Let’s explore some of the themes in the Mass readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent.
1st Reading – 2nd Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23
Despite the Lord’s repeated attempts to bring them back, the people of Israel added infidelity to infidelity and were beyond remedy.
Finally, the Lord allowed their enemies to destroy the temple in Jerusalem and deport them to Babylon, where they will be in captivity for seventy years.
Psalm – 137:1-6
“Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!”
Recalling the sorrow of the Babylon captivity, the Psalmist remembers Jerusalem.
2nd Reading – Ephesians 2:4-10
God’s mercy brought us to life, even when we were dead in our transgressions.
For by grace we have been saved through faith, a gift from God.
Gospel – John 3:14-21
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus and says the famous words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
Here are some of the themes that we find in the Mass readings for the 24th Sunday of the Year.
1st Reading – Sirach 27:30-28:9
While wrath and anger are hateful things, the sinner hugs them tight.
If a person expects mercy and pardon for sins, enmity must be set aside.
Psalm – 103:1-4,9-12
“The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion.”
God pardons, heals, and redeems us out of kindness.
2nd Reading – Romans 14:7-9
None of us lives or dies for oneself, but for the Lord.
Christ has died and rose that he might be Lord of the dead and the living.
Gospel – Matthew 18:21-35
When asked by Peter how often must he forgive his brother, Jesus offers a parable about a servant who failed to forgive someone in a small way after he had experienced great forgiveness from his master.
The Lord then applies the parable to us all: we must forgive one another if we expect to be forgiven by God.
Psalm 139 reveals the awareness that God searches and knows our hearts, inspiring us to embrace the depth of the Lord’s love and respond with joyous faith.
Three Great Things 