Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Monday, 31 March 2014 - Catholic Meditations

Frederick, Maryland, United States - Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Monday, 31 March 2014 - Catholic Meditations

Meditations: Isaiah 65: 17 “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

    and the former things will not be remembered,

    nor come into mind.

18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create;

    for, behold, I create Jerusalem to be a delight,

    and her people a joy.

19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,

    and delight in my people;

and the voice of weeping and the voice of crying

    will be heard in her no more.

20 “No more will there be an infant who only lives a few days,

    nor an old man who has not filled his days;

for the child will die one hundred years old,

    and the sinner being one hundred years old will be accursed.

21 They will build houses, and inhabit them.

    They will plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.

4th Week of Lent

Shout for joy… . I will rejoice in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 65:14, 19)

Lent is a serious season. It’s a time to take a long, hard look at our sins and resolve to set them aside. It’s a time for the discipline of extra prayer, sacrifice, and generosity.

Lent may be a serious time, but it doesn’t have to be a gloomy time. Let’s not forget the goal of the season. Lent isn’t about punishing ourselves and denying ourselves. The purpose of Lent is to get ready to celebrate Easter as fully as possible, in the company of all the catechumens who are preparing for Baptism. The only reason to die to our sins is so that we can enter into the victory and gladness of Jesus’ resurrection. That’s what Lent is all about!

Perhaps the best way to sum up Lent is with a passage from Scripture: “For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).

We pray more so that we can be more fully united with the Lord who loves us completely. We let go of lesser things so that we can open our hands to receive the abundant, eternal life that he offers us. We give of ourselves to serve people in need so that we can bring them along with us as we journey toward the kingdom that has no end.

The prophet in today’s first reading reminds us that God is doing something new. He is creating new heavens and a new earth. In fact, God is already rejoicing in the work he is doing—in the transformation he is working in his people. What’s more, he is inviting us to rejoice with him, to “shout for joy” because we too can be transformed by his grace and power (Isaiah 65:14).

Perhaps your Lent is feeling heavy about now. It’s hard to keep up those good intentions. You may feel that you’re not making enough headway against ingrained habits. The people you are trying to serve don’t seem to appreciate your efforts. It’s hard to believe that God is at work in you and around you.

Lift your head and look up! Ask the Spirit to help you lighten up and keep the glorious goal in mind. Failure and disappointment, sin and death, do not have the last word, because Easter is coming!

“Spirit of God, help me keep my eyes on the joy you have set before me.” Amen.

Psalm 30: 2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you,

and you have healed me.

4 Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his.

    Give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger is but for a moment.

    His favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may stay for the night,

    but joy comes in the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,

    “I shall never be moved.”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me.

    You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

12     To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent.

Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

John 4:43 After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast. 46 Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe.”

49 The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 As he was now going down, his servants met him and reported, saying “Your child lives!” 52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour,[a] the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house. 54 This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

Footnotes:

a. John 4:52 1:00 P. M.

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