February
28, 2016
Third
Sunday of Lent - Year A Scrutinies
Reading 1
1Moses
was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the
priest of Midian.
2There
an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire flaming
out of a bush.
As
he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though
on fire, was not consumed.[2] 3So
Moses decided, “I
must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and
see why the bush is not burned.”
4When
the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God
called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He
answered, “Here I am.” 5God
said, “Come no nearer! Remove
the sandals from your feet, for
the place where you stand is holy ground. 6I
am the God of your fathers,” he continued, “the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses
hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.[3]
7But
the LORD said, “I
have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and
have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so
I know well what they are suffering. 8aTherefore
I have come down to rescue them from
the hands of the Egyptians and
lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a
land flowing with milk and honey.”
13Moses
said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites and
say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if
they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what am I to tell them?” 14God
replied, “I am who am.” Then He added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I
AM sent me to you.”
15God
spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The
LORD, the God of your fathers, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has
sent me to you. “This
is my name forever; thus
am I to be remembered through all generations.”
Responsorial Psalm
1Bless
the LORD, O my soul; and
all my being, bless His holy name. 2Bless
the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
3He
pardons all your iniquities, heals
all your ills, 4He
redeems your life from destruction, crowns
you with kindness and compassion.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
6The
LORD secures justice and
the rights of all the oppressed. 7He
has made known His ways to Moses, and His deeds to the children of Israel.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
8Merciful
and gracious is the LORD, slow
to anger and abounding in kindness.
11For
as the heavens are high above the earth, so
surpassing is His kindness toward those who fear him.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Reading 2
1I
do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that
our ancestors were all under the cloud and
all passed through the sea,[4] 2and
all of them were baptized into Moses in
the cloud and in the sea.
3All
ate the same spiritual food, 4and
all drank the same spiritual drink, for
they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and
the rock was the Christ.[5]
5Yet
God was not pleased with most of them, for
they were struck down in the desert.
6These
things happened as examples for us, so
that we might not desire evil things, as they did. 10Do
not grumble as some of them did, and
suffered death by the destroyer. 11These
things happened to them as an example, and
they have been written down as a warning to us, upon
whom the end of the ages has come.
12Therefore,
whoever thinks he is standing secure should
take care not to fall.
Verse Before The Gospel Matthew 4:17
Repent,
says the Lord; the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Gospel
1Some
people told Jesus about the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.[6][7] 2Jesus
said to them in reply, “Do
you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they
were greater sinners than all other Galileans? 3By
no means! But
I tell you, if you do not repent, you
will all perish as they did!
4Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?[8] 5By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
4Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?[8] 5By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
6And He told them this parable: “There
once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and
when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,[9] 7he
said to the gardener, ‘For
three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but
have found none. So
cut it down. Why
should it exhaust the soil?’
8He said to him in reply, "Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; 9it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down."
Notes on Readings:
[1] Exodus 3:1 - The mountain of God: probably given this designation because of the divine apparitions which took place there, such as on this occasion and when the Israelites were there after the departure from Egypt.
[1] Exodus 3:1 - The mountain of God: probably given this designation because of the divine apparitions which took place there, such as on this occasion and when the Israelites were there after the departure from Egypt.
[2] Exodus 3:2 - An angel of the LORD:
the visual form under which God appeared and spoke to men is referred to
indifferently in some Old Testament texts either as God's angel or as God Himself. Compare with Genesis 16:7, 13, Exodus 14:19, 24, 25; Numbers 22:22-35; Judges 6:11-18.
[3] Exodus 3:6 - The appearance of God
caused fear of death, since it was believed that no one could see God and live;
compare with Genesis 32:30. The God of Abraham . . . Jacob: cited by Christ in
proof of the resurrection since the patriarchs, long dead, live on in God who
is the God of the living. Compare with Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37.
[4] 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 - Paul embarks
unexpectedly upon a panoramic survey of the events of the Exodus period. The
privileges of Israel in the wilderness are described in terms that apply
strictly only to the realities of the new covenant ("baptism,"
"spiritual food and drink"); interpreted in this way they point
forward to the Christian experience (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). But those privileges did not guarantee God's permanent
pleasure (1 Corinthians 10:5).
[5] 1 Corinthians 10:4 - A spiritual rock
that followed them: the Torah speaks only about a rock from which water issued,
but rabbinic legend amplified this into a spring that followed the Israelites
throughout their migration. Paul uses this legend as a literary type: he makes
the rock itself accompany the Israelites, and he gives it a spiritual sense.
The rock was the Christ: in the Old Testament, Yahweh is the Rock of His people
(compare with Deuteronomy 32, Moses' song to
Yahweh the Rock). Paul now applies this image to the Christ, the source of the
living water, the true Rock that accompanied Israel, guiding their experiences
in the desert.
[6] Luke 13:1-5 - The death of the Galileans at the
hands of Pilate (Luke 13:1) and the accidental death of those on whom the tower fell (Luke 13:4) are presented by the Lucan Jesus as timely reminders of the need for
all to repent, for the victims of these tragedies should not be considered
outstanding sinners who were singled out for punishment.
[7] Luke 13:1 - The slaughter of the Galileans by
Pilate is unknown outside Luke; but from what is known about Pilate from the
Jewish historian Josephus, such a slaughter would be in keeping with the
character of Pilate. Josephus reports that Pilate had disrupted a religious
gathering of the Samaritans on Matthew. Gerizim with a slaughter of the
participants (Antiquities 18, 4, 1 #86-87), and that on another occasion Pilate
had killed many Jews who had opposed him when he appropriated money from the
temple treasury to build an aqueduct in Jerusalem (Jewish War 2, 9, 4 #175-77;
Antiquities 18, 3, 2 #60-62).
[8] Luke 13:4 - Like the incident mentioned in Luke 13:1 nothing of this accident in Jerusalem is known outside Luke and the New
Testament.
[9] Luke 13:6-9 - Following on the call to repentance
in Luke 13:1-5, the parable of the barren fig tree presents a story about the
continuing patience of God with those who have not yet given evidence of their
repentance (see Luke 3:8). The parable may also be alluding to the delay of the end time, when
punishment will be meted out, and the importance of preparing for the end of
the age because the delay will not be permanent (Luke 13:8-9).
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.