Thursday March 14, 2024
WEEKDAY OF LENT (4)
Office: Psalter Week 4
Mass pop., Preface of Lent
Vestment: Violet
Today’s Rosary: Luminous Mystery
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
FIRST READING
“Repent of this evil against your people.”
A reading from the Book of Exodus 32:7- 14
In those days: The Lord said to Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”’ And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may bum hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation.” But Moses begged the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you did swear by your own self, and did say to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever. ”’ And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 106:19-20.21-22.23 (R. 4a)
R/. O Lord, remember us with the favour you show to your people.
They fashioned a calf at Horeb,
and worshipped an image of metal,
they exchanged their glory
for the image of a bull that eats grass. R/.
They forgot the God who was their saviour,
who had done such great things in Egypt,
such wonders in the land of Ham,
such marvels at the Red Sea. R/.
R/. O Lord, remember us with the favour you show to your people.
For this he said he would destroy them,
but Moses, the man he had chosen,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn back his anger from destruction. R/.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Wednesday, March 13th, 2024
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION John 3:16
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; that whoever believes in him should have eternal life. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
“It is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 5:31-47)
At that time: Jesus said to the Jews, “If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true; there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men. But I know that you have not the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom you set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
Moses is the most prominent figure in the race and religion of Israel. Indeed the Israelites of old and the Jewish people of today believe that God gave them their religion, Judaism, through Moses. That made Moses the highest authority next to God. Whatever he said or wrote had the seal of God on it. But the people did not always follow Moses, for example when they made a molten calf to worship it. They also did not obey Moses when they refused to accept his testimony about Jesus. That did not trouble Jesus because he had a much higher testimony, that of his Father, borne out by the miracles that he performed. If we are doing God’s work, and people fail or refuse to show us recognition, it should not disturb us. It is enough that we have recognition from God whose work we are doing.
TODAY’S SAINT AND QUOTE: St Catherine of Genoa – March 14th
If it were given to a man to see virtue’s reward in the next world, he would occupy his intellect, memory and will in nothing but good works, careless of danger or fatigue.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
When you see someone that is weak in areas that you are strong, you do not need to make a show of it and reveal the weakness of that brother or sister. True love demands that you help the individual feel confident in himself or herself in such a way that he or she will be willing and ready to strive to become better. Be the help that will make that individual to come out of that weakness and become strong like you.
Today, instead of gossiping about that brother or sister who is down as a result of weakness, try and see how you can help that person by words and action to become great again.
Let Us Pray,
Lord Jesus, may I seek your approval only in all things. Amen.
Daily Reading for Thursday March 14, 2024
Reading 1, Exodus 32:7-14
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
Gospel, John 5:31-47
Reading 1, Exodus 32:7-14
7 Yahweh then said to Moses, ‘Go down at once, for your people whom you brought here from Egypt have become corrupt.
8 They have quickly left the way which I ordered them to follow. They have cast themselves a metal calf, worshipped it and offered sacrifice to it, shouting, “Israel, here is your God who brought you here from Egypt!” ‘
9 Yahweh then said to Moses, ‘I know these people; I know how obstinate they are!
10 So leave me now, so that my anger can blaze at them and I can put an end to them! I shall make a great nation out of you instead.’
11 Moses tried to pacify Yahweh his God. ‘Yahweh,’ he said, ‘why should your anger blaze at your people, whom you have brought out of Egypt by your great power and mighty hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians say, “He brought them out with evil intention, to slaughter them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth?” Give up your burning wrath; relent over this disaster intended for your people.
13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to whom you swore by your very self and made this promise: “I shall make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and this whole country of which I have spoken, I shall give to your descendants, and it will be their heritage for ever.”
14 Yahweh then relented over the disaster which he had intended to inflict on his people.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
19 At Horeb they made a calf, bowed low before cast metal;
20 they exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot the God who was saving them, who had done great deeds in Egypt,
22 such wonders in the land of Ham, such awesome deeds at the Sea of Reeds.
23 He thought of putting an end to them, had not Moses, his chosen one, taken a stand in the breach and confronted him, to turn his anger away from destroying them.
Gospel, John 5:31-47
31 Were I to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be true;
32 but there is another witness who speaks on my behalf, and I know that his testimony is true.
33 You sent messengers to John, and he gave his testimony to the truth-
34 not that I depend on human testimony; no, it is for your salvation that I mention it.
35 John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
36 But my testimony is greater than John’s: the deeds my Father has given me to perform, these same deeds of mine testify that the Father has sent me.
37 Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape,
38 and his word finds no home in you because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
39 You pore over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures that testify to me,
40 and yet you refuse to come to me to receive life!
41 Human glory means nothing to me.
42 Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you.
43 I have come in the name of my Father and you refuse to accept me; if someone else should come in his own name you would accept him.
44 How can you believe, since you look to each other for glory and are not concerned with the glory that comes from the one God?
45 Do not imagine that I am going to accuse you before the Father: you have placed your hopes on Moses, and Moses will be the one who accuses you.
46 If you really believed him you would believe me too, since it was about me that he was writing;
47 but if you will not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?
