Sunday March 10, 2024
Fourth Sunday of Lent (B)
LAETARE SUNDAY
Office: Psalter Week 4
Mass prop., Creed. Preface of Lent
Vestment: Violet/Rose
Today’s Rosary: Glorious Mystery
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
Vespers II of the 4th Sunday of Lent
The Forth Sunday of Lent is traditionally known as “LAETARE SUNDAY” it is so called from the first word of the antiphon at the introit (Entrance Antiphon), “Latare” (Rejoice) taken from the Latin translation of Isaiah 66:10-11, Set a tone of joyful anticipation of the Easter Mystery as does the permitted use of rose-colored vestment.
Theme of the Sunday: GOD’S JUDGEMENT
We can do nothing to merit our salvation. Our own evil actions only bring about condemnation. God gives us salvation gratuitously, as the second reading tells us. The first reading insists it is our own fault when we refuse to follow God. We condemn ourselves to unhappiness. The gospel speaks of a love of God so great that he gives us his only Son and insists that it is our responsibility to choose how we reply to his invitation.
FIRST READING
The wrath and compassion of God are shown in the exile and liberation of his people.
A reading from the second Book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 36:14-16.1923)
In those days: All the leading priests and people were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his word, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, till there was no remedy. And the Chaldeans burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. The King of the Chaldeans took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.”
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm137: I -2.3.4-5.6 (R. 6a)
R/. O let my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not.
By the rivers of Babylon
There we sat and wept,
Remembering Sion;
On the poplars that grew there
We hung up our harps. R/.
For it was there that they asked us,
Our captors, for songs,
Our oppressors, for joy.
“Sing to us,” they said,
“one of Sion’s songs.” R/.
R/. O let my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not.
O how could we sing
The song of the Lord/ on foreign soil?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
Let my right hand writher! R/.
O let my tongue cleave to my palate
If I remember you not,
If I prize not Jerusalem
As the first of my joys! R/.
SECOND READING
“When we were dead through our trespasses, we were saved by grace.”
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:4-10)
Brethren: God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
The word of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Saturday, March 9th, 2024
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION John 3: 16
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. God do loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should have eternal life. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
“God sent the Son that the World might be saved through him”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 3:14-21)
At that time: Jesus said to Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.
* The Gospel of the Lord. *
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Celebrant:
God the Father loves us so much that he sacrificed his only Son for our redemption. Inspired by this profound love, let us pray that we may love God in return and for our other needs.
FOR THE CHURCH: that, through her ministry, all peoples, irrespective of creed, race or social status, may grow in harmony and peace and foster mutual understanding and respect among themselves. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR THE LEADERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY: that, through their progressive policies, children and young people may experience holistic development and may be preserved from all violence and exploitation. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR THE GRACE TO LOVE OTHERS: that, just as God the Father has lavished his love upon us, we may be eager to show love to our neighbours, especially the poor and the lonely. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEPRIVED OF JOY: that God may look mercifully upon them, relieve them of the difficulties they are experiencing, and restore to them the joy that comes only from him. Let us pray to the Lord.
FOR OTHER INTENTIONS: (the sick, Church projects or other activities).
FOR THE DEAD, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF OUR PARISH COMMUNITY AND FAMILY MEMBERS: that they may find eternal rest with the Lord. Let us pray to the Lord.
We pray in silence for our private intentions.
Celebrant:
God our Father, you offer us your gift of salvation in spite of our unworthiness. Fill our hearts with your joy, and may we who have disregarded your love for us come to appreciate it. Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
God in His mercy redeems and sanctifies us although our sin condemns us. In the first reading, God’s agent of salvation for the Jews is the Persian King Cyrus; God uses different agents in His plan of salvation. The Gospel reminds us that Christ will be lifted up so that everyone who believes in Him will be saved. When we see the symbol of a serpent on a staff in hospital signposts, it takes our minds back to the scriptures (Number 21:8-9). So too the crucifixes we see around us should take our minds back to the love of God and His generous mercy in giving up His only Son for our healing and redemption. It is up to us to believe in Him and be saved.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
When a dog is tied to a pole, it cannot be free anymore to walk around or run and in most cases it will stop it from expressing itself. When we let ourselves be tied up by things, people and places that infringes on our ability to grow up spiritually, then we are not free and we truly need someone to untie us or help us to untie ourselves. There is no other person who can help us in this regard than Jesus Christ Himself who came to set us free.
Today, tell yourself the truth whether you are free or tied up somewhere. If the latter is the case, simply call upon Jesus with Faith and act upon His word and your freedom will come
Let Us Pray,
Lord in your goodness, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Daily Reading for Sunday March 10, 2024
Reading 1, Second Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Gospel, John 3:14-21
Reading 2, Ephesians 2:4-10
Reading 1, Second Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23
14 Furthermore, all the leaders of Judah, the priests and the people too, added infidelity to infidelity, copying all the shameful practices of the nations and defiling the Temple of Yahweh which he himself had consecrated in Jerusalem.
15 Yahweh, God of their ancestors, continuously sent them word through his messengers because he felt sorry for his people and his dwelling,
16 but they ridiculed the messengers of God, they despised his words, they laughed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath with his people became so fierce that there was no further remedy.
17 So against them he summoned the king of the Chaldaeans and he put their young men to the sword within the very building of their Temple, not sparing young man or girl, or the old and infirm; he put them all at his mercy.
19 He burned down the temple of God, demolished the walls of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces to the ground and destroyed everything of value in it.
20 And those who had escaped the sword he deported to Babylon, where they were enslaved by him and his descendants until the rise of the kingdom of Persia,
21 to fulfil Yahweh’s prophecy through Jeremiah: Until the country has paid off its Sabbaths, it will lie fallow for all the days of its desolation — until the seventy years are complete.
22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia — to fulfil the word of Yahweh through Jeremiah — Yahweh roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom:
23 ‘Cyrus king of Persia says this, “Yahweh, the God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may his God be with him! Let him go up.”‘
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept at the memory of Zion.
2 On the poplars there we had hung up our harps.
3 For there our gaolers had asked us to sing them a song, our captors to make merry, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’
4 How could we sing a song of Yahweh on alien soil?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither!
6 May my tongue remain stuck to my palate if I do not keep you in mind, if I do not count Jerusalem the greatest of my joys.
Gospel, John 3:14-21
14 as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up
15 so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
16 For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.
18 No one who believes in him will be judged; but whoever does not believe is judged already, because that person does not believe in the Name of God’s only Son.
19 And the judgement is this: though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil.
20 And indeed, everybody who does wrong hates the light and avoids it, to prevent his actions from being shown up;
21 but whoever does the truth comes out into the light, so that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God.’
Reading 2, Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But God, being rich in faithful love, through the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our sins, brought us to life with Christ — it is through grace that you have been saved-
6 and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.
7 This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how extraordinarily rich he is in grace.
8 Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God;
9 not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit.
10 We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life.
