TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (1:10, 16-20)

Hear what the Lord says, you rulers of Sodom! 
Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
Wash, make yourselves clean, 
take your wrong-doing out of my sight. 
Cease doing evil, learn to do good, 
search for justice, discipline the violent, 
be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.
Come, let us talk this over,’ says the Lord.
‘Though your sins are like scarlet, 
they shall be white as snow; 
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
If you are willing and listen, 
you shall eat the good things of the earth.
But if you refuse and rebel, 
you shall be devoured by the sword,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

The prophet begins his stern address in this opening chapter of the book of Isaiah by likening the people to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19), who merited destruction because of their sin. A string of imperatives urges Israel to change. The prophet begins with ‘wash’, ‘make yourselves clean’, ‘take your wrong-doing out of my sight’. The specific crimes of Israel involve injustice, especially to the orphan and the widow, who are so vulnerable. But change is possible, as from red to white, bringing a new start of holiness, provided that Israel is ‘willing’ and ‘listens’. Israel is free to follow the word of God through the prophet, or to ‘refuse’ and ‘rebel’. 

Psalm 50 (49) in a similar fashion accuses Israel of despising the Law of the Lord and disregarding his words. Change, however, is possible.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (23:1-12)

Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do and observe everything that they tell you; but do not do what they do, since they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they do not lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done to be seen by others, for they make their headbands broader and their tassels longer. They love the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market squares and to be addressed by people as Rabbi. ‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers and sisters. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.’

It is easy to concentrate on the supposed faults of others. The first half of this gospel passage points to the behaviour of the scribes and Pharisees, religious experts, who just like those of today are tempted to take pride in their status and importance. They are determined to be seen and to be admired by the people. But the second half of this passage is for all. There is a focus on the one ‘Master’, the one ‘Father’ and the one ‘Teacher’. There is no place in Christianity for superior pride. Jesus encourages humility and service, for ‘the greatest among you will be your servant’. These later words of the gospel passage invite us to change.

Why is status so important for some religious people?

For the grace to see the greatness of humble service, we pray

MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Daniel (9:4-10)

I pleaded with the Lord my God and made this confession: “O my Lord, God great and to be feared, you keep the covenant and show faithful love towards those who love you and who observe your commandments: we have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly, we have betrayed your commandments and rulings and turned away from them. We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings, our chief men, our ancestors and all people of the land.

“Saving justice, Lord, is yours; we have only the look of shame we wear today, we, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in every land to which you have dispersed us because of the treachery we have committed against you. To us, our kings, our chief men and our ancestors belongs the look of shame, O Lord, since we have sinned against you. It is for the Lord our God to have mercy and to forgive since we have betrayed him and have not listened to the voice of the Lord our God nor followed the laws he has given us through his servants the prophets.”

This prayer of Daniel, inspired by the reading of Scripture, is set during the Exile, but can be used in any situation of need. Daniel recalls the covenant love of God, and then repeatedly acknowledges the sin of the people. They admit: ‘we have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name’. Disregarding God’s word is the basis of all sin. God is a god of ‘saving justice’, but only ‘shame’ belongs to the people scattered ‘near and far away’. Daniel prays fervently that God will show mercy and forgive.

Psalm 79 (78) is a psalm of penitence, which reflects the statements in the prayer of Daniel.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (6:36-38)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you.’

While in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says ‘Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect’, in Luke we learn what those words of Jesus might mean. Jesus insists here on being ‘compassionate’, a word which has a depth of feeling to it and a clear requirement of holiness and love. It is accompanied by four more imperatives: ‘do not judge’, ‘do not condemn’, ‘forgive’ and ‘give’. Each of these imperatives, if acted on, will bring positive consequences of compassionate love. These verses of Luke’s gospel, like the Sermon on the Mount, confirm that we are called to imitate the goodness of the Father.

Should we strive for perfection?

For people trapped in situations where there is no compassion or human warmth, we pray.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR C

A reading from the book of Genesis (15:5-12, 17-18)

Then taking Abram outside, he said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so will your descendants be,’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord and this was reckoned to him as righteousness. 

He then said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to give you this country as your possession.’ Abram replied, ‘Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, split the animals down the middle and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not divide. And when birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, Abram drove them off. 

Now, as the sun was on the point of setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and a deep, dark dread descended on him. When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passing between the animals’ pieces. That day the Lord made a covenant with Abram in these terms:

‘To your descendants I give this country,
from the River of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates.’

This mysterious account signals the making of a covenant between God and Abram. The faith of Abram was apparent at the beginning of his story when he was willing to leave his home to travel to a new land. His faith is emphasised again here, as he trusts God’s promise of numerous descendants. This faith was considered as ‘righteousness’, and will be important for St Paul in his exploration of the nature of faith (Romans 4). The ancient ritual of sacrifice performed here was used to ratify covenants, and is referred to in Jeremiah 34. The atmosphere is dark and threatening as a ‘deep sleep’ falls on Abram and a ‘dark dread’. His vision of the ‘smoking firepot’ and the ‘flaming torch’ are symbols of the divine presence as God forges a covenant with him. The words of God again promise descendants and spell out the vast extensions of the land. 

Psalm 27 (26)  The psalm promises the gift of the Lord’s goodness ‘in the land of the living’. 

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (3:17-4:1)

Brothers and sisters, be united in imitating me. Look towards those who act according to the example you have from me. For there are many people of whom I have often warned you, and now I warn you again with tears, who behave as enemies of Christ’s cross. Their end is destruction; their god is the stomach; their glory is in their shame, since their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven and from there we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform this wretched body of ours into the mould of his glorious body, through the working of the power which he has, even to make all things subject to him.

So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I miss, my joy and my crown; hold firm in the Lord, dear friends, in this way.

St Paul had a particular affection for the Christians of Philippi. This was the first place he visited on crossing from Asia to Europe (Acts 16), and he founded the church in that place. Now however these Christians are faced with a choice, and Paul is profoundly upset by the situation. They are being lured by people called by Paul ‘the enemies of the cross of Christ’ to conform to the requirements of Judaism, circumcision in particular. Paul warns them against ‘earthly things’, and that they should not give up the freedom they have received. Christians have a different prospect, for their ‘citizenship is in heaven’. The Lord Jesus, at his coming, will transform ‘this wretched body of ours’ into a copy of ‘his glorious body’. The Christian relies entirely on the power of Christ.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (9:28-36)

Now about eight days after these sayings, taking Peter, John and James with him he went up the mountain to pray. And it happened that, as he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became dazzling white. And suddenly there were two men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his departure which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah,’ not knowing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and as they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They themselves kept silence and, in those days, told no one what they had seen. 

The account of the transfiguration takes place as Jesus prepares to journey to Jerusalem. Luke tells us that ‘the aspect of his face was changed’. He may well be alluding to the transformation in the face of Moses when he met the Lord (Exodus 34). Luke uniquely has Jesus in dialogue with Moses and Elijah about his ‘departure’ (exodos), which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Luke has Jesus solemnly begin this journey, his ‘being taken up’, later in the chapter, saying that he ‘resolutely turned his face towards Jerusalem’. Luke also emphasises that the disciples saw the ‘glory’ of the Lord, an anticipation of his risen glory. Moses had been denied a vision of the glory of God (Exodus 33). In Luke’s account the cloud fills the disciples with fear, and the words of God call Jesus ‘son’ and also ‘chosen one’. Finally, Luke states that the disciples ‘kept silent’ about what they had seen, at least ‘in those days’. 

The words of God ‘This is my Son’ at the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus mark the two parts of the gospel story: the preaching of the kingdom, and the road to the Passion.

For those whose journey to God is particularly difficult, let us pray.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR B

A reading from the book of Genesis (22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18)

It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he called. ‘Here I am,’ he replied. God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and there you shall offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall point out to you.’ 

When they arrived at the place that God had indicated to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ he replied. He said, ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your own beloved son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 

The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own self, the Lord declares, that because you have done this, because you have not refused me your own beloved son, I will shower blessings on you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All nations on earth will bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed my command.’ 

A major feature of the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis is that God repeatedly promises that he and his wife Sarah will have a son. Isaac is eventually born when both parents are elderly (Genesis 21). Naturally Abraham is horrified when he is led to believe that God is asking him to take his son, ‘his only son, Isaac whom he loves’, to be offered as a burnt offering on a mountain God will show him. Abraham, nevertheless, complies and makes the journey to Moriah, the mountain indicated by God, traditionally identified with Mount Sion, on which the Temple would be built. On arrival and, after all the preparations have been made to sacrifice the boy, God intervenes to stop Abraham from killing the child. Abraham’s willingness to obey shows that he truly ‘fears God’, for he has not refused to offer back to God the greatest gift God has given him, the son for Sarah and Abraham so long awaited, the child of the promise. The story concludes with a solemn restatement of the promise by God: Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars and as the sand on the seashore.

Psalm 116 (115) The psalm speaks of the promised ‘land of the living’, held out to Abraham, and fully revealed by Christ.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (8:31-34)

If God is for us, who can be against us? Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of us all, will he not with him give us everything else? Who can bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies; who can condemn? Jesus Christ who died, or rather was raised up, who is also at the right hand of God and who intercedes for us?  

The eighth chapter of the Letter to the Romans is a celebration of salvation in Christ. In a series of rhetorical questions St Paul expresses his amazement at God’s plan for salvation. God did not keep back his own Son, but gave him up for the salvation of the human race. It follows that no-one can condemn those whom God has chosen, and least of all Jesus, who now sits at God’s right hand. To appreciate all this we need a deeper grasp of God’s holiness, God’s justice and God’s love. 

A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark (9:2-10)

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. In their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.

As they were coming down from the mountain he instructed them to tell no one what they had seen, except when the Son of man had risen from the dead. And they kept the matter to themselves, though they puzzled what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.

As in the other synoptic gospels Mark positions the story of the transfiguration at the time when Jesus is beginning the fateful journey to Jerusalem, and has spoken about his coming death and resurrection. Mark gives an honest account of the journey of faith of the disciples of Jesus, not concealing their frequent blunders. At the climax of the transfiguration story in all three synoptic gospels Peter blurts out ‘it is wonderful for us to be here.’ Only in Mark does the evangelist underline the gaucheness of this remark by speaking of the fear of the disciples. For Mark Peter ‘did not know what to say; they were so frightened’. The cloud and the divine voice add to the mystery. Mark also honestly reports that the disciples struggled with the idea of ‘rising from the dead’.

How much do the disciples learn from the transfiguration experience?

Pray for those who prefer their own comfort to honestly facing the problems of life.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR A

A reading from the book of Genesis (12:1-4)

The Lord  said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your kindred and your father’s house for a country that I shall show you; and I shall make you into a great nation, I shall bless you and make your name famous; you are to be a blessing!

‘I shall bless those who bless you,
and curse those who curse you,
and all clans on earth
will bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him.

The story of Abram, later to be called Abraham (Genesis 17), begins with the command of the Lord that he should set out on a journey. Abram promptly obeys. In Genesis 1 God blesses both human beings and the fish of the sea. The story of Abram, with which salvation history begins in Genesis 12, also announces blessings. Guided only by the word of God, Abram is to leave what he has and trust in God alone. God will bless him, and bless those who bless him, so that all the nations will bless themselves by him. This image of harmony throughout the earth is built on the faith of Abram in God who provides for all. The story of God and of the people of God is essentially a story of blessing. 

Psalm 33 (32) As Abraham knew, the word of God is to be trusted. Abraham, who showed reverence for God, knows God as ‘help’ and ‘shield’.

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy (1:8-10)

Share in my hardships for the sake of the gospel, relying on the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling – not because of anything we ourselves had done but for his own purpose and by his own grace, granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time; but revealed only by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who both abolished death and brought to light life and immortality through the gospel.

