Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Monday Fourth Week of Lent

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart:  Monday Fourth Week of Lent

Singing of Mercy

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 31:7–8)
I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

 

Today we begin Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, and you may notice that the tone of the readings begins to shift slightly — Lent is still a season of conversion, but light and hope start to appear more clearly.

  Thinking About the Words

“I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord.”

The Psalm moves from quiet prayer into praise. The psalmist recognises that God's mercy is not temporary or limited — it extends across time and through every generation.

Mercy is one of the deepest characteristics of God. Again and again in Scripture we see that God remains faithful even when His people struggle to remain faithful.

“Through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.”

The psalmist does not keep this experience private. Mercy becomes something to proclaim.

God’s truth is not merely an idea or a rule; it is revealed in His faithful love.

When someone encounters mercy, it naturally becomes something they want to share.

 

The Lenten Connection

Earlier in Lent we reflected on repentance and asking for mercy, especially in the prayer of the tax collector:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Now we see the other side of that movement.

Once mercy is received, the heart begins to sing of it.

Lent does not end in sorrow. It leads toward gratitude and praise.

At Communion

This antiphon is prayed as we receive the Eucharist.

The Eucharist itself is the greatest sign of God's mercy — Christ giving Himself for the life of the world.

Receiving Him fills the heart with the desire to proclaim God's goodness.

 

Reflection

• When have I experienced God’s mercy in my life?
• Do I take time to recognise and give thanks for that mercy?
• How might my words and actions proclaim God’s truth to others?
• What would it mean for me today to “sing of God’s mercy”?

 

There is a beautiful movement here in Lent.

On Saturday of the third week of Lent  we prayed:

“God, be merciful to me.”

Now as we begin fourth week of Lent, the Psalm begins to say:

“I will sing of your mercy.”

Mercy received becomes mercy proclaimed

 

Prayer

Lord,
you are rich in mercy.
Fill my heart with gratitude
so that my life may proclaim your truth.

 

TAKING THIS FURTER

Today the connection is actually very beautiful and quite direct.

The Gospel for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent is John 4:43–54, the healing of the royal official’s son.

Let’s place the two side by side.

 

1. The Antiphon: Proclaiming God’s Mercy

The Psalm says:

I will sing for ever of your mercies, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.

The emphasis here is recognising God’s action and speaking about it.

Mercy experienced becomes testimony.

 

2. The Gospel: A Household That Believes

In the Gospel, a royal official comes to Jesus because his son is dying.

At first Jesus simply says:

“Go; your son will live.”

The man believes the word Jesus spoke and begins the journey home.

Later his servants meet him and confirm that the boy recovered at the exact hour Jesus spoke.

Then something very significant happens:

“He himself believed, along with his whole household.”

 

3. The Connection

Now the Psalm makes sense in light of this story.

The official experiences the mercy of God through Jesus.

What happens next?

That experience spreads.

The whole household comes to faith.

This is exactly what the Psalm describes:

God’s mercy is not meant to remain hidden — it becomes something proclaimed and shared.

 

4. The Journey of Faith

There is also a quiet movement in the Gospel:

1. The official asks for help.
2. He trusts Jesus’ word.
3. He discovers the healing.
4. His whole household believes.

Mercy leads to faith.

Faith leads to proclamation.

 

5. A Lenten Insight

 At the end of the third week of Lent  we saw the prayer:

“God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Today as we begin week 4 of Lent , we see what happens when mercy is received.

It creates faith and witness.

The official probably spent the rest of his life telling that story.

In other words, his life became exactly what the Psalm says:

“My mouth will proclaim your truth.”

:

In the Gospel a father experiences the mercy of Jesus when his son is healed. That mercy leads not only to his own faith but to the faith of his whole household. The Psalm invites us to do the same: when we experience God’s mercy, we are moved to proclaim it.

There is something quietly appropriate about this appearing at Communion.

At the Eucharist we receive the greatest sign of God’s mercy. Like the royal official, we are sent back into our lives carrying the story of what God has done.

