Sunday, 11 March was the Fourth Sunday of Lent: Lent-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: The English word "Lent" is of Germanic origin, from the Old English (A.K.A. Anglo-Saxon) lencten & related etymologically to the Dutch lente & the German lenz, both meaning "spring" (the season, not the water source or the metal curly-cue). The Latin name, Quadragesima, means "fortieth," referring to the penitential season's length.
Scripture of the Week
Mass Readings—Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B
The Second Book of Chronicles, chapter thirty-six, verses fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, & nineteen thru twenty-three;
Psalm One Hundred Thirty-seven, verses one & two, three, four & five, & six;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter two, verses four thru ten;
The Gospel according to John, chapter three, verses fourteen thru twenty-one.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, our Gospel passage today includes one of Jesus’ best-known and best-loved sayings. The Lord is speaking to Nicodemus and he tells him, "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."Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Why does the Son come? Because God is angry? Because God wants to lord it over us? Because God needs something? No, he comes purely out of love, God’s desire that we flourish. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
It is not in order to work out his anger issues that the Father sends the Son, but that the justice of the world might be restored. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s salvific intent, displayed throughout the Old Testament.
Video reflection by Jeff Cavins: Encountering the Word.
Audio reflection by Scott Hahn, Ph.D.: Breaking the Bread.
Mass Readings—Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A: Second Scrutiny
The First Book of Samuel, chapter sixteen, verses one(b), six, seven, & ten thru thirteen(a);
Psalm Twenty-three, verses one, two, & three(a); three(b) & four; five; & six;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter five, verses eight thru fourteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter nine, verses one thru forty-one
(or, the Gospel according to John, chapter nine, verses one, six thru nine, thirteen thru seventeen, & thirty-four thru thirty-eight).
Mass Journal: Week Eleven
Reflection by Matthew Kelly, founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute:
The life of Jesus Christ is indelibly engraved upon history; neither the erosion of time nor the devastating & compounding effects of evil have been able to erase his influence. Some people thought He was crazy; others considered Him a misfit, a troublemaker, a rebel. He was condemned as a criminal, yet His life & teachings reverberate throughout history. He saw things differently, & He had no respect for the status quo. You can praise Him, disagree with Him, quote Him, disbelieve Him, glorify Him, or vilify Him. About the only thing you cannot do is ignore Him, & that is a lesson that every age learns in its own way. You can't ignore Jesus, because He changed things. He is the single greatest agent of change in human history. He made the lame walk, taught the simple, set captives free, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, afflicted the comfortable, & in all of these, captured the imagination of every generation.†
Otherwise, 11 March would have been the festival of Saint Benedict Crispus, Bishop (died circa 732, of Milan): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
'Twould also have been the festival of Saint Eulogius of Córdoba, Bishop & Martyr (died 857), martyred in the reign of the Andalusian emir Muhammad I, one of the forty-eight Martyrs of Córdoba: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link XLVIII.
'Twould also have been the festival of Saint Óengus the Culdee, Bishop (died 824; A.K.A. of Tallaght, of Clonenagh, Óengus mac Óengobann; also spelt Aengus; a culdee being a king of hermit): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Twould also have been the festival of Blessed Thomas Atkinson, Priest & Martyr (died 1616), martyred in the reign of the Anglo-Scottish king James VI & I, one of the Eighty-five Martyrs of England & Wales, also one of the one hundred sixty Martyrs of Douai: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Martyrs-link LXXXV & Wikipedia-link LXXXV; & Martyrs-link CLX & Wikipedia-link CLX.
Papal Quote o' That Day
"May Mary, who is the Mother of Mercy, place in our hearts the certitude that we are loved by God."Little Flower Quote o' That Day
—Pope Francis
"O Divine Sun! I am happy to feel so small & weak in Your presence, & my heart is at peace."Saint Quote o' That Day
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)
"Patience is the root & guardian of all the virtues."
—Pope St. Gregory I the Great, Doctor of the Church (circa 540-604, feast day: 3 September)
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