The Christian is called to share in the suffering which preaching the gospel brings, for God has both saved us and called us, with a call which does not rely on any good deeds we have done but is a gift of grace. The gift, prepared from long ago, is revealed by the ‘appearing’ (epifaneia) of the Saviour, who destroys death, and brings life and immortality. The gospel proclaims a free gift of God revealed in the coming of ‘our Saviour Christ Jesus’.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (17:1-9)

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain on their own. In their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as dazzling as light. And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, saying, ‘Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here; if you want me to, I will make three shelters here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them, saying, ‘Stand up, do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but Jesus himself alone. 

The story of the transfiguration is told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, in a broadly similar way. To grasp the significance of the story we must bear in mind that it happens just as Jesus prepares to journey to Jerusalem, and as he speaks to his disciples for the first time of his coming death and resurrection. Moses and Elijah, who appear in the scene, are remembered as having conquered death. The testimony of Scripture is that the grave of Moses was never found (Deuteronomy 34), and that Elijah was taken up in a chariot to heaven (2 Kings 2). These traditions point us towards the idea of resurrection. In the strange experience of the transfiguration three chosen disciples are given a glimpse of resurrection glory. Meanwhile we are bidden by the voice of God to ‘listen’ to Jesus.

How does this story prepare us for the Cross?

For all who today need courage to face death, their own, or the death of another, we pray.

SATURDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Deuteronomy (26:16-19)

Moses said to the people: ‘Today the Lord your God commands you to observe these laws and customs; you shall keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you have brought the Lord your God to declare that he will be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his customs, and listen to his voice. And today the Lord has brought you to declare that you will be his treasured people – as he has said – and that you will keep all his commandments; then for praise and renown and splendour, he will raise you higher than every other nation he has made, and you will be a people holy to the Lord, as he has promised.’

This solemn reading invites a renewal of the covenant between Israel and God, and is punctuated with three uses of the word ‘today’. At Moses’ bidding the people of Israel renew their solemn commitment to the Law of the Lord, with its ‘statutes’, ‘commandments’ and ‘customs’, to be kept and observed ‘with all your heart’ and ‘with all your soul’. The people have ‘brought the Lord to declare’ that ‘he will be your God’. And the Lord has ‘brought you to declare’ that ‘you are his treasured people’. This amounts to a renewal of the covenant, reflecting the basic formula ‘I will be your God, and you will be my people’ (Jeremiah 31:33). They are committed once more to be a people ‘holy to the Lord’.

Psalm 119 (118)  Psalm 119 is a magnificent celebration of the Law, source of happiness, and is constructed as an ‘acrostic’, where every stanza begins with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (5:43-48)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have heard how it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy”. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the evil as well as the good, and sends down rain on the righteous and the wicked alike. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? And if you save your greetings for your brothers and sisters, are you doing anything exceptional? Do not even the gentiles do as much? You must therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

This is the sixth and final ‘antithesis’ from the Sermon on the Mount. Yesterday we heard the new ruling of Jesus to avoid all anger and aggression against others. Today the command is to love not only the neighbour, but the enemy too. Christians should both love the enemy and pray for the persecutor. The goodness of the creator God , who provides sun and rain for all, is in this way imitated by the children of God. The standard is higher than that practised by tax collectors and gentiles, even though their conduct might sometimes be exemplary. This final antithesis points most clearly to the newer and deeper justice which God invites (Matthew 5:20). There is nothing greater than to seek to imitate the all-embracing love of God. Jesus concludes: ‘You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (teleioi). 

Am I ready to pursue new standards of goodness, inspired by the wisdom of Jesus?

Pray for the desire to be ‘perfect’, without embarrassment, and the wisdom to know what it means to be ‘holy’.

FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the prophet Ezekiel (18:21-28)

Thus says the Lord: ‘If the wicked, however, renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and righteous, he will most certainly live; he will not die. None of the crimes he committed will be remembered against him from then on; he will most certainly live because of his righteous actions. Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked – declares the Lord God – and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live? 

‘But if the righteous abandons righteousness and does wrong, copying all the loathsome practices of the wicked, is he to live? All his righteous actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, he will most certainly die.

‘But you say, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the righteous abandons righteousness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrong which he himself has done. Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law-abiding and righteous, he saves his own life. Having chosen to renounce all his previous crimes, he will most certainly live: he will not die.’

This section of moral teaching of the prophet Ezekiel begins and ends on an optimistic note. It is possible for human beings to change from wickedness to goodness, and God welcomes this change. In the heart of the reading, however, lies the warning that the converse is also true, for human beings can move from goodness to wickedness, so that their goodness will be forgotten. There is always the opportunity to change. God treats a person for what that person is, not what they may have been in the past. God, who is supremely just, yearns for the sinner to ‘renounce his wickedness and live’, taking pleasure not in death but in life. The good God awaits the goodness which every person can freely give.

Psalm  130 (129)  This psalm, the De profundis, is traditionally prayed for the dead. It is chosen here to resonate with the possibility of change through the mercy of God, with whom is found forgiveness and fullness of redemption.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (5:20-26)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.

‘You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, “You shall not murder”; and whoever murders must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you, anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother or sister “idiot” will answer for it before the assembly; and anyone who calls a brother or sister “fool” will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, go and first be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court together, or your opponent may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the attendant, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen I say to you, you will not get out till you have paid the last coin.’

Jesus brings a new kind of righteousness, a new kind of justice (dikaiosyne), which surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees. In a series of six contrasts, known as ‘antitheses’, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers the challenge of a broader justice. The antitheses are punctuated with ‘You have heard it said’, and ‘I say this to you.’ Jesus, the new Moses, deepens the traditional teaching. In this first antithesis Jesus makes clear that there are to be no half measures, no half goodness, but wholeheartedness. External acts are one thing, but God sees and judges the heart. Anger and hatred against brother or sister are on the same level as murder. Reconciliation with the brother or sister must always be the first concern, and does as much good to the one who offers it as to the one to whom it is offered.

While Ezekiel assures us that God welcomes change for the good, Jesus exemplifies what such change could look like.

For the grace of a new heart, we pray.

THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Esther (4:17)

Queen Esther also took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words:

‘My Lord, our King, the only one,
come to my help, for I am alone
and have no helper but you,
and am about to take my life in my hands.
I have been taught from my earliest years
in my father’s clan,
that you, Lord, chose Israel out of all the nations,
and our ancestors out of all their forebears
to be your eternal heritage;
and that you have treated them as you promised.
Remember, Lord; reveal yourself
in this time of our distress.
Give me courage,
King of gods and master of all power.
Put persuasive words into my mouth
when I face the lion;
change his heart into hatred for our enemy
so that he and all like him may be brought to their end.
Save us by your hand, and come to my help, 
for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord.’

The book of Esther tells the story of a beautiful Jewish queen who faces a terrible dilemma. She is forbidden to enter the presence of her husband the king uninvited, but must approach ‘the lion’ because of the threatened genocide of her people. This prayer, in which Esther desperately seeks strength from the Lord, is an addition in the Greek language to the Hebrew book of Esther. In it Esther recalls God’s choice of Israel and fidelity to the covenant. This gives her courage in the predicament in which she is now. The prayer arises from profound meditation on the courage of this Jewish woman, who, as the story goes on to report, wins freedom and reprieve for her people.

Psalm 138 (137) This psalm expresses thanks for an answer to prayer, and so is fitting after the reading about Esther. The faithfulness and love of God are eternal.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (7:7-12)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; to everyone who knocks the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, would give a stone? Or, if your child asks for a fish, would give a snake? If you, then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 

‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets.’

The theme of prayer is taken up again in another excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount. We are not dealing with a specific danger, but with the general needs of human beings, often expressed in prayer. Jesus responds by saying that, if parents normally care for their children and provide what they need, it is clear that ‘your Father in heaven’ will not fail to respond. We may not receive exactly what we ask for, for God knows what is for our good better than we ourselves do. The gospel passage concludes with the ‘golden rule’ – ‘treat others as you would like them to treat you’ – which is found also outside the confines of Judaism and Christianity. For Jesus love of brothers and sisters sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Pray for what God wants, not for what we want.

For people who only pray when they are desperate, let us pray.

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Jonah (3:1-10)

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time saying, ‘Up! Go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the message I tell you.’ So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was a city great beyond compare; to cross it took three days. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city and then proclaimed, ‘Only forty days more and Nineveh will be overthrown.’ And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. Then he had it proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles, as follows: ‘No person or animal, herd or flock, shall eat anything; they shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. All must put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might; and let everyone renounce their evil ways and the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? Perhaps God will change his mind and relent and renounce his burning wrath so that we shall not perish.’ God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which he had said he would to bring on them and did not bring it.

The Lord had to send Jonah twice. When first sent Jonah refused and headed off in the opposite direction towards Tarshish, long associated with Spain (Jonah 1). God had to take extreme measures to bring this prophet back. Even now, called for a second time, Jonah is far from convinced he should preach to Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian empire, an arch-enemy of Israel. His preaching is just five words long in Hebrew (nine in our English translation). Jonah has only travelled one day into the city, which takes three days to cross, and God’s work of conversion begins. It is the king of Nineveh, and his nobles, who grasp the urgency of the situation and preach to the people the message of repentance and divine mercy. The response of the people, and even of the animals, is to seek forgiveness. God’s mercy averts ‘disaster’. But Jonah remains stubbornly unconvinced and unrepentant (Jonah 4).

Psalm 51 (50)  Once more, for the third time this Lent, we pray this psalm of mercy. A humble and contrite heart is welcomed by God, who offers pardon to those who ask for it. The people of Nineveh know what this means.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (11:29-32)

The crowds got even bigger and Jesus began to say, ‘This is an evil generation; it asks for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation. At the judgement the Queen of the South will stand up with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgement the men of Nineveh will take their stand and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.

The constant quest for a ‘sign’ shows an unwillingness to take Jesus seriously and to acknowledge the power of his words and actions. Jesus is the real sign. The people could learn from the Queen of Sheba, who travelled hundreds of miles to find the wisdom of king Solomon (1 Kings 10). They could learn from the Ninevites, led by their astute king, who understood God’s mercy, and changed their ways (Jonah 3). And Jesus insists that there is something greater than Solomon or Jonah here.

Do we still look for signs, even though Jesus Christ speaks to us and acts for us?

For the humility to learn from others, we pray.

TUESDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Isaiah (55:10-11)

Thus says the Lord:

For as the rain and the snow come down from the sky 
and do not return before watering the earth, 
fertilising it and making it germinate 
to provide seed for the sower and food to eat,
so it is with the word that goes forth from my mouth: 
it does not return to me unfulfilled 
or before carrying out my purpose
and achieving what it was sent to do.

This short saying comes towards the end of the chapters of the book of Isaiah (40-55) attributed to a prophet active in the Babylonian exile. This ‘Second Isaiah’ has often spoken about God’s powerful word, and maintained that God declares beforehand what is to come about (42:9). God is more powerful and more compassionate than the false gods of the nations, and the word of this God ‘stands firm for ever’ (40:8).

Psalm 34 (33)  This psalm celebrates the God who hears and responds to prayer, especially the prayer of those in distress.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (6:7-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray, then, like this:

‘Our Father in heaven, 
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come, 
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, 
as we have forgiven our debtors.
And do not put us to the test, but save us from the Evil One.

‘For if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’

At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount we read Matthew’s version of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. Jesus draws a contrast not with Jewish forms of prayer, which are in fact reflected here, but with the ‘babbling’ of the gentiles. Three petitions, concerning the name of God, the kingdom and the will of God, have us pray for the revelation of God’s glory. Then we are directed to seek three things. ‘Bread’ for today and tomorrow represents every physical need. Forgiveness is repeatedly a concern in the Sermon on the Mount, and throughout Matthew’s gospel, as in the parable of the unforgiving debtor (chapter 18). Finally, the Christian requests escape from the ‘test’, the time of trial (peirasmos), and deliverance from the Evil One (poneros). Christ’s prayer strengthens the will and feeds the heart as we journey towards God.

Identify each of the petitions in the Our Father, and pray them separately.

For those who struggle to call God ‘father’, we pray.

MONDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

A reading from the book of Leviticus (19:1-2,11-18)

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Speak to the whole community of Israelites and say, “Be holy, for I, the  Lord your God, am holy. 

‘ “You shall not steal, nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your fellow-citizen. You shall not swear by my name with intent to deceive and thus profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

‘ “You shall not defraud your neighbour. You shall not steal. You shall not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You shall not curse the dumb or put an obstacle in the way of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the Lord.

‘ “You shall not do evil in administering justice. You shall neither be partial to the poor nor overawed by the great, but shall administer justice to your fellow-citizen justly. You shall not go about slandering your own family, nor will you endanger your neighbour’s life.  I am the Lord.

‘ “You shall not have hatred in your heart for any of your kin. You shall reprove your neighbour firmly and so avoid taking the guilt upon yourself. You shall not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but shall love your neighbour as yourself.  I am the Lord.”’

An important section of the book of Leviticus (17-26) is known as ‘the Holiness Code’ and this reading is taken from these chapters. The holiness of God requires that God’s people too be holy. Our passage is punctuated with the fourfold declaration from the holy God: ‘I am the Lord’. Holiness requires honest and respectful behaviour towards the neighbour, which is spelt out in a multitude of ways. Stealing, deceit, and swearing false oaths recall the commandments of the Decalogue (Exodus 20). Keeping back the wages of the worker, and abuse of the dumb and the blind are condemned, while the ‘fear’ of the Lord is encouraged. The proper administration of justice rules out partiality in judgement. ‘Hatred in your heart’ and ‘vengeance’ are replaced by the final command: ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself’.

Psalm 19 (18)  The psalm renews the focus on the Law of the Lord, which brings life and wisdom, joy and light. The ‘fear of the Lord’ is not something negative, but appropriate awe in the presence of a God of justice and love.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (25:31-46)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, needing clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the righteous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, needing clothes and we clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to you?” And the King will answer, “Amen I say to you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me.”

‘Then he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, accursed, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you did not give me food, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, needing clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they in their turn will ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or needing clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your aid?” Then he will answer, “Amen I say to you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the righteous to eternal life.’

The parable of the sheep and the goats is the last part of the fifth and final major speech of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, a speech which considers the future and the end. This ‘last judgement’ asks how we treat others, and in particular those in need. It is the gospel call to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, with the significant change that ‘all the nations’ are included. Solidarity with the poor, the hungry and those on the margins is the fundamental criterion of the judgement. Every person is my brother or sister, and in each I serve Christ. The virtuous are amazed that they have served Christ in each person in need. The parable ends with the stark choice between ‘eternal punishment’ and ‘eternal life’. It is not possible to reach eternal life without having reached out to brothers and sisters in need.

How can I serve Jesus in those I do not like?

For the needy who are noticed by no-one, let us pray.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR C

A reading from the book of Deuteronomy (26:4-10)

Moses said to the people: ‘The priest will take the basket from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord your God. In the presence of the Lord your God, you will then pronounce these words, “My father was a wandering Aramaean; he went down to Egypt, few in number, and stayed there; there he became a great, powerful and numerous nation. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they oppressed us and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, God of our ancestors. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So I now bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, Lord , have given me.” You will then set it down before the Lord your God, and prostrate yourself in the presence of the Lord your God.’

The ritual of presenting to God the first fruits of the harvest is spelt out here. As the person offering approaches the priest, he makes a declaration about the acts of God for Israel from the patriarchs until the entry into the promised land. The reference to the ‘wandering Aramaean’ may well be to Jacob, who spent years in the ancestral land of Aram after his rift with Esau (Genesis 28). The declaration recalls that the Israelites have been delivered from slavery in Egypt and brought to a ‘fruitful’ land, where ‘milk and honey’ flow. In gratitude the person offers the first fruits of ‘the soil you have given me’. The confession of God’s good deeds for Israel is followed by an offering to God.

Psalm 91 (90)  This psalm prepares us for the gospel of the temptations, during which the devil uses this text to ensnare Jesus, and assure him of God’s protection if he hurls himself off the temple parapet: ‘his angels will keep you in all your ways’.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (10:8-13)

Scripture says: The word is near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of the faith which we proclaim). If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Belief with the heart leads to righteousness, and confession with the lips leads to salvation. Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be brought to disgrace, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: the same Lord is the Lord of all, generous to all who call on him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

After the declaration of faith in the previous reading St Paul gives us the essence of the Christian creed, that Jesus is Lord, and that God raised him from the dead. Belief ‘with the heart’ brings ‘righteousness’, and confession ‘with the lips’ brings ‘salvation’. These gifts are given to all who believe, Jew and gentile alike, for God is ‘generous’ in mercy. Paul ends the passage with a quotation from the second part of Isaiah, from the prophet who looked forward to universal salvation. The words Paul quotes from this part of Scripture are fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lord.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke (4:1-13)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, for forty days being put to the test by the devil. During that time he ate nothing at all and when they were over he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf.’ But Jesus replied to him, ‘Scripture says: 

A human does not live on bread alone.’

Then, leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and their splendour, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to anyone I wish. If you, then, worship me, it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘It is written: 

You shall worship the Lord your God, him alone shall you serve.’

Then he led him to Jerusalem and set him on the parapet of the Temple and said to him, ‘If you are Son of God throw yourself down from here, for it is written: 

He has given his angels orders about you, to guard you, and that, 

They will carry you in their arms in case you trip on a stone.’ 

But Jesus answered him, ‘It is said: 

Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Having finished every way of putting him to the test, the devil left him, until the opportune moment.

The account of the temptations in the gospel of Luke is, like Matthew’s account, developed from the brief reference in Mark’s gospel. The texts of Scripture used by Jesus, and by Satan, are the same. The temptations concern pleasure, prestige and power, but the order of the temptations is changed. In Luke the final temptation is that Jesus should demonstrate his status by throwing himself off the parapet of the Temple. At this point, as in Matthew, Satan quotes from Psalm 91, that God’s angels will protect Jesus. The positioning of this Jerusalem temptation as the final one matches Luke’s emphasis on the role of Jerusalem in the gospel story of Luke, which began with the vision of the priest Zechariah in the temple in Jerusalem, and will end with the apostles gathering for prayer in the temple after the ascension of the Lord. Luke’s account concludes with an ominous reference to the return of the devil at the ‘opportune moment’, and in 22:3, as the story of the Passion begins, Luke will indeed maintain that Satan ‘entered into Judas’.

