Sunday Bible Readings 3rd Sunday of Lent Feb24 2008

February 24 2008 Sunday 3rd Week of Lent

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own private study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/022408.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

Exodus 17:3-7
CPDV

3 And so the people were thirsty in that place, due to the scarcity of water, and they murmured against Moses, saying: “Why did you cause us to go out of Egypt, so as to kill us and our children, as well as our cattle, with thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, saying: “What shall I do with this people? A little while more and they will stone me.”
5 And the Lord said to Moses: “Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And take in your hand the staff, with which you struck the river, and advance.
6 Lo, I will stand in that place before you, on the rock of Horeb. And you shall strike the rock, and water will go forth from it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of that place ‘Temptation,’ because of the arguing of the sons of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: “Is the Lord with us, or not?”

Responsorial Psalm 94:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (Ps 95 Hebrew)
DR Challoner Vs 9 is CPDV (I didn’t like the DR verse)

Come let us praise the Lord with joy:
let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
Come let us adore and fall down:
and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God:
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
To day if you shall hear his voice,
harden not your hearts: as in the provocation,
according to the day of temptation in the wilderness,
where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me, though they had seen my works.

Romans 5:1-2, 5-8
Haydock NT

1 Therefore, being justified by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 By whom also we have access through faith into this grace, wherein we stand, and glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God.

5 And hope confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured out into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us. 6 For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly? 7 For scarce for a just man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some one would venture to die. 8 But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time.

The Gospel According to Saint John 4:5-42
Haydock NT

5 He cometh, therefore, to a city of Samaria which is called Sichar; near the piece of land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her:

Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone into the city, to buy food.) 9 Then that Samaritan woman saith to him:

How dost thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered, and said to her:

If thou didst know the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink: thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith to him:

Sir, thou hast nothing wherein to draw, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered, and said to her:

Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but he that shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall not thirst for ever. 14 But the water that I shall give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life.

15 The woman saith to him:

Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.

16 Jesus saith to her:

Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17 The woman answered, and said:

I have no husband.

Jesus said to her:

Thou hast said well, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. This thou hast said truly.

19 The woman saith to him:

Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers adored on this mountain, and you sat that Jerusalem is the place where men must adore.

21 Jesus saith to her:

Woman, believe me, that the hour cometh when you shall neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, adore the Father. 22 You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him. 24 God is a spirit, and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and truth.

25 The woman saith to him:

I know that the Messiah cometh (who is called Christ); therefore when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26 Jesus saith to her:

I am he, who am speaking with thee.

27 And immediately his disciples came: and they wondered that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said: “What seekest thou, or why talkest thou with her?” 28 The woman, therefore, left her water-pot, and went away into the city, and saith to the men there:

29 Come, and see a man who hath told me all things that I have done. Is not he the Christ?

30 They went therefore out of the city, and came to him. 31 In the mean time the disciples prayed him, saying:

Rabbi, eat.

32 But he said to them:

I have meat to eat which you know not of.

33 The disciples, therefore, said one to another:

Hath any man brought him any thing to eat?

34 Jesus said to them:

My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, that I may perfect his work. 35 Do not you say, there are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh? Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes, and see the countries, for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto everlasting life: that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth, may rejoice together. 37 For in this is the saying true: that it is one man that soweth, and it is another that reapeth. 38 I have sent you to reap that in which you did not labour: others have laboured, and you have entered into their labours.

39 Now of that city many of the Samaritans believed in him, for the word of the woman giving testimony: that he told me whatsoever I have done. 40 So when the Samaritans were come to him, they desired him that he would stay there. And he staid there two days. 41 And many more believed in him, because of his own word. 42 And they said to the woman:

We now believe, not for thy saying; for we ourselves have heard him, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.

Haydock Commentary Exodus 17:3-7

• Ver. 6. Before thee, ready to grant thy request at Horeb, a rock to the west of Sinai, and a figure of Jesus Christ, according to S. Paul; who says, (1 Cor. x. 4,) that the spiritual rock followed by the Hebrews. Some say a part of the real rock was carried in a chariot. S. Chrys. Others, that the rivulet of waters accompanied them till it fell into the sea near Asiengaber. Usher.—The Rabbins say, that these waters never failed the Israelites till the death of Mary, for whose sake they were given, and that the bright cloud disappeared with Aaron, and manna at the decease of Moses.
• Ver. 7. Temptation. Massa and Meriba “quarrel,” as the Heb. reads.

