Daily Gospel for Sunday, 15 March 2015

Daily Gospel for Sunday, 15 March 2015
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."[John 6:68]
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) - Year B
Saints of the day:

Saint Louise of Marillac
(1591-1660)

Louise de Marillac was born in France, on August 12th, 1591. She was educated by the Dominican nuns at Poissy. She desired to become a nun but on the advice of her confessor, she married Antony LeGras, an official in the Queen's service, in 1613.

After Antony's death in 1625, she met St. Vincent de Paul, who became her spiritual adviser. She devoted the rest of her life to working with him. She helped direct his Ladies of Charity in their work of caring for the sick, the poor, and the neglected. In 1633 she set up a training center, of which she was Directress in her own home, for candidates seeking to help in her work. This was the beginning of the Sisters (or Daughters, as Vincent preferred) of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (though it was not formally approved until 1655). She took her vows in 1634 and attracted great numbers of candidates. She wrote a rule for the community, and in 1642, Vincent allowed four of the members to take vows. Formal approval placed the community under Vincent and his Congregation of the Missions, with Louise as Superior.

She traveled all over France establishing her Sisters in hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions.

She expired in 1660. Since then the Congregation has spread all over the world.

She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934, and was declared Patroness of Social Workers by Pope John XXIII in 1960.

SAINT ZACHARY 
Pope 
(+ 752)

St. Zachary succeeded Gregory III in 741 and was a man of singular meekness and goodness. He loved the clergy and people of Rome to that degree that he hazarded his life for them on occasion of the troubles which Italy fell into by the rebellion of the Dukes of Spoleto and Benevento against King Luitprand. Out of respect to his sanctity and dignity, that king restored to the Church of Rome all the places which belonged to it, and sent back the captives without ransom.

The Lombards were moved to tears at the devotion with which they heard him perform the divine service. The zeal and prudence of this holy Pope appeared in many wholesome regulations which he had made to reform or settle the discipline and peace of several churches.

St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, wrote to him against a certain priest named Virgilius, which he labored to sow the seeds of discord between him and Odilo, Duke of Bavaria, and taught, besides, many errors. Zachary ordered that Virgilius should be sent to Rome, that his doctrinemight be examined. It seems that he cleared himself; for we find this same Virgilius soon after made Bishop of Salzburg.

Certain Venetian merchants having bought at Rome many slaves to sell to the Moors in Africa, St. Zachary forbade such an iniquitous traffic, and, paying the merchants their price, gave the slaves their liberty.

He adorned Rome with sacred buildings, and with great foundations in favor of the poor and pilgrims, and gave every year a considerable sum to furnish oil for the lamps in St. Peter's Church.

He died in 752, in the month of March.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) - Year B2nd book of Chronicles 36:14 In addition, the chief cohanim and the people grew increasingly unfaithful, following all the abominable practices of the other nations; and they polluted the house of Adonai, which he had consecrated in Yerushalayim. 15 Time after time, and frequently, Adonai, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers; because he had compassion on his people and on the place where he lived. 16 But they ridiculed God’s messengers, treating his words with contempt and scoffing at his prophets, until the anger of Adonai rose up against his people to the extent that there was no longer any remedy.

19 Then they burned down the house of God, broke down the wall of Yerushalayim, put to flames all its palaces and destroyed everything in it of worth. 20 Those who had escaped the sword he carried off to Bavel, and they became slaves to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia. 21 Thus was fulfilled the word of Adonai spoken by Yirmeyahu, “until the land has been paid her Shabbats” — for as long as it lay desolate, it kept Shabbat, until seventy years had passed.

22 Now in the first year of Koresh king of Persia, so that the word of Adonai spoken by Yirmeyahu might be fulfilled, Adonai activated the spirit of Koresh king of Persia to proclaim throughout his entire kingdom, and put in writing as well: 23 “Here is what Koresh king of Persia says: Adonai, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms on earth, and he has charged me to build him a house in Yerushalayim, in Y’hudah. Whoever there is among you of all his people, may Adonai his God be with him! He may go up . . . .”

Psalms 137:1 By the rivers of Bavel we sat down and wept

as we remembered Tziyon.

2 We had hung up our lyres

on the willows that were there,

3 when those who had taken us captive

asked us to sing them a song;

our tormentors demanded joy from us —

“Sing us one of the songs from Tziyon!”

4 How can we sing a song about Adonai

here on foreign soil?

5 If I forget you, Yerushalayim,

may my right hand wither away!

6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth

if I fail to remember you,

if I fail to count Yerushalayim

the greatest of all my joys.

Letter to the Ephesians 2:4 But God is so rich in mercy and loves us with such intense love 5 that, even when we were dead because of our acts of disobedience, he brought us to life along with the Messiah — it is by grace that you have been delivered. 6 That is, God raised us up with the Messiah Yeshua and seated us with him in heaven, 7 in order to exhibit in the ages to come how infinitely rich is his grace, how great is his kindness toward us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. 8 For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God’s gift. 9 You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast. 10 For we are of God’s making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3:14 Just as Moshe lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved. 18 Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God’s only and unique Son.

19 “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. 21 But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God.”

Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) - Year B

Commentary of the day:

Theodore of Mopsuestia (?-428), Bishop and theologian 

Commentary on Saint John’s Gospel; CSCO 115,116

"God so loved the world"

The Lord Jesus says: “Don’t be frightened by the cross, and don’t let it make you doubt what I am telling you.” The serpent that Moses raised up in the desert was effective by the power of him who commanded Moses to raise it up… That is how the Lord takes charge of the lot of human beings and suffers the pain of the cross, but thanks to the power dwelling in him, he made those who believe in him worthy of eternal life. At the time of Moses the bronze serpent, without having life, delivered from death those who were going to perish from the poisonous bite; thanks to the power of another; they only had to turn and look at it. In the same way, in spite of his mortal appearance and his sufferings, Jesus nevertheless gives life to those who believe in him, thanks to the power dwelling in him.
Jesus continues: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.” He says: “That is another sign of God’s love…” How could he say: “God gave his only Son”? It is obvious that the divinity cannot suffer. Nevertheless, thanks to their union, the humanity and the divinity of Jesus are one. Hence, although only the man suffers, everything that touches his humanity is also attributed to his divinity…
To show the greatness of the passion, Saint Paul says: “If they had known him, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Cor 2:8) In giving Jesus that title, he wanted to reveal the greatness of the Passion. In the same way, in order to show the lavishness of his love through the sufferings he endured, our Lord very rightly declared: “God gave his only Son.”

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