Liturgical Readings for : Tuesday, 27th February, 2024
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Memorial may be made of St Gregory of Narek, abbot and doctor of the Church.
Penance and prayer prepares us us for God’s implanting the seed that leads to Eternal life in God.
FIRST READING
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Learn to do good, search for justice.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the command of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
‘Wash, make yourselves clean.
Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.
Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice,
help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.
‘Come now, let us talk this over, says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
‘If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth.
But if you persist in rebellion, the sword shall eat you instead.’
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 49
Response I will show God’s salvation to the upright.
1. ‘I find no fault with your sacrifices, your offerings are always before me.
I do not ask more bullocks from your farms, nor goats from among your herds. Response
2. ‘But how can you recite my commandments and take my covenant on your lips,
you who despise my law and throw my words to the winds. Response
3. ‘You do this, and should I keep silence? Do you think that I am like you?
A sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me and I will show God’s salvation to the upright.’ Response
Gospel Acclamation Mt 4:17
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
Repent, says the Lord, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
or Ez 18:31
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks–
and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 23:1-12 Glory to you, O Lord
They do not practise what they preach.
Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said,
‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.
‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant.
Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.’
The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflection Tuesday , Second Week of Lent Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus is very critical in this gospel reading of those religious leaders who impose unnecessary burdens on an already burdened people through their strict interpretation of the Jewish Law. Jesus had earlier called on those who were overburdened to come to him, promising them rest, declaring that his teaching, his interpretation of God’s will for our lives, was not burdensome. Most people carry burdens of one kind or another, very often brought on by others. Jesus is clear in this reading that our relationship with God is not intended to be another burden on a burdened people. Jesus allowed himself to be burdened by the constraints of the human condition. Among the burdens he carried was the burden imposed by those who were hostile to all he stood for. Jesus was at his most burdened as he hung from the cross on Calvary. He carried our burdens so that he could help us to carry our own burdens. Through his life, death and resurrection, he released into the world the power of God’s love, the power of the Holy Spirit, which is not an oppressive power but a life-giving, enabling, power.
Saint Paul was very burdened as he wrote to the church in Philippi from his prison cell. Yet, he could say to that church, ‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13). The Lord strengthens us to carry our burdens so that we can help to carry the burdens of others. As Paul writes to the churches of Galatia, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (Gal 6:2). The law of Christ, which is the law of love, the fruit of the Spirit, is not about burden imposing but burden lifting.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd
