Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 242
Reading 1
Hosea 6:1-6
"Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Verse Before the Gospel
Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
Gospel
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Being Justified by Mercy
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.” Luke 18:9–10
This Scripture passage introduces the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. They both go to the Temple to pray, but their prayers are very different from each other. The prayer of the Pharisee is very dishonest, whereas the prayer of the tax collector is exceptionally sincere and honest. Jesus concludes by saying that the tax collector went home justified but not the Pharisee. He states, “…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
True humility is simply being honest. Too often in life we are not honest with ourselves and, therefore, are not honest with God. Thus, for our prayer to be true prayer, it must be honest and humble. And the humble truth for all of our lives is best expressed by the prayer of the tax collector who prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
How easy is it for you to admit your sin? When we understand the mercy of God, this humility is much easier. God is not a God of harshness but is a God of the utmost mercy. When we understand that God’s deepest desire is to forgive us and to reconcile us to Himself, then we will deeply desire honest humility before Him.
Lent is an important time for us to deeply examine our conscience and make new resolutions for the future. Doing so will bring new freedom and grace into our lives. So do not be afraid to honestly examine your conscience so as to see your sin clearly in the way God sees it. Doing so will put you in a position to pray this prayer of the tax collector: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
Reflect, today, upon your sin. What do you struggle with the most right now? Are there sins from your past that you have never confessed? Are there ongoing sins that you justify, ignore and are afraid to face? Take courage and know that honest humility is the road to freedom and the only way to experience justification before God.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
ANSWERED PRAYERS
“Two men went up to the temple to pray.” —Luke 18:10
The prophet Hosea led the people in prayer to return to the Lord (Hos 14:3). The Lord answered that prayer: “I will heal their defection, 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” (Hos 14:5-6). On another occasion, the prophet also led the people in prayer to return to the Lord (Hosea 6:1). The Lord answered that prayer by smiting His people through the prophets and slaying His people by the words of His mouth (Hos 6:5).
The Lord answered the same prayer in opposite ways because the prayer in Hosea 14 was prayed sincerely in repentance from idol-worship (Hos 14:4, 9), but the prayer in Hosea 6 was prayed by people “untrue” to the Lord (Hos 6:7). “When one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Prv 28:9).
The Pharisee in today’s Gospel reading prayed, fasted, and gave alms (Lk 18:11-12). The tax collector, who had sold his soul to the Romans to make money, also prayed (Lk 18:13-14). The tax collector “went home from the temple justified but the other did not” (Lk 18:14). This was because the Pharisee prayed in a proud, self-centered way but the tax collector repented and humbled himself (Lk 18:13-14).
The Lord will answer our prayers. Will we receive the sternness He shows to the arrogant or the kindness He gives to the humble? (1 Pt 5:5)
Prayer: Lord, teach me to pray (Lk 11:1).
Promise: “Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled while he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” —Lk 18:14
Praise: St. Frances of Rome gave glory to God through her love of her husband, children, and the poor and sick people of Rome.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Gavan JENNINGS
(Dublín, Ireland)
“I tell you, the latter went home justified”
Today, Christ presents us with two men who, to a casual observer, might appear almost identical for they are in the same place doing the same thing, as both “went up to the Temple to pray” (Lk 18:10). But beyond appearances, at the deepest level of their personal consciences, both men differ radically: one, the Pharisee, has an easy conscience while the other, the tax collector, is racked by feelings of guilt.
Nowadays we tend to see guilt feelings as close to a psychological aberration: ‘beating oneself up over something’. Nevertheless the ‘guilt-racked’ tax-collector leaves the Temple in the better state for, “the latter went home justified, not the former” (Lk 18:14). “This feeling of guilt”, wrote Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger ("Conscience and truth"), “disturbs the false calm of conscience and could be called conscience's complaint against my self-satisfied existence. It is as necessary for man as the physical pain which signifies disturbances of normal bodily functioning.”
Jesus doesn’t lead us to believe that the Pharisee is not telling the truth when he says that he is not “greedy, dishonest, adulterous” (Lk 18:11) and that he fasts and gives money to the Temple, nor that the tax-collector is delusional in thinking himself a sinner. This is not the question. Rather it is that “the Pharisee no longer knows that he too has guilt. He has a completely clear conscience. But this silence of conscience makes him impenetrable to God and men, while the cry of conscience which plagues the tax collector makes him capable of truth and love. Jesus can move sinners” (Benedict XVI).
Prayers
My merciful Lord, I thank You for loving me with a perfect love. I thank You for Your incredible depth of mercy. Help me to see all of my sin and to turn to You with honesty and humility so that I can be freed of these burdens and become justified in Your sight. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, may your love and truth transform my life - my inner thoughts, intentions, and attitudes, and my outward behavior, speech, and actions. Where I lack charity, kindness, and forbearance, help me to embrace your merciful love and to seek the good of my neighbor, even those who cause me ill-favor or offense. May I always love as you have loved and forgive others as you have forgiven.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 69: Struggles Tempt Us to Doubt
We all encounter struggles in life. The question is: “What do you do with them?” Too often, when struggles come our way we are tempted to doubt the presence of God and to doubt His merciful help. In fact, the opposite is true. God is the answer to every struggle. He alone is the source of all we need in life. He is the One who can bring peace and serenity to our soul in the midst of any and every challenge or crisis we may face (See Diary #247).
How do you deal with struggles, especially ones that turn into crises? How do you deal with daily stress and anxiety, problems and challenges, worries and failings? How do you deal with your own sins and even the sins of others? These, and many other aspects of our lives, can tempt us to turn from total trust in God and lead us to fall into doubt. Reflect upon how well you handle daily struggles and adversity. Do you remain confident each and every day that our Merciful Lord is there for you as the source of peace and serenity in the midst of a turbulent ocean? Make an act of trust in Him this day and watch as He brings calm to any storm.
Lord, You and You alone can bring peace to my soul. When I am tempted by the difficulties of this day, help me to turn to You in perfect trust placing all my cares on You. Help me to never turn from you in my despair but to know with certainty that You are always there and are the One to whom I must turn. I trust You, my Lord, I trust You. Jesus, I do trust in You.
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