[์/Purple] Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent.
์ ๋น์ก Introit Psalm 56(55):2
Be merciful to me, O God,
for my enemies are constantly pursuing me.
๋ณธ๊ธฐ๋ Collect
O God,
You have showered us with all kinds of blessings with Your immeasurable grace.
We pray that You may help us forsake our old ways and begin a new life,
So that we may be able to enjoy the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.
์ 1๋ ์ First Reading
< Here I am about to die, though I have done none of the things >
โฅ The prophet Daniel wrote these words. Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
the daughter of Hilkiah;
her pious parents had trained their daughter
according to the law of Moses.
Joakim was very rich;
he had a garden near his house,
and the Jews had recourse to him often
because he was the most respected of them all.
That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,
of whom the Lord said, “Wickedness has come out of Babylon:
from the elders who were to govern the people as judges.”
These men, to whom all brought their cases,
frequented the house of Joakim.
When the people left at noon,
Susanna used to enter her husband’s garden for a walk.
When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,
they began to lust for her.
They suppressed their consciences;
they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,
and did not keep in mind just judgments.
One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,
she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.
She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.
Nobody else was there except the two elders,
who had hidden themselves and were watching her.
“Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids,
“and shut the garden doors while I bathe.”
As soon as the maids had left,
the two old men got up and hurried to her.
“Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
give in to our desire, and lie with us.
If you refuse, we will testify against you
that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you.”
“I am completely trapped,” Susanna groaned.
“If I yield, it will be my death;
if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.
Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt
than to sin before the Lord.”
Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,
as one of them ran to open the garden doors.
When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,
they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.
At the accusations by the old men,
the servants felt very much ashamed,
for never had any such thing been said about Susanna.
When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,
the two wicked elders also came,
fully determined to put Susanna to death.
Before all the people they ordered:
“Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,
the wife of Joakim.”
When she was sent for,
she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.
All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.
In the midst of the people the two elders rose up
and laid their hands on her head.
Through tears she looked up to heaven,
for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.
The elders made this accusation:
“As we were walking in the garden alone,
this woman entered with two girls
and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.
A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,
we ran toward them.
We saw them lying together,
but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;
he opened the doors and ran off.
Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,
but she refused to tell us.
We testify to this.”
The assembly believed them,
since they were elders and judges of the people,
and they condemned her to death.
But Susanna cried aloud:
“O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me.”
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
“I will have no part in the death of this woman.”
All the people turned and asked him, “What is this you are saying?”
He stood in their midst and continued,
“Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”
Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
“Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age.”
But he replied,
“Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.”
After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
“How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together.”
“Under a mastic tree,” he answered.
Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two.”
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
“Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,
lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.”
“Under an oak,” he said.
Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both.”
The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day.
The Word of the Lord.
โ Thanks be to God.
< or >
โฅ The prophet Daniel wrote these words. Dn 13:41c-62
The assembly condemned Susanna to death.
But Susanna cried aloud:
“O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me.”
The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
“I will have no part in the death of this woman.”
All the people turned and asked him,
“What is this you are saying?”
He stood in their midst and continued,
“Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her.”
Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
“Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age.”
But he replied,
“Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them.”
After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
“How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
‘The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.’
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together.”
“Under a mastic tree,” he answered.
Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two.”
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him, “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,
beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.”
“Under an oak,” he said.
Daniel replied, “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,”
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both.”
The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day.
The Word of the Lord.
โ Thanks be to God.
ํ๋ต์ก Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6(โ 4ab)
โ Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
โ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul. โ
โ He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage. โ
โ You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. โ
โ Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.โ
๋ณต์ ํํธ์ก Alleluia Ez 33:11
(โ Alleluia! Praise to you, Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.)
โ I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.
(โ Alleluia! Praise to you, Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.)
๋ณต์ Gospel
< “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” >
โ The apostle John wrote these words. Jn 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
“Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?”
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
“Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
“Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?”
She replied, “No one, sir.”
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
โ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
์๋ฌผ ๊ธฐ๋ Prayer over the Gifts
Lord,
We have cleansed our hearts through penance and reconciliation.
May we offer this holy sacrifice with purity of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.
๊ฐ์ฌ์ก Preface
< Preface for the Passion I: The Power of the Cross >
Father most holy, almighty and everlasting God,
it is truly right and our bounden duty at all times and in all places to give you thanks.
Through the suffering of your Son,
the whole world has been brought to the knowledge of your majesty.
By the power of the cross,
the mystery of your love is revealed to us.
Therefore, with all the angels and saints,
we acclaim your glory and sing your praise.
Amen.
์์ฑ์ฒด์ก Communion Antiphon Jn 8:10-11 or Jn 8:12
Woman, Has no one condemned you?
Lord, no one.
Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on sin no more.
< or >
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life."
์์ฑ์ฒด ํ ๋ฌต์ Meditation after Communion
< Let us pray silently for a while in union with Christ. >
์์ฑ์ฒด ํ ๊ธฐ๋ Prayer after Communion
Lord,
Having been strengthened by this Eucharist and forgiven of our sins,
may we always follow in the footsteps of Christ
and draw closer to you.
Through Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
๋ฐฑ์ฑ์ ์ํ ๊ธฐ๋ Prayer for the People
< May be said freely. >
Lord,
We beseech you, save your people from sin
and help us to live holy lives,
unwavering in the face of any adversity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
์ค๋์ ๋ฌต์ Today's Meditation
Today's readings and Gospel present the stories of "two women" (Susanna/the adulterous woman) and "two wicked beings" (the two elders/scribes and Pharisees) who ensnared them, as well as "two righteous men" (Daniel/Jesus) who saved them.
Susanna, though innocent, falls into the trap of the two lustful elders, and the woman caught in adultery is in danger of being stoned to death.
However, Susanna prays fervently, "looking up to heaven with tearful eyes," and the Lord hears her voice and sends Daniel.
The woman caught in adultery is also brought before Jesus by the crowd, but instead experiences salvation through him.
Jesus, seeing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees who were trying to test him and find grounds for accusation, says, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
This phrase beautifully illustrates the wisdom of God who leads us to salvation.
First, by saying "throw a stone," he respects the law, and by the condition of "the one without sin," he shows through his evangelical compassion that no one among us is without sin, and therefore we cannot carelessly condemn or hurt others.
The cries of those who are weak and oppressed by those who are harsh to the weak but shameless in maintaining their own vested interests move God.
It is not the powerful or the legal scholars who judge the fate of the weak, but God himself.
Therefore, we can joyfully sing, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Responsorial Psalm).
( Sr. Beatrix Hye-Yun Kim )