 

Haydock Commentary Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

• Ver. 1. The apostle proceeds in this chapter to shew how great a benefit it is to be truly justified by the coming of Christ.—Let us have peace with God. That is, says S. Chrys. by laying aside all contentions. Or let us have peace with God by sinning no more. And this peace we may have under the greatest tribulations, which conduce to our greater good, to an increase in virtues, in patience, in hope, in the love of God, &c. Wi.
• Ver. 5. God having prevented us with his gifts when we did not at all deserve them, having showered upon us the blessings of faith, charity, patience, and fidelity, we cannot but have the greatest confidence that after this pledge and assurance of his good will towards us, he will finish the work he has begun, and bring us to his heavenly kingdom. Calmet.—Not only the gift of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit himself, is given to us, who resides in our soul as in his own temple, who sanctifies it, and makes it partaker of his divine love. Menochius.
• Ver. 6. &c. Why did Christ … die for the ungodly? He shews Christ’s great mercy and love for mankind, that he would die for us, who were sinners, and consequently his enemies. How few are there that will lay down their lives for a just man, or for a just cause?—Perhaps for a good man. That is, for another, who has been good to him, his friend or benefactor, we may find one that will expose or lay down his life. But Christ, in due time, appointed by the divine decree, died for sinners, for us all. And if we have been reconciled to God, and justified by his death; now being made the children of God, and his friends, we may with greater confidence hope to be saved. Wi.—The text of the Greek is as follows: For when we were weak, he gave us our Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us; shewing how much God loved us, to perform such stupendous acts of love in our behalf. But the reading of the Vulgate is conformable to S. Irenæus, (lib. iii. c. 18.) and to the commentaries on this epistle, which have been published under the name of S. Ambrose, and S. Jerome. Calmet.—S. Augustin says, those whom the apostle first calls weak, he afterwards calls impious, hos dixit infirmos quos impios. Ep. lix. ad Paulinum.—S. Jerome, and other fathers and commentators explain the Greek text of this verse as follows: Scarcely would any one die for a just cause; for who would ever think of dying in defense of injustice? Others explain it thus: Scarcely a single man would die for one that was wicked and unjust: for we can hardly find a person ready to lay down his life for a good man; his friend and benefactor, who has been kind to him. Calmet.

 

Haydock Commentary John 4:5-42
Strongly Recommended Supplemental Reading the Catena Aurea for this passage at — Catechetics Online

