Friday, March 1, 2024
Weekday of Lent (2)
Office – Psalter Week 2
Mass prop. Preface of Lent
Vestment: Violet
Today’s Rosary: The Sorrowful Mystery
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
Death Anniversary of Archbishop Joseph E. Ukpo (Calaber) – 01/03-2023
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Cf. Ps 31:2.5
In you, O Lord, I put my trust, let me never be put to shame; release me from the snare they have hidden for me, for you indeed are my refuge.
COLLECT
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, purifying us by the sacred practice of penance, you may lead us in sincerity of heart to attain the holy things to come. Through our Lord.
FIRST READING
“Here comes this dreamer. Come not’, let us kill him.”
A reading from the Book of Genesis (Genesis 37:3-4.12-13a.17b-28)
Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”- that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore, and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers heeded him. Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
The word of the Lord.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Thurday, February 29th, 2024
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 105: 15- 17.18-19.20-21 (R. 5a)
R/. Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
But he called down a famine on the land;
he broke their staff of bread.
He had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, sold as a slave. R/.
His feet were weighed down in chains,
his neck was bound with iron,
until what he said came to pass,
and the word of the Lord proved him true. R/.
R/. Remember the wonders the Lord has done.
Then the king sent orders and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him master of his house
and ruler of all his possessions. R/.
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
“This is the heir,’ come, let us kill him.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 21:33-43.45-46)
At that time: Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterwards he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet.
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
The Patriarch Joseph was a dreamer. He incurred the wrath of his brothers by telling them his dreams and because their father showed him greater love than he showed them. They retaliated by selling him into slavery. Jesus incurred the wrath of his fellow Jews because he was the Son of God and told them so. They retaliated by getting him crucified. Great good came out of the evil done to Joseph and Jesus. God used Joseph to save his people from famine. The same God used the death of Jesus for the salvation of the world. That is what always happens when we are made to suffer unjustly, and we refuse to respond with hatred or bitterness. God always writes straight on crooked lines.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
Many times it seems our world is everyday becoming so different from what God made it to be, because we fail to stand up for what is just and right and we condone injustice and wickedness. We need the courage to stand up for what is right and defend the right of the innocent and defenseless. You cannot be a true child of God when you turn your eyes away, and pretend not to see when others are suffering.
Today, make a decision and follow it up with action to defend the cause that promotes and protects the dignity of the human person no matter who is involved.
Let us Pray,
Lord Jesus, when you come to collect my fruits, may I never be found wanting. Amen.
Daily Reading for Friday March 1, 2024
Reading 1, Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-18
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
Gospel, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Reading 1, Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-18
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a decorated tunic made for him.
4 But his brothers, seeing how much more his father loved him than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.
12 His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem.
13 Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Your brothers are with the flock at Shechem, aren’t they? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ ‘I am ready,’ he replied.
17 The man answered, ‘They have moved on from here; indeed I heard them say, “Let us go to Dothan.” ‘ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kill him.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21
16 He called down famine on the land, he took away their food supply;
17 he sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, sold as a slave.
18 So his feet were weighed down with shackles, his neck was put in irons.
19 In due time his prophecy was fulfilled, the word of Yahweh proved him true.
20 The king sent orders to release him, the ruler of nations set him free;
21 he put him in charge of his household, the ruler of all he possessed,
Gospel, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
33 ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.
34 When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce.
35 But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.
36 Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way.
37 Finally he sent his son to them thinking, “They will respect my son.”
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.”
39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’
41 They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at the proper time.’
42 Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord’s doing and we marvel at it?
43 ‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’
45 When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them,
46 but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.
