Malachi 3:19-20a

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.

Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9

R. (cf. 9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice. Sing praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the LORD. R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice. Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell in it; let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy. R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice. Before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to rule the earth, He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity. R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

Brothers and sisters: You know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.

Luke 21:5-19

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I Myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Have you ever heard the word Eschatology? Eschatology is the study of end times. It focuses on the four last things: Death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

I am firmly convinced that the end is very near! It’s only a matter of days. All the signs are there. Halloween has come and gone, All Saints Day and All Souls Day have passed. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Christmas decorations are already up in the stores. No, I’m not talking about the end of the world, I’m talking about the end of the Church’s liturgical year. Next Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King, is the last Sunday of the Church’s Liturgical year. The following Sunday, the First Sunday in Advent, starts the Church’s new liturgical year.

What better time to repent; go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, then at the end of the Liturgical year? Make a fresh start with a clean slate at the beginning of the new Liturgical year. Now is a great time to make resolutions for your spiritual life.

At the end of every Liturgical year the Church gives us readings that deal with the end-times. These Scripture passages are given to us to

remind us that Jesus will return, there will be a Final Judgment when He will administer true Justice and all will be sent to either Heaven or Hell.

The readings usually sound pretty frightening, as it is in today’s Gospel:

“… wars and insurrections.” “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” “You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name,” (Luke 9, 11-12, 16)

But, this is not the only time we are reminded of those last things. We are reminded at every Mass. In our Creed we say, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” In the mystery of faith: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection, until you come again.” Or “When we eat this Bread and Drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.”

We should be reminded every time we pray the Our Father when we come to the words, “Thy Kingdom come.”

Saint John Henry Newman once wrote about the hereafter, “Do not fear that your life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” It is when our new life begins, that our understanding of our present life will be clear to us, how we carried out our role in the spread of God’s kingdom.

The purpose of these end-times Scripture Passages is not to frighten us. The purpose is to assure us that those who remain faithful to the end will participate in God’s victory, even if the present realities seem to show the powerlessness of God over His enemies. They promote hope and trust in God especially in the midst of extremely disturbing conditions. To better understand what Malachi is saying in the First Reading, let’s look a few verses before today’s passage. Malachi says this about those who remain faithful: “They shall be Mine, says the LORD of hosts, My own special possession, on the day when I take action. And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.” (Malachi 3:17)

That is also what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel when He says, “but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." (Luke 21: 18 – 19)

We live in the ages between our Lord’s first coming and His last. We live in the new world begun by His life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. But we await the day when He will come again in glory

“Lo, the day is coming,” Malachi warns in today’s First Reading. The prophets taught Israel to look for the Day of the Lord, when He would gather the nations for judgment. Today’s Psalm tells us to sing praise to the Lord and shout with joy, “Before the LORD, for He comes, for He comes to rule the earth, He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98: 9) There is a saying, “Always live your life as though each day may be your last.” I like to add, “Because one day you will be right!” Once we stand before God in judgment, we don’t get any “do-over’s.” That is not to say that Our God is not the God of second chances. Our God is the God of second chances, third chances, millionth chance, but only as it pertains to our state of life right now, our life on Earth.

We have to get it right now. We are called to live as if Christ was coming in the next second. But that isn’t easy. The promise of Christ to us in today’s Gospel that it is “by our perseverance we will secure our lives.” (Luke 21: 19)

We need to persevere in living our lives as God wants us to, as we are called to live them as Catholic Christians. The verse that follows today’s Second reading says it well, “Brothers, do not grow weary of doing what is right.” (2 Thes 3: 13) How can we do that? How do we persevere until the end of time, the end of our time? Because, you know, the end of the world for us is when we die to this life on earth.

We have the power of the grace of God with us always, if we accept it. We have God present in the Church in the Sacraments to help us. We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help us start over when we’ve messed up. It is in the Sacrament of Reconciliation that we get our “do-over’s.” What a wonderful gift from our creator. Repent! The End is Near!

We have Our Lord and Savior present with us and in us in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This is to nourish us for our daily journey toward God. He gives us His very self to help us follow Him. One thing is certain, God’s love for us. Jesus tells us that no matter what happens He will be with us.

Above all we need to maintain hope. Not hope, like “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” but the Christian virtue of hope. Bishop Fulton Sheen described the differences this way: “The emotion of hope” (the first kind, the “I hope it doesn’t rain” kind of hope) “centers on the body and is a kind of dreamy desire that we can be saved without much effort.” The Christian virtue of hope is “a divinely infused disposition of the will by which, with sure confidence, thanks to the powerful help of Almighty God, we expect to pursue eternal happiness, using all the means necessary for attaining it.” The Christian Virtue of Hope can be described as looking to a future reality with such total confidence that I rejoice as though I possess it today; because, in faith, I do possess it today.