How can I derive strength and encouragement from the Scriptures?

For those who put temptation in the way of the innocent, we pray.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR B

A reading from the book of Genesis (9:8-15)

God spoke as follows to Noah and his sons with him, ‘I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants to come, and with every living creature that is with you: birds, cattle and every wild animal with you; everything that came out of the ark, every living thing on earth. And I establish my covenant with you: that never again shall all living things be destroyed by the waters of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to devastate the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I now make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: I now set my bow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I shall recall the covenant between myself and you and every living creature, all living things, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things. When the bow is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth, all living things.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I have established between myself and all living things on earth.’

The Flood takes up four chapters of the book of Genesis (chapters 6-9). The story of the Flood, an ancient traditional theme found in many civilisations, is in the Hebrew Bible an attempt to explain the devastating natural disasters human beings and the whole of creation periodically experience. They cannot be God’s will, and therefore, or so it seems, must be caused by human sin (6:5-7). Our passage tells of the resolution of the crisis and the establishment of the ‘covenant’ (berit), the solemn bond between God and human beings. This is the first time in the Scriptures that the term is used to denote the relationship between God and creation. The word appears seven times in verses 8-17, indicating completeness and the perfection of God’s new initiative, which is celebrated by the wonderful natural phenomenon of the rainbow. God is committed to the well-being of creation, both human beings, the animals, and the natural world. The ‘covenant’ confirms this. It is human abuse that undermines the rainbow beauty of God’s work.

Psalm 25 (24)  Focus on the covenant continues. The psalm expresses in a fresh way the message of the story of the Flood. All the ways of the Lord are steadfast love towards the covenant partners. God’s mercy reaches back in history and forward into the future.

A reading from the first letter of St Peter (3:18-22))

Christ himself suffered once and for all for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to lead you to God. He was put to death in the body; he was raised to life in the spirit, in which he also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison. They had refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited, in the days of Noah when the ark was being built, in which only a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. Baptism which this prefigured now saves you, not the removal of physical dirt but the pledge to God of a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having entered heaven with angels, authorities and powers subject to him. 

Death and life are the focus here. Jesus was put to death in the body, and raised in the spirit. The ‘proclamation to the spirits in prison’ is obscure, but might be pointing to the releasing from death through the resurrection of Jesus of people of earlier generations. Salvation from the waters of the flood becomes in its turn a pointer to the Baptism ‘which now saves you’, and gives access to the new covenant, brought by Jesus Christ.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (1:12-15)

And at once the Spirit drove him into the desert and he was in the desert for forty days, being put to the test by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels looked after him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel from God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the gospel.’

From the Gospel of Mark, the earliest gospel, this is the original and terse report of Christ’s being tested. It is as if the evangelist is embarrassed even to mention it. The Spirit ‘drives’ Jesus to this encounter. Like Moses and Elijah, he must spend forty days in the desert. Biblical tradition reports that Moses was forty days in God’s presence on Sinai (Exodus 24). Elijah travelled for forty days to the holy mountain (1 Kings 19). No details of the temptations are provided in this stark account, but the accompanying statements proclaim Jesus as the new Adam, for he is at peace with all creation, and is close to God, and served by God’s angels. Jesus is, as St Paul explains at length in Romans 5, the Adam who through fidelity to God brings grace, life and salvation. Despite being tempted, Jesus chose to be faithful.

Jesus is like us in all things but sin. Jesus resists the lure of Satan.

For those who work to combat the exploitation of creation, we pray.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR A

A reading from the book of Genesis (2:7-9, 3:1-7)

The Lord God shaped man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there put the man he had shaped. From the soil, the Lord God caused to grow every kind of tree, pleasant to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

Now, the snake was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the snake, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. It was of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ’ Then the snake said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths.

It is no surprise that the first reading on the first Sunday of Lent takes us back to the beginnings. This story of the creation of human beings, from the earth and the breath of God, reminds us of a profound reality, that human beings are both vulnerable and glorious. It is God who plants the garden in readiness for the human beings, and they who are entrusted with the care of creation. Our reading also offers the opening verses of a second symbolic story, the story of the loss of the garden of God. The origin of evil is mysterious and symbolised by the snake which successfully tempts the woman and man to violate the limits laid down by God. There are limits to the freedom of choice given to human beings, and the violation of these limits brings consequences. The human couple become aware of good and evil, and hurriedly sew fig leaves to hide their shame. The two stories, of creation and sin, set the scene for history, both biblical and secular.

Psalm 51 (50) This penitential psalm, known as the Miserere from its opening words ‘have mercy’, is fitting after the story of the sin of our first parents, and prepares us for Paul’s assertion that ‘everyone has sinned’.

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (5:12-19)

Therefore, just as through one man sin came into the world, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race in so far as everyone has sinned – sin already existed in the world before there was any law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Nonetheless death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sin was not after the model of Adam’s transgression, who prefigured the one who was to come.

Yet the free gift is not like the offence. If death came to many through the offence of one man, how much more plentiful has been the grace of God and the free gift in the love of the one man Jesus Christ coming to so many! Again, the gift is not like the effect of the one man who sinned. For the judgement after the one offence issued in condemnation, while the gift after many offences issued in justification. If it was by one man’s offence that death came to reign through one man, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign through the one man Jesus Christ! Well then, as one man’s offence brought condemnation to all, so one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made righteous. 

In this difficult passage St Paul draws a parallel between Adam and Christ, and compares what they bring to the human race. As we were reminded in the first reading today, Adam brings sin into the world. Paul tells us that sin spreads, ‘in so far as everyone has sinned’, and that death comes into the world through sin. But what Jesus brings is life. Paul uses various terms to describe the ‘gift’ brought by Jesus. While sin brings condemnation, the gift brings ‘justification’, ‘abundance of grace’, and ‘the gift of righteousness’. Paul’s profound reflection on the gift Jesus brings is the fruit of his encounter with Christ, his love of Christ, and his years of preaching about the ‘mystery’ of Christ.

