Chitatu 20 Kurume – March;

IVhiki rechishanu renguva rokuTsanya

Chiverengo chokutanga:
Dhanieri 3,14-20.24-25.28

Inzwai chiverengo chinobva mubhuku romuporofita Dhanieri
14Nebhukadhineza akavati, “Ichokwadi here, nhai
Shadhiraki, naMeshaki, naAbhedhinego kuti imi
hamunamati vamwari vangu, kunyange kupfugamira chifananidzo chendarama chandakamisa ini?
15 Zvino kana magadzirira kuti pamunongonzwa
kurira kwehwamanda, nenyere, nezvipendhani, namabhanicho, namadimbwa, nengororombe
imiwo mobva magwadama pasi muchipfugamira
chifananidzo chandakaita, patsvene, uye pakanaka
ipapo. Asi kana imi mukangorega kupfugama,
pakarepo munofanira kubva makandwa muvira
romoto unopisa kwazvo. Ndoupi mwari angakununurei mumaoko mangu?”
16 Shadhiraki, naMeshaki naAbhedhinego vakapindura mambo Nebhukadhineza vachiti, “Chatingakupirei mhinduro panyaya iyoyi iyi, hapana.
17 Zvikange zvaitika saizvozvo, Mwari wedu watinonamata, anogona kutinunura muvira romoto
unopisa, ndiye achatinunurawo mumaoko menyu
imi mambo.18Kunyange, zvazvo akarega kutinunura
mochiziva, mambo, kuti hatisi kuzonamata
vamwari venyu, kunyange kuzopfugamira
chifananidzo ichi chamakamisa.”
19 Nebhukadhineza akaviruka nehasha, ndokushanduka otsvukisira meso Shadhiraki, naMeshaki,
naAbhedhinego. Akati moto ukuchidzirwe, vira
ripise kwazvo, kakapetwa kanomwe kupfuura
zvarinochiita.20 Akatuma vamwe varume, vaiva
magamba chaiwo ehondo yake yavarwi kuti vasunge mbiradzakondo vanaShadhiraki, naMeshaki,
naAbhedhinego akati vavakande muvira romoto
unopisa 24Mambo Nebhukadhineza akazoshamiswa kuvaona vachiri vapenyu, akabva ati nyamu kusumuka,
ndokuti kumakurukota ake, “Nhaimi hatina here
kukanda muvira umu, varume vatatu vakasungwa
mbiradzakondo?” Vanhu vakapindura mambo
vachiti, “Ndizvozvo chaizvo mambo!”
25 Iye ndokuti, “Asi ini ndiri kuona varume vana,
vasina kusungwa vari kutofamba zvavo mumoto
imomu, vasina kukuvara. Kutarisika kwewechina
wacho, kunenge kwemwanakomana wamwari.”
28 Ipapo Nebhukadhineza akati,
“Ngaarumbidzwe Mwari waShadhiraki, naMeshaki, naAbhedhinego,
iye watuma mutumwa wake akanunura
varanda vake, vakavimba naye,
akashaisa basa chirevo chamambo.
Vakaisa miviri yavo parumano, vachisarudza
kufa pano kuti vanamate vachipfugamira
mumwewo mwari zvake, asi kuti kunamata
Mwari wavo.”
Shoko raTenzi.

Rwiyo rwokutsinhira: Dhanieri 1,29.30.31.32.33.34. (D – 28)

(D) – Tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru kwazvo, narini wose.
29 (52) Tinokurumbidzai imi Tenzi, Mwari
wamadzibaba edu,
tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru
kwazvo, narini wose.
30 (53) Ngarirumbidzwe zita renyu rinoera,
rinomukurumbira,
ngarirumbidzwe kwazvo, rikudzwe kwazvo
nokusingaperi.
(D) – Tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru kwazvo, narini wose.
31 (54) Tinokurumbidzai kwazvo, muTemberi yenyu
yembiri inoera,
mupembererwe waro, nokupiwa mbiri
yakakura kwazvo narini wose.
(D) – Tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru kwazvo, narini wose.
33 (56) Tinokurumbidzai pachigaro choumambo
hwenyu.
Dai mapembererwa nokupiwa mbiri yakakura
kwazvo, narini wose.
32 (55) Tinokurumbidzai imi mugere pamakerubhi,
imi mune ziso rakatarisa muhwenje,
ngarirumbidzwe nokukudzwa kwazvo,
nokusingaperi.
(D) – Tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru kwazvo, narini wose.
34 (57) Tinokurumbidzai muziendanakuenda
romudenga,
munofanira kuimbirwa nokurumbidzwa
narini wose.
(D) – Tinokukudzai nokukurumbidzai zvikuru kwazvo, narini wose.

Kupemberera Shoko Rakanaka:
Ruka 8,15

Tinokuomberai, imi Tenzi wedu!
Vakakomborerwa vaya vanoti kana vanzwa
shoko vanoribatisisa zviri pachokwadi
nomwoyo wakanaka. Vanobereka zvibereko
nokutsungirira.
Tinokuomberai, imi Tenzi wedu!