In today’s Second Reading, St. Paul cautions those who are preaching that they need to continue to live their Christian lives to keep persevering in doing what is right in the eyes of God. Since some of them thought that Jesus was coming back very soon they were preaching to the people, but had stopped working and were taking advantage of others in the community, living off of their generosity. St. Paul says, “We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.” (2 Thessalonians 3: 11)

How much have times changed? Take for example some of the rich tele-vangelists of the last 40 years or so. You know the type. They go on television and radio preaching a gospel of prosperity and wealth if only you will send your money to God. The problem is the address they give you to send your money to is their own, and then, they don’t practice what they preach. Don’t get me wrong there are many preachers on television, radio, and social media that are good and holy people, these men and women that I’m speaking about are the exception, not the rule.

For those who are capable of working and taking care of themselves taking advantage of others, gaining wealth from the generosity of others, was not right in Saint Paul’s time and it is not right now.

We should be living our lives so that one observing us will know that we are different from the rest of the world. Each of us should have a plan for our spiritual life that will lead us to everlasting life. Each of us should set aside a time for prayer and a time of study of the Catholic Faith. None of us knows everything about being Catholic. There is always more to learn. A study of Scripture and the Catechism will assist us in making our faith an integral part of our lives, rather than something we practice once in a while. We should take advantage of the opportunity of the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently. It is the gift of this Sacrament in which we get our chance to “do-over” those things we didn’t get right the first time. The greatest aid we have to prepare for our end time is the Eucharist. We have Our Lord and Savior, body, blood, soul, Humanity, and divinity present with us and in us in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.And so, I leave you with the words of Saint Paul, “Brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing what is right.”

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6

The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength! It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,

to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

R/ (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.

And he put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. 

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Sacrifice or offering you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.

Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.”

R/ Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight,

and your law is within my heart!”

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

R/ Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1: 29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’  I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.”

John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.  I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

 In today’s Gospel, John does a peculiar thing.  He calls Jesus the Lamb of God.  When John says, “Behold the Lamb of God”, he was saying a lot.  Similar to a small sheep, Jesus came humble, innocent of sin and allowed Himself to be slaughtered to take away our sins.  And, like the lamb, He became food for us.

But what exactly does John mean when he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) What does he mean by describing Jesus that way?”  Describing Jesus as the Lamb of God has lots of meaning.  It recalls the Passover lamb.

Exodus Chapter 12 explains that on the last night in Egypt, the Hebrews killed a lamb and put its blood on the doorframes of their houses as protection from the angel who would pass through Egypt that night taking the firstborn of the Egyptians.

Exodus 12: 21-23 states that the Hebrews used a branch of hyssop to smear the lamb’s blood on the doorframes of their houses “They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” (Exodus 12:21-23)

Exodus 12:46 states of the Passover Lamb, “You shall not break any of its bones.” (Exodus 12:46)

 What does all of this have to do with Jesus?  The gospel of John describes Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover Lamb.  In the Old Testament a lamb’s blood saved the Hebrews from disaster before they left Egypt and now the blood of Jesus, the New Passover Lamb, saves us from our sins.

 Do you recall other elements of the story of the Passion of Jesus?

Do you recall what happened when Jesus was dying on the cross?  “So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to His mouth.”  (John 19: 29)   

In Exodus they used hyssop to spread the blood of the lamb on their doorframes. In the Gospel they used hyssop to give Jesus a drink of wine.

In Exodus the Hebrews were instructed not to break any of the slaughtered lamb’s bones.  From the Gospel of John: “So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.”  (John 19: 32-33)  None of the bones of the Passover Lamb were to be broken.  None of the bones of Jesus, the Paschal Lamb, were broken.

Just as it was the blood of the Passover Lamb that spared the Hebrews before they left Egypt, so now it is the blood of Jesus, the Paschal Lamb, who saves us from our sins.

 The first Reading today is called the Servant Song.  Isaiah is called to be a servant of God.  “It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”  It is also a reference to Jesus Himself as a servant of God.  Jesus is the “Light of the World” – a light to all nations, all people, and He has offered salvation to all people.

The same servant theme is echoed in the Psalm:  “In the written scroll it is prescribed for me, to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” and the refrain says, “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”  We are called to be the servants of God.

