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Sunday Lectionary: Doubt and Mercy

April 12, 2012 pilgrim Leave a comment

2nd Sunday of Easter: 15th April, 2012

This Sunday, as well being the Second Sunday of Easter, it is also Divine Mercy Sunday (declared by Pope John-Paul II in April 30, 2000). The Readings in the Lectionary therefore accordingly celebrate and proclaim the great mercy of God.

Three times in our psalm we sing “His mercy endures forever”. In our Gospel, when the fearful Apostles encounter the Lord whom they abandoned, they are greeted not with anger and condemnation but with invitations of “peace”. Our First Reading describes the early Christian community’s response to this Divine Mercy. Because of their experience of God’s great love for them, they in turn loved one another. They cared deeply for the brethren and put themselves and their possessions at the service of the community. This great love for God and neighbour is further explored by St. John in this week’s Second Reading.

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself – Divine Mercy Chaplet

Sunday Lectionary

He-Man, Christian Allegory & Transubstantiation

April 1, 2012 pilgrim 49 comments

Christians have long made use of allegory to narrate the story of salvation. We have done this because, by utilizing fiction to retell the story of Jesus, we can present to an unbelieving world the archetypal themes of Christianity, as well as providing for ourselves a “novel” way 😉 to meditate upon our tale of grace…

A Common Example…

One popular example of Christian allegory would be “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. This is one of the first novels I can recall hearing as a child. However, it wasn’t until I was quite a bit older that I started to realize why the story felt so familiar…

C.S. Lewis’ goal in writing “The Chronicles Of Narnia” was to write a good story rather than simply a Christian story. Fortunately for us he does both! In “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe” Lewis tells the story of the great lion Aslan who offers his life in place of the disobedient boy Edmund. Even with this brief outline, it is clear to see that this story is an allegory of Jesus’ Crucifixion and the offering of His life for sinners.

In my mid-twenties I did a lot of babysitting and, because of this, I got to read the book out loud for the children I was babysitting (complete with voices, of course). Reading the book as an adult, I was stunned to find Christ on every page.

Humour

Lectionary

Back when I was leading a young adult Bible study and attending a Roman Rite parish, each week I produced notes for the Sunday Mass Readings (using these resources). Although I’ve stopped producing new notes, below is the entire liturgical year of the Roman calendar, with links to my various commentaries: Easter Cycle Easter Vigil A B C Easter Sunday A

Sunday Lectionary: Return Of The King

March 27, 2012 pilgrim Leave a comment

This Sunday is Palm Sunday so, in addition to an initial Reading at the beginning of Mass, we also hear a long Passion narrative after the Second Reading. Rather than provide commentary for all these Readings (since I would also quite like to get some sleep this week!), I will not be providing any commentary for the narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Palm Sunday: 1st April, 2012

We are about to enter Holy Week. All our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and alms-giving have been preparing us for this moment, to walk these final few miles with our Lord to Calvary.

Our Mass begins with an account of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. He is welcomed as royalty, but in a few short days the crowds which shouted “Hosanna in the Highest!” will be shouting “Crucify Him!”. Their hatred fulfills the prophecy spoken of by Isaiah in our First Reading.

In the Second Reading from the letter to the Philippians St. Paul describes in poetic terms Christ’s humiliation and final exaltation. This is also the theme of this week’s psalm which was the prayer on the lips of Christ as he hung on the cross. The psalm speaks of one scorned, pierced in hands and feet, surrounded by enemies, all hope appearing lost… Nevertheless, the psalmist trusts in God and, like Christ, in the end, is vindicated.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me
– Henry F. Lyte

Sunday Lectionary

Sunday Lectionary: Holy Anticipation

March 21, 2012 pilgrim Leave a comment

5th Sunday Of Lent: 23rd March, 2012

As this Lenten season reaches its climax, our Sunday Mass Readings are filled with anticipation.

In the First Reading, the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of a time to come when God would make a new kind of covenant with His people, one dramatically different from the ones made before. Under this new covenant the exiled tribes would be gathered together. It would signal a new era and a new level of intimacy with the Lord. After hearing these words of Jeremiah, God’s people waited in eager anticipation of this promised future.

In our Gospel Reading, Jesus is approached by some Greeks. At their arrival Jesus declares that “The hour has come…”. The “hour” of which Jesus speaks refers to His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. With the coming of this “hour”, what was promised through the Prophet Jeremiah will finally reach fulfillment through Christ. Not only will the Children of Israel be gathered together, but so too will all people, “wash[ed]…and cleanse[d]” as we sing in today’s psalm.

Jesus says that He must die in order to bring eternal life. If Jesus is the Head of the Church, then His Body must do likewise:

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. – John 12:25

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead – Philippians 3:10

The new life which Jesus brought to mankind is made present to us at every Mass in the Blessed Sacrament. Sometime this week, in preparation for Easter, why not spend an additional Holy Hour asking for the grace to live a life in imitation of our Lord?

Sunday Lectionary

Sunday Lectionary: Arise and shine!

March 15, 2012 pilgrim One comment

4th Sunday of Lent, 18th March 2012

In our First Reading last week we read about the giving of the Ten Commandments and this week we continue our Lenten tour through the high points of Old Testament Salvation History.

Our First Reading begins on a rather somber note. The Kingdom of Judah had abandoned God’s Law and, as a result, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed and the people led into captivity. All of God’s promises to King David seemed to be lost! We hear the people’s song of lament in today’s Psalm.

However, because of God’s mercy and through His divine providence, the pagan King Cyrus decides to grant the Jews their freedom, releasing them from bondage.

In the light of the New Testament, we know that God’s promises to King David were not forgotten, but that they all found their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth, both Son of David and Son of God! The freedom granted to God’s people by King Cyrus was simply a foreshadowing of Jesus’ work of salvation. It is through the King of Kings that we are released from the bondage of death and brought to new life.

In our Second Reading, St. Paul tells use that “because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, [He] brought us to life with Christ”. These words of St. Paul are themselves only an echo of the Master’s teaching. In this week’s Gospel Reading, during His discourse with Nicodemus, Jesus reveals the heart of the Father: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life“.

Full of confidence, therefore, in God’s mercy and love, let us approach this week’s Eucharistic liturgy with the joy of those who have been granted new life 🙂

Sunday Lectionary

Sunday Lectionary: Cleaning Out The House

March 7, 2012 pilgrim 7 comments

3rd Sunday Of Lent, 11th March 2012

The First Reading and the Gospel this week recall events of epic proportion.

The First Reading takes place three months after the Israelite exodus from Egypt. The Children of Israel have journeyed through the desert and found themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. The stage is set for arguably one of the most important events of the Old Testament: the giving the Ten Commandments through ~~Charlton Heston~~ Moses.

The Gospel Reading contains no less drama! We read the account from John’s Gospel of the “cleansing of the Temple”. The Lord drives out the money lenders and animal sellers and, when challenged by the authorities, He speaks outlandishly about the destruction of the Temple and its rebuilding in three days…

Moses guarded the nation of Israel and, through God’s grace and guidance, acted as Israel’s leader, law-giver, mediator and intercessor. In Christ all these roles find their fulfillment and perfection.

The Temple has been cleansed. A new dawn is at hand…

Sunday Lectionary

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