Monday March 18, 2024
ST CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, B.D. (Opt. Commem)
Office: Psalter Week 1
Mass prop., Preface of Passion I
Vestment: Violet
Today’s Rosary: The Joyful Mysteries
Click HERE for the Previous Catholic Daily Reading
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON ct. Ps 56:2
Have mercy on me, O God, for people assail me; they fight me all day long and oppress me.
COLLECT
O God, by whose wondrous grace we are enriched with every blessing, grant us so to pass from former ways to newness of life, that we may be made ready for the glory of the heavenly Kingdom. Through our Lord. .
FIRST READING
Now I am to die, yet I have done none of these things.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 13:1-9.15-17.19-30.33-62)
In those days: There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honoured of them all. In that year two elders from the people were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: Iniquity came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people. These men were frequently at Joakim’s house, and all who had suits at law came to them. When the people departed at moon, Susanna would go into her husband’s garden to walk. The two elders used to see her every day, going in and walking about, and they began to desire her. And they perverted their minds and turned away their eyes from looking to Heaven or remembering righteous judgements. Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was very hot. And no one was there except the two elders, who had hid themselves and were watching her. She said to her maids, “Bring me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I may bathe.” When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said: “Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you, so give your consent, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away.” Susanna sighed deeply, and said, “I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord.” Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her. And one of them ran and opened the garden doors. When the household servants heard the shouting in the garden, they rushed in at the side door to see what had happened to her. And when the elders told their tale, the servants were greatly ashamed, for nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna. The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Joakim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death. They said before the people, “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, who is the wife of Joakim.” So they sent for her. And she came, with her parents, her children, and all her kindred. But her family and friends and all who saw her wept. Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head. And she, weeping, looked up towards heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord. The elders said, “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and dismissed the maids. Then a young man, who had been hidden, came to her and lay with her. We were in a corner of the garden, and when we saw this wickedness we ran to them. We saw them embracing, but we could not hold the man, for he was too strong for us, and he opened the doors and dashed out. So we seized this woman and asked her who the young man was, but she would not tell us. These things we testify.” The assembly believed them, because they were elders of the people and judges; and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, “O eternal God, who discern what is secret, who are aware of all things before they come to be, you know that these men have borne false witness against me. And now I am to die! Yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me!” The Lord heard her cry. And as she was being led away to be put to death God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel; and he cried with a loud voice, “I am innocent of the blood of this woman.” All the people turned to him, and said, “What is this that you have said?” Taking his stand in the midst of them, he said, “Are you such fools, you sons of Israel? Have you condemned a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? Return to the place of judgement. For these men have borne false witness against her.” Then all the people returned in haste. And the elders said to him, “Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you that right.” And Daniel said to them, “Separate them far from each other, and I will examine them.” When they were separated from each other, he summoned one of them and said to him, “You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past, pronouncing unjust judgements, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free, though the Lord said, ‘Do not put to death an innocent and righteous person.’ Now then, if you really saw her, tell me this: Under what tree did you see them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under a mastic tree.” And Daniel said, “Very well! You have lied against your own head, for the angel of God has received the sentence from God and will immediately cut you in two.” Then he put him aside, and commanded them to bring the other. And he said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you and lust has perverted your heart. This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness. Now then, tell me: Under what tree did you catch them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under an evergreen oak.” And Daniel said to him, “Very well! You also have lied against your own head, for the angel of God is waiting with his sword to saw you in two, that he may destroy you both.” Then all the assembly shouted loudly and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. And they rose against the two elders, for out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; and they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbour; acting in accordance with the law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus innocent blood was saved that day.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL Psalm 23:1-3a.3b-4.5.6 (R. 4abc)
R/. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul. R/.
He guides me along the right path,
for the sake of his name.
Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.
Your crook and your staff will give me comfort. R/.
R/. Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death,
no evil would I fear, for you are with me.
You have prepared a table before me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing. R/.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for length of days unending. R/.
Also Read: Daily Reading for Sunday, March 17th, 2024
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Ezekiel 33:11
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord, but that he turn from his way and live. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
GOSPEL
Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (John 8:1-11)
At that time: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in their midst they said to him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her? This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more he bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus looked up and said to her, Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.
The Gospel of the Lord.
TODAY’S REFLECTION
When lust clouds reason, blunders are bound to happen. The story of the innocent susanna reminds us that God always watches over his children. If it were not for the intervention of God through his servant Daniel, the two elders would have prevailed in their wickedness. In the Gospel, but for the intervention of Christ, a similar fate would have befallen the woman who was actually caught in adultery. In the first reading susanna was innocent; in the Gospel the woman was guilty. But God spared both from the wickedness of the elders. This tells us that God protects both the innocent and the sinner who repents. We too ought to speak and act against mob action and lynching in our society. The point is that God has empowered us to save the oppressed as Daniel did. In a world where good people remain mute, evil thrives.
PERSONAL DEVOTIONAL FOR LENT
The world is a noisy place and if we do not try to seek solitude we will be lost in the noise and will be unable to connect with God, pray to Him and listen to Him speak to us. Silence, both interior and exterior is very urgently needed in this time and age, because it helps us to pray well and more importantly to hear God when He speaks to us and if we hear Him and act in accordance to His guidance we will not be deafened by the noise of the world.
Today, try and access how noisy you have become. Work on yourself by seeking solitude. Try to have a quiet time where you can be alone with God and straighten your rough paths.
