Praying the Communion Antiphon series Tuesday Third Week of Lent Ps 114(115)

 Praying The Communion Antiphon

Praying the Communion Antiphon

Good morning 🌿
Let’s continue with Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent.

The Communion Antiphon in the Roman Missal (Australia) is from Psalm 15:1–2 (sometimes numbered Psalm 14):

Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever walks without fault and does what is just.

Let’s shape it in your series format.

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A Time Set Apart – Tuesday, Third Week of Lent

Who May Dwell?

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 15:1–2)
Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy mountain?
Whoever walks without fault and does what is just.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Lord, who may abide in your tent?”

This question comes from the language of pilgrimage. The “tent” refers to God’s dwelling place — the sanctuary where His presence was encountered.

The psalmist is asking: Who may live in closeness with God?

“Who may dwell on your holy mountain?”

The holy mountain points toward the place of encounter with God — first the Temple in Jerusalem, and more deeply the desire to live continually in God’s presence.

“Whoever walks without fault and does what is just.”

Notice again the language of walking. Faith is not simply belief or occasional prayer; it is a way of living. To walk without fault suggests integrity — a life that seeks to align actions with what is right.

Justice here does not mean harsh judgment. It means living truthfully and uprightly before God and others.

And this is prayed at Communion.

As we approach the Eucharist, the question of the psalm quietly echoes: who may dwell with the Lord? The answer is not perfection but a heart that desires to walk in God’s ways.

Lent invites us to examine the path we are walking and to allow God’s grace to guide our steps more faithfully.

 

Reflection

• Do I desire to live consciously in God’s presence?
• Where do my actions align well with God’s ways, and where do they need correction?
• What does “walking with integrity” look like in my daily life?
• How might the grace of the Eucharist strengthen me to walk more faithfully?

 

This antiphon fits beautifully with the theme  noticed earlier about the path. The psalm asks who may dwell with God, and the answer again points to how we walk.

Lent keeps returning us to this simple but profound image:
our life with God is a journey, one step at a time.

Prayer

Lord,
guide my steps in Your ways.
Help me to walk with integrity
and dwell in Your presence.

 

LET US GO FURTHER

The Psalm and the Gospel really do meet in a beautiful way.

Peter asks Jesus: “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he sins against me? As many as seven times?” Jesus replies: “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
(or seventy times seven)

Then Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant.

 

1. The Psalm asks a Question

Psalm 14(15) asks:

Lord, who may dwell in your tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?

In other words:

Who can live close to God?
Who can remain in His presence?

The Psalm answers with integrity and justice — someone whose life reflects God’s ways.

 

2. The Gospel Shows What That Looks Like

Jesus reveals that one of the clearest signs of living close to God is forgiveness.

Why? Because forgiveness mirrors God’s own mercy.