Shoko Rakanaka: Johani 8,31-42

Inzwai Shoko Rakanaka rakanyorwa naJohani
31Jesu akati kuna vaJudha vakanga vatenda maari,
“Kana mukagara muchichengeta izwi rangu,
muri vadzidzi vangu chaivo 32uye muchaziva
chokwadi, uyezve chokwadi chichakupai
rusununguko.”
33 VaJudha vakamupindura vachiti, “Isu tiri zvizvarwa zvaAbhurahamu, hatisati tambova varanda vomumwe munhu. Zvino ungagotaura sei uchiti
muchawana rusununguko?” 34 Jesu akavapindura
achiti,
“Zvechokwadi chaizvo, ndinoti kwamuri,
munhu wose anopara chitadzo muranda
wechitadzo.
35 Mumhuri, muranda mupfuuri chete,
asi mwana ndewemo nokusingaperi.
36 Saizvozvo, kana Mwanakomana akakupai
rusununguko, muchava norusununguko ruzere.
37 Ndinozviziva kuti muri zvizvarwa
zvaAbhurahamu, asi munoda kundiuraya,
nokuti izwi rangu hariwani nzvimbo mamuri.
38 Ini ndinotaura zvandakaona kuna Baba
vangu. Imiwo munoita zvamakanzwa
kunababa venyu.”
39Vakamupindurawo vachiti, “Abhurahamu ndivo
Baba vedu.” Jesu akavati,
“Dai muri vana vaAbhurahamu,
mungadai muchiita zvaiitwa naAbhurahamu.
40 Asi zvino munoda kundiuraya;
ini ndiri munhu akakutaurirai chokwadi
chandakanzwa kuna Mwari.
Izvi hazvisirizvo zvaiitwa naAbhurahamu.
41 Imi munoita zvinoitwa nababa venyu.”
Ivo vakati kwaari, “Isu hatisi vana vomusango.
Tina Baba mumwechete, iye Mwari pachake.”
42 Jesu wakavati, “Dai Mwari ari Baba venyu mungadai
muchindida, nokuti Mwari ndiye dzinde
rokwandinobva.
Handina kungouyawo zvomusoro wangu,
asi iye ndiye akandituma.”
Shoko Rakanaka raTenzi

MARCH 20TH 2024

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT YEAR B

FIRST READING
“He has sent his angel and delivered his servants.”
DANIEL 3: 14 – 20, 24 – 25, 28

In those days: King Nebuchadnezzar said, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well and good; but if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was accustomed to be heated. And he ordered certain mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He said to his counsellors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He answered, “But I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at naught the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”

The Word of the Lord.

 
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Daniel 3: 29 – 30, 31, 33, 32, 34 (R.) 29b

R/. You are to be praised and highly exalted for ever.

Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our fathers,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever;
And blessed is your glorious, holy name
and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever. R/.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory
and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever. R/.

Blessed are you upon the throne of your kingdom
and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever. R/.

Blessed are you, who sit upon cherubim
and look upon the deeps,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever. R/.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven
and to be sung and glorified for ever. R/.

 
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Luke 8: 15

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
“If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”
JOHN 8: 31 – 42

At that time: Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.

The Gospel of the Lord

GOSPEL REFLECTION: The Truth Will Set You Free
March 20, 2024

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)

These words have the potential to make a transforming difference in our lives. Note that Jesus spoke these words “to those Jews who believed in him.” That is, those who had accepted His word and were, therefore, His true disciples. We who also believe in Jesus should consider these words carefully. The heart of this teaching is twofold: you must come to “know the truth” so that the truth you come to know “will set you free.”

This teaching of Jesus is exceptionally helpful on both a psychological and spiritual level. First of all, on a purely psychological level, one of the greatest helps to good mental health is the truth. Most often when one struggles with various forms of depression, it’s because they are seeing aspects of their life with confusion. “Why did this person do this to me?” Or “How will I ever get through this?” Or “My life is a mess and there is no way out.” These and other similar thoughts will inevitably lead to depression for one simple reason: they are based on erroneous thinking.

One of the best forms of psychological counseling is what could be called “truth therapy.” Every despairing question that we have and every depressing conclusion that we have come to in life must be reexamined in the light of the mind of God. What does God think? What is in the mind of God in this regard? Those truths that are waiting to be discovered are the truth that “will set you free.” Depression is more easily overcome when we look at our life in the way that God looks at our life. This produces hope, and hope brings freedom to the chains of depression and confusion.

On a spiritual level, these principles apply all the more. The truth about sin, forgiveness, salvation and Heaven must be known deeply and embraced fully. When we deny the truth of sin or forgiveness, then we live within a lie and we remain bound by that lie. True spiritual freedom that leads to salvation and eternity in Heaven is obtained only when we wholeheartedly embrace the holy and perfect spiritual truth given to us by God. We must clearly know our sin, repent of it, seek the forgiveness of God, amend our lives and live the new life of grace to which we are called.

Reflect, today, upon this powerfully transforming teaching of Jesus: “know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” What psychological and spiritual truths do you need to more deeply know? What confusion or blindness remains? Seek the remedy of the Truth as it is in the mind of God and know that freedom awaits.

PRAYER:
God of all Truth, Your Word is liberating, transforming and fills us with hope. May I turn my mind to You and to Your holy Word so that I may know the Truth as You speak it and allow that transforming Truth to set me free. Jesus, I trust in You.