the land of Syene. Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18
R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Gospel Acclamation
John 11:25a, 26
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Gospel
John 5:17-30
Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”
“The Lord is gracious and merciful.”
Reflection
Today we hear about how God hears our laments and responds in a positive way to our suffering. We don’t always appreciate God’s solutions to our problems, but when and if we think back on how we have gone from a terrible situation to something much better, we may be able to see God’s hand in our deliverance.
If we look at what has happened in Ukraine these past few weeks, we recognize that the suffering of the Ukrainian people is as great as any that we have ever seen. But we can recognize that God will one day rescue them from this terrible situation. One day, the destroyed buildings of Kyiv, Mariupol, and all of the other towns and villages of Ukraine will be rebuilt. The people will be able to find peace and mourn their losses. God is more powerful than Vladimir Putin. The faith filled people of Ukraine will return, stronger and more vibrant than ever.
We have seen this in our own country such as when the tragedy of 9/11 took place in New York City and Washington, DC. If you go to New York City and see what has taken place there in the shadow of the evil attacks that occurred, you see the resilience of the human race. The New World Trade Center memorial includes a peaceful remembrance pool, the Oculus, a soaring wing shaped transportation hub and the very moving 9/11 museum, a place where all the victims are memorialized. As much as we recognize the terrible loss that our people have experienced, we can also see the hand of God in the recovery from that loss.
Through Isaiah, God speaks to us about how in his love for us he restores us, freeing the prisoners, bringing light to those in darkness, and protecting his people as a mother protects her baby. In the gospel, Jesus is focused on the link between himself and his Father, noting that without the Father, the son can do nothing. We need to recognize that without Jesus, we are powerless as well. Let us turn to Jesus for all things.
Stay strong,
Deacon Dare
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