Third Sunday of Lent. -Year B - Sunday, 3 March 2024
(EPISODE:467)
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed.Stock Photo ID: 2156585795 - MONOPOLI, ITALY - MARCH 6, 2022: The painting of Jesus Cleanses the Temple scene in the church Chiesa di Sacro Cuore by Onofrio Bramante from 20. cent.Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent.- Year B
FIRST READING: Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11. "Lord, you have the words of everlasting life."
SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 3:16). Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. God loved the world so much, he gave his only Son. That all who believe in him might have eternal life.
GOSPEL: John 2:13-25
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Third Sunday of Lent. Year B - Sunday, 3 March 2024 - by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-third-sunday-of-lent-year-b-episode-467/s-uETkhv7qfdo
(EPISODE:467)
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GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
Third Sunday of Lent. Year B. Sunday, 3 March 2024
The lines of the First reading today set the scene for everything that follows. That first sentence is the key to understanding the ten commandments that follow.
God gives the Law to Moses, saying, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of slavery in Egypt." The "Words" from God that follow, which we know as the commandments are given to God's people to free them, protect them, and keep them in a good relationship with the Lord. (God declares to us that he is the God of liberation; God gives us this law to free us).
God's law is not an onerous duty or a burden. It frees us to be everything we are created to be.
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The Psalm sums it up so well: God's law is perfect. It is an absolute JOY. It gives wisdom. We are created not to be slaves, wearily doing the Lord's will as if it is a dreadful imposition and a burden. God's law is life and light.
From the outset, God names two things that imprison and enslave us;
- Putting other earthly things before God. and
- Creating false idols (making passing "things" into our 'god'),
These things lead to disaster. Our Lord wants to free us from this. Our Lord sets us on the path of God's ways, being first and respecting and showing reverence to ourselves, our communities and our neighbours.
To truly understand the real meaning and purpose of the law, it can be very helpful to understand the lawmaker. Then, one sees what the purpose of the law is. God is love, and God has unfathomable depths of compassion. God is just, faithful and loving. To keep God's law is a delight; it is created by our loving and compassionate God.
Our Lord, Jesus, who embodied and perfected the law, shows us God's loving, compassionate heart.
This is why Jesus knew the purpose and meaning of the law and how to apply it in Spirit and Truth. And, it is why he occasionally seemed to bend the letter of the law, to keep the spirit and meaning of the Law. Only Christ (who is the Law and the compassion of God), could understand the meaning of the Law so well as to complete it.
A good symbol of this issue in a modern example would be on our roads, As you drive along the highway. How many people do you see who look like or act like the road laws are a delight, a pure joy to keep? How many do you see driving around filled with delight and peace as they faithfully observe the laws of the road?
They cut in, tailgate, or sail past others doing four times the signed limit.
Like many laws, rules or regulations: - we know that the laws of the land protect safety, regulate competing rights and ensure the protection of life, liberty and property. But, in this one example I am mentioning, many seem to go through life flouting laws and treating them as a bore and a burden, a silly restriction on their "freedom," as they drive at excessive speeds, cut people off, turn and brake dangerously tailgate, abuse, and so on. Too many people seem to have taken this view on the road rules and other aspects of life.
"This law is silly, and it limits me. It doesn't apply to me. I am above all that, so I ignore it." But if everyone flouted laws when they felt it was unimportant, who would obey any? And what would become of it?
Too many find out by accident that they were not such a master of the situation that they believed.
As I am sure most would agree, following the road rules can be a joy and a delight because it frees us to be thoughtful and respectful to others and peaceful as we drive. Gone is the desperate effort to speed, rush, tailgate and rage over people who happen to be "in the way". The person who impatiently tailgates one car finally gets past them, only to be pathetically stuck behind the next car; all the while, they never notice that these cars aren't driving too slow; rather, THEY keep getting stuck because they are going too fast!!!! Some people are slow learners. Especially when they get to their destination (not having saved any time), and with a speeding camera fine, coming in the mail. All riled up. and, of course, it is always someone else's fault;
As necessary as human laws can be; God's law is so much better than this. It is true that the more we understand the reason for laws and the purpose of a rule, the more likely we will be to follow it. Of course, as the second reading reminds us, if God's ways are not like human ones, we must obey God's wisdom even if we find it unusual. We can be more and more open to God's ways. And get deeper inside the heart of the one who makes the laws not to hold us back but for life to be full.
The key to the gospel today is the first sentence too!!
- "Just before the Jewish Passover. " -
There is nothing wrong with people coming into the temple and offering up goats, pigeons, or spotless lambs in reparation for sin and offering up one's prayer and dedication to God. In fact, it was the law of the time to do this. The temple was the house of God's presence amongst his people.
The money changers would have claimed that they were there to assist with the people's religious duties simply. There are major problems here, though. At one time, "living animals" were prohibited from being brought into the temple grounds for sale. But that had changed. The area of the temple that was supposed to be reserved for Gentiles to worship God was now a marketplace where no one could possibly hope to pray or worship amidst all the noise and the rabble of haggling. Our Lord saw that the Gentiles were being treated with contempt, as well as everything else wrong with this scene. The fees charged for the temple services had also gotten out of hand, costing poor visitors three or more days' wages to be able to perform their religious duty there. The attitude with which the money changers were robotically, mechanically and business-like performing these operations was making a mockery of the sacredness of the action. This was a place of mystery and awe, not a place to turn into a circus with markets and cold businesslike precision. It is also never meant to be a case of "put in a penny and out comes a blessing". So, Our Lord was restoring the proper awe and reverence to God.
And, since it was indeed "just before the Passover, we cannot help but notice that Jesus is the TRUE Passover lamb. He is doing away with the need for lambs, goats and pigeons. He will be the one offering once and for all the perfect sacrifice, which will now be the means of forgiveness, grace, and redemption. He is restoring in himself proper worship and effective sacrifice in which businesslike marketplaces will not be needed.
Also, Jesus will BE THE NEW TEMPLE. Our Lord will be for us always the presence of God and the abiding promise of God's presence.
In and through Christ, church and the Eucharist.
Jesus, (who not only knows the lawmaker but us actually ONE WITH him), restores, completes and renews the ancient sacrifices and makes them effective by his own life, his teaching, his death and resurrection. And he warns us, just as he did the moneychangers, never take this for granted. Do not go through rituals with the mechanical presumption of a slot machine. Always, let us do this in awe and reverence for the saving law and sacrifice found in the temple that is the body of Christ.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
D'ARCY, T., JOHNSTON, J. AND COPLEY, B. (2015). BREAK OPEN THE WORD. BRISBANE. QLD.: THE LITURGICAL COMMISSION/ LITURGY BRISBANE.
DEBONA, G. (2014). BETWEEN THE AMBO AND THE ALTAR. YEAR B. 1ST ED. COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA: LITURGICAL PRESS.
JOHN J PILCH. THE CULTURAL WORLD OF JESUS/ THE APOSTLES/ THE PROPHETS SUNDAY BY SUNDAY, CYCLE B. COLLEGEVILLE, MINN. LITURGICAL PRESS .1996, 2002.
BARCLAY, W. (1975). THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. VOLUME I. 2ND ED. EDINBURGH: ST. ANDREW PRESS.
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed.Stock Photo ID: 2156585795 - MONOPOLI, ITALY - MARCH 6, 2022: The painting of Jesus Cleanses the Temple scene in the church Chiesa di Sacro Cuore by Onofrio Bramante from 20. cent.Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Third Sunday of Lent. Year B -(Sunday, 3 March 2024) (EPISODE: )
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Kindness and grace to you all}} Welcome, everyone; we gather - To reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives On this Third Sunday of Lent.
Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pause and reflect upon our sins to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
Lord Jesus, you have revealed yourself as the way to the Father: Lord, have mercy. You have poured out on your people the Spirit of truth: Christ, have mercy. You are the Good Shepherd, leading us to eternal life: Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11. "Lord, you have the words of everlasting life."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (John 3:16). ). Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory. God loved the world so much, he gave his only Son. That all who believe in him might have eternal life.
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PREFACE: Preface ii of Lent is used (when readings from year A are not used)
Eucharistic Prayer 2
(theme variation: theme 2 )
(post version: v2-long)
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{1. Thanks for joining us for this time of prayer and reflection}
2. Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy," inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk
Sound Engineering and Editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.
Editing equipment: -- MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software v10.49 (NCH Software).
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 17.63 (NCH Software)
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 10 Audio Editor (Izotope Inc.)
[ Production - KER - 2024]
May God bless and keep you.
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