 In the Second Reading St. Paul states that he was called by God to be a servant, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”  It also states that all of us were called to be God’s servants, “to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”  That is directed to us.  We have been sanctified in Christ and called to be holy.  We are the ones who call upon the name of Jesus.

 We find that the theme continues through the Gospel as well.  John tells us that he was called to make Jesus known to Israel.  John also states that he was called by God to baptize with water and that he was called to testify that Jesus is the Son of God.  

 So we know that that we have been called by God, but what are we called to?

In Romans, St. Paul says, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.  (Romans 8: 28-30)

In Matthew Jesus tells us, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20)

From Ephesians:

So I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance, because of their hardness of heart (1 Ephesians 4: 17 -18)

And:

 You should put away the old self of your former way of life, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.  (Ephesians 4: -24)

As followers of Jesus we also are called to do the will of the Father and to give glory to God.  Just the same as John, we are called to testify that Jesus is the Son of God.  We are called to evangelize.  We are called to holiness.   We are called to live in the world but not be of the world.  We are called to live our lives in such a way that the rest of the world will be able to see that we are different.  

January 22nd marks the 53rd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, in light of that, let us consider our call to do the will of the Father, our call to holiness, our call to be different from the rest of the world, our call to live in the world but not be of the world.  Let’s continue to pray for all of those babies who have been murdered by abortion.  Let’s continue to pray for the unborn and for their parents.  Let us continue to pray for those who make the laws we have to live by.  Let’s make a renewed effort to pray that abortion be eliminated from our society.  We need to be showing the rest of the world that we are different by our words and actions!

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made.

The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

R. (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; 

in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always:

“Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.”

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death,

and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned - for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,

who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought  condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.

For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.

Matthew 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.

The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ""All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”

At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. 

The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, 

fol¬lowed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16 (RSV2CE): 

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 

In the Christian tradition, this threefold concupiscence (con-q-pe-sense) or sins of love of the world - lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life, lines up roughly with the sins of (physical) lust, avarice (av-a-rice) or extreme greed, and pride. 

These were the causes of sin in the Garden, as Eve gives in to temptation: The woman saw that the tree was (1) good for food, (2) pleasing to the eyes, and (3) desirable for gaining wisdom. 

"Good for food" - this is physical lust. "Pleasing to the eyes" ¬this is avarice, the desire to have more, to possess things for their beauty 

or value. "Desirable for gaining wisdom" - this is pride because her purpose for gaining wisdom is to make herself equal to God. As the serpent says, "You will be like gods" (Genesis 3: 5). 

Today’s Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 51. This most famous psalm of penitence in the Psalter is recited every Friday morning in the Liturgy of the Hours. Tradition holds that David wrote this psalm after his sin with Bathsheba. Like Adam and Eve of old, he fell to the threefold sins of the love of the world, first ogling the beautiful Bathsheba (lust of the eyes), then sleeping with her (lust of the flesh), then being too proud to admit wrongdoing but instead committing murder to hide his sin (pride). 

Like Adam, David was the recipient of a divine covenant, who promptly broke his covenant relationship by sin. David represents an advance over Adam, however, inasmuch as David repents with great contrition. David prays for a "clean heart" and a new spirit within him, which is an anticipation of the cleansing of our hearts by the Holy Spirit through baptism in the New Covenant. Although, this sacrament was not available to David, he longed for its reality. 

  In the Second Reading the Church is calling our attention to the parallel between the Fall and Christ's victory over temptation. 

“For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5: 17)

The "gift of justification" usually means different things to Protes¬tants and Catholics. For many Protestants, "justification" is more or less synonymous with "forgiveness" or "acquittal" in the divine court, that is, justification is juridical. For Catholics, "justification" is an actual "making just," a changing of our very nature; in other words, justification is ontological. In Greek, the word is metanoia meaning a profound, transformative change of heart or mind, often associated with spiritual conversion. So, just as Adam changed human nature by his sin, corrupting it, and passing it down to his descendants, those who have faith in Christ experience an actual change in our nature –justification - which enables us to live lives of righteousness. 

St. Paul's words in this passage remind us of how dependent we are on Christ for our Lenten observances to have any spiritual effect. By themselves, practices like fasting and almsgiving do not necessarily affect our souls. There are plenty of people, for example, who have experienced hunger and yet have remained bitter or selfish; 

Likewise, many have given away money, or had it taken away, without experiencing spiritual transformation. Our Lenten efforts are not effective by themselves. They are only effective when we unite our small, token efforts with the work of Jesus. His redemption infuses our humble efforts with meaning, value, and effectiveness. 

