Friday of Ember Week in Lent: Daily Meditations

OUR VOCATION

“I have chosen you and have appointed you that you should bring forth fruit.” Precious words that tell us in simple terms the meaning of life, the grandeur of our Christian calling.

Whether we toil with hand or head, in field or shop or office; whether it be in the home or out in the noisy world, or in the sanctuary or cloister, whatever our lot in life, the truth remains that we have been “chosen to bring forth fruit.”

To bring forth fruit. Yes, out of my daily life, out of the big and the little things that fill my day, my thoughts and words and actions, the laughter that rings through the halls of my heart, the tears I shed, out of them all I must bring forth a bounteous harvest of good fruit, fruit for God’s honor and glory, fruit of grace for my fellow men, fruit of merit for my own soul.

Such is my noble calling. But is my life the fruitful thing it ought to be? When the day is done and I lay aside the tools of toil, what does my conscience say of the glory given to God, of the graces won for my fellow men and for my own soul?

Oh, no, indeed, by God’s good help, I have not to confess a total failure in my daily harvest, but surely with just a bit more effort for perfection, a bit more love run through the deeds that fill my day, I could unquestionably make of my life a much more fruitful thing. I could, indeed, and if I could, then surely, doing so should be for me a sacred duty.

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL: Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal 

EPISTLE: Ezech. 18:20-28

The Church reminds sinners by the mouth of Ezechiel that God is ready to forgive them if they repent.

Thus saith the Lord God: The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
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 ac-cording 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 pre-varicated, 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 committeth 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, saith the Lord almighty.

GOSPEL: Jn. 5:1-15

Jesus heals the paralytic. Jesus washes our souls from original sin in the waters of Baptism and from actual sin in the Sacrament of Penance.

At that time there was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a pond called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And an Angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond, and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.
And there was a certain man there that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, He saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole? The infirm man answered Him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond: for whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me.
Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed and walked. And it was the sabbath that day.
The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed. He answered them: He that made me whole, He said to me: Take up thy bed and walk. They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed and walk? But he who was healed knew not who it was. For Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place.
Afterwards Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. The man went his way, and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had made him whole.