Jeremiah
20:10-13 / John 10:31-42
In
a similar way, the people were frustrating God’s plan by failing to recognize
Jesus’ role in it.
Homily Prayer:
O God, your
Word-made-flesh shattered our notions of messiah and challenged our concept of
the kingdom. Jesus held your face
The Jews rebuke Jesus: “You, a man, are
making yourself God.”
One
night the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, was
performing a Beethoven overture. In
it, a part for a trumpet is played offstage. When the time came for the
offstage trumpet, there was no sound. Stokowski was furious. Again, the time
came for the offstage trumpet. Again,
there was only silence. After the overture ended, Stokowski
stormed off the stage to find the trumpet player. There
he was, his arms pinned to his side by a burly security guard who said, “This
nut was trying to play his horn while your concert was going on out there.”
****
Do
we sometimes frustrate God’s plan in an ignorant way, as the security guard
did? “We get no deeper into Christ than we allow him to get in US.” John Henry Jowett
****
At
times, it may be rather easy for us to think that we are quiet good people,
even in the religious sense. As long as we say our prayers, go for Mass
regularly, don't break any of the 10 Commandments, then we might think that we
are quite good people. Yet, the measure that we use are created by ourselves
and it is by that measure that we compare ourselves with others and even judge others.
In
the gospel, Jesus gave the measure by which our lives must be measured, and
that is we live our lives according to the ways of God. Yes, we are called to
live godly god-like lives and to do the works of God so that we become signs of
God's presence in this world.
Yet, we fail because we may have been overwhelmed by the evil that we see around us and we have let it influence us so much so that we may not be even aware of the evil we commit. Also, when we are oppressed by evil-doers, we forget our divine calling and we react with evil for evil. That was the distress of the prophet Jeremiah in the 1st reading. He was surrounded and overwhelmed by evil.
Yet, we fail because we may have been overwhelmed by the evil that we see around us and we have let it influence us so much so that we may not be even aware of the evil we commit. Also, when we are oppressed by evil-doers, we forget our divine calling and we react with evil for evil. That was the distress of the prophet Jeremiah in the 1st reading. He was surrounded and overwhelmed by evil.
Yet, he turned to God to save him and to deliver him
from the hands of evil men.
May we also turn to Jesus our Saviour and Healer and ask Him to cleanse
us of evil and to deliver us from evil so that we can renew our baptismal
commitment and walk the ways of God.
****
Liturgy
Introduction
Jesus, the Son of God, showed in his life
and actions that he was no ordinary human being, even in the face of
contradiction. Christians, sons and daughters of God without a capital s or d,
who take their faith seriously will also meet contradiction. They cannot
compromise if this would be tantamount to betrayal or dishonesty with
themselves, with their faith, or with others. But they know that they are in
God’s hands. And their deeds will speak for themselves. With Jesus, God’s Son,
may we do the work the Father has entrusted to us.
Penitential Rite:
-we come in fear and in anguish
-we come seeking your protection and comfort
-we come seeking your mercy and forgiveness
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, you are a loyal God, ever faithful to your promises. Strengthen
our faith, that with Jesus we may always keep trusting in you in spite of
prejudices, ridicule or contradiction. Give us the firm conviction that you are
irrevocably committed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Commentary
From their tranquil life upon the Sea of Galilee, Simon, Andrew,
James and John entered into an adventure that would take them to the ends of
the earth. They would experience a new way of life that they had never before
imagined. They would walk with the Lord and learn first hand what it means to
live the good life. And in teaching others about Jesus would they become
"fishers of people" as the Lord had predicted. May we never shrink
from the Lord's call to leave our nets behind and follow Him. Such a choice can
never leave us disappointed.
Homily Prayer:
O God, your
Word-made-flesh shattered our notions of messiah and challenged our concept of
the kingdom. Jesus held your face
before us and smiled... but longing prohibited the possibility of a gentle
God... or a heart's desire come true. The wrappings of Mystery, meant to
draw us near, became a cloak for cynicism and disbelief, instead. Many walked
away praying for the dreamer... the blasphemer. O God, slow our steps. Do not allow
us to walk away from your Son. When his truth falls hard upon our hearts,
help us to find the impossible possible. Let us reach the heights of your
Spirit that we may descend, willingly, into the Mystery that wraps us round in
love. May we proclaim kinship in Christ and your presence in him... the final
Word of love. Amen.
General Intercessions
– For men and women who are persecuted because of their
faith and feel abandoned, that they may find strength in prayer, we pray:
– For all who feel deserted by God and people, that they
may learn again through good people that they are in the hands of God, we pray:
– For people who have seriously sinned, that these days
of Lent they may repent and return to the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the
Gifts
Lord God, the sign
of your loyalty to us is that your Son comes among us. Keep us also loyal to
you when we have to face contradiction because of our faith. Give us the Holy
Spirit of strength who inspired your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer after Communion
Our God and Father, Jesus faced opposition because he claimed to be
your Son, the Son of God. May we, who claim to be your sons and daughters, lovingly
do what you want us to do, that people may believe in you and your Son not so
much because of what we say but because of what we are and do for the sake of
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord forever.
Blessing
How far we are still from the ideal of one heart and one mind, be it in our world, our Churches, our communities. May God bring his scattered children together and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
How far we are still from the ideal of one heart and one mind, be it in our world, our Churches, our communities. May God bring his scattered children together and bless us, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