 In the Gospel the temptations of Christ follow the pattern of the threefold sins of the love of the world. First, there is the lust of the flesh: “Command that these stones become loaves of bread.” (Matthew 4: 3) Our Lord was certainly hungry after forty days of fasting. Fresh bread would sound very good to a starving man. And yet, Our Lord knew that the use of His divine power to spare Himself suffering of the human condition was not the will of His Father.

 Next is the pride of life. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4: 6) 

This was a temptation to perform a public spectacle which would lead to fame and recognition. Jesus would be an instant sensation. Yet Our Lord knew His mission was one of humility.

 Finally, comes the lust of the eyes. The devil “showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence.” (Matthew 4: 8) So much could be gained with such a small act of worship – and think of the good Jesus could do as ruler of all these earthly kingdoms! In each of these cases, Jesus opposes the temptations by quoting from Scripture, specifically the Book of Deuteronomy, “The Law of Moses.”

A subtheme of this passage – besides Jesus overturning our first parents' surrendering to the threefold concupiscence (con-q-pe-sense) - is the idea of Jesus as the new Son of David, one greater than Solomon. Solomon was charged to keep the Law of Moses, which gave specified three prohibitions for the king to observe (do not multiply horses, gold, or wives) (Deuteronomy 17: 16 – 17). Solomon later spectacularly broke the three prohibitions of the Law of Moses, which, by the way, correspond to lust of the flesh - wives, lust of the eyes - gold, pride of life - horses [i.e., military power and arrogance]). 

Jesus is the better Son of David, who upholds the Law of Moses three times to undo the threefold failings of the first Son of David. 

We as Christians are called to overcome, as Jesus did, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life. Those in the religious life do so in a radical way, as they vow to follow the three evangelical 

coun¬sels of: chastity, poverty, and obedience. Chastity involves the putting to death (mortification) the lust of the flesh. Poverty mortifies the lust of the eyes (greed). Obedience mortifies pride - it's hard to be proud when you are obeying someone else (in poverty, too, no less). These words of Jesus are followed radically only by the religious within the ancient Churches (Catholic and Orthodox). 

But the mortification of the threefold sins of the love of the world is not just for monks, nuns, and priests. According to our state in life, all of us have to overcome this temptation to sin. Our traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are intended to help us in this. Fasting mortifies lust of the flesh. Almsgiving mortifies lust of the eyes or greed. And prayer mortifies pride by acknowledg¬ing our dependence on God and submitting our will to His. 

We need to unite our efforts to Jesus' powerful work of redemption by faith and let His Spirit work in us this Lent through the means of our Lenten disciplines. 

 Here is the very least that is required of Catholics during Lent: Everyone 14 years of age or older is to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays of Lent.

In addition, those age 18 years of age through 59 years of age are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection.

Just because you are outside the obligatory age for fasting does not mean that you shouldn’t follow these disciplines or that they are not useful to your Lenten journey.

Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Are we doing all of these? Are we doing any of these? Are we doing the right thing with the right intention? 

Here are a few questions to ponder this Lent:

1. In this season of grace, what are we doing to purify our hearts, renew our spirits, and regain the grace of God?

2. In this season of repentance, what are we doing to reconcile ourselves to God and to His people?  Are we returning to God with our whole heart?

3. Are we fasting? What are we fasting from?  Are we detaching ourselves from some worldly pleasures and activities in order to focus more on our relationship with God? 

4. What kind of spiritual exercises, if any, are we doing this Lent to prepare for Our Lord’s coming into our lives in a deeper and more meaningful way?

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

The LORD said to Samuel: "Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons." As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him." But the LORD said to Samuel: "Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart." In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any one of these." Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" Jesse replied, "There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here." Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, "There—anoint him, for this is the one!" Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. He guides me in right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Ephesians 5:8-14

Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

John 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am." So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He replied, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went there and washed and was able to see." And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" His parents answered and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; question him."

So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner." He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" They ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." The man answered and said to them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything." They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind." Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.

Today is fourth Sunday of Lent also called “Laetare” Sunday.

Laetare in Latin means “to rejoice.” The day’s theme comes from the entrance antiphon reflecting on Isaiah 66:10-11: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exalt and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” On Laetare Sunday, the Church expresses hope and joy in the midst of our Lenten fasts and penances. Rose vestments are worn - this change in color indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter into the somber days of Passiontide.

