Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent: Daily Lenten Meditations

MY DIVINE TEACHER

He is a wonderful teacher—my Divine Friend. Whatever the lesson that puzzles my ignorance, I need only listen to His teaching and all doubts will be solved, for all things are clear to Him. He is infinitely wise.

And His method of teaching, how perfect it is! He speaks words of wisdom, indeed, words crystal-clear, words of heavenly doctrine, but He does not stop with words. No, each lesson that falls from His sacred lips finds more potent expression in His actions. He teaches by word, but more by example.

He asks me to flee the world’s foolish vanity, to make a companion of poverty, to deem suffering a blessing. Though the great King of heaven, He was born in a stable, His bed was a manger: from the crib to the cross His life was a martyrdom.

He asks me to be kind and gentle and merciful. He walks before me, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead to life; He constantly speaks words of comfort to the sorrowing, of pardon to sinners, of hope and encouragement.

He tells me that love is shown more in deeds than in words. For love of me He came to earth, clothed Himself in human flesh, bore poverty, pain, and sorrow, even took upon Himself the guilt of my sins, saved me from punishment by offering His body to a frightful scourging, bore insult and injury, and at last died a terrible death on a gibbet of infamy.

What a wonderful Teacher, indeed, is my Divine Friend! Strange, is it not, that with so incomparable a Master my progress in heavenly wisdom should be so utterly meager!

Dear Jesus, Divine Friend, have mercy on us. 

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

EPISTLE:  III Kings 3:16-28

The famous judgment of Solomon. The wisdom of this king, admired by the whole world, is a figure of the wisdom of the true Solomon, our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose doctrine comes to regenerate the world.

In those days there came two women that were harlots, to king Solomon, and stood before him, and one of them said: I beseech thee, my lord: I and this woman dwelt in one house, and I was delivered of a child with her in the chamber. And the third day after that I was delivered, she also was delivered: and we were together, and no other person with us in the house, only we two. And this woman’s child died in the night: for in her sleep she overlaid him. And rising in the dead time of the night, she took my child from my side, while I thy handmaid was asleep, and laid it in her bosom: and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold it was dead: but considering him more diligently when it was clear day, I found it was not mine which I bore. And the other woman answered: It is not so as thou sayest, but thy child is dead and mine is alive. On the contrary she said: Thou liest: for my child liveth and thy child is dead. And in this manner they strove before the king. Then said the king: The one saith, My child is alive, and thy child is dead. And the other answereth: Nay, but thy child is dead, and mine liveth. The king therefore said: Bring me a sword. And when they had brought a sword before the king: Divide, said he, the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. But the woman whose child was alive said to the king (for her heart was moved for her child): I beseech thee, my lord, give her the child alive, and do not kill it. But the other said: Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. The king answered and said: Give the living child to this woman, and let it not be killed: for she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard the judgment which the king had judged, and they feared the king, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.

GOSPEL:  Jn. 2:13-25

Jesus drives out the sellers from the Temple. He foretells His Resurrection.

At that time the Pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem: and He found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting. And when He had made as it were a scourge of little cords, He drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers He poured out, and the tables He overthrew. And to them that sold doves He said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of My Father a house of traffic. And His disciples remembered that it was written: The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up. The Jews therefore answered and said to Him: What sign dost Thou show unto us, seeing Thou dost these things? Jesus answered and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou raise it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body. When therefore He was risen again from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had said. Now when He was at Jerusalem at the Pasch upon the festival day, many believed in His name, seeing His signs which He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself unto them, for that He knew all men, and because He needed not that any should give testimony of man: for He knew what was in man.