DR Squared: Friday Of The Fifth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Jeremiah 20:10-13

For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side: Persecute him, and let us persecute him: from all the men that were my familiars, and continued at my side: if by any means he may be deceived, and we may prevail against him, and be revenged on him. But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore they that persecute me shall fall, and shall be weak: they shall be greatly confounded, because they have not understood the everlasting reproach, which never shall be effaced. And thou, O Lord of hosts, prover of the just, who seest the reins and the heart: let me see, I beseech thee, thy vengeance on them: for to thee I have laid open my cause. Sing ye to the Lord, praise the Lord: because he hath delivered the soul of the poor out of the hand of the wicked.

Responsorial Psalm:  cf. Psalm 18 (17):7; V. 2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

R.  In my affliction I called upon the Lord,...And he heard my voice 

V.  I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:

     The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer.

V.  My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust.

     My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.

     Praising I will call upon the Lord:

     and I shall be saved from my enemies.

V.  The sorrows of death surrounded me:

     and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.

     The sorrows of hell encompassed me:

     and the snares of death prevented me.

V.  In my affliction I called upon the Lord,

     and I cried to my God:

     And he heard my voice from his holy temple:

     and my cry before him came into his ears.

Gospel Reading:  John 10:31-42

The Jews then took up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shewed you from my Father; for which of these works do you stone me? The Jews answered him: For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God. Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said you are gods? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the scripture cannot be broken; Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. They sought therefore to take him; and he escaped out of their hands. And he went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first; and there he abode. And many resorted to him, and they said: John indeed did no sign. But all things whatsoever John said of this man, were true. And many believed in him.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/11/2025.

DR Squared: Thursday Of The Fifth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Genesis 17:3-9

Abram fell flat on his face. And God said to him: I AM, and my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham: because I have made thee a father of many nations. And I will make thee increase, exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Chanaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God. Again God said to Abraham: And thou therefore shalt keep my covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 105 (104):8a; V. 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R.  He hath remembered his covenant for ever:

V.  Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened:

     seek his face evermore.

     Remember his marvellous works which he hath done;

     his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.

V.  O ye seed of Abraham his servant;

     ye sons of Jacob his chosen.

     He is the Lord our God:

     his judgments are in all the earth.

V.  He hath remembered his covenant for ever:

     the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

    Which he made to Abraham;

     and his oath to Isaac:

Gospel Reading:  John 8:51-59

Amen, amen I say to you: If any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever. The Jews therefore said: Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest: If any man keep my word, he shall not taste death for ever. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom dost thou make thyself? Jesus answered: If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifieth me, of whom you say that he is your God. And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I shall say that I know him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know him, and do keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said to him: Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am. They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

The reading from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/10/2025.

Teaching Moment

A bishop's three-fold mandate is to teach, sanctify, and rule (cf. Compendium 326). The late Fulton J. Sheen shows his mastery of the first of these:

There never can be a birth without love. In this the maiden was right. The begetting of new life requires the fires of love. But besides the human passion which begets life, there is the "passionless passion and wild tranquility" of the Holy Spirit; and it was this that overshadowed the woman and begot in her Emmanuel or "God with us." At the moment Mary pronounced Fiat or "Be it done," something greater happened than the Fiat lux (Let there be light) of creation; for the light that was now made was not the sun, but the Son of God in the flesh....

Children come into the world not always as a result of a distinct act of love of man and woman. Though the love between the two be willed, the fruit of their love, which is the child, is not willed in the same way as their love for one another. There is an undetermined element in human love....But in the Annunciation, the Child was not accepted in any unforeseen way; the Child was willed. There was a collaboration between a woman and the Spirit of Divine Love. The consent was voluntary under the Fiat; the physical cooperation was freely offered by the same word....

As the fall of man was a free act, so too the Redemption had to be free. What is called the Annunciation was actually God asking the free consent of a creature to help Him to be incorporated into humanity.

Life of Christ

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.

Indeed.

Literally and truly awesome.

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Originally posted 3/26/2007.

DR Squared: Solemnity Of The Annunciation Of The Lord

First Reading:  Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10c

And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying:  Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above. And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And he said: Hear ye therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel....because God is with us.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 40 (39):8a, 9a; V. 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

R.  Then said I, Behold I come. That I should do thy will:

V.  Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire;

     but thou hast pierced ears for me.

     Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require:

     Then said I, Behold I come.

V.  In the head of the book it is written of me

     That I should do thy will:

     O my God, I have desired it,

     and thy law in the midst of my heart.

V.  I have declared thy justice in a great church,

     lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it.

V.  I have not hid thy justice within my heart:

     I have declared thy truth and thy salvation.

     I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth

     from a great council. 

