Monday March 11, 2024
WEEKDAY OF LENT (4)
Office: Psalter Week 4
Mass prop., Preface of Lent
Vestment: Violet
Today’s Rosary: Joyful Mystery
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
FIRST READING
No more shall the sound of weeping be heard or the cry of distress.
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 65:17-21)
Thus says the Lord: Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Ps 30:2 and 4.5-6.11-12a and 13b (R. 2a)
R/. I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.
I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up,
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have lifted up my soul from the grave,
Restored me to life from those who sink into the pit. R/.
Sing psalms to the Lord, you faithful ones;
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
At night there are tears, but at dawn comes joy. R/.
R/. I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up.
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
be my helper, O Lord
You have changed my mourning into dancing.
O Lord my God, I will thank you forever. R/.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Amos 5:14
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and the Lord will be with you. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
“Go, your son will live. ”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 4:43-54)
At that time: Jesus departed [from Samaria] to Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honour in his own country. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”; and he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Sunday, March 10th, 2024
TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Israelites had been hurting under multiple afflictions. The prophet Isaiah foretold their healing and the restoration of good times from the Lord. Similarly, the son of the Capernaum official was ill and close to death. Jesus decreed his healing even without seeing him. But the Father had enough faith to take Jesus at his word. His faith was duly rewarded. Not infrequently, God’s children experience trials of different kinds, some self-inflicted, the result of their own folly, like the case of the Israelites. But if they have faith like that of the official to take their case to the Lord, he has both the power and the will to bring them solace.
BLESSINGS FOR THE NEW WEEK
The spiritual life is a battle between light and darkness, good and evil. Those who are afraid to fight the battle will end up being the losers, but those who fight on the side of light and good will definitely be victorious.
As followers of Jesus we should not expect anything less. If He could be tempted by the devil, then we also could face temptation and if He overcame the devil, we also could overcome him too. This is a time to go into the desert and draw the spiritual energy and strength with which to continue to fight the spiritual battle. If we must keep the covenant we have with God, we must be ready to make a withdrawal from time to time to the desert where we will fight the battle on the side of good and overcome.
We have a pact with God and we must strive every day to keep to the covenant we have entered into by virtue of our baptism and when this is done in all sincerity we will definitely come out victorious in our spiritual battle with the forces of evil.
May our efforts today not be a waste, but through your grace may we be fruitful and may we have testimonies to share at the end of the day.
My dear friend, cheer up go out with confidence, put in your best, share love and kindness and may God help you to succeed. Amen.
Meditation: Genesis 9:8-15 / Mark 1:12-15
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
When we stay close to Jesus we will receive revelations, knowledge and privilege that will make us know more about Him and we will be able to speak authoritatively in His name as His representative. The closer we are to Jesus the more we know Him and the more we will be able to speak about Him. Do not let anything stop you from striving to know Jesus more and when you know Him, you must be willing and ready to let others know about Him too.
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 Jesus, may I have the faith of the official to always hold on to your word. Help me understand I can change my reality by changing my mind. Amen.
Daily Reading for Monday March 11, 2024
Reading 1, Isaiah 65:17-21
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13
Gospel, John 4:43-54
Reading 1, Isaiah 65:17-21
17 For look, I am going to create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered and will come no more to mind.
18 Rather be joyful, be glad for ever at what I am creating, for look, I am creating Jerusalem to be ‘Joy’ and my people to be ‘Gladness’.
19 I shall be joyful in Jerusalem and I shall rejoice in my people. No more will the sound of weeping be heard there, nor the sound of a shriek;
20 never again will there be an infant there who lives only a few days, nor an old man who does not run his full course; for the youngest will die at a hundred, and at a hundred the sinner will be accursed.
21 They will build houses and live in them, they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-13
2 Yahweh, my God, I cried to you for help and you healed me.
4 Make music for Yahweh, all you who are faithful to him, praise his unforgettable holiness.
5 His anger lasts but a moment, his favour through life; In the evening come tears, but with dawn cries of joy.
6 Carefree, I used to think, ‘Nothing can ever shake me!’
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have stripped off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
12 So my heart will sing to you unceasingly, Yahweh, my God, I shall praise you for ever.
Gospel, John 4:43-54
43 When the two days were over Jesus left for Galilee.
44 He himself had declared that a prophet is not honoured in his own home town.
45 On his arrival the Galileans received him well, having seen all that he had done at Jerusalem during the festival which they too had attended.
46 He went again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum;
47 hearing that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judaea, he went and asked him to come and cure his son, as he was at the point of death.
48 Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and portents you will not believe!’
49 ‘Sir,’ answered the official, ‘come down before my child dies.’
50 ‘Go home,’ said Jesus, ‘your son will live.’ The man believed what Jesus had said and went on his way home;
51 and while he was still on the way his servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.
52 He asked them when the boy had begun to recover. They replied, ‘The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.’
53 The father realised that this was exactly the time when Jesus had said, ‘Your son will live’; and he and all his household believed.
54 This new sign, the second, Jesus performed on his return from Judaea to Galilee.