Mercy received becomes mercy remembered and shared.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series Saturday Third Week of Lent

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon.

A Time Set Apart: Saturday Third Week of Lent

The Prayer of a Humble Heart

Communion Antiphon (Luke 18:13)
The tax collector stood at a distance, beating his breast and saying:
“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

 

Thinking About the Words

“The tax collector stood at a distance…”

Already we see humility.

The tax collector does not push forward or draw attention to himself. He recognises his need for God.

“Beating his breast…”

This gesture expresses sorrow and repentance. It is an outward sign of an inner movement of the heart — a recognition that something within needs healing.

“O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The prayer is simple and direct. There are no excuses, no comparisons with others. Only an honest appeal for mercy.

This is the prayer placed on our lips at Communion.

 

The Deeper Meaning

Earlier this week we reflected on loving God, loving our neighbour, and loving ourselves rightly.

This antiphon adds an essential balance.

Healthy self-love does not mean ignoring our faults.
It means standing truthfully before God.

The tax collector does exactly that.

He does not pretend to be righteous, yet he does not fall into despair. Instead, he places himself in the hands of God’s mercy.

Jesus tells us that this man went home justified.

 

The Lenten Invitation

Lent invites us to learn this prayer.

Not a complicated prayer.
Just an honest one.

Sometimes the most powerful prayer we can offer is simply:

“Lord, have mercy on me.”

This prayer opens the heart to the grace that heals and restores.

 

Reflection

• Am I able to stand truthfully before God about my life?
• Do I trust in God’s mercy when I recognise my sin?
• Where might I need to ask God for healing today?
• How does humility open my heart to grace?

 

There is something very beautiful in how this week closes.

After speaking about love, precepts, and the path of life, the Church brings us to a very simple prayer:

“God, be merciful to me.”

Because in the end, the path back to God always begins with humble trust in His mercy.

 

Prayer

Lord,
be merciful to me.
Heal what is wounded within me
and lead me in your mercy.

 

TAKING THIS FURTHER

The parable only becomes fully alive when we understand who the Pharisee was in that society.  At first glance the Pharisee’s prayer can almost look like healthy self-acknowledgement. However, the deeper issue is where the prayer is directed.

 

The Pharisee in Jesus’ Time

The Pharisees were not villains in their own day.

In fact, they were often deeply respected religious leaders.

They were known for:

• careful study of the Law
• strict observance of religious practices
• teaching the people how to live according to God’s commandments

They believed that faithfulness to the Law would keep Israel close to God.

So when Jesus tells this parable, His listeners would likely have assumed the Pharisee was the model religious person.

 

What the Pharisee Says

The Pharisee prays:

“God, I thank you that I am not like other people…”

Then he lists his religious practices:

• fasting twice a week
• paying tithes

These were genuine religious disciplines.

In other words, the practices themselves are not wrong.

Fasting and generosity are good.

 

Where the Prayer Goes Wrong

Luke gives a small but important detail:

The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself.

That is the turning point.

The prayer never really reaches God.

Instead of opening himself before God, he measures himself against other people. His attention turns inward — not toward humility, but toward comparison.

 

The Subtle Danger

The Pharisee's problem is not that he recognises good things in his life.

The problem is self-reference.

His identity is built on:

• comparison
• moral superiority
• distance from others

This kind of self-focus quietly closes the heart to mercy.

Because if we believe we are already righteous, we no longer feel the need for God’s mercy.

 

The Tax Collector

The tax collector, on the other hand:

• stands at a distance
• does not lift his eyes
• simply asks for mercy

He does not compare himself to anyone.

His prayer goes directly to God.

And Jesus says:

“This man went home justified.”

 

The Lenten Insight

This parable invites a gentle examination.

Sometimes we can approach prayer in the same way as the Pharisee — reviewing our spiritual achievements.

But Lent invites a different posture.

Not comparison.
Not self-congratulation.

Simply standing before God in truth.

 

A Beautiful Balance with Yesterday

Yesterday we reflected on loving ourselves rightly.