Second Reading:  Hebrews 10:4-10

For it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me:  Holocausts for sin did not please thee. Then said I: Behold I come: in the head of the book it is written of me: that I should do thy will, O God. In saying before, Sacrifices, and oblations, and holocausts for sin thou wouldest not, neither are they pleasing to thee, which are offered according to the law. Then said I: Behold, I come to do thy will, O God: he taketh away the first, that he may establish that which followeth. In the which will, we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once.

Gospel Reading:  Luke 1:26-38

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren:  Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 3/25/2025.

DR Squared: Tuesday Of The Fifth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Numbers 21:4-9

And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:  And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food. Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them. Upon which they came to Moses, and said: We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live. Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 102 (101):2; V. 2-3, 16-18, 19-21

R.  Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.

V.  Hear, O Lord, my prayer:

     and let my cry come to thee.

     Turn not away thy face from me:

     in the day when I am in trouble,

     incline thy ear to me.

     In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.

V.  And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord,

     and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

     For the Lord hath built up Sion:

     and he shall be seen in his glory.

     He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble:

     and he hath not despised their petition.

V.  Let these things be written unto another generation:

     and the people that shall be created shall praise the Lord:

     Because he hath looked forth from his high sanctuary:

     from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the earth.

     That he might hear the groans of them that are in fetters:

     that he might release the children of the slain:

Gospel Reading:  John 8:21-30

Again therefore Jesus said to them: I go, and you shall seek me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come. The Jews therefore said: Will he kill himself, because he said: Whither I go, you cannot come? And he said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you, that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin. They said therefore to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them: The beginning, who also speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But he that sent me, is true: and the things I have heard of him, these same I speak in the world. And they understood not, that he called God his Father. Jesus therefore said to them: When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know, that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father hath taught me, these things I speak:  And he that sent me, is with me, and he hath not left me alone: for I do always the things that please him. When he spoke these things, many believed in him.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/8/2025.

DR Squared: Optional Memorial Of Saint Toribio De Mogrovejo, Bishop

First Reading:  2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-3

Hold the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith, and in the love which is in Christ Jesus. Keep the good thing committed to thy trust by the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in us. Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus:  And the things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men, who shall be fit to teach others also. Labour as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 96 (95):3; V. 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8, 10

R.  Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.

V.  Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle:

     sing to the Lord, all the earth.

     Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name:

V.  (S)hew forth his salvation from day to day.

     Declare his glory among the Gentiles:

     his wonders among all people.

V.  Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles,

     bring ye to the Lord glory and honour:

     Bring to the Lord glory unto his name.

     Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts:

V.  Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned.

     For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved:

     he will judge the people with justice.

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 9:35-38

And Jesus went about all the cities, and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and every infirmity. And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

DR Squared: Monday Of The Fifth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

Now there was a man that dwelt in Babylon, and his name was Joakim:  And he took a wife whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Helcias, a very beautiful woman, and one that feared God. For her parents being just, had instructed their daughter according to the law of Moses. Now Joakim was very rich, and had an orchard near his house: and the Jews resorted to him, because he was the most honourable of them all. And there were two of the ancients of the people appointed judges that year, of whom the Lord said: Iniquity came out from Babylon from the ancient judges, that seemed to govern the people. These men frequented the house of Joakim, and all that had any matters of judgment came to them. And when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went in, and walked in her husband's orchard. And the old men saw her going in every day, and walking: and they were inflamed with lust towards her:  And they perverted their own mind and turned away their eyes that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments. And it fell out, as they watched a fit day, she went in on a time, as yesterday and the day before, with two maids only, and was desirous to wash herself in the orchard: for it was hot weather. And there was nobody there, but the two old men that had hid themselves and were beholding her. So she said to the maids: Bring me oil, and washing balls, and shut the doors of the orchard, that I may wash me. Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders arose, and ran to her, and said:  Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth us, and we are in love with thee: wherefore consent to us, and lie with us. But if thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee, and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee. Susanna sighed, and said: I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death to me: and if I do it not, I shall not escape your hands. But it is better for me to fall into your hands without doing it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord. With that Susanna cried out with a loud voice: and the elders also cried out against her. And one of them ran to the door of the orchard, and opened it. So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the orchard, they rushed in by the back door to see what was the matter. But after the old men had spoken, the servants were greatly ashamed: for never had there been any such word said of Susanna. And on the next day, When the people were come to Joakim her husband, the two elders also came full of wicked device against Susanna, to put her to death. And they said before the people: Send to Susanna daughter of Helcias the wife of Joakim. And presently they sent. And she came with her parents, and children, and all her kindred. Therefore her friends and all her acquaintance wept. But the two elders rising up in the midst of the people, laid their hands upon her head. And she weeping looked up to heaven, for her heart had confidence in the Lord. And the elders said: As we walked in the orchard alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the doors of the orchard, and sent away the maids from her. Then a young man that was there hid came to her, and lay with her. But we that were in a corner of the orchard, seeing this wickedness, ran up to them, and we saw them lie together. And him indeed we could not take, because he was stronger than us, and opening the doors he leaped out:  But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: of this thing we are witnesses. The multitude believed them as being the elders and the judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said: O eternal God, who knowest hidden things, who knowest all things before they come to pass, Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me: and behold I must die, whereas I have done none of these things, which these men have maliciously forged against me.  44 And the Lord heard her voice. And when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young boy, whose name was Daniel. And he cried out with a loud voice I am clear from the blood of this woman.  47 Then all the people turning themselves towards him, said: What meaneth this word that thou hast spoken? But he standing in the midst of them, said: Are ye so foolish, ye children of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth, you have condemned a daughter of Israel? Return to judgment, for they have borne false witness against her. So all the people turned again in haste, and the old men said to him: Come, and sit thou down among us, and shew it us: seeing God hath given thee the honour of old age. And Daniel said to the people: Separate these two far from one another, and I will examine them. So when they were put asunder one from the other, he called one of them, and said to him: O thou that art grown old in evil days, now are thy sins come out, which thou hast committed before:  In judging unjust judgments, oppressing the innocent, and letting the guilty to go free, whereas the Lord saith: The innocent and the just thou shalt not kill. Now then, if thou sawest her, tell me under what tree thou sawest them conversing together. He said: Under a mastic tree. And Daniel said: Well hast thou lied against thy own head: for behold the angel of God having received the sentence of him, shall cut thee in two. And having put him aside, he commanded that the other should come, and he said to him: O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thy heart:  Thus did you do to the daughters of Israel, and they for fear conversed with you: but a daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness. Now therefore tell me, under what tree didst thou take them conversing together. And he answered: Under a holm tree. And Daniel said to him: Well hast thou also lied against thy own head: for the angel of the Lord waiteth with a sword to cut thee in two, and to destroy you. With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and they blessed God, who saveth them that trust in him. And they rose up against the two elders, (for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth,) and they did to them as they had maliciously dealt against their neighbour, To fulfill the law of Moses: and they put them to death, and innocent blood was saved in that day.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 23 (22):4ab; V. 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R.  For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me.

V.  The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.

      He hath set me in a place of pasture.

      He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:

      He hath converted my soul.

V.  He hath led me on the paths of justice,

     for his own name's sake.

     For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death,

     I will fear no evils, for thou art with me.

     Thy rod and thy staff,

     they have comforted me.

V.  Thou hast prepared a table before me

     against them that afflict me.

     Thou hast anointed my head with oil;

     and my chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly is it!

V.  And thy mercy will follow me

     all the days of my life.

     And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

     unto length of days. 

Gospel Reading:  John 8:12-20

Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said to him: Thou givest testimony of thyself: thy testimony is not true. Jesus answered, and said to them: Although I give testimony of myself, my testimony is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go: but you know not whence I come, or whither I go. You judge according to the flesh: I judge not any man. And if I do judge, my judgment is true: because I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. And in your law it is written, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that give testimony of myself: and the Father that sent me giveth testimony of me. They said therefore to him: Where is thy Father? Jesus answered: Neither me do you know, nor my Father: if you did know me, perhaps you would know my Father also. These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/7/2025.

DR Squared: Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A)

First Reading:  Ezekiel 37:12b-14

Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will open your graves, and will bring you out of your sepulchres, O my people: and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall have opened your sepulchres, and shall have brought you out of your graves, O my people:  And shall have put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall make you rest upon your own land: and you shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and done it, saith the Lord God:

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 130 (129):7; V. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R.  Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.

V.  Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:

      Lord, hear my voice.

      Let thy ears be attentive

      to the voice of my supplication.

V.  If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities:

     Lord, who shall stand it.

     For with thee there is merciful forgiveness:

     and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. 

V  My soul hath relied on his word:

     My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

     From the morning watch even until night,

     let Israel hope in the Lord.

V.  Because with the Lord there is mercy:

     and with him plentiful redemption.

     And he shall redeem Israel

     from all his iniquities.

