Monday in the Third Week of Lent: 2 Kings 5:1-15, Luke 4:24-30. Today’s readings are an excellent example of how the New Testament can help to clarify seemingly incongruous events in the Old Testament. It’s a good reminder of how the fullness of God exists outside of (yet operates within) …
Third Sunday in Lent: Exodus 17:3-7, Romans 5:1-2, 5-8, John 4:5-42. Today’s readings map the importance of water not just as a lifeforce for our physical bodies, but as a symbol of the spiritual nourishment provided by God. We are given two seminal scriptural stories: Moses striking the rock at …
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. Today we read one of Jesus’s most famous parables, the Parable of the Prodigal Son. There is so much to say about it. The broad strokes: it displays the unflagging love of the father (that is, God …
Friday in the Second Week of Lent: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17B-28a, Matthew: 21:33-43, 45-46. Today’s readings are riches in storytelling and spiritual importance. I don’t mean to give short shrift to Joseph and his jealous brothers in Genesis, but I must explore it rather briefly to leave space to plumb …
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent: Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31. Today, we hear the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus from the gospel of St. Luke. On its surface, this parable seems to warn us of too much enjoyment in this world because we will pay for it …
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent: Jeremiah 18:18-20, Matthew 20:17-28. Today’s readings display two things clearly: how clueless the chosen people can be, and (somewhat related) the inevitable persecution of those who proclaim the Word of God. Jeremiah was a prophet 100 years after Isaiah, and the major power …
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12. Today’s readings reveal much about the Master, that is, Christ, as well as how He wants His people to live in His Spirit. The Word of God spoken by Isaiah makes clear that religious customs won’t save the …
Monday the Second Week of Lent: Daniel 9:4b-10, Luke 6:36-38. Today’s readings call us to reflect on our sins. In the Book of Daniel, we are shown the model of a contrite heart for past sins. In the gospel of St. Luke, Jesus instructs us on how to avoid sins …
Second Sunday in Lent, The Transfiguration of Christ: Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9. Today we hear of the Lord’s glorious Transfiguration, set up wonderfully by yesterday’s readings on covenants (see The Difficult New Covenant of Love). There are many signs that point to the New Covenant, including the …
Saturday in the First Week of Lent: Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48. A covenant is an agreement, a pact, a legal contract. When covenants are offered by God, they take on more significance, guaranteeing protection and favor for the people and adoration and obedience to God. Covenants with God are so …