Today the Gospel reminds us that healthy self-love always includes humility before God.

We acknowledge both:

• the good God is doing in us
• our continuing need for His mercy

 

The Pharisee recognises the good he has done, but his prayer turns inward and becomes a comparison with others. The tax collector simply stands before God and asks for mercy. Lent invites us to move beyond comparison and to place our whole lives honestly before God.

This parable is very rich for Lent. It reminds us that the deepest prayer may be the simplest one:

“God, be merciful to me.”

In a quiet way, it prepares the heart for the next stage of Lent — because once we know mercy, we become much more capable of extending it to others.

Personal note:  I am sorry that this post has been posted late for Saturday third week of Lent. I posted it  because it is still relevant to our Lenten journey and a gospel that we hear too in Ordinary time.

 

Collect Series Fourth Sunday Lent Year A

 

Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series Icon

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for the 4^th Sunday of Lent reads as follows:

 

O God, who through Your Word reconcile the human race to Yourself

in a wonderful way,

Grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith

the Christian people may hasten towards the solemn celebrations to come.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

1.    1. Who is Jesus as Word mean to me?
2.    How will I keep my faith alive and well during this time of  Lent?
3.    What steps will I put in place this week to ensure my faith remains alive and active? (e.g., watch Mass as a live stream, make visits to the church to pray, read the scripture, go to confession, seek out adoration where exposition of the blessed sacrament is being offered
4.    How will I hasten towards the solemn celebrations to come?
5.    How will I celebrate Laudete Sunday?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

John 9:1–41

Theme: “From Blindness to Sight”.

 

Setting the Scene

As Jesus passes by, He sees a man blind from birth. The disciples ask a familiar question: “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” They seek an explanation rooted in blame. Jesus shifts the focus entirely. This situation, He says, is not about punishment, but about revelation — that the works of God might be made visible.

Jesus makes mud with His saliva, places it on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam. The man returns able to see.

What follows is not simply celebration, but interrogation. Neighbours question him. Pharisees question him. His parents are questioned. The miracle becomes a controversy. As the man’s physical sight strengthens, so too does his spiritual clarity. Meanwhile, those who believe they see most clearly struggle to recognise what stands before them.

 

Gospel Reflection: The Gradual Awakening of Faith

This Gospel unfolds as a journey — not only from blindness to sight, but from uncertainty to conviction.

The man does not begin with full understanding. At first, he calls Jesus “the man called Jesus.” Later, he names Him a prophet. Eventually, he professes faith: “Lord, I believe.”

Sight comes in stages.

Those who question him, however, cling to certainty. They examine the law, debate the details, and protect their authority. Their refusal to see becomes its own kind of blindness.

Lent invites us into this journey. We may begin with partial understanding, incomplete trust, and hesitant faith. Yet Christ continues to work patiently, inviting us into clearer vision.

True sight is not only about recognising miracles; it is about recognising who Jesus is.

 

Personal Reflection

This Gospel gently invites us to consider where we might still be blind — not in a harsh or condemning way, but in honesty. Are there areas of life where we prefer explanation over encounter? Where we are quick to assign blame rather than seek grace? Perhaps there are moments when we see only what confirms our assumptions, while missing what God is revealing.

The blind man’s journey suggests that faith grows through experience and courage. He does not have all the answers, yet he speaks truthfully about what he has seen. His willingness to stand by his encounter with Christ costs him something — he is cast out — yet it also brings him into deeper relationship.

Lent asks whether we are willing to move beyond comfortable certainty. Are we open to recognising Christ in ways that stretch us? Can we admit where our vision is limited and ask to see more clearly? The prayer of this Gospel may not be complex; it may simply be, “Lord, help me to see.”

 

Reflection Questions

·         Where do I notice areas of blindness in my own life?

·         How do I respond when faith challenges my assumptions?

·         What experiences have gradually deepened my understanding of Christ?

·         Am I willing to grow in faith even when it unsettles others?

