MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT - MASS PROPERS

         MONDAY

OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

The Station is in the church of Saint Mark, which was built in the fourth century in honour of the

evangelist, by the holy Pope Mark, whose relics are kept there.

           Commentary taken from

The Liturgical year by Abbot Dom Guéranger 

INTROIT

Psalm 55: 2

In Deo laudábo verbum, in Dómino laudábo sermónem: in Deo sperábo, non timebo, quid fáciat mihi homo. Ps. 55:2. Miserére mei, Deus, quóniam conculcávit me homo: tota die bellans tribulávit me.Glória Patri.

In God, in Whose promise I glory, in the Lord Whose word I praise, in God I trust without fear; what can flesh do against me? Ps. Have pity on me, O God, for men trample upon me; all the day they press their attack against me. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

O Lord, we beseech You, in Your mercy, pour forth Your grace into our hearts, that, as we abstain from material food, so may we restrain our senses from sin. Through our Lord.

      Naaman in the Jordan

EPISTLE

IV Kings 5: 1-15

In those days, Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable for by him the Lord gave deliverance to Syria and he was a valiant man and rich, but a leper. Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman’s wife, and she said to her mistress, I wish my master had been with the prophet who is in Samaria; he would certainly have healed him of the leprosy which he has. Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying, Thus and thus said the girl from the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said to him, Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment and brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words, When you shall receive this letter, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments and said, Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man has sent to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Mark, and see how he seeks occasions against me. And when Eliseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying, Why have you rent your garments? Let him come in to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus: and Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying, Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall recover health and you shall be clean. Naaman was angry and went away, saying, I thought he would have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation, his servants came to him, and said to him, Father, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, surely you should have done it; how much rather what he now has said to you, ‘Wash, and you shall be clean’? Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child, and he was made clean. And returning to the man of God with all his train, he came, and stood before him, and said, In truth I know, there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel.

Yesterday the Church made known to our catechumens that the day of their Baptism was at hand; today she reads them a passage from the old Testament, which relates a history that admirably symbolizes the saving font prepared for them by divine mercy. Naaman’s leprosy is a figure of sin. There is but one cure for the loathsome malady of the Syrian officer: he must go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and he shall be made clean. The Gentile, the infidel, the infant with its stain of original sin, all may be made just and holy; but this can be effected only by water and the invocation of the blessed Trinity. Naaman objects to the remedy, as being too simple; he cannot believe that one so in significant can be efficacious: he refuses to try it; he expected something more in accordance with reason, for instance, a miracle that would have done honour both to himself and to the prophet. This was the reasoning of many a Gentile, when the apostles went about preaching the Gospel; but they that believed, with simple-hearted faith, in the power of water sanctified by Christ, received regeneration; and the baptismal font created a new people, composed of all nations of the earth. Naaman, who represents the Gentiles, was at length induced to believe; and his faith was rewarded by a complete cure. His flesh was restored like that of a little child, which has never suffered taint or disease. Let us give glory to God, who has endowed water with the heavenly power it now possesses; let us praise Him for the wonderful workings of His grace, which produce in docile hearts that faith whose recompense is so magnificent.

GRADUAL

Psalm 55: 9, 2

O God, my wanderings You have counted; my tears are recorded in Your sight. V. Have pity on me, O Lord, for men trample upon me; all the day they press their attack against me.

TRACT

Psalm 102: 10; 78: 8, 9

O Lord, deal with us not according to our sins, nor requite us according to our crimes. V. Ps. O Lord, remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may Your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. [Kneel.] V. Help us, O God, our Saviour, because of the glory of Your Name, O Lord; deliver us and pardon our sins for Your Name’s sake.

GOSPEL

Luke 4:23-30

At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: You will surely quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure Yourself! Whatever things we have heard of as done in Capharnaum, do here also in Your own country!’ But He said, Amen I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. In truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias, when heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land; and to none of them was Elias sent, but rather to a widowed woman in Sarepta of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian. And all in the synagogue, as they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put Him forth out of the town, and led His to the brow of the hill, on which their town was built, that they might throw Him down headlong. But He, passing through their midst, went His way.

Here, again, we find our Saviour proclaiming the mystery of the Gentiles being called to take the place of the incredulous Jews; and He mentions Naaman as an example of this merciful substitution. He also speaks, in the same sense, of the widow of Sarephta, whose history we had a few days ago. This terrible resolution of our Lord to transfer His light from one people to another, irritates the pharisees of Nazareth against the Messias. They know that Jesus, who has only just commenced His public life, has been working great miracles in Capharnaum: they would have Him honour their own little city in the same way; but Jesus knows that they would not be converted. Do these people of Nazareth so much as know Jesus? He has lived among them for eighteen years, during all which time He has been advancing in wisdom and age and grace before God and men; but they despise Him, for He is a poor man, and the son of a carpenter. They do not even know that though He has passed so many years among them, He was not born in their city, but in Bethlehem. Not many days before this, Jesus had gone into the synagogue of Nazareth and had explained, with marvellous eloquence and power, the Prophet Isaias; He told His audience that the time of mercy had come, and His discourse excited much surprise and admiration. But the pharisees of the city despised His words. They have heard that He has been working great things in the neighbourhood; they are curious to see one of His miracles; but Jesus refuses to satisfy their unworthy desire. Let them recall to mind the discourse made by Jesus in their synagogue, and tremble at the announcement He then made to them, that the Gentiles were to become God’s chosen people. But the divine Prophet is not accepted in His own country; and had He not withdrawn Himself from the anger of His compatriots of Nazareth, the Blood of the Just would have been shed that very day. But there is an unenviable privilege which belongs exclusively to Jerusalem: a prophet cannot perish out of Jerusalem.

OFFERTORY

Psalm 54: 2, 3

Hearken, O God, to my prayer; turn not away from my pleading; give heed to me, and answer me.

SECRET

O Lord, make for us a sacrament of salvation the gift of homage which we offer to You.

PREFACE FOR LENT

IT IS truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. Who by the fasting of the body dost curb our vices, elevate our minds and bestow virtue and reward; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the angels praise Thy majesty, the dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts, with the blessed seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

COMMUNION

Psalm 13: 7

Oh, that out of Sion would come the salvation of Israel! When the Lord restores the well being of His people, then shall Jacob exult and Israel be glad.

POSTCOMMUNION

Grant, we beseech You, almighty and merciful God, that what we take into our mouth, we may eat with a pure heart. Through our Lord.