The joy of Easter being around the corner is symbolized in a few other interesting liturgical possibilities. During Lent, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal forbids flowers adorning the altar. But on Laetare Sunday (as well as solemnities and feasts within the season), there’s a temporary halt to these penitential observations!

Laetare Sunday is the Church’s way of giving us a spiritual boost as we approach the darkness of the days from Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. It’s an opportunity to savor and keep in the back of our minds what awaits us on Easter Sunday —

the reality that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and that our hearts should always be filled with joy!

This Sunday, Holy Mother Church exhorts us to be joyful and relax because Christ our shepherd anoints us, illuminates us, and heals our blindness. This Sunday’s Readings are united by the themes of anointing and light. The First Reading recounts Samuel’s anointing of David as king over Israel. Samuel journeys to Jesse of Bethlehem and scrutinizes each of Jesse’s sons in search of God’s chosen king, but to no avail. Finally, the youngest of the eight, David, is called in from the field where he was shepherding the sheep. This, at last, is the future king.

In the First Reading, when Samuel looked at David’s brother, Eliab (ee-LIE-ab), he thought that surely Eliab was the one whom the Lord would tell him to anoint. The Lord tells Samuel; “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” (1 Samuel 16: 7) Today’s Gospel also hinges on the fact that appearances are deceiving; from God’s perspective, the sighted are blind, but the blind can see.

In today’s Second Reading St. Paul reminds us of our former state in darkness before Christ illuminated and liberated us. He tells us: “Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Ephesians 5: 8 - 9) St. Paul is telling us that Christ is the light that illuminates our life. Living outside Him means living in darkness. Therefore, this season and beyond it, we must try our best to remain and live in Christ, the light of our salvation.

In Today’s Gospel, Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind. Jesus proves that He cares for the well being of his flock. This is especially true, for the sick, the weak and the marginalized. Again, today He broke another cultural and religious barrier in order to save the blind man. He healed him on a Sabbath day. He attended to the very important need of the blind man with no regard to the consequences.

Jesus grants light to a man born into darkness. The natural darkness of the blind man is a symbol of the condition which all of us are born. It is symbolic of the spiritual darkness of original sin. All of us are born into the spiritual blindness of original sin.

In Baptism, we arise from spiritual death and become enlightened with the illuminating gift of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples’ question, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2) reflects the belief of the Pharisees that birth defects were the result of

parental sin, or else the child himself sinned in the womb. Jesus answers, “Neither he nor his parents sinned.” (John 9:3) Instead, this is an opportunity for the light of Christ to shine, for God’s glory to be revealed.

Jesus tells us, “I am the light of the world.” (John 9: 5) To fully appreciate this statement, and the entire account of this healing, it is important to note that it occurs during the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. This festival was marked by two themes: light, as we see in Zechariah 14: 7: “There will be one continuous day - it is known to the LORD - not day and night, for in the evening there will be light.” And water,

Zechariah 14: 8: “On that day, fresh water will flow from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea, and half to the western sea. This will be so in summer and in winter.”

During the feast, The Temple was lit with gigantic menorahs all through the night for a week, and on the last day of the festival, water was taken from the Pool of Siloam and poured out on the altar of the Temple as a prayer for rain and as an actualization of various Old Testament prophecies of a river flowing from the Temple in the last times. That symbolism must have been powerful to witness!

Jesus uses water to bring the light of sight to the man born blind when he tells the man, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.” (John 9: 7) After washing, the man comes up from the water, enters the light of the day, and then returns home. He now has his sight. He is changed. As in baptism, after the washing, we come up from the water, and we are changed. We are not the same as before the washing.

The anointing of David in the first reading is related to the anointing of the blind man in the Gospel. Samuel anointed David, “and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.”

(1 Samuel 16: 13) In the Gospel, Jesus anointed the man’s eyes with the clay and he was brought into the light of sight and the light of Christ. Anointing is an important theme. Baptism is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. To this day, the Order of Baptism includes an anointing with the sacred chrism as a symbol of this reality.

For the Baptized, today’s reading should stir in our hearts a profound appreciation for what has been done for us in Christ and applied to our lives through the sacraments. We have been made new creatures in Christ. We have entered into God’s light! We have been anointed with the Holy Spirit!

There are two more weeks of this Lenten season before we arrive a Holy Week. That is more than enough time for us to return to Confession to be cleansed of our sins, increase our prayer life by praying a daily rosary or going to Adoration, and increase detachment through self-denial. There is still time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. If we do these things we can discover the joy of joining Jesus, as it says in

1 John 1: 7 “walk in the light as He is in the light.”