The religious authorities are now perplexed at the mighty works that Jesus performs. It attracted a great following.

Soon the Roman conquerors will take notice and perhaps suppress the Jesus movement.

They can only think of their own survival, of the preservation of their privileges.

They miss the significance of Jesus’ actions. 

St. Toribio de Mogrovejo, bishop

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1st Reading: Ezekiel 37:21-28

You will then say to them:

The religious leaders loved to test Jesus with traps veiled as questions.

About this accusation. “What do you say, Jesus?”

If He consents to the punishment of the woman, He runs counter to His message of love.

If He allows the woman to go scot free,He violates the Law of their faith.

“Jesus combines compassion and justice so perfectly."

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop & doctor

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Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62* (or Daniel 13:41c-62)

(...) The assembly took their word,

All of Jesus leads us to his divine origin, the Son and Word of God.

They charged him with blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God and he made himself equal with God.

Even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize that the Father is in me and I am in the Father .

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1st Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13

I hear many people

 "unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."

When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all to myself.

Instead of a triumphant revolutionary political leader, they heard a suffering Son of Man whose death will bring life to all.

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Jeremiah 31:31-34

The time is coming-it is

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1st Reading: Genesis 17:3-9

Abram fell face down and

 They wonder where did Jesus get His authority to speak.

But when Jesus spoke, people were animated and enlightened for He spoke of God’s love for us.

“Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has ears, let him hear.”

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Jeremiah 11:18-20

Yahweh made it known to me

Jesus said to the Jews :“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,

They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone.

Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 

A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. 

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1st Reading: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95*

King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them,

 Even though there was a threat to His life, Jesus still secretly went to Judea to attend the Feast of the Tabernacle.

He has come to obey a vocation, like any prophet,

”I have not come of My own accord but He who sent Me is true, and you do not know Him.

But I know Him, because I have My being from Him and it was He who sent Me”.

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Wisdom of Solomon 2:1a, 12-22

Led by mistaken reasons they think,

 Joseph comes from the House of David. he is a man of few words.

It was prophesied that the Messiah would be from the stock of David.

In his silence, Joseph participated in God’s salvific plan with full humility.

Joseph shows a submissive stance to the will of God.

During this Lenten Season, let us be silent as we continue to contemplate on the mystery of the passion of the Lord.

Let us give space for the Lord to speak to us and be docile to His will as in the example of Joseph.

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1st Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14а, 16 

But that very night,

"If I bear witness to myself, my testimony is not true;

there is another who bears witness to me,

and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true."

In today's Gospel, Jesus' words reveal such an intimacy with God

that both the Father and the Son are eager to bear witness to each other.

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Exodus 32:7-14

Then Yahweh said to Moses,