A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (4:1-11)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert to be put to the test by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘It is written: 

A human lives not on bread alone 
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the parapet of the Temple, and said to him, ‘If you are Son of God throw yourself down, for it is written: 

He will give his angels orders about you, 
and they will carry you in their hands 
in case you trip on a stone.’ 

Jesus said to him, ‘It is also written: 

Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ 

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘These shall all be yours if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written: 

The Lord your God shall you worship 
and him alone shall you serve.’ 

Then the devil left him, and see, angels appeared and looked after him. 

It is fitting that the gospel for this first Sunday of Lent speaks of the forty days of Jesus in the desert, which inspired the Christian Lent. The evangelist Matthew elaborates the fundamental tradition found in Mark, that Jesus was tested by the devil. There is a catechesis here about sin, and its insidiousness. The devil attacks Jesus in his time of weakness, as he suffers the hunger of forty days’ fasting. He then abuses the human craving for recognition and praise, urging Jesus to do something spectacular to show he is better than others. To add strength to this temptation the devil also uses Scripture, but this temptation also fails. The final temptation is about power, and the compromise needed to obtain it. Jesus does not dialogue with Satan, but simply quotes from the Scriptures. The power of God’s word prevails.

Was Jesus really tempted?

For those who are crushed by the temptations of pleasure, prestige and power, we pray.

SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (58:9-14)

The Lord says this:
If you banish the yoke from among you, 
the pointed finger and malicious gossip,
if you share what you have with the hungry 
and satisfy the needs of the deprived, 
your light will rise in the darkness 
and your darkest hour will be like noon.
The Lord will always guide you, 
will satisfy your needs in arid land; 
he will give strength to your bones 
and you will be like a watered garden, 
like a flowing spring whose waters never run dry.
Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt; 
age-old foundations will rise up. 
You will be called “Breach-mender”, “Restorer-of-streets-to-live-in”.
If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, 
from taking your own pleasure on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath “a delight” 
and the day sacred to the Lord “a day honoured”, 
if you honour it by not going your own way, 
from seeking your own pleasure and idle chatter,
then you will find true pleasure in the Lord 
and I shall let you ride over the heights of the land. 
I shall feed you on the heritage of your father Jacob, 
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

The prophet continues to deliver words of the Lord about fasting. Banishing ‘the yoke’ and providing for those in need are the real priority, not adherence to human rules. When such new behaviour is established, the prophet repeats, ‘your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like noon’. The imagery is now strong and positive: ‘a watered garden’, ‘a flowing spring’, ‘rebuilt ruins’. Honouring the Sabbath will bring ‘true pleasure in the Lord’. In a chariot or on a camel (Isaiah 60:6) ‘I shall let you ride over the heights of the land’. The promises made of old are fulfilled.

Psalm 86 (85)  The psalmist describes himself as ‘the servant who trusts in you’, and prays, ‘give joy to the soul of your servant, Lord, for to you I lift up my soul.’

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (5:27-32)

After this he went out and noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting at the tax office, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him. 

And Levi held a great reception for Jesus in his house, and with them at table was a large crowd of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes kept complaining to his disciples saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to conversion.’

In inviting Levi to be a disciple Jesus is breaking new ground, for tax collectors were considered to be dishonest and disloyal. Yet Levi is just as willing to leave everything as are those who left their fishing boats. The banquet for Levi’s colleagues ‘and others’ shows the universality of the invitation Jesus offers, preparing places particularly for the sick and the sinful.

Is our outreach as warm and generous as that of Jesus?

For those who hesitate at the threshold, uncertain of being welcomed, let us pray.

FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (58:1-9)

Thus says the Lord:
‘Shout for all you are worth, do not hold back; 
raise your voice like a trumpet. 
Proclaim to my people their rebellions, 
to the House of Jacob, their sins.
They seek me day after day, 
they delight to know my ways, 
like a nation that has acted righteously 
and not forsaken the law of its God. 
They ask me for righteous judgements; 
to be near God is their delight.
“Why should we fast, if you do not see, 
why humble ourselves if you never notice?” 
Look, you seek your own pleasure on your fastdays 
and you exploit all your workmen;
look, you fast only to quarrel and squabble 
and strike viciously with your fist. 
Fasting like yours today 
will never make your voice heard on high.
Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, 
a day of self-humiliation? 
Hanging your head like a reed, 
making a bed of sackcloth and ashes? 
Is that what you call fasting, 
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the sort of fast that I favour: 
to open unjust fetters, 
to undo the straps of the yoke, 
to let the oppressed go free 
and to break every yoke?
Is it not sharing your food with the hungry, 
bringing into your house the homeless poor, 
clothing one you see to lack clothing, 
not drawing back from your own kin?
Then your light will blaze out like the dawn
and your wound will quickly be healed. 
Saving justice will go ahead of you 
and the glory of the Lord come behind you.
Then you will call to the Lord and he will answer; 
you will cry and he will say, “I am here.”  

Isaiah chapter 58 is shared between the first readings today and tomorrow. Through the voice of this post-exilic prophet God speaks at length about fasting. Selfish behaviour and exploitation of others make fasting useless. Fasting is not to be a pretence: ‘hanging your head like a reed’, and ‘making a bed of sackcloth and ashes’. The true priorities of the religious person are to ‘open unjust fetters’, ‘to undo the straps of the yoke’, to ‘share your food with the hungry’ and ‘to bring into your house the homeless poor’. These ancient words have immediate impact for today. The person who behaves like this will be light for others, and experience rapid healing. Justice will precede them, and the glory of the Lord will follow them. Their calls to the Lord will be answered.

