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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.<\/p>\nIn 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.<\/p>\n
Our First Reading begins on a rather somber\u00a0note. 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.<\/p>\n
However, because of God’s mercy and through His divine providence, the pagan\u00a0King Cyrus decides to grant the Jews their freedom, releasing them from bondage.<\/p>\n
In the light of the New Testament, we know that God’s promises to King David were not<\/em> forgotten, but that they all found their fulfillment\u00a0in 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<\/em> that we are released from the bondage of death and brought to new life.<\/p>\n In our Second Reading, St. Paul tells use that\u00a0“<\/span>because of the great love he had for us,\u00a0even when we were dead in our transgressions, [He] brought us to life with Christ”<\/span>. \u00a0<\/em>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,\u00a0so that everyone who believes in him might not perish\u00a0but might have eternal life<\/em>“<\/span>.<\/p>\n 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 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our First Reading comes from the Old Testament book of 2nd Chronicles. 1st and 2nd Chronicles were originally a single book. The same is true for 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Samuel.\u00a0However, when the Septuagint was produced (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), each of these books appeared in two parts. This separation has been maintained ever since.<\/p>\n The book of Chronicles was most likely written by a Levite from Jerusalem and covers roughly the same time period as\u00a01 & 2 Kings. It initially focuses on the life of Solomon. After Solomon’s death there is civil war and the Kingdom of Israel is divided\u00a0in two: the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. \u00a0The book of Chronicles focuses on the story of the Davidic kings in the south.<\/p>\n As the book of 2nd Chronicles draws to a close, it narrates the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile. The extract selected for our First Reading this week comes from the final chapter of this book, in which King Cyrus of Persia issues an edict allowing the Jews to return home.<\/p>\n In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people<\/span>\u00a0added infidelity to infidelity,<\/span>\u00a0practicing all the abominations of the nations<\/span>\u00a0and polluting the LORD’s temple<\/span>\u00a0which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,<\/span>\u00a0send his messengers to them,<\/span>\u00a0for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.<\/span>\u00a0But they mocked the messengers of God,<\/span>\u00a0despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,<\/span>\u00a0until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed<\/span>\u00a0that there was no remedy.<\/span>\u00a0Their enemies burnt the house of God,<\/span>\u00a0tore down the walls of Jerusalem,<\/span>\u00a0set all its palaces afire,<\/span>\u00a0and destroyed all its precious objects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon, where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons until the kingdom of the Persians came to power. All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,<\/span>\u00a0in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,<\/span>\u00a0the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia<\/span>\u00a0to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,<\/span>\u00a0both by word of mouth and in writing:<\/span>\u00a0“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:<\/span>\u00a0All the kingdoms of the earth<\/span>\u00a0the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,<\/span>\u00a0and he has also charged me to build him a house<\/span>\u00a0in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.<\/span>\u00a0Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,<\/span>\u00a0let him go up, and may his God be with him!”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people\u00a0added infidelity to infidelity,\u00a0practicing all the abominations of the nations<\/span>\u00a0and polluting the LORD’s temple\u00a0which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The author paints a picture of complete moral rebellion against God by the entire people of Judah (“princes…priests…people”<\/span><\/em>).<\/p>\n The Temple had originally been dedicated for a holy purpose. Likewise, God’s people were set apart as\u00a0“a holy\u00a0nation” <\/em><\/span>(Exodus 19:6<\/a>). However, both the Lord’s people and His Temple had been defiled.<\/p>\n Their sin is described as “infidelity”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 because they did not remain faithful to Yahweh and instead abandoned their covenant vows to the Lord. They did not retain their national identity nor did they live up to their holy vocation to be a “light\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0Gentiles” <\/span><\/em>– Isaiah 42:6<\/span>. Instead, they became just as clouded with darkness as the inhabitants of the surrounding countries,\u00a0“practicing the abominations of the nations”<\/span><\/em>.<\/p>\n Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,\u00a0send his messengers to them,\u00a0for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n It is emphaized that, because of God’s great mercy, He repeatedly sent messengers to call the people back to faithfulness.