Let Us Pray,
Lord, give me the grace to hear you daily in all my activities
Daily Reading for Monday March 18, 2024
Reading 1, Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Gospel, John 8:1-11
Reading 1, Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
1 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim.
2 He was married to a woman called Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, for
3 her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses.
4 Joakim was a very rich man and had a garden by his house; he used to be visited by a considerable number of the Jews, since he was held in greater respect than any other man.
5 Two elderly men had been selected from the people, that year, to act as judges. Of such the Lord had said, ‘Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.’
6 These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them.
7 At midday, when the people had gone away, Susanna would take a walk in her husband’s garden.
8 The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her.
9 They threw reason aside, making no effort to turn their eyes to Heaven, and forgetting the demands of virtue.
15 So they waited for a favourable moment; and one day Susanna came as usual, accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden.
16 There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place.
17 She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’
19 Hardly were the maids gone than the two elders sprang up and rushed upon her.
20 ‘Look,’ they said, ‘the garden door is shut, no one can see us. We want to have you, so give in and let us!
21 Refuse, and we shall both give evidence that a young man was with you and that this was why you sent your maids away.’
22 Susanna sighed. ‘I am trapped,’ she said, ‘whatever I do. If I agree, it means death for me; if I resist, I cannot get away from you.
23 But I prefer to fall innocent into your power than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.’
24 She then cried out as loud as she could. The two elders began shouting too, putting the blame on her,
25 and one of them ran to open the garden door.
26 The household, hearing the shouting in the garden, rushed out by the side entrance to see what had happened to her.
27 Once the elders had told their story, the servants were thoroughly taken aback, since nothing of this sort had ever been said of Susanna.
28 Next day a meeting was held at the house of her husband Joakim. The two elders arrived, full of their wicked plea against Susanna, to have her put to death.
29 They addressed the company, ‘Summon Susanna daughter of Hilkiah and wife of Joakim.’ She was sent for,
30 and came accompanied by her parents, her children and all her relations.
33 All her own people were weeping, and so were all the others who saw her.
34 The two elders stood up, with all the people round them, and laid their hands on her head.
35 Tearfully she turned her eyes to Heaven, her heart confident in God.
36 The elders then spoke, ‘While we were walking by ourselves in the garden, this woman arrived with two maids. She shut the garden door and then dismissed the servants.
37 A young man, who had been hiding, went over to her and they lay together.
38 From the end of the garden where we were, we saw this crime taking place and hurried towards them.
39 Though we saw them together, we were unable to catch the man: he was too strong for us; he opened the door and took to his heels.
40 We did, however, catch this woman and ask her who the young man was.
41 She refused to tell us. That is our evidence.’ Since they were elders of the people and judges, the assembly accepted their word: Susanna was condemned to death.
42 She cried out as loud as she could, ‘Eternal God, you know all secrets and everything before it happens;
43 you know that they have given false evidence against me. And now I must die, innocent as I am of everything their malice has invented against me!’
44 The Lord heard her cry
45 and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the holy spirit residing in a young boy called Daniel
46 who began to shout, ‘I am innocent of this woman’s death!’
47 At this all the people turned to him and asked, ‘What do you mean by that?’
48 Standing in the middle of the crowd, he replied, ‘Are you so stupid, children of Israel, as to condemn a daughter of Israel unheard, and without troubling to find out the truth?
49 Go back to the scene of the trial: these men have given false evidence against her.’
50 All the people hurried back, and the elders said to Daniel, ‘Come and sit with us and tell us what you mean, since God has given you the gifts that elders have.’
51 Daniel said, ‘Keep the men well apart from each other, for I want to question them.’
52 When the men had been separated, Daniel had one of them brought to him. ‘You have grown old in wickedness,’ he said, ‘and now the sins of your earlier days have overtaken you,
53 you with your unjust judgements, your condemnation of the innocent, your acquittal of the guilty, although the Lord has said, “You must not put the innocent and upright to death.”
54 Now then, since you saw her so clearly, tell me what sort of tree you saw them lying under.’ He replied, ‘Under an acacia tree.’
55 Daniel said, ‘Indeed! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God has already received from him your sentence and will cut you in half.’
56 He dismissed the man, ordered the other to be brought and said to him, ‘Son of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has led your heart astray!
57 This is how you have been behaving with the daughters of Israel, and they have been too frightened to resist; but here is a daughter of Judah who could not stomach your wickedness!
58 Now then, tell me what sort of tree you surprised them under.’ He replied, ‘Under an aspen tree.’
59 Daniel said, ‘Indeed! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God is waiting with a sword to rend you in half, and destroy the pair of you.’
60 Then the whole assembly shouted, blessing God, the Saviour of those who trust in him.
61 And they turned on the two elders whom Daniel had convicted of false evidence out of their own mouths.
62 As the Law of Moses prescribes, they were given the same punishment as they had schemed to inflict on their neighbour. They were put to death. And thus, that day, an innocent life was saved.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me
3 to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.
4 Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for you are at my side. Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
5 You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.
6 Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.
Gospel, John 8:1-11
1 and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.
3 The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle
4 they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery,
5 and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?’
6 They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger.
7 As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, ‘Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.’
8 Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground.
9 When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle.
10 Jesus again straightened up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
11 ‘No one, sir,’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go away, and from this moment sin no more.’
