Daily Mass Readings + Gospel Reflection - John 8:21-30 - March 28, 2023 - Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Daily Mass Readings + Gospel Reflection - John 8:21-30 - March 28, 2023 - Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent





    Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
    Lectionary: 252

    Reading 1

    Nm 21:4-9
    From Mount Hor the children of Israel set out on the Red Sea road,
    to bypass the land of Edom.
    But with their patience worn out by the journey,
    the people complained against God and Moses,
    "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,
    where there is no food or water?
    We are disgusted with this wretched food!"

    In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,
    which bit the people so that many of them died.
    Then the people came to Moses and said,
    "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.
    Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us."
    So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,
    "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
    and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live."
    Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
    and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
    looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

    Responsorial Psalm

    Ps 102:2-3, 16-18, 19-21
    R. (2)  O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
    O LORD, hear my prayer,
    and let my cry come to you.
    Hide not your face from me
    in the day of my distress.
    Incline your ear to me;    
    in the day when I call, answer me speedily.

    R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
    The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
    and all the kings of the earth your glory,
    When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
    and appeared in his glory;
    When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
    and not despised their prayer.

    R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
    Let this be written for the generation to come,
    and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
    "The LORD looked down from his holy height,
    from heaven he beheld the earth,
    To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
    to release those doomed to die."

    R. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.

    Verse Before the Gospel
    The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
    all who come to him will live for ever.

    Gospel

    Jn 8:21-30
    Jesus said to the Pharisees:
    "I am going away and you will look for me,
    but you will die in your sin.
    Where I am going you cannot come."
    So the Jews said,
    "He is not going to kill himself, is he,
    because he said, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?"
    He said to them, "You belong to what is below,
    I belong to what is above.
    You belong to this world,
    but I do not belong to this world.
    That is why I told you that you will die in your sins.
    For if you do not believe that I AM,
    you will die in your sins."
    So they said to him, "Who are you?"
    Jesus said to them, "What I told you from the beginning.
    I have much to say about you in condemnation.
    But the one who sent me is true,
    and what I heard from him I tell the world."
    They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father.
    So Jesus said to them,
    "When you lift up the Son of Man,
    then you will realize that I AM,
    and that I do nothing on my own,
    but I say only what the Father taught me.
    The one who sent me is with me.
    He has not left me alone,
    because I always do what is pleasing to him."
    Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

    Gospel Reflection

    In the Gospel of John, Jesus continues to teach the people, especially the Pharisees, about his true identity and mission. He tells them that he is going away, and they will seek him, but they cannot come where he is going. The Pharisees do not understand what he means and ask if he plans to kill himself. Jesus replies that he is from above, and they are from below, and unless they believe in him, they will die in their sins.

    This Gospel passage presents a powerful reflection on the importance of belief and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light of the world, and those who follow him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. The Pharisees, like many of us, are sometimes caught up in their own ideas and interpretations of the world, and they fail to see the true light of Christ.

    As Catholics, we are called to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We must follow him and allow his light to guide us in all aspects of our lives. This requires us to let go of our own preconceived notions and understandings of the world and to be open to the transformative power of Christ's love.

    Furthermore, we must always strive to deepen our faith and trust in Jesus, especially during times of trial and difficulty. It is during these moments that we need the light of Christ the most to guide us through the darkness.

    This reminds us of the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and allowing his light to guide us. As Catholics, we must continually seek to deepen our relationship with Christ and trust in his love and guidance in all aspects of our lives.

    Prayer

    Heavenly Father,

    As we reflect in today's Gospel, we ask that you grant us the faith and courage to believe in your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to let go of our own understanding and to trust in the transformative power of his love.

    We pray that you open our hearts and minds to the truth of your Word, and that we may always seek your will in our lives. Give us the strength to follow Jesus, even when the path is difficult and uncertain, and to have the courage to stand up for what is right and just.

    May the light of Christ shine brightly in our hearts, guiding us through the darkness and helping us to walk in the way of truth and love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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