Gospel of 1 April 2020 with comment

Wednesday April 1 2020
St. Mary of Egypt; St. Gilbert; B. Giuseppe Girotti
5.a of Lent
Praise and glory to you over the centuries
Dn 3,14-20.46-50.91-92.95; Cant. Dn 3,52-56; Jn 8,31: 42-XNUMX

MORNING PRAYER
Almighty God, grant us a firm faith like that of Abraham. Today, we want to persevere in your teaching to become your true disciples. We don't want to be slaves to sin. Guide us, O Lord, to the Father's house, where in freedom we will love you forever.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
You deliver me, Lord, from the wrath of my enemies. You raise me above my adversaries, and save me from the violent man.

COLLECTION
May your light, merciful God, shine on your children purified by penance; you who inspired us the will to serve you, bring to completion the work you started. For our Lord Jesus Christ ...

FIRST READING
God sent his angel and freed his servants.
From the book of the prophet Daniel 3,14-20.46-50.91-92.95
In those days King Nebuchadnezzar said: "Is it true, Sadrac, Mesac and Abdènego, that you do not serve my gods and do not worship the golden statue that I had erected? Now if you, when you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the harp, the harp, the bagpipe and all sorts of musical instruments, you will be ready to prostrate yourselves and adore the statue that I have made, well; otherwise, in that same instant, you will be thrown into a burning furnace of fire. Which god can free you from my hand? » But Sadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar: "We do not need to give you any answer in this regard; know, however, that our God, whom we serve, can deliver us from the fiery furnace and your hand, O king. But even if he does not free us, know, O king, that we will never serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have erected ». Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with anger and his appearance altered towards Sadrac, Mesac and Abdènego, and ordered that the furnace fire increase seven times more than usual. Then, to some of the strongest men in his army, he was commanded to tie Sadrac, Mesac and Abdènego and throw them into the fiery furnace. The king's servants, who had thrown them in, did not cease to increase the fire in the furnace, with bitumen, tow, pitch and pruning. The flame rose forty-nine over the furnace and on leaving burned those Caldèi who were near the furnace. But the angel of the Lord, who had descended with Azarèa and his companions into the furnace, turned the flame of the furnace fire away from them and made the interior of the furnace as if it were blowing in it a wind full of dew. So the fire didn't touch them at all, it didn't hurt them, it didn't give them any harassment. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was amazed and got up quickly and turned to his ministers: "Didn't we throw three men bound in the fire?" "Of course, O king," they replied. He added: "Behold, I see four loose men who walk in the midst of the fire without suffering any harm; indeed the fourth is similar in appearance to a son of gods. " Nebuchadnezzar began to say: «Blessed be the God of Sadrac, Mesac and Abdènego, who sent his angel and freed the servants who trusted in him; they have transgressed the king's command and have exposed their bodies not to serve and not to worship any other god other than their God. "
God's word.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Dn 3,52-56)
A: Praise and glory to you over the centuries.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of our fathers,
Bless your glorious and holy name. R.

Blessed are you in your holy, glorious temple,
Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom. R.

Blessed are you who penetrate the abysses with your eyes
and sit on the cherubs,
Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven. R.

SONG TO THE GOSPEL (cf. Lk 8,15:XNUMX)
Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus!
Blessed are those who guard the word of God
with an intact and good heart
and they produce fruit with perseverance.
Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus!

GOSPEL
If the Son sets you free, you will truly be free.
+ From the Gospel according to John 8,31: 42-XNUMX
At that time, Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him: «If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples; you will know the truth and the truth will set you free ». They said to him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say: "You will become free"? ». Jesus answered them: "Verily, verily, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. Now, the slave does not stay in the house forever; the son remains there forever. If therefore the Son sets you free, you will be truly free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But meanwhile try to kill me because my word does not find acceptance in you. I say what I have seen with the Father; therefore you also do what you have heard from your father. " They said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who told you the truth heard by God. This, Abraham did not do it. You do the works of your father. » Then they said to him, "We were not born of prostitution; we have only one father: God! ». Jesus said to them: "If God were your father, you would love me, because I came out of God and I come; I didn't come to myself, but he sent me. "
Word of the Lord.

HOMILY
Jesus invites us to go to his school, to be faithful to his word, to become his disciples, to know the truth and to be truly free. It is difficult to understand that the worst slavery derives precisely from ignorance, from lies, from error. Our whole history, from the beginning, is heavily marked by human errors, which always have the same origin: detachment from God, exodus from a sphere of love and communion with him, knowledge and then the experience of bad in all its forms. Christ's lament: "my word does not find acceptance in you" still rings true and current. Our words, our choices, our personal decisions and, consequently, our losses prevail over that word of truth. There are still many children who claim their share of inheritance to spend everything where and how they want. The presumption of being able to manage life to one's taste, in complete autonomy, is still at the origin of neo-paganism. It is even more subtle the temptation that would like to convince us, as happened to the Jews, contemporaries of Christ, to be custodians of truth only for a vague sense of belonging and for a presumed faith, which does not really affect life. It is useless to be children of Abraham if we do not assimilate his faith and translate it into works. How many consider themselves Christians and actually kill the warnings and precepts of the Lord! The truth of God is light and lamp in our footsteps, it is orientation of life, it is docile and joyful conformation and love to Christ, it is the fullness of freedom. The Lord has entrusted to two books his eternal truths for the salvation of man: sacred writing, the Bible, which few know and understand, and then to his faithful, called to proclaim those truths with the irresistible force of the testimony. Have you ever thought that someone is reading the bible and looking for the truth by looking at your life? Is the message you are sending authentic? (Silvestrini Fathers)