Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Search and emulate the Scriptures that Jesus’ testifies to have eternal life


March 10, 2016 

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Reading 1

7The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. 8They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ The LORD said to Moses, 9“I see how stiff-necked this people is.

10Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation.” 

11But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying, “Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? 12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent He brought them out, that He might kill them in the mountains and exterminate them from the face of the earth’? Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people.

13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, and how you swore to them by your own self, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; and all this land that I promised, I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.’

14So the LORD relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people.

Responsorial Psalm

R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as You favor Your people.

19Our fathers made a calf in Horeb and adored a molten image; 20They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass-eating bullock.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as You favor Your people.

21They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt,
22Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as You favor Your people.

23Then He spoke of exterminating them, but Moses, His chosen one, Withstood Him in the breach to turn back His destructive wrath.

R. Remember us, O Lord, as You favor Your people.

Verse Before The Gospel John 3:16

God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him might have eternal life.

Gospel

31Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is not true. 32But there is another who testifies on My behalf, and I know that the testimony He gives on My behalf is true.[1]

33You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. 34I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. 35He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.[2]

36But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave Me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent Me.

37Moreover, the Father who sent Me has testified on My behalf. But you have never heard His voice nor seen His form, 38and you do not have His word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom He has sent. 39You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.[3] 40But you do not want to come to Me to have life.

41“I do not accept human praise;[4] 42moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43I came in the name of My Father, but you do not accept Me;
yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.

44How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? 45Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.

46For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. 47But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”



Note on Readings:

[1] John 5:32 - Another: likely the Father, who in four different ways gives testimony to Jesus, as indicated in the verse groupings John 5;33-34, 36, 37-38, 39-40.

[2] John 5:35 - Lamp: compare with Psalm 132:17 - "I will place a lamp for my anointed (= David)," and possibly the description of Elijah in Sirach 48:1. But only for a while, indicating the temporary and subordinate nature of John's mission.

[3] John 5:39 - You search: this may be an imperative: "Search the scriptures, because you think that you have eternal life through them."

[4] John 5:41 - Praise: the same Greek word means "praise" or "honor" (from others) and "glory" (from God). There is a play on this in John 5:44.

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.