Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection April 02, 2025

02nd April 2025 (Wednesday)

Psalter: Week 4

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Isaiah 49:8-15

Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages, saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways; on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them. And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up. Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Syene.” Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18 (R. 8a)

R/. The Lord is kind and full of compassion

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

V/. I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel: John 5:17-30

At that time: Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Wednesday – Fourth Week of Lent

Main Point: Who can measure the love of God! What can one compare it with! He never forsakes us. He never ceases to work for our good, growth and happiness. Blessed are those who realize and experience this!

1. The greatest beauty and the most beautiful greatness of our God is He is ceaselessly at work. It is the work of loving. It is a relentless mission and project of transforming our lives into something beautiful and great.

2. What does this imply? It means, God will nourish us, and we shall not hunger or thirst. He will lead us and we shall not be harmed or misguided. He will comfort us and we shall not remain afflicted. He will lift up our spirits and we shall not lie desolate.

3. It is a love that is incomparable and immeasurable. It is like a mother’s love for her nursing child. A mother never forgets her nursing child. But even if such a thing happens, even if a mother forgets her nursing child, even if her love fails, yet God’s love for us never fails. He never forgets us or abandons us.

4. Jesus’ coming to us and living with us is the greatest sign of this love and work of God for us. Jesus tries hard to make the people understand this. He wants to draw their attention to God who loves them and works for them ceaselessly.

5. He never rests, because His love never rests or halts. Throughout his whole life and mission, and through his preaching and healing, what Jesus wants to reveal and show to the people is just this: God loves us and works for us. It is beyond times and seasons, beyond any conditions or restrictions.

6. It is in this spirit and with this mind, Jesus speaks of his communion and oneness with God, his likeness to Him, and his power and judgment. But instead, people understand the wrong side. They misunderstand all of Jesus’ doing God’s will as competition with God.

7. They misunderstand all the closeness, likeness and oneness of Jesus with God as claiming equality with God . They misunderstand all his deepest God-consciousness of seeing everything in reference to God as blasphemy as blasphemy . They misunderstand his timeless love-work like God’s as disrespecting and violating Sabbath . Hence blaming and persecuting Jesus.

My Practice: If only one lifts up his eyes and realizes the unstoppable and untiring love of God and His working for us, we will be eternally grateful and passionately committed to do God’s work!