Daily Mass Readings and Reflections March 09, 2023

2nd Week of Lent

09th March 2023 (Thursday) Readings and Reflection

Daily Mass Readings and Reflections March 09, 2023. Today's Mass readings Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31. The Main theme of these readings is Blessed or cursed!

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Reading of the Day

First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."

Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 (R. Psalm 40:5ab)

R/. Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Gospel : Luke 16:19-31

At that time: Jesus said to the Pharisees, "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not do so, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house for I have five brothers-so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.""

Daily Gospel Reflection

The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}

Main Theme: Blessed or cursed!

Indicative: Trust in God and sensitivity to others make one “blessed”. But trust in self and world and indifference to others{alertSuccess}

1. God distinguishes between the blessed and the cursed. It is not the worldly riches or abundance of human capacities or a variety of pleasures that make one’s life blessed. It is one’s trust in God that makes one blessed

2. Such a blessed man is like a plant beside the waters. His roots are deep into the streams of grace. No heat or inclemencies of weather or drought frighten or wither him. His life remains fresh and refreshed. He bears abundant fruit

3. On the other hand, cursed is he who relies excessively on his own self and worldly resources. He is like a barren bush in the desert. There is no freshness or growth or fruitfulness or usefulness. The rich man in the gospel is a vivid illustration of a cursed man

4. The rich man places excessive trust in his worldly resources. He seeks his own enjoyment. This becomes the rhythm of his life, as we are told that he “dined sumptuously each day”. What a striking contrast between the rich man and the poor Lazarus!

5. The rich man was dressed in purple garments and fine linen but the poor man was covered with sores. The rich man dined sumptuously but the poor man was in search of even the scraps from the rich table. The rich man was in a privileged company but the poor man was in the company of dogs that lick his sores

6. The greatest sin of the rich man was not so much enjoying his life but a total indifference toward the poor Lazarus. The height of his inattention was such that Lazarus was totally non-existent, a non-entity and an irrelevant object to him. Lazarus did not matter at all to him

7. In this context, we must bear in mind that God’s justice is a “perfectly balancing scale”. The scene reverses. After death and judgment, the rich man suffers while the poor man enjoys. The rich man laments while Lazarus praises God. The rich man is tormented while the poor man is comforted. The rich man descends to hell while Lazarus ascends to the bosom of Abraham

Imperative: Life here on earth is not the end. It has an end. It has a judgment and life after death. Therefore, we must live with a sense of dignity and responsibility{alertSuccess}