Psalm 51 (50)  The psalmist, in further verses from the Miserere, acknowledges guilt and offers in sacrifice a contrite spirit and a humbled heart.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (9:14-15)

Then John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’ 

Encounter with other religious groups will be a feature of Jesus’ ministry. The behaviour of Jesus and his disciples causes consternation among the followers of John and of the Pharisees, since they do not fast. Jesus assumes the role of the bridegroom, reminding us of God’s marriage covenant with Israel. The wedding feast, at which his disciples are guests, will indeed be interrupted, when the ‘bridegroom will be taken away’ and handed over for death. The wedding-supper of Jesus the Lamb will be restored at the end of time (Apocalypse 19).

How does the presence of Jesus change everything?

For people who will not allow Jesus to change them, let us pray.

THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

A reading from the book of Deuteronomy (30:15-20)

Moses said to the people: ‘Look, today I am offering you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am laying down for you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his customs, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering and make your own. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live for long in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. Today, I call heaven and earth to witness against you: I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, holding fast to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends the length of time that you stay in the land which the Lord swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would give them.’

The final book of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy, comprises several speeches of Moses. The reading today is taken from the last great speech, before the account of Moses’ ascent of Mount Nebo and his death (Deuteronomy 34). To live as a human being is to choose: our choices have consequences. To turn away from God, to serve false gods, leads to disaster. To choose to obey God’s law of life is to rely on the trustworthy God who has already spoken to the ancestors, and who will protect us in the present and in the future.

Psalm 1 The theme of choice continues. The first psalm expresses a blessing on those who delight in the law of the Lord, who are compared to a tree standing strong beside flowing waters. Not so are the wicked, who are like ‘winnowed chaff’, at the mercy of the wind.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (9:22-25)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of man must suffer much, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be put to death, and on the third day be raised up.’ 

Then, speaking to all, he said, ‘Anyone who wants to be a follower of mine, must renounce self and take up the cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save life will lose it; but whoever loses life for my sake, will save it. What does it profit someone to gain the whole world while losing or forfeiting self?’

Following Peter’s confession that Jesus is ‘Messiah’, Jesus speaks to the disciples for the first time about the suffering and death he foresees. Jesus knows what awaits him in Jerusalem. At the same time, he announces that he will be ‘raised up on the third day’. The choice put before Israel, to ‘choose life’, is starkly redrawn here as Jesus invites everyone to take up ‘the cross’, and be ready to ‘lose life’. The willingness to lose life is in fact an option for life. The journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, which is about to begin, will demonstrate this truth.

Recall the sacrifices you have made, and see how they led to life.

For those who cling, that the Lord will grant them freedom.

ASH WEDNESDAY

A reading from the prophet Joel (2:12-18)

‘So now – declares the Lord - 
come back to me with all your heart, 
fasting, weeping, mourning.’ 
Tear your hearts and not your clothes 
and come back to the Lord your God, 
for he is gracious and compassionate, 
slow to anger, rich in faithful love, 
and he relents from inflicting disaster.
Who knows if he will not return, 
relent and leave a blessing behind him, 
a grain offering and a libation 
for the Lord your God?

Blow the ram’s-horn in Zion! 
Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together, 
summon the community, 
assemble the elders, gather the children, 
even infants at the breast! 
Call the bridegroom from his bedroom 
and the bride from her canopy!
Between portico and altar let the priests, 
the ministers of the Lord, weep, 
saying, ‘Spare your people, Lord! 
Do not expose your heritage to contempt, 
to the sarcasm of the nations! 
Why should it be said among the peoples, 
“Where is their God?”’ 
Then, becoming jealous over his land, 
the Lord took pity on his people.

Coming back, returning, to God is the challenge of Lent. This is not an external journey, but something of the heart. The prophet Joel, in the time after the exile to Babylon, describes the God who awaits our return with words given to Moses in Exodus 34:6. God is rich in ‘faithful love’, hesed, and ‘slow to anger’. After the devastation of a plague of locusts (Joel 2:3-5), God will restore the blessings of grain and wine. The urgent call to repent has the people react quickly: even the bride and groom leave their wedding chamber. God is portrayed as ‘jealous over his land’, protective of people, and quick to ‘take pity’.

Psalm 51 (50) The Miserere is a penitential psalm traditionally attributed to David, who pleads for forgiveness for his great sins (2 Samuel 11), but later verses – ‘rebuild Jerusalem’ – show the psalm to be of much later date. Fervent joy is the gift of the Lord, who opens our mouths in praise.

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Corinthians (5:20 – 6:2)

Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is appealing through us: on Christ’s behalf we beg you, be reconciled to God. He who knew no sin he made sin for our sake, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As fellow-workers we appeal to you also not to accept the grace of God in vain, for he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation. 

Paul and his fellow-workers are ambassadors speaking for Christ, delivering God’s appeal for  ‘reconciliation’. This is only possible because God made Christ into sin ‘for our sake’, immersing him in humanity, with all its faults, so that we might become in him God’s ‘justness’, God’s ‘righteousness’. We are invited not to waste the grace of God, which comes at the  ‘right time’, the kairos, and on the ‘day of salvation’. With the repetition of the Greek word nun Paul stresses that the words of Scripture (Isaiah 49:8) are fulfilled ‘now’.              

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (6:1-6, 16-18)

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your righteousness before others to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. Amen I say to you, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be in secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you. 

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like hypocrites: they love to pray standing in the synagogues and at street corners for people to see them. Amen I say to you, they have had their reward. But whenever you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

‘Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy look as hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to show others they are fasting. Amen I say to you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that you may not seem to others to be fasting but only to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warns the disciples not to ‘parade’ their righteousness (dikaiosyne). If you make a spectacle of your good deeds, this will be your reward. A trio of teaching considers almsgiving, prayer and fasting, with thrice repeated phrases: do not be ‘hypocrites’; ‘Amen I say to you they have had their reward’;   ‘do things in secret’ where ‘your Father sees’. The hypocrite wears a mask of righteousness while his heart is far away; he prefers the praise of the world, but true righteousness is done in secret. The words about oil on the head and a washed face are an unsettling challenge to public forms of penance. 

Have I experienced the faithful love and pity of God?

For those who parade their piety, we pray to the Lord.