Readings for March 30, 2020 annotated (Lectionary 34)

The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations of the scriptures cited. The other hyperlinks will take you to explanations of original Hebrew or Greek words.  A collection of scriptures dealing with similar principles is hyperlinked at the end of this post. 

Reading 1: Ezekiel 37:12-14  

Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people! I will put  my spirit  in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 7-8  

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD; my soul trust in his word.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Reading 2: Romans 8:8-11  

Brothers and sisters:
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spiritof God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead  dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.

Verse Before the Gospel: John 11:25A, 26

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will never die.

Gospel: John 11:1-45  

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” 

When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. 

Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 

He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.”

And Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?”

 So Jesus, perturbed again, to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”

And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come  out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie  him and let him go.”

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

*** 

Scriptures dealing with a similar dynamic are collected at Wisdom Principles—Rely on God, not Material Power or Wealth

Philippians 4:4-9 annotated (“Be anxious for nothing...”)

This version is from the New Jerusalem Bible. Other translations are available here. The hyperlinks will take you to explanations of original Greek words.

4Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful. 5Let your good sense  be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near. 6Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude, 7and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, let your minds be filled with everything that is true, everything that is honourable, everything that is upright and pure, everything that we love and admire -- with whatever is good and praiseworthy.9Keep doing everything you learnt from me and were told by me and have heard or seen me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

be joyful=χαίρω =chairō

"to joy, rejoice, be glad"

"rejoicing, being glad"

to rejoice exceedingly

to be well, thrive

good sense =ἐπιεικής=epieikēs

"forbearance," "moderation," "gentleness," "sweet reasonableness"

denotes "seemly, fitting;" hence, "equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing, not insisting on the letter of the law;" it expresses that considerateness that looks "humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case;" it is rendered "gentle" in 1Ti 3:3, RV (AV, "patient"), in contrast to contentiousness;

a quality of the wisdom from above

seeming, suitable

equitable, fair, mild, gentle

moderation, patient

obvious= γινώσκω=ginōskō

represents knowledge as the effect of experience

"to know, perceive"

"to become known"

to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand," or "to understand completely,"

frequently indicates a relation between the person "knowing" and the object known; in this respect, what is "known" is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship

to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel

to become known

to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of

to become acquainted with

near= ἐγγύς= eggys

"at hand,"

"nigh"

worry= μεριμνάω =merimnaō

to be anxious about, to have a distracting care, e.g., Mat 6:25, 28,

to be troubled with cares

of every kind =  πᾶς = pas

radically means "all."

Used without the article it means "every," every kind or variety.

Used with the article, it means the whole of one object. 

In the plural it signifies "the totality of the persons or things referred to."

may signify "the highest degree," the maximum of what is referred to,

In the plural with a noun it means "all."

preceded by the article it denotes "all things," as constituting a whole

"any and every, of every kind, all manner of,"

often rendered "whatsoever;"

each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything

petition= δέησις =deēsis

"an asking, entreaty, supplication,"

"request"

gratitude=εὐχαριστία= eucharistia

"thankfulness,"

"giving of thanks, thanksgiving,"

peace= εἰρήνη= eirēnē

The sense of rest and contentment

"quietness"

The corresponding Heb. word shalom primarily signifies "wholeness:"

guard= φρουρέω = phroureō

providing protection against the enemy, as a garrison does

that security that is his when he puts all his matters into the hand of God

the idea is not merely that of protection, but of inward garrisoning as by the Holy Spirit

a benevolent custody and watchful guardianship

to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight

1 Peter 5:5-11 annotated ("cast your cares upon Him...")

This version is from the New Jerusalem Bible. Other translations are available here. The hyperlinks will take you to explanations of original Greek words.

...humility towards one another must be the garment you all wear constantly, because God opposes the proud but accords his favour to the humble.6Bow down, then, before the power of God now, so that he may raise you upin due time ; 7Unload all your burden on to him, since he is concerned about you.

8Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9Stand up to him, strongin faith and in the knowledge that it is the same kind of suffering that the community of your brothers throughout the world is undergoing.

 10You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will restore you, he will restore, strengthen and support you. 11His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 91 annotated

This version is from the New Jerusalem Bible. Other translations are available here. The hyperlinks will take you to explanations of original Hebrew words. Collections of scriptures dealing with similar principles are hyperlinked at the end of this post. 

1You who live in the secret place of Elyon, spend you nights  in the shelter of Shaddai, 2 saying to Yahweh, 'My refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!'

3He rescues you from the snare of the fowler set on destruction; 4he covers you with his pinions, you find shelter under his wings. His constancy is shield and protection.

5You need not fear the terrors of night, the arrow that flies in the daytime, 6the plague that stalks in the darkness, the scourge that wreaks havoc at high noon.

7Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, you yourself will remain unscathed. 8You have only to keep your eyes open to see how the wicked are repaid, 9you who say, 'Yahweh my refuge!' and make Elyon your fortress.

 10No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; 11he has given his angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go. 12They will carry you in their arms in case you trip over a stone. 13You will walk upon wild beast and adder, you will trample young lions and snakes.

 14'Since he clings to me I rescue him, I raise him high, since he acknowledges my name. 15He calls to me and I answer him: in distress I am at his side, I rescue him and bring him honor. 16I shall satisfy him with long life, and grant him to see my salvation.'

Additional scriptures addressing these dynamics are collected at Wisdom Principles—God is a Refuge for Those Who Love Him and at Wisdom Principles: God’s Ways Give Security.  

Readings for March 23, 2020 annotated (Lectionary 244)

The bolded hyperlinks will take you to additional translations of the scriptures cited. The other hyperlinks will take you to explanations of original Hebrew or Greek words. Collections of scriptures dealing with similar principles are hyperlinked at the end of this post. 

Reading 1: Isaiah 65:17-21  

Thus says the LORD: Lo, I am about to create  new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight; I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying; No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime; He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13  

R.   I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holyname. For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Verse Before the Gospel: Amos 5:14  

Seek good and not evil so that you may live and the LORD will be with you.

Gospel: John 4:43-54  

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.

Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death.

Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” 

The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

Scriptures dealing with similar dynamics are collected at Wisdom Principles: God’s Ways Give Security.  

Readings for March 22, 2020 annotated (Lectionary 31)

Reading 1: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 

The LORD said to Samuel: “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.” In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”

Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”

Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, “There—anoint him, for this is the one!” Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3, 4, 5, 6 

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading 2: Ephesians 5:8-14  

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 

Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “ Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Verse Before the Gospel: John 8:12 

I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life.

Gospel : John 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is,” but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.” 

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 

So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” 

The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshipped him.

Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see’ so your sin remains.