<\/p>\n But they mocked the messengers of God,\u00a0despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,\u00a0until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed\u00a0that there was no remedy.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n These messengers were mocked and ignored.\u00a0Israel’s adultery continued\u00a0unabated. Finally, enough was enough…<\/p>\n Their enemies burnt the house of God,\u00a0tore down the walls of Jerusalem,\u00a0set all its palaces afire,\u00a0and destroyed all its precious objects.\u00a0Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,\u00a0where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons\u00a0until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Chaldeans (Babylon) invaded Judah in 605 BC\u00a0exiling\u00a0many craftsmen to Babylon. In 597 BC he took Jerusalem, exiling the aristocracy to Babylon. During the revolt of\u00a0Zedekiah in 586 BC he destroyed the Temple (“the house of God”<\/span><\/em>) and exiled yet more Jews.<\/p>\n All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:\u00a0“Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,\u00a0during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest\u00a0while seventy years are fulfilled.”<\/em><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n This quotation comes from Jeremiah 25:12<\/a>. The “seventy years”<\/em><\/span>\u00a0which are mentioned can be calculated in several different ways too long and tedious to mention here.<\/p>\n It is interesting to note that punishment for\u00a0neglecting\u00a0the Sabbath is specifically mentioned. These are the Sabbath laws pertaining to the land, as described in the Pentateuch:<\/p>\n But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards<\/em> – Leviticus 25:4<\/span><\/p>\n For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,\u00a0but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove<\/em> – Exodus 23:10-11<\/span><\/p>\n By keeping the people in exile, the land gets to “catch up” on its\u00a0Sabbath\u00a0rests. After seventy years God returns a purified people to a purified land.<\/p>\n In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, …<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Cyrus of Persia conquers the Babylonians and in the first year of his reign he makes a proclamation.\u00a0This is the pagan king whom God describes as “my shepherd…[who] will accomplish all that I please…[my] anointed…whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him”<\/span><\/em> (Isaiah 44:28<\/a>). The language here is quite surprising since these were titles typically reserved for Jewish kings and priests, not pagan rulers.<\/p>\n …in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,\u00a0the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia<\/span>\u00a0to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,\u00a0both by word of mouth and in writing:\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Although the proclamation comes from King Cyrus, God’s people\u00a0were in no doubt that this deliverance came from Yahweh.<\/p>\n “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:\u00a0All the kingdoms of the earth\u00a0the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,\u00a0and he has also charged me to build him a house\u00a0in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.\u00a0Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,\u00a0let him go up, and may his God be with him!”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n In 538 BC King Cyrus allowed the Jews in Babylon to return to\u00a0home to rebuild the Temple (“a house in Jerusalem”<\/span><\/em>). This decree is also quoted in the book of Ezra 1:1-4<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apparently, Cyrus issued similar edicts for other nations and often restored the images of captured gods, but since the Jews had no images, he restored to them the sacred vessels which had been taken by\u00a0Nebuchadnezzar.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is a song of lament of one in captivity in Babylon. It was quite likely written after<\/em> the return from exile, but the psalmist speaks vividly as though he is still there.<\/p>\n R. (6ab)\u00a0Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n By the streams of Babylon<\/span><\/em> For there our captors asked of us<\/span><\/em> How could we sing a song of the LORD<\/span><\/em> May my tongue cleave to my palate<\/span><\/em> Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n R. (6ab)\u00a0Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The psalmist calls punishment upon himself if he ever forgets his homeland.<\/p>\n By the streams of Babylon\u00a0<\/em>we sat and wept<\/em>\u00a0when we remembered Zion.<\/em>\u00a0On the aspens of that land<\/em>\u00a0we hung up our harps.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The psalmist is in Babylon, exiled from his home in Zion (Jerusalem).\u00a0The “streams of Babylon”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 are the Tigris and the Euphrates (and their associated canals).<\/p>\n The psalmist and his countrymen sit\u00a0(a posture of mourning) and weep.\u00a0They hang up their harps on trees (“aspens”<\/span><\/em>) because they have no reason to sing:<\/p>\n The joyful timbrels are stilled,\u00a0the noise of the revelers has stopped,\u00a0the joyful harp is silent.<\/em> – Isaiah 24:8<\/span><\/p>\n They are away from their home and have no reason to play music.