• Ver. 5. This is what Jacob gave to his son Joseph, when calling him to him just before he died, he said: (Gen. xlviii. v. 22.) I give thee a portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorrhite, with my sword and bow. Theophylactus.—It was thirty-six miles from Jerusalem, and the same place as Sichem, (Gen. xxxiv.) the capital of Samaria, now called Naplosa.
• Ver. 10. Thou didst know the gift of God; i.e. the favour now offered thee by my presence, of believing in me.—And he would have given thee living water, meaning divine graces; but the woman understood him literally of such water as was there in the well. Wi.
• Ver. 12. The Samaritan woman says, our father Jacob; because the Samaritans claimed lineage from Abraham, who was himself a Chaldean; and they, therefore, called Jacob their father, because he was Abraham’s grandson. S. Chrys.—Or she calls him their father because they lived under the law of Moses, and were in possession of that spot of ground which Jacob had bequeathed to his son Joseph. Ven. Bede.
• Ver. 13. Shall thirst again. After any water, or any drink, a man naturally thirsts again; but Christ speaks of the spiritual water of grace in this life, and of glory in the next, which will perfectly satisfy the desires of man’s immortal soul for ever. Wi.
• Ver. 15. Sir, give me this water. The woman, says S. Aug. does not yet understand his meaning, but longs for water, after which she should never thirst. Wi.
• Ver. 16. Call thy husband. Christ begins to shew her that he knows her life, to make her know him and herself. Wi.
• Ver. 20. Our fathers adored on this mountain, &c. She means Jacob and the ancient patriarchs, whom the Samaritans called their fathers; and by the mountain, that of Garizim, where the Samaritans had built a temple, and where they would have all persons adore, and not at Jerusalem; now she had a curiosity to hear what Christ would say of these two temples, and of the different worship of the Jews and of the Samaritans. Wi.—Sichem was at the foot of Mount Garizim. The Samaritans supposed the patriarchs had exercised their religious acts on this mountain. V.—Josephus (Antiq. 1. xiii. c. 6.) gives the dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans. Both parties referred themselves to the arbitration of king Ptolemy Philometer, who gave judgment in favour of the Jews, upon their stating the antiquity of their temple, and the uninterrupted succession of the priesthood, officiating there throughout all ages. In this controversy, the intelligent reader will see some resemblance to that which subsists between Catholics and Protestants. See Dr. Kellison’s Survey of the New Religion, p. 129.—The woman in this place must mean offering sacrifice, for adoration was never limited to any particular place. It is clear from 3 K. ix. 3. from 2 Par. vii. 12. that God had chosen the temple of Jerusalem; but the Samaritans rejected all the books of Scripture, except the Pentateuch of Moses. The schism was begun by Manasseh, a fugitive priest, that he might hold his unlawful wife thereby, and obtain superiority in schism; which he could not do whilst he remained in the unity of his brethren. How forcibly do these circumstances remind us of a much later promoter of schism, king Henry VIII. It is true the Protestants appeal to the primitive Christians, as the Samaritans appealed to the patriarchs, but in the argument both must stand or fall by the incontrovertible proof of continual succession.
• Ver. 22. The Israelites, on account of their innumerable sins, had been delivered by the Almighty into the hands of the king of Assyria, who led them all away captives into Babylon and Medea, and sent other nations whom he had collected from different parts, to inhabit Samaria. But the Almighty, to shew to all nations that he had not delivered up these his people for want of power to defend, but solely on account of their transgressions, sent lions into the land to persecute these strangers. The Assyrian king upon hearing this, sent them a priest to teach them the law of God; but neither after this did they depart wholly from their impiety, but in part only: for many of them returned again to their idols, worshipping at the same time the true God. It was on this account that Christ preferred the Jews before them, saying, that salvation is of the Jews, with whom it was the chief principle to acknowledge the true God, and hold every denomination of idols in detestation; whereas, the Samaritans by mixing the worship of the one with the other, plainly shewed that they held the God of the universe in no greater esteem than their dumb idols. S. Chrys. ex S. Thoma.
• Ver. 23. Now is the time approaching, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth, without being confined to any one temple or place; and chiefly in spirit, without such a multitude of sacrifices and ceremonies as even the Jews now practice. Such adorers God himself (who is a pure spirit) desires, which they shall be taught by the Messiah. Wi.—Our Lord foretells her that sacrifices in both these temples should shortly cease, giving her these three instructions: 1. That the true sacrifice should be limited no longer to one spot or nation, but should be offered throughout all nations, according to that of Malachy; (i. 11.) 2. That the gross and carnal adoration by the flesh and blood of beasts, not having in them grace, spirit, and life, should be taken away , and another sacrifice succeed, which should be in itself invisible, divine, and full of life, spirit, and grace; 3. That this sacrifice should be truth itself, whereof all former sacrifices were but shadows and figures. He calleth here spirit and truth that which, in the first chapter, (v. 17.) is called grace and truth. Now this is no more than a prophecy and description of the sacrifice of the faithful Gentiles in the body and blood of Christ; for all the adoration of the Catholic Church is properly spiritual, though certain external objects be joined thereto, on account of the state of our nature, which requireth it. Be careful then not to gather from Christ’s words that Christian men should have no use of external signs and offices towards God; for that would take away all sacrifice, sacraments, prayers, churches, and societies, &c. &c. B.
• Ver. 25. I know that the Messiah cometh. So that even the Samaritans, at that time, expected the coming of the great Messiah. Wi.
• Ver. 26. Jesus saith to her: I am he. Christ was pleased to own this truth in the plainest terms to this Samaritan woman, having first by his words, and more by his grace, disposed her heart to believe it. Wi.
• Ver. 27. His disciples … wondered, &c. They admired his humility, finding him discoursing with a poor woman, especially she being a Samaritan. Wi.
• Ver. 29. The Samaritans looked for the Messiah, because they had the books of Moses, in which Jacob foretold the world’s Redeemer: The sceptre shall not depart from Juda, nor a leader from his thigh, until he come that is to be sent. Gen. xlix. 10. And Moses himself foretold the same: God will raise to thee a prophet of the nations, and of thy brethren. Deut. xviii. 15. S. Chrys. ex. S. Thoma.
• Ver. 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me. Such ought to be the disposition of every one who, as a minister of Christ and his Church, is to take care of souls. Wi.
• Ver. 35. For they are white already to harvest. The great harvest of souls was approaching, when Christ was come to teach men the way of salvation, and was to send his apostles to convert all nations. They succeeded to the labours of the prophets, but with much greater advantages and success. And to this is applied that common saying, that one soweth and another reapeth. Wi.
• Ver. 38. By these words our Saviour testifies to his disciples, that the prophets had sown the seed in order to bring men to believe in Christ. This was the end of the law, this the fruit which the prophets looked for to crown their labours. He likewise shews that he himself that sent them, likewise sent the prophets before them; and that the Old and New Testament are of the same origin, and have the same design. S. Chrys. ex S. Thoma.
• Ver. 42. This is indeed the Saviour of the world. These Samaritans then believed that Jesus was the true Messiah, sent to redeem the world. Wi.