4th Week of Lent 2024 - Monday - Promises of New Life

The fourth Sunday of Lent, yesterday, marked a threshold in this liturgical season.  No longer will the weekday readings emphasize prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The Church assumes, that at this point, we have habituated these practices. Rather, from now until Holy Week, our weekday scripture readings will focus on the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, and the mounting hostility he faced leading up to his arrest and crucifixion. 

The gospel book changes as well.  Since Ash Wednesday, we’ve read from one of the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke.  For the rest of Lent, we will read predominately from the Gospel of John, which presents Jesus as “the resurrection and the life”. 

The promise of new life is introduced in our reading from the prophet Isaiah this morning. God announces his plan and his promise to create a new heaven and a new earth where the sufferings and sadnesses of life—caused by sin and death and evil—shall not be remembered, but will be replaced with endless rejoicing and happiness. 

And then how did our Gospel reading show Jesus fulfilling this promise of new life. The weeping of the royal official over his dying son is replaced with joy when Jesus restores health to the boy. Joy is brought to the entire household. 

Yesterday, on Laetare Sunday the liturgy urged us to be joyful, for all who mourn shall be made to exult. And again today, we have this connection with joy and new life. The new life available to all of us through Christ is the cause of our joy. 

Joy should be evident in the life of the Christian. Even as we undergo Lenten penances, there should be joy. Because we know that our Lenten penances bring life. They are aimed at the spiritual growth of our souls, and softening hardened hearts to the life of God. 

Our collect prayer this morning, too, spoke about the renewal God desires to bring about through Christ. What is the renewal God wants for you, right now, and this point in your life? Can you identify it? If not, ask God to help you identify those parts of your mind, body, and spirit that he wants to renew through Christ. And if you do know, ask for the strength to pursue that renewal, that new life. It might not be easy. Renewal might require change and breaking habits and thinking and speaking differently. But that change is good because it is the change desired for you by God. 

May the joy of our salvation in Christ pierce through every darkness and lead us and those we pray for to the eternal light of Heaven for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

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As the Solemnity of Easter approaches, dear brethren, let our prayer to the Lord be all the more insistent:

That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and those to be fully initiated in the coming Paschal Solemnity

For Peace throughout the nations of the world most threatened by hatred, division, and violence, for the protection of the unborn and the safety of the men and women in our armed forces.  

That all families will commit themselves to fervent prayer this Lent so as to grow in greater love and holiness.  

For the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing of all people, especially the spiritually blind and hard of heart.  

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for…  

Have mercy, O Lord, on the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in the divine mystery may never be left without your assistance. Through Christ our Lord.