<\/p>\n For there our captors asked of us<\/em>\u00a0the lyrics of our songs,<\/em>\u00a0And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:<\/em>\u00a0“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Babylonians urge them to sing the songs of their homeland…<\/p>\n How could we sing a song of the LORD<\/em>\u00a0in a foreign land?<\/em>…<\/span><\/p>\n …but how could they possibly do that while they are so far from home?<\/p>\n …If I forget you, Jerusalem,<\/em>\u00a0may my right hand be forgotten!\u00a0<\/em>May my tongue cleave to my palate<\/em>\u00a0if I remember you not,<\/em>\u00a0If I place not Jerusalem<\/em>\u00a0ahead of my joy.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n As in the refrain, the psalmist calls punishment upon himself if he ever forgets his home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This week’s Second Reading comes from the letter to the Ephesians. \u00a0Ephesus was a large port city at the far west of Asia Minor and was the\u00a0capital\u00a0city of the Roman province of Asia:<\/p>\n It is in the 2nd Century that we first find evidence of this letter to the Ephesians being attributed to St. Paul. We know that\u00a0he passed through here on his 2nd Missionary Journey (Acts 18:19-21<\/a>) and that he used it as his headquarters during his 3rd Missionary Journey (Acts 19:1-20:1<\/a>), staying for a total of about three\u00a0years.<\/p>\n In the first three chapters of this letter the author outlines God’s great plan in which He builds a new community of people who are saved, sanctified and united by His Messiah. Our Reading comes from this early portion of the letter:<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0God, who is rich in mercy,\u00a0because of the great love he had for us,\u00a0even when we were dead in our transgressions,\u00a0brought us to life with Christ -by grace you have been saved-,\u00a0raised us up with him,\u00a0and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,\u00a0that in the ages to come\u00a0He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace\u00a0in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n For by grace you have been saved through faith,\u00a0and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;\u00a0it is not from works, so no one may boast.\u00a0For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works\u00a0that God has prepared in advance,\u00a0that we should live in them.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Questions:<\/p>\n Commentary:<\/p>\n Brothers and sisters:\u00a0God, who is rich in mercy,\u00a0because of the great love he had for us, …<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The word “rich”<\/span><\/em> is used many times in the letter to the Ephesians, stressing the abundance of God’s goodness.<\/p>\n “These are the true riches of God’s mercy, that even when we did not seek it, mercy was made known through His own initiative… This is God’s love to us,\u00a0that having made us He did not want us to perish. His reason for making us\u00a0was the He might love what He had made”<\/em>\u00a0– The Ambrosiaster (between A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on\u00a0<\/span>Thirteen Pauline Epistles<\/span><\/p>\n …even when we were dead in our transgressions,\u00a0brought us to life with Christ – … –\u00a0raised us up with him,\u00a0and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, …<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Before we were spiritually dead, but through Christ divine life is restored. We find a very similar description of the Prodigal Son after his return home:<\/p>\n “…For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”<\/em>\u00a0–\u00a0Luke 15:24<\/span><\/p>\n Paul says that we are “brought to…life…raised…seated..in the heavens”<\/span><\/em>. There is an extremely close association between Christ and the members of His Body. By being united with Christ His members will share in His Resurrection.<\/p>\n …by grace you have been saved…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Paul says very clearly that we are saved by “grace”<\/span><\/em>. Grace is a gift and can be considered as:<\/p>\n 1. God’s favour<\/strong> For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in\u00a0Christ Jesus our Lord<\/em>\u00a0– Romans 6:23<\/span><\/p>\n 2. God’s supernatural life<\/strong> Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires<\/em> – 2 Peter 1:4<\/span><\/p>\n The tense used here is interesting. St. Paul says that the Ephesians “Reading I: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6<\/h3>\n
\nwe sat and wept<\/span><\/em>
\nwhen we remembered Zion.<\/span><\/em>
\nOn the aspens of that land<\/span><\/em>
\nwe hung up our harps.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
\nthe lyrics of our songs,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd our despoilers urged us to be joyous:<\/span><\/em>
\n“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
\nin a foreign land?<\/span><\/em>
\nIf I forget you, Jerusalem,<\/span><\/em>
\nmay my right hand be forgotten!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
\nif I remember you not,<\/span><\/em>
\nIf I place not Jerusalem<\/span><\/em>
\nahead of my joy.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n
Reading II: Ephesians 2:4-10<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\nThis is the condition<\/span> for the gift’s bestowal (since grace is undeserved):<\/p>\n
\nThis is the content<\/span> of the gift:<\/p>\n