14-MAR-'24. Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Lectionary: 247

Reading 1

Exodus 32:7-14

The LORD said to Moses,

"Go down at once to your people

whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,

for they have become depraved.

They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,

making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,

sacrificing to it and crying out,

'This is your God, O Israel,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'

The LORD said to Moses,

"I see how stiff-necked this people is.

Let me alone, then,

that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.

Then I will make of you a great nation."

But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,

"Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,

whom you brought out of the land of Egypt

with such great power and with so strong a hand?

Why should the Egyptians say,

'With evil intent he brought them out,

that he might kill them in the mountains

and exterminate them from the face of the earth'?

Let your blazing wrath die down;

relent in punishing your people.

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,

and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,

'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;

and all this land that I promised,

I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'"

So the LORD relented in the punishment

he had threatened to inflict on his people.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 106:19-20, 21-22, 23

R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Our fathers made a calf in Horeb

and adored a molten image;

They exchanged their glory

for the image of a grass-eating bullock.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

They forgot the God who had saved them,

who had done great deeds in Egypt,

Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,

terrible things at the Red Sea.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Then he spoke of exterminating them,

but Moses, his chosen one,

Withstood him in the breach

to turn back his destructive wrath.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Verse Before the Gospel

John 3:16

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel

John 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews:

"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.

But there is another who testifies on my behalf,

and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.

You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.

I do not accept human testimony,

but I say this so that you may be saved.

He was a burning and shining lamp,

and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.

But I have testimony greater than John's.

The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,

these works that I perform testify on my behalf

that the Father has sent me.

Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.

But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,

and you do not have his word remaining in you,

because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.

You search the Scriptures,

because you think you have eternal life through them;

even they testify on my behalf.

But you do not want to come to me to have life.

"I do not accept human praise;

moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.

I came in the name of my Father,

but you do not accept me;

yet if another comes in his own name,

you will accept him.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another

and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?

Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:

the one who will accuse you is Moses,

in whom you have placed your hope.

For if you had believed Moses,

you would have believed me,

because he wrote about me.

But if you do not believe his writings,

how will you believe my words?"

Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections

Human or Divine Praise?

“How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

It’s quite normal and healthy for a parent to praise a young child for the good that they do. This healthy positive reinforcement is a way of teaching them the importance of doing good and avoiding what’s wrong. But human praise is not an infallible guide of what is right and wrong. In fact, when human praise is not based in the truth of God, it does great damage.

This short Scripture quote above comes from a lengthy teaching from Jesus about the difference between human praise and “the praise that comes only from God.” Jesus makes it clear that the only thing that has value is the praise that comes from God alone. In fact, earlier in this Gospel, Jesus says clearly, “I do not accept human praise…” Why is that?

Turning back to the example of a parent praising a child for the good they do, when the praise they offer is truly a praise of their goodness, then this is much more than human praise. It is praise from God given through a parent. A parent’s duty must be to teach right from wrong in accord with the will of God.

As for the “human praise” of which Jesus speaks, this is clearly praise of another that is void of the truthfulness of God. In other words, Jesus is saying that if someone were to praise Him for something that did not originate from the Father in Heaven, He would reject it. For example, if someone were to say of Jesus, “I think He would be a great governor of our nation because he could lead a revolt against the current leadership.” Obviously such “praise” would be rejected.

The bottom line is that we must praise one another, but our praise must only be that which originates from God. Our words must be spoken only in accord with the Truth. Our admiration must only be of that which is the presence of God alive in others. Otherwise, if we praise others based on worldly or self-centered values, we only encourage them in sin.

Reflect, today, upon the praise you give and receive. Do you allow misguided praise of others to misdirect you in life? And when you compliment and praise another, is that praise based on the Truth of God and directed to His glory? Seek to give and receive praise only when it is grounded in the Truth of God and directs all to His glory.

Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body

I DESIRE MERCY

“Then He spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, His chosen one, withstood Him in the breach to turn back His destructive wrath.” —Psalm 106:23

The scene described in Psalm 106:23 above might leave the impression that God is angry, vengeful, and eager to punish. A more complete interpretation is that God is perfectly just. Sins, both personal and national, have harmful effects on innocent people and nations. Justice demands that these wrongs to humanity and civilization be righted. The justice of God also demands that reparation be made for the wrong He Himself has suffered from the sins of humanity. However, God delights in mercy (Mi 7:18) and is more eager to give mercy than we are to receive it. Not only that, but Jesus Himself intercedes for us and for nations (1 Jn 2:1-2). Sadly, many have prevented themselves and others from receiving God’s mercy (see Mt 23:13).

