Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 241
Reading 1
Hosea 14:2-10
Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
"I am like a verdant cypress tree"–
Because of me you bear fruit!
Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17
R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?"
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:17
Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Gospel
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Hold Nothing Back
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:29–30
Why would you choose anything less than to love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind, and with ALL your strength? Why would you choose anything less? Of course, we do choose many other things to love in life, even though Jesus is clear with this commandment.
The truth is that the only way to love others, and even to love ourselves, is to choose to love God with ALL we are. God must be the one and only focus of our love. But what’s amazing is that the more we do this, the more we realize that the love we have in our lives is the kind of love that overflows and overflows in superabundance. And it is this overflowing love of God that then pours forth on others.
On the other hand, if we try to divide our loves by our own effort, giving God only part of our heart, soul, mind and strength, then the love we have for God cannot grow and overflow in the way God wants. We limit our capacity for love, and we fall into selfishness. Love of God is a truly amazing gift when it is total and all-consuming.
Each one of these parts of our lives are worth pondering and examining. Think about your heart and how you are called to love God with your heart. And how does this differ from loving God with your soul? Perhaps your heart is more focused on your feelings, emotions and compassion. Perhaps your soul is more spiritual in nature. Your mind loves God the more it probes the depth of His Truth, and your strength is your passion and drive in life. Regardless of how you understand the various parts of your being, the key is that every part must love God in fullness.
Reflect, today, upon the beautiful commandment of our Lord. It’s a command of love, and it is given to us not so much for God’s sake but for ours. God wants to fill us to the point of overflowing love. Why would we ever choose anything less?
Reflection 2
One Bread One Body
ADDICTION TO SELF OR LOVE OF SELF?
“I will heal their defection, I will love them freely.” —Hosea 14:5 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” —Mark 12:31
We human beings are addicted to ourselves because of our fallen nature. We are “self-aholics” and egomaniacs. We are naturally preoccupied with ourselves and automatically live to “do our own thing.”
Sometimes this addiction to self is passed off as a love for ourselves. However, addiction to self is closer to self-hatred than to self-love. For example, a person in an emotionally and/or sexually addictive relationship does not have true love for the other person. That person is using the other person and probably is being used and abused himself or herself.
How can we break free of our addiction to self so that we can love ourselves and thereby love our neighbor as ourselves? Only Jesus’ love can break the spell of self so that we no longer live for ourselves but for Him (2 Cor 5:15). We love God, ourselves, or anyone because the Lord first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). When we receive God’s love, we stop being preoccupied with ourselves and start to love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength (Mk 12:30). As we are baptized into, immersed into the Lord’s love, we forget about ourselves and, paradoxically, begin to love ourselves (see Mt 10:39). Receive His love. Give His love to Him, yourself, and others.
Prayer: Father, give me so much love for You and for myself that I will love my enemies.
Promise: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.” —Hos 14:2
Praise: St. John of God repented of a life of sinfulness, took the name of God as his own, and founded the Brothers Hospitallers, now a worldwide religious order.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
Why do we have two hands? It is said that one is to hold on to God and the other is to reach out to our neighbour in need. By combining the two texts of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 Jesus teaches us today that love of God and love of neighbour stand as the foundation for Christian living. In both, the operative verb is “love”. Hosea reminds us today (First Reading) that the rejection of the supremacy of God is the cause for their present misfortune. Due to alienation from God, they trusted the “work of their hands”. Today’s liturgy challenges us to hold on to God in complete trust and loving relationship so that we can truly love others.
Prayers
My loving Lord, Your love for me is infinite and perfect in every way. I pray that I will learn to love You with every fiber of my being, holding nothing back, and to daily grow deeper in my love of You. As I grow in that love, I thank You for the overflowing nature of that love, and I pray that this love of You will flow into the hearts of those around me. Jesus, I trust in You.
We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son. (Prayer of Anselm, 12th century)
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 68: Rejoicing in the Goodness of Others
When others do well, how do you react? Most likely when a child does well it brings delight to your soul. But what about others? A sure sign of a merciful heart is the ability to sincerely find joy in the good that others do. Too often jealousy and envy get in the way of this form of Mercy. But when we delight in the goodness of another and rejoice when God is at work in someone’s life, this is a sign that we have a merciful heart (See Diary #241).
Think about the person that you may find it difficult to offer praise and honor. Who is it that is difficult to compliment and encourage? Why is it this way? We often point out their sin as the reason but the true reason is our own sin. It may be anger, envy, jealousy or pride. But the bottom line is that we must foster a spirit of joy in the good works of others. Reflect upon at least one person you find it difficult to love in this way and pray for that person today. Ask our Lord to give you a merciful heart so that you can rejoice as He works through others.
Lord, help me to see Your presence in others. Help me to let go of all pride, jealousy and envy and to love with Your merciful Heart. I thank You for working in many ways through the lives of others. Help me to see You at work even in the greatest of sinners. And as I discover Your presence, please fill me with a joy that expresses itself with authentic gratitude. Jesus, I trust in You.
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