Second Reading:  Romans 8:8-11

And they who are in the flesh, cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body indeed is dead, because of sin; but the spirit liveth, because of justification. And if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you; he that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead, shall quicken also your mortal bodies, because of his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Gospel Reading:  John 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45

Now there was a certain man sick, named Lazarus, of Bethania, of the town of Mary and Martha her sister.  2 (And Mary was she that anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair: whose brother Lazarus was sick.) His sisters therefore sent to him, saying: Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. And Jesus hearing it, said to them: This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God: that the Son of God may be glorified by it. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he still remained in the same place two days. Then after that, he said to his disciples: Let us go into Judea again. The disciples say to him: Rabbi, the Jews but now sought to stone thee: and goest thou thither again? Jesus answered: Are there not twelve hours of the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world:  But if he walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him. These things he said; and after that he said to them: Lazarus our friend sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. His disciples therefore said: Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. But Jesus spoke of his death; and they thought that he spoke of the repose of sleep. Then therefore Jesus said to them plainly: Lazarus is dead. And I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, that you may believe: but let us go to him. Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples: Let us also go, that we may die with him. Jesus therefore came, and found that he had been four days already in the grave. (Now Bethania was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.) And many of the Jews were come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus had come, went to meet him: but Mary sat at home. Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But now also I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith to her: Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith to him: I know that he shall rise again, in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live:  And every one that liveth, and believeth in me, shall not die for ever. Believest thou this? She saith to him: Yea, Lord, I have believed that thou art Christ the Son of the living God, who art come into this world. And when she had said these things, she went, and called her sister Mary secretly, saying: The master is come, and calleth for thee. She, as soon as she heard this, riseth quickly, and cometh to him. For Jesus was not yet come into the town: but he was still in that place where Martha had met him. The Jews therefore, who were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary that she rose up speedily and went out, followed her, saying: She goeth to the grave to weep there. When Mary therefore was come where Jesus was, seeing him, she fell down at his feet, and saith to him: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews that were come with her, weeping, groaned in the spirit, and troubled himself,  And said: Where have you laid him? They say to him: Lord, come and see. And Jesus wept. The Jews therefore said: Behold how he loved him. But some of them said: Could not he that opened the eyes of the man born blind, have caused that this man should not die? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, cometh to the sepulchre. Now it was a cave; and a stone was laid over it. Jesus saith: Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith to him: Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he is now of four days. Jesus saith to her: Did not I say to thee, that if thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of God? They took therefore the stone away. And Jesus lifting up his eyes said: Father, I give thee thanks that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always; but because of the people who stand about have I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. When he had said these things, he cried with a loud voice: Lazarus, come forth. And presently he that had been dead came forth, bound feet and hands with winding bands; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them: Loose him, and let him go. Many therefore of the Jews, who were come to Mary and Martha, and had seen the things that Jesus did, believed in him.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/6/2025. These readings are used as part of the Third Scrutiny of OCIA.

DR Squared: Saturday Of The Fourth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Jeremiah 11:18-20

But thou, O Lord, hast shewn me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings. And I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not that they had devised counsels against me, saying: Let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more. But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest justly, and triest the reins and hearts, let me see thy revenge on them: for to thee I have revealed my cause.  

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 7:2a; V. 2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

R.  O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust:

V.  O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust:

      save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.

      Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion,

      while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.

V.  Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice,

     and according to my innocence in me.

     The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought:

     and thou shalt direct the just:

     the searcher of hearts and reins is God.

V.  Just is my help from the Lord:

     who saveth the upright of heart.

     God is a just judge, strong and patient:

     is he angry every day?

Gospel Reading:  John 7:40-53

Of that multitude therefore, when they had heard these words of his, some said: This is the prophet indeed. Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Doth the Christ come out of Galilee? Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was? So there arose a dissension among the people because of him. And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands on him. The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him? The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man. The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced? Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? But this multitude, that knoweth not the law, are accursed.  50 Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to him by night, who was one of them:)   Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth? They answered, and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not. And every man returned to his own house.

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/5/2025.

DR Squared: Friday Of The Fourth Week Of Lent

First Reading:  Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22

For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right:  Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life. He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God. He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father. Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be. For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words. These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them. And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls.

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 34 (33):19a; V. 17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23

R.  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart:

V.  But the countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil things:

     to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

     The just cried, and the Lord heard them:

     and delivered them out of all their troubles.

V.  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart:

     and he will save the humble of spirit.

     Many are the afflictions of the just;

     but out of them all will the Lord deliver them.

V. The Lord keepeth all their bones,

     not one of them shall be broken.

     The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants:

     and none of them that trust in him shall offend.  

Gospel Reading:  John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in secret. Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this he whom they seek to kill? And behold, he speaketh openly, and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth, that this is the Christ? But we know this man, whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching, and saying: You both know me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of myself; but he that sent me, is true, whom you know not. I know him, because I am from him, and he hath sent me. They sought therefore to apprehend him: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come. 

The readings from the USCCB can be found here.

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Originally posted 4/4/2025.