The Fifth Sunday in Lent (Ps) March 17th

Psalm 105:23-45

²³ Then Israel came to Egypt;

Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

²⁴ And the Lord made his people very fruitful

and made them stronger than their foes.

²⁵ He turned their hearts to hate his people,

to deal craftily with his servants.

²⁶ He sent Moses, his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷ They performed his signs among them

and miracles in the land of Ham.

²⁸ He sent darkness, and made the land dark;

they did not rebel against his words.

²⁹ He turned their waters into blood

and caused their fish to die.

³⁰ Their land swarmed with frogs,

even in the chambers of their kings.

³¹ He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,

and gnats throughout their country.

³² He gave them hail for rain,

and fiery lightning bolts through their land.

³³ He struck down their vines and fig trees,

and shattered the trees of their country.

³⁴ He spoke, and the locusts came,

young locusts without number,

³⁵ which devoured all the vegetation in their land

and ate up the fruit of their ground.

³⁶ He struck down all the firstborn in their land,

the firstfruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,

and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.

³⁸ Egypt was glad when they departed,

for dread of them had fallen upon it.

³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering,

and fire to give light by night.

⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought quail,

and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.

⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

it flowed through the desert like a river.

⁴² For he remembered his holy promise,

and Abraham, his servant.

⁴³ So he brought his people out with joy,

his chosen ones with singing.

⁴⁴ And he gave them the lands of the nations,

and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,

⁴⁵ that they might keep his statutes

and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Lord Jesus Christ, the temple of Your body was destroyed on the cross and three days later raised from the dead.  Visit us now with this same body, that we may not deny that we know You, but in faith hear in our ears Your life-giving voice and receive on our lips Your very body and blood to strengthen us in times of temptation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (TDP1009)