·         What might it mean for me to say, with sincerity, “Lord, I believe”?

 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You are the light of the world.
Shine upon the places of my life
that remain shadowed or unclear.

Give me courage to grow in faith,
humility to recognise my blindness,
and joy in the sight
that comes from knowing You.
Amen.

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon: Friday Third Week of Lent

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series.

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart:  Friday Third Week of Lent

Love at the Heart

Communion Antiphon (Mark 12:33)
To love God with all your heart, and with all your understanding and strength,
and to love your neighbour as yourself
is far more than any burnt offering or sacrifice.

 

Thinking About the Words

This line comes from the conversation between Jesus and the scribe who asks:

“Which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus responds with what we often call the great commandment:

Love God with your whole being,
and love your neighbour as yourself.

The scribe recognises something profound.

He says that this love is greater than burnt offerings and sacrifices.

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were central to worship. They expressed devotion and repentance before God.

But here something deeper is revealed.

God does not desire ritual alone.

He desires a heart shaped by love.

To love God completely and to love our neighbour sincerely — this is the true fulfilment of worship.

 

A Lenten Insight

Lent often includes practices like prayer, fasting, and sacrifice.

These are valuable. Today’s antiphon gently reminds us that the goal of these practices is love. If sacrifice does not deepen love for God and neighbour, something essential is missing.

 

At Communion

This antiphon is prayed as we receive the Eucharist.

Christ gives Himself completely in love.

And in receiving Him, we are drawn into that same movement:

• love of God
• love of neighbour

The Eucharist becomes the living expression of the commandment Jesus speaks about.

 

Reflection

• Do my Lenten practices lead me toward greater love?
• How do I show love for God in my daily life?
• How might I express love toward my neighbour today?
• Where might God be inviting me to grow in generosity of heart?

This antiphon gathers together many of the threads we have been seeing through Lent:

• walking the path of life
• keeping God’s precepts
• having a firm heart

All of it leads to this:

Love.

Because love is the deepest expression of the life God calls us to live.

 

Prayer

Lord,
teach me to love you with all my heart,
and to love those around me as you love them.

 

TAKING THIS FURTHER

Jesus says “love your neighbour as yourself,” then understanding self-love practically becomes essential.

Let’s try to make it very concrete.

 

A Practical Understanding of Loving Yourself

A simple working definition might be:

Self-love is caring for the person God created me to be so that I can live truthfully before Him and serve others well. We can ask ourselves what I treat others as I treat myself.  If the answer is no, then  some healthy self love may be an area to grow.

It is not indulgence.
It is stewardship of the life God has given.

You might think of it as treating yourself as someone entrusted to your care by God.

 

Practical Ways to Love Ourselves (Especially in Lent)

1. Telling the Truth About Ourselves

Healthy self-love begins with honesty.

This means:

• acknowledging our gifts
• recognising our weaknesses
• admitting our sins without despair

Lent invites this through examination of conscience and repentance.

Truthful self-knowledge is actually an act of love.

 

2. Receiving God’s Mercy

One of the most important ways to love ourselves is to accept forgiveness.

Sometimes people confess sin but continue punishing themselves internally.

True self-love allows us to say:

God has forgiven me — I will walk forward in that mercy.

This is why reconciliation is so central in Lent.

 

3. Caring for the Body God Gave Us

The body is not separate from spiritual life.

Healthy self-love includes:

• proper rest
• nourishment
• reasonable balance

Even fasting in Lent is not meant to harm us but to order our desires. The church provides the way by showing us what balance is during Lent. Sundays in Lent are not fast days. We covered 4 of those Sundays from Ash Wednesday-Saturday after Ash Wednesday. Of course it does not mean going overboard and undoing the good work God has graced us with during Lent. It is still a time set apart.

 

4. Protecting the Heart

Self-love also means guarding what shapes our inner life.

This includes:

• what we dwell on
• what we listen to
• what influences our thoughts

Lent often invites us to simplify so that our hearts become clearer.

For example: we may be watching TV and the actors use and abuse the name of Jesus in the show.  We do not know what the script is going to say ahead of time obviously.  However, we have a choice to either turn the programme off and write to the producers to encourage them to be mindful of our Christian viewers who find it offensive to use God’s name in vain.  We can continue to watch the programme but make the choice to do some penance for those actors and producers asking God to enlighten their minds and hearts.  The danger of watching programmes that continually abuse God’s name is that we get used to it ourselves. It dulls our spiritual lens and we may even find ourselves using God’s name in an abusive way as well.  So what we listen to has a huge impact on our spiritual and emotional life.

5. Giving Ourselves Time with God

One of the deepest forms of self-love is making space for prayer.

Not because God needs it, but because we do.

Silence, Scripture, and reflection nourish the soul.

 

6. Allowing Ourselves to Grow

Healthy self-love allows change.

It says:

• I am not finished yet
• God is still forming me
• I can grow

Lent is a season of growth, not condemnation. We may not have had the opportunity to learn a healthy self love from our parents or family but with God as our teacher and our willingness we can learn it.

 

The Balance

So the commandment forms a beautiful triangle:

Love God
Love your neighbour
Love yourself as God’s creation

When one side collapses, the others struggle.

But when all three are in harmony, the heart becomes whole.

To love ourselves therefore is to care for the life God has entrusted to us — seeking truth, accepting mercy, nurturing the body and soul, and allowing God to continue shaping us.

There is something lovely about this appearing in the Communion Antiphon.

At Communion we receive Christ, who shows us perfectly:

• how to love the Father
• how to love others
• and how to live fully as the person we are created to be.

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series; Thursday Third Week of Lent

 Praying The Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Thursday Third Week of Lent

A Firm Way

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 119:4–5)
You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept;
may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

 

Thinking About the Words

“You have laid down your precepts…”

The Psalm begins with God’s initiative.

The commandments are not human inventions. They are given by God as guidance for life. They show the way that leads toward communion with Him.

“To be carefully kept.”

This suggests attentiveness. Faith is not careless or accidental. Walking with God requires awareness, intention, and a willingness to shape our lives according to His wisdom.

“May my ways be firm…”

The psalmist moves from statement to prayer.

Knowing God’s law is one thing. Living it steadily is another. So the heart asks for help: that our steps may become firm, stable, and consistent.

And this is prayed at Communion.

As we approach the Eucharist, we receive the One who perfectly lived the Father’s will. Christ strengthens us so that our lives may gradually become more aligned with the path God has set before us.

Lent is not simply about recognising the right path.
It is about asking God to make our steps firm upon it.

 

Reflection

• Do I see God’s commandments as burdens or as guidance toward life?
• Where in my life do I need greater firmness or stability?
• What small step today might help me walk more faithfully in God’s ways?
• How does receiving Christ strengthen my desire to follow His path?

 

Notice how this continues the thread we have been seeing:

• Path of life (yesterday’s Psalm)
• Walking in God’s law
• Firm steps on that path

The liturgy is quietly teaching us that Lent is not only about turning back — it is about learning to walk steadily with God.

Carry that line into Mass if you can:

“May my ways be firm in Your path.” We may wish to make it our own simple prayer during the day.

 

Prayer

Lord,
you have shown me the way of life.
Make my steps firm in your truth
and guide me always in your path.

 

TAKING THIS FURTHER

Let us pause on a word and let it open further. The Psalms, especially Psalm 119, are full of very deliberate vocabulary.

Let’s look closely at “precepts.”

1. The Hebrew Word

The Hebrew word behind “precepts” in Psalm 119 is piqqudim.

It comes from a root meaning to appoint, to give careful attention to, to entrust with responsibility.

So a precept is not just a rule.

It is something carefully entrusted to someone for their good.

There is a sense that God has paid attention to human life and has given guidance that protects and directs it.

 

2. Not Just Law

Psalm 119 actually uses eight different words to describe God’s guidance:

• law (torah)
• statutes
• precepts (piqqudim)
• commands
• decrees
• ordinances
• testimonies
• word

Each one highlights a slightly different dimension.

Precepts emphasise specific guidance for living well.

They are like careful instructions from someone who understands how life works.

 

3. The Tone of the Word

The nuance here is important.

“Precepts” does not carry the harsh tone of imposed rules.

Instead it suggests:

• attentively given guidance
• wisdom offered by someone who cares
• directions that protect the path

So the Communion Antiphon could almost be heard like this:

You have carefully given us the guidance we need for life.

 

4. Why This Matters at Communion

Now the antiphon becomes deeper.

At Communion we receive Christ, who is not only the fulfiller of the law but the living wisdom of God.

So the precepts are no longer abstract instructions.

They are embodied in the life of Jesus.

He shows us what those precepts look like when lived fully.

 

5. The Prayer of the Psalmist

The second line says:

May my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

So the psalmist recognises something we all know:

Knowing the guidance is not the same as living it steadily.

That is why it becomes a prayer.

The word “precepts” therefore refers to guidance that God has carefully entrusted to us. They are not arbitrary rules but wisdom given by a loving God who understands the path of life. The Psalmist recognises this and prays that his steps may become firm in living that wisdom.

 

A Quiet Lenten Insight

There is also something beautiful for Lent here.

Earlier in our series we saw:

• the path of life
• walking in God’s ways

Now we see that the path is illuminated by precepts carefully given by God.

The journey is not random.

It is guided.

Here is a small question we might quietly carry into Mass

If God has carefully entrusted guidance for life,
how attentively am I listening?

That question fits beautifully with the Eucharist — where we receive the One who perfectly listened to the Father.

Psalm 119 works like that. Every word — law, precepts, statutes, testimonies — looks ordinary until you let it melt slowly.

And then the Communion Antiphon becomes something like:

You have carefully entrusted us with the wisdom for life.

Which makes the second line very moving:

May my ways be firm…

In other words:

“Lord, help me live what you have so lovingly given.”

 

That’s a very beautiful prayer to carry into Communion.

 

THE GOSPEL AND THE COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Today’s Gospel (Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent) is Luke 11:14–23, where Jesus casts out a demon and is accused of doing it by the power of Beelzebul.

Let’s place the Communion Antiphon beside that Gospel.

 

1. The Antiphon: God’s Carefully Given Guidance

The Psalm says:

You have laid down your precepts to be carefully kept;
may my ways be firm in keeping your statutes.

Here the psalmist acknowledges that God has given clear guidance for life and prays that his steps may be firm in following it.

The emphasis is alignment with God’s will.

 

2. The Gospel: Divided Hearts

In the Gospel, the people witness something extraordinary: Jesus frees a man from a demon.

Yet instead of recognising God’s work, some people accuse Him of acting through evil power.

Jesus responds with a simple truth:

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

The real issue is discernment.

They are seeing the work of God but interpreting it through suspicion.

Their hearts are not firm.

 

3. The Connection

Now the antiphon becomes very illuminating.

The psalmist prays:

May my ways be firm.

The people in the Gospel are the opposite — their thinking is unstable, divided, suspicious.

They cannot recognise the work of God because their hearts are not aligned with Him.

The precepts of God were meant to form clear vision — the ability to recognise good from evil.

But without a firm heart, even the obvious can be misunderstood.

 

4. The Deeper Issue

Jesus then says something striking:

Whoever is not with me is against me.

This echoes the Psalm’s concern about firmness.

Faith cannot remain undecided forever.

The path must be chosen.

 

5. At Communion

So when this antiphon is prayed at Communion, it becomes a very fitting prayer:

“Lord, you have shown the path.
Make my steps firm so that I recognise your work and follow it.”

The Eucharist strengthens the heart so that it is not divided but steadfast.

:

The Psalm asks that our ways be firm in keeping God’s precepts. In the Gospel we see the opposite — hearts so divided that they cannot recognise God’s work even when it stands before them. Lent invites us to ask for a steady heart, one that can recognise and follow the work of God.