Sunday, March 31, 2019

God calls us to Him. He forgives, welcomes & heals (readings for March 31, 2019 annotated)

Key
What these scriptures tell us about God
What these scriptures tell us to do
What the scriptures tell us not to do
Commentary
Hyperlink to additional resources

Today’s readings demonstrate God’s wonderfully loving nature. He freely forgives if we truly repent. He graciously welcomes us in spite of our sin. He heals us and makes us new. 

The love revealed in these scriptures is reflected in the very first paragraph of The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

 “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Saviour. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

Other scriptures describing God’s wonderful love are collected in Wisdom Principles—God Loves and Calls Us to Him, In Spite of our Sin

Reading 1  Joshua 5:9-12
The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2-7
R. (9a)  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will 
bless the LORD at all timeshis praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul 
glory in the LORDthe lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. 
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us 
together extol his name.
sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
R. 
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
R. 
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation,  namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,  not counting their trespasses against them and 
entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to GodFor our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Verse Before the Gospel Luke 15:18
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable:

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any. 

Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 

He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

What these scriptures tell us about God
I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you
the goodness of the Lord.
the lowly will hear me and be glad
the goodness of the Lord.
he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard
from all his distress he saved him.
the goodness of the Lord.
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation
all this is from God
reconciled us to himself through Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
not counting their trespasses against them
entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin
we might become the righteousness of God in him.
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
This man welcomes sinners and eats with them
While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was
dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found
everything I have is yours
we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found

What these scriptures tell us to do
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
bless the LORD at all times
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.glory in the LORD
the lowly will hear me and be glad
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
together extol his name
sought the LORD
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him 
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
entrusting to us the message of reconciliation
be reconciled to God.
drawing near to listen to Jesus
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you”
he got up and went back to his father.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you’
celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found

What these scriptures tell us not to do
a life of dissipation
He became angry

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