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The Light of the World
In virtue of this sacrament we may unite ourselves to Him ever more intimately, and partake
of His life and His strength.
“He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” How shall we fare in the
final judgment if He applies to us the code that we use in the judgment of our neighbor? We
frequently and unjustly condemn the faults of our neighbor, and cast stones at him for his least
faults. Are we acting within our rights? We must change our attitude if we hope to find mercy.
We are too much like the two elders who accused Susanna, and like the scribes who accused
the woman of the Gospel. We should be more like Christ, who forgave the adulterous woman
and all sinners who came to Him.
Prayer
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that they who mortify the flesh by abstaining from
food, may observe justice by refraining from sin.
Stretch forth to Thy faithful, O Lord, the right hand of Thy heavenly aid, that they may
seek Thee with all their hearts and may be worthy to obtain what they ask. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Fourth Sunday of Lent
The Mass
“I rejoiced at the things that were said to me; we shall go into the house of the Lord”
(Gradual). Today we go into the house of the Lord, known as the Church of the Holy
Cross in Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Here the catechumens and the faithful (the baptized) touch
the holy ground upon which they stand. In Jerusalem, Christ was crucified and buried,
and there He arose from the dead. But for the faithful and for the catechumens, Jerusalem
is more than a mere reminder of these holy events; for the faithful it is a reality, it is the
Catholic Church of which they are members; for the catechumens it is the holy Church
which soon shall receive them through baptism. “I rejoiced at the things that were said
to me; we shall go into the house of the Lord.” “Rejoice with joy . . . and be filled from
the breasts of your consolation” (Introit). The Church unlocks the fountains of grace and
happiness. How exalted the new Jerusalem stands before us! In the old Jerusalem the
Synagogue is only a shadow of the law of dread and servitude. In the new Jerusalem, the
Church of the New Dispensation, we become the children of God; we are brothers and
sisters of the Son of God and heirs of the kingdom of heaven; we eat at the family table
of our mother, the new Jerusalem (Epistle). What happiness to be incorporated in this
new Jerusalem! Thus we read with joy the theme of this Sunday. “I rejoiced at the things
that were said to me; we shall go into the house of the Lord” (Introit). “He shall not be
moved forever that dwelleth in Jerusalem” (Tract).
Christ now lives and works in the Jerusalem of the Church. The Church is also the mount
which Christ ascends in today’s Gospel. Many people accompany Him, following Him “up
into a mountain,” far away from the bustle of the world, far from the wild disorder of town and
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