Daily Bible Readings Friday March 6 2009 First Week of Lent

March 6 2009 Friday First Week of Lent
Saint of the Day – Servant of God Sylvester of Assisi

About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030609.shtml

Ezekiel 18:21-28
Douay-Rheims Challoner

But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live. Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live?

But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? all his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: in the prevarication, by which he hath prevaricated, and in his sin, which he hath committed, in them he shall die. And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it my way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse?

For when the just turneth himself away from his justice, and comitteth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die. And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die.

Responsorial Psalm 129:1-8 (Ps 130 NAB/RSV/NJB/Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.
Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities:
Lord, who shall stand it.
For with thee there is merciful forgiveness:
and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord.
My soul hath relied on his word:
my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night,
let Israel hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there is mercy:
and with him plentiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 5:20-26
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

For I say to you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and of the Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be liable to the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be liable to the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Therefore, if thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there shalt remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thy adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Amen, I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence, till thou pay the last farthing.

Haydock Commentary Ezechiel 18:21-28
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 21. Penance. The end determines all. If a person be then found just or unjust at his departure, he will be treated accordingly. W.
• Ver. 23. Will. God sincerely wishes that the sinner should be converted. If he refuse grace, it is only in punishment of former transgressions. S. Aug. ep. 217. — He wills antecedently their salvation, (1 Tim. ii. 4.) though he has a consequent will to punish them, as they speak in the schools, because they themselves will not be saved. Sanct. C. — God’s absolute will is always fulfilled, not that which is conditional. S. Jo. Dam. (Fide ii. 29.) S. Tho. p. 1. q. 19. a. 6. — He does enough by offering his graces and the death of Christ, to shew that his will is sincere; though by a consequent will his justice punishes the impenitent. Thus a virtuous judge would have all to observe the laws and live: but finding some transgress, so as to become pernicious, he punishes them with death. W.
• Ver. 24. Remembered, to procure him pardon; yet he will suffer less than if he had never done any good. C.
• Ver. 25. Not right, in thus punishing or rewarding for the last act; (Theod.) or rather, God shews that those who complain are guilty.
• Ver. 27. Alive. Mortal sin destroys that life of grace. C.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 5:20-26

• Ver. 20. Of the Scribes and of the Pharisees. The Scribes were the doctors of the law of Moses; the Pharisees were a precise set of men, making profession of a more exact observance of the law: and upon that account greatly esteemed among the people. Ch. — See how necessary it is, not only to believe, but to keep all the commandments, even the very least. B. — Our Saviour makes this solemn declaration at the opening of his mission, to shew to what a height of perfection he calls us. Aquin. — “Your justice.” It is our justice when given us by God. Aug. in Ps. xxx. l. de. spir. & lit. c. ix. So that Christians are truly just, and have in themselves inherent justice, by observing God’s commandments, without which justice of works, no man can be saved. Aug. de fide & oper. c. xvi. Whereby we see salvation, justice and justification, do not come by faith only, or imputation of Christ’s justice. B.
• Ver. 21. Shall be liable to the judgment. That is, shall deserve to be punished by that lesser tribunal among the Jews, called the judgment, which took cognizance of such crimes. Ch. — Among the Jews at the time of Christ, there were three sorts of tribunals: the first composed of three judges to try smaller causes, as theft; there was one in each town: the second of twenty-three judges, who judged criminal causes, and had the power of condemning to death. This was called the Little Sanhedrim, and of this it is supposed Jesus Christ speaks: the third, or Great Sanhedrim of seventy-two judges, who decided on the most momentous affairs, relating to religion, the king, the high priest, and the state in general. It is this last that is designated under the name of council in the next verse. A.
• Ver. 22. Whosoever is angry[2] with his brother. In almost all Greek copies and MSS. we now read angry without a cause: yet S. Jerom, who corrected the Latin of the New Testament from the best copies in his time, tells us that these words, without a cause, were only found in some Greek copies, and not in the true ones. It seems at fist to have been placed in the margin for an interpretation only, and by some transcribers afterwards taken into the text. This as well as many other places may convince us, that the Latin Vulgate is many times to be preferred to our present Greek copies. — Roca.[3] S. Augustin thinks this was no significant word, but only a kind of interjection expression a motion of anger. Others take it for a Syro-Chaldaic word, signifying a light, foolish man, though not so injurious as to call another a fool. — Shall be guilty of the council:[4] that is, shall deserve to be punished by the highest court of judicature, called the council, or sanhedrim, consisting of seventy-two persons, where the highest causes were tried and judged, and which was at Jerusalem. — Thou fool; this was a most provoking injury, when uttered with contempt, spite, or malice. — Shall be in danger of hell fire.[5] Lit. according to the Greek, shall deserve to be cast into the Gehennon of fire. Gehennom was the valley of Hinnom, near to Jerusalem, where the worshippers of the idol Moloch used to burn their children, sacrificed to that idol. In that place was a perpetual fire, on which account it is made use of by our Saviour (as it hath been ever since), to express the fire and punishments of hell. Wi. — Here is a plain difference between sin and sin; some mortal, that lead to hell; some venial, and less punished. B.
• Ver. 23. He commands us to leave unfinished any work we may have begun, though in its own nature most acceptable to God, in order to go and be reconciled to our brother; because God will have mercy and not sacrifice. Thus he in a manner seems to prefer the love of our neighbour to the love of himself. M.
• Ver. 24. Leave thy offering. This is not to be understood, as if a man were always bound to go to the person offended; but it is to signify, that a man is bound in his heart and mind to be reconciled, to forgive every one, and seek peace with all men. Wi. — Beware of coming to the holy table, or to any sacrament, without charity. Be first reconciled to your brother, and much more to the Catholic Church, which is the whole brotherhood of Christian men. Heb. xiii. 1. B.
• Ver. 25. & 26. Agree whilst you are in the way, or wayfaring men, i.e. in this life, lest you be cast into prison, i.e. according to SS. Cyprian, Ambrose, and Origen, into purgatory; according to S. Augustin, into hell, in which, as the debt is to be paid to inflexible justice, it can never be acquitted, and of course no release can be hoped for from that prison. A.

Haydock Commentary Psalm 129 (130)

• Ver. 1. Canticle. David might compose it after his sin, though it might suit the captives, and all sinners, as well as the souls in purgatory. Bert. — It has long been recited in their behalf. W. — Depths of the prison of expiation, or from this vale of misery, (Bert.) captivity, (C.) and from the bottom of my heart. S. Chrys.
• Ver. 3. Mark. Heb. “observe or keep.” — It. Heb. “who shall stand upright, (C.) or make opposition.” H. — We all stand in need of mercy, as none can stand before the rigours of divine justice. W.
• Si quoties homines peccant, sua fulmina mittat
• Jupiter, exiguo tempore inermis erit. Trist. ii. H.
• Ver. 4. Law. That promises of pardon contained therein. W. — Heb. is now different from what the ancient interpreters read. C. — “Therefore shalt thou be feared.” Mont. H. — Sym. and Theodotion agree with us.
• Ver. 5. Word. And promises that the captivity should end, (C.) and sin be remitted. H.
• Ver. 6. From. Or Heb. “more than the morning watch; yea, more than the morning watch.” I expect my deliverance with greater eagerness than sentinels do the return of morning. All the day and night long I am filled with these sentiments. C. — The hope of penitents resembles the watches of the day, which are more comfortable than those of the night. W.
• Ver. 7. Redemption. Our Saviour affords the greatest consolation. W. — He will save the people. Matt. i. 21. and 1 Jo. ii. 2. Bert.