The Lord declares: “The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they afflict the poor and the needy, and oppress the resident alien without justice. Thus I have searched among them for someone who could build a wall or stand in the breach before Me to keep Me from destroying the land; but I found no one” (Ez 22:29-30). This passage reveals a God Who wants His justice to be overruled by an appeal to His mercy. Yet who is willing to sacrifice their time to appeal for God’s mercy by standing in the breach to intercede on behalf of a sinful world?

The Lord desires mercy (Mt 9:13). Do we desire mercy enough to stand in the breach and intercede for it?

Prayer:  Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Promise:  “The Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people.” —Ex 32:14

Praise:  For many years, several youths gathered together monthly to pray the rosary in front of a local abortion chamber for an end to legalized abortion.

Reflection 3

By Robby Francis

(Creighton University's Campus Ministry)

In both the reading from Exodus and the Gospel of John, we see that people are looking for God in the wrong places. In the first reading, the people turn to their human-made God in the molten calf. In the Gospel reading, Jesus responds to people who have refused to believe God can show up in the ways he is teaching and in his actions. It can be easy to dismiss the groups these messages are directed at as just not getting it ― we are thousands of years removed and therefore have a better grasp and don’t make the same mistakes. But the reality is that we are still doing the same things. We too can turn towards false gods and fail to see how God shows up in our daily lives.

We can create false gods out of our money, status, politics, and sometimes even our religious beliefs. We might put our trust in these items because it helps us feel more in control. If we get this amount of money or career, everything will be okay. A politician or leader believes what we believe, therefore, we believe they are the ones who will improve things. When we do this, we may miss the invitations from God to grow or to see things in new ways.

Also, like the audience Jesus speaks to, we can fail to see God right in front of us. The situation isn’t ideal or what we would like it to be, therefore, we believe God must be absent. Or a hard truth is presented to us, and instead of going deeper to see what it has to teach us, we may reject it and perhaps even diminish its source, because we can’t believe God would condone this.

As we near the end of the fourth week of Lent, we are invited to continue reflecting on those barriers that prevent us from encountering God. The hard truth is that sometimes, we're the barriers. It’s our attitudes, our beliefs, and our resistances that can be the primary barriers. We are called to be a discerning people who go deep within―sometimes to uncomfortable spaces―to distinguish what comes from our false notions of how things should be and where the invitations to see things anew surface.

As you dive deeper into this Lenten season, perhaps a good practice to ask yourself is what barriers are you being invited to remove so that you can be present to a God who cares deeply for you or others.

Prayers

My praiseworthy Lord, I do thank You and praise You for Your perfect goodness. I thank You for the way that You act in perfect union with the will of the Father. Help me to listen only to Your voice in this life and to reject all the misleading and confusing voices of the world. May my values and choices be guided by You and You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may listen to your word attentively and obey it joyfully.

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 74: A Compassionate Heart

Is there a difference between “sympathy” and “compassion?”  If so, what is the difference?  And which is more desirable?  Sympathy simply means that we feel bad for another.  It means, in a sense, that we pity them.  But compassion goes much further.  It means that we enter into their sufferings and carry their burden with them.  It means we suffer with them just as our Lord suffered with and for us.  We must only seek to offer true compassion for others and to invite them to offer compassion to us (See Diary #279).

How well do you do this?  How well do you offer true compassion?  Do you see the hurt of others and seek to be there for them, encouraging them in Christ?  And when you suffer, do you allow the compassion of others to flood your soul?  Do you allow the Mercy of God to reach out to you through them?  Or do you seek only pity from others allowing yourself to fall into the trap of self-pity?  Reflect upon the difference in these two qualities and ask our Lord to make your heart one of authentic compassion for all.

Lord, please do give me a heart full of Mercy and compassion.  Help me to be attentive to the needs of others and to reach out to them with Your own Divine Heart.  May I long to bring Your healing grace to all those in need.  And may I never soak in my own self-pity or seek that pity from others.  But may I be open to the compassion Your Heart desires to offer me through the love of others.  Jesus, I trust in You.