III. Week of Lent

Monday 22nd February

Evangelium: Mt 16,13-19

Thought of the day: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Mt 16,13.

Task for the Day: What means God in your life?

Tuesday 23th February

Evangelium: Mt 23,1-12

Thought of the Day: The greatest among you must be your servant. Mt 23, 11

Task for the Day: Do some service today: help someone who needs it, visit your parents/grandparents/friends you didn´t visit for long time…

Wednesday 24th February

Evangelium: Mt 20, 17-28

Thought of the Day: Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Jer 18, 19

Task for the Day:   Do not miss the holy mass today to pray.

Thursday 25th February

Evangelium: Lk 16, 19-31

Thought of the Day: Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. Jer 17, 7-8

Task for the Day: Try to smile and think positive even when you are not happy.

Friday 26th February

Evangelium:  Mt 21,33-43.45-46

Meditating the Story of the Passion in St. Mark’s Gospel

The King is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk. 14:32-52; see Mt. 26:36-56; Lk. 22:40-53).

Text:

32 They came to a plot of land called
Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘Stay here while I pray.’

33 Then he took Peter and James and John with him.

34 And he began to feel terror and
anguish. And he said to them, ‘My soul is
sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and stay awake.’

35 And going on a little further he
threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour
might pass him by.

36 ‘Abba, Father!’ he said, ‘For you
everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not
I, would have it.’

37 He came back and found them
sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to
stay awake one hour?

38 Stay awake and pray not to be put
to the test. The spirit is
willing enough, but human nature is
weak.’

39 Again he went away and prayed,
saying the same words.

40 And once more he came back and
found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer
for him.

41 He came back a third time and said
to them, ‘You can sleep on now and have your rest. It is all over. The hour
has come. Now the Son of man is to be
betrayed into the hands of sinners.

42 Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is
not far away.’

43 And at once, while he was still
speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up and with him a number of men
armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and
the elders.

44 Now the traitor had arranged a
signal with them saying, ‘The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him, and see
he is well guarded when you lead him away.’

45 So when the traitor came, he went
up to Jesus at once
and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him.

46 The others seized him and arrested
him.

47 Then one of the bystanders drew his
sword and struck out at the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.

48 Then Jesus spoke. ‘Am I a bandit,’ he said, ‘that you had
to set out to capture me with swords and clubs?

49 I was among you teaching in the Temple day
after day and you never laid a hand on me. But this is to fulfil the
scriptures.’

50 And they all deserted him and ran
away.

51 A young man followed
with nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him,

52 but he left the cloth in their
hands and ran away naked.

Commentary:

Many pilgrims camped
close to Jerusalem at Passover time, and it may be that Jesus intended to
spend the night in Gethsemane (which means ‘oil press’) instead of returning
to Bethany. But there was to be no sleep for him there. With his ‘inner ring’
of three disciples, he prayed, under tremendous spiritual stress. We must
never think that Calvary was easy for him; this prayer shows how hard it was
(see Lk. 12:50). The sleepy disciples, perhaps especially Peter, must have
heard and remembered his words (36) and told Mark, for nobody else was
present. They even remembered that Jesus used the intimate Aramaic word
‘Abba’ (which Mark translates) to address God his father (this was later used
by the early church; Rom. 8:15). ‘Abba’ is the name which every Jewish child
still uses within the home to address his or her father.

        Jesus’
prayer was very simple; he did not want to face the cross, but if it was
God’s path, he would face it. In this way he conquered the enemy. But while
he prayed, his disciples slept, in spite of his warnings. No wonder that they
yielded to temptation later, when they had already yielded to temptation
here. No fall is really unexpected or sudden, as Peter found.

Without the help of
Judas, the priests would never have been able to find Jesus among the many
groups camped around Jerusalem that night. Those who have seen the crowds of
pilgrims camped around temples at a Hindu festival will understand. Even if
they had found the place, they would never have been able to find Jesus
himself in the darkness, and Judas knew well that his fellow–Galileans might
fight. That is why the well–armed temple police were there (not a city mob,
as is sometimes suggested). Night arrests of suspects are not unusual; the
suspects are off guard, and there is less danger of a rescue by friends or
neighbours. As it was, Peter (not named here; see Jn. 18:10) drew his sword
in vain, for Jesus refused such help.

        We
may be used to police spies and paid informers, but the treachery of Judas
still staggers us. The kiss on the cheek was the salute demanded by local
culture, and the greeting was that of a disciple to his master, but both were
only signs arranged in advance. What amazed all was the calm response of
Jesus. There was, he said, no need for all this drama. They could have
arrested him any day in the temple, if they had not been afraid of the
people’s reaction. Then the secret of his quiet acceptance came out: he knew
that all of this had its place in the plan and purpose of God (49).

        There
has been much discussion as to who the young man in this story was. Some have
suggested that it was John Mark himself, in whose home the Last Supper may
have taken place (the church later met in his mother’s house; Acts 12:12). If
the priests could have arrested Jesus’ followers as well as Jesus, no doubt
they would have, but they all ran away (50).

Probably, that was why
Peter feared being recognized in the high priest’s house later. It may, on
the other hand, be only an irrelevant memory of Mark’s eyewitness, which Mark
alone preserves faithfully. Whoever it was, he too had left Jesus, like all
the rest, and run away.

Part two: The
coronation of the King (Mk. 14:53-15:47)

The early church liked to think of Jesus as
‘Christ the King’. They spoke of his royal robe of purple, his crown of
thorns, his sceptre of cane, the acclamation by the soldiers, the placard on
the cross and the words of Pilate. All this must have been in Mark’s mind
too, from the way that he arranges his material. Was he thinking of the
crowning of a Caesar in imperial Rome as he described a king who was greater
still?

Thought of the Day: Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’? Mt 21,42

Task for the Day: Write a diary about positive things in your life.

Saturday 27th February

Evangelium: Lk 15,1-3.11-32

Thought of the Day:  He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'” Lk 15, 31-32

Task for the Day: Try to think about important things you have „lost and founf“ in your life, Forgive to somebody something what he/she owes you.

Sunday 28th February

Evangelium: Lk 13, 1-9

Thought of the Day:  ‘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?’

He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'” Lk 13, 7-9

Task for the Day: Read at least a part of the ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS.