{"id":212320,"date":"2016-02-13T13:39:19","date_gmt":"2016-02-13T19:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=212320"},"modified":"2016-02-18T11:50:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-18T17:50:23","slug":"sunday-says-podcast-february-14-2016-mass-readings-and-reflections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/sunday-says-podcast-february-14-2016-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Says Podcast – February 14, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SundaySaysPodcast-logo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

First Sunday in Lent<\/p>\n

Sunday February 14, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

Lectionary: 24 (NAB Translation<\/b><\/a>)<\/p>\n

Reading 1<\/b><\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 26:4-10<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This week’s first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Just before the death of Moses and before the Israelites enter the Promised land, Moses gives a repetition of the Law given at Mount Sinai and exhorts the people to remember what God has done for them.\u00a0 They must obey God’s commandments if they wish to remain in the Promised Land.\u00a0 Moses gives them a creed to recite that recounts the story of their slavery in Egypt and the extraordinary miracle of their rescue through the waters of the Red Sea.\u00a0\u00a0 Although delayed for forty years due to their lack of faith and need of purification, the people of God are now about to be allowed to enter the land.\u00a0 This land of “milk and honey,” a land of abundance, is a gift from God but is contingent on the obedience and loyalty of His people.\u00a0 Before allowing them to enter, God establishes a ritual that will help them humbly remember His mercy and to remain loyal to Him, keeping Him first in their priorities.\u00a0\u00a0 Since they were an agricultural society it was fitting for them to remember him by offering as a sacrifice the first-fruits of their produce. In addition to reminding His people of their total dependence on God, this story serves as a metaphor for Christ’s salvation where after our time in the wilderness of disobedience, we too are saved by Christ in the mercy of God.\u00a0 Our proper response should be to give the best of ourselves – our first fruits – in remembrance of our dependence on God and in thanksgiving for what He has sacrificed for us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Responsorial Psalm<\/b><\/p>\n

Psalm 91:1-2,10-15<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The response for this Psalm is:\u00a0 Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.<\/p>\n

Notice that verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 91 are actually quoted by Satan to Jesus during His temptation in the Wilderness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reading 2<\/b><\/p>\n

Romans 10:8-13<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

The second reading comes from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans. In this passage St. Paul shows us the beginning of the path to salvation.\u00a0 It begins with confessing that Jesus is our “Lord”.\u00a0\u00a0 The word “confess” is important because in the Roman Empire, the emperor was considered “Lord.”\u00a0 When a person was confronted and accused of being a Christian such a statement truly was a “confession” and could bring punishment or even death.\u00a0 The Catechism states in CCC 432 that “it is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, so that \u201cthere is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.\u201d”\u00a0\u00a0 This is a promise of God, but must not be confused for a theological “easy” recipe for salvation as if by reciting the “magic words” we are once saved and always saved (and therefore have a license to sin).\u00a0 Rather this confession must start with conversion of the heart. Jesus teaches us that the promises of God are not to be tested, rather they are to be embraced and lived in sincere love, faith, and obedience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gospel<\/b><\/p>\n

Luke 4:1-13<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This passage from St. Luke’s Gospel is the mysterious account of the temptation of Jesus by Satan.\u00a0 Jesus is in the desert for forty days as a reminder of the Exodus where the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert after their rescue from slavery in Egypt.\u00a0 The temptations that Jesus undergoes are the same temptations the Israelites went through in the desert and represent all temptations known to man. The temptation where Jesus is given the option of turning stone to bread to satisfy His appetite represents the temptations of the flesh.\u00a0 When He is taken to the top of mountain and offered power in exchange for worshiping Satan, He is tempted to idolatry with power and pride as motivators.\u00a0 Then when He is taken later to the parapet of temple and tempted to jump off, He is tempted to test God to rescue Him. Likewise, the Israelites in the desert got hungry and were tempted to abandon faith in God.\u00a0 They became fearful and gave in to the temptation to idolatry with the golden calf, and finally they also tested God in the desert when Moses struck the rock to obtain water. Yet where the Israelites failed the tests, Jesus did not.\u00a0 Jesus prayed, fasted, and exercised the gifts of the Holy Spirit and passes the test on our behalf, not falling for any of the deceptions of the Devil.\u00a0 Likewise, this forty days of Lent offers us the opportunity to use the same weapons to overcome whatever may be separating us from God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First Sunday in Lent Sunday February 14, 2016 Lectionary: 24 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Deuteronomy 26:4-10 This week’s first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Just before the death of Moses and before the Israelites enter the Promised land, Moses gives a repetition of the Law given at Mount Sinai… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[258],"tags":[215,55,51,115,50,37,266,131,491,598],"class_list":{"0":"post-212320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sundaysays","7":"tag-bible","8":"tag-catholic-2","9":"tag-catholicism","10":"tag-church-news","11":"tag-faith","12":"tag-gospel","13":"tag-liturgy-of-the-word","14":"tag-mass","15":"tag-scripture","16":"tag-theology","17":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":269658,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/sunday-says-july-10-2016-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":0},"title":"Sunday Says – July 10, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"July 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 105 Reading 1 Deuteronomy 30:10-14 This week\u2019s first reading from the book of Deuteronomy is a\u00a0quick recap of the heart of the law of Moses. Namely, God wants us to love Him without reserve. The Lord is often referred to as somehow being separate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-150x115.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":117456,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/05\/sunday-says-may-31-2015-mass-readings-and-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":1},"title":"Sunday Says – May 31, 2015 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"May 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Lectionary: 165 (NAB Translation) The Sunday after Pentecost is celebrated in honor of our God as the Most Holy Trinity. This week and the next week help us to focus on the realities we experience in the Lord. \u00a0 Reading 1 Deuteronomy 4:32-34,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":217985,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/sunday-says-podcast-february-28-2016-mass-readings-and-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":2},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – February 28, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Steve Scott","date":"February 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Third Sunday in Lent Sunday February 28, 2016 Lectionary: 30 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Exodus 3:1-8,13-15 This week's first reading is from the book of Exodus in the Old Testament.\u00a0 This passage recounts Moses' dramatic first encounter with God in the form of a burning bush in the desert.\u00a0 Moses,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SundaySaysPodcast-logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48929,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/06\/sunday-says-podcast-june-22-2014-pentecost-mass-readings-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":3},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast \u2013 June 22, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"June 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi Sunday) Sunday June 22, 2014 Lectionary: 167 (NAB Readings) (Jerusalem Bible) [powerpress] Reading 1 Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A This week\u2019s first reading from Deuteronomy takes us back to the story of Moses, but it\u2019s much after the time of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sunday Says"","block_context":{"text":"Sunday Says","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/podcast\/sundaysays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says Podcast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":318172,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/sunday-says-podcast-november-6-2016-mass-readings-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":4},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – November 6, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections","author":"Steve Scott","date":"November 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday November 6, 2016 Lectionary: 156 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14 This week\u2019s first reading is from the book of 2 Maccabees.\u00a0 This book covers the period of time between the 180 -161 BC, which was during the \"intertestamental\" period, and provides a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunday Says","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/SundaySaysPodcast-logo1-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41586,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/sunday-says-podcast-september-15-2013-mass-readings-reflection\/","url_meta":{"origin":212320,"position":5},"title":"Sunday Says Podcast – September 15, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"September 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"[powerpress] Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for September 15, 2013 (NAB Translations)\u00a0Lectionary: 132 Reflection begins at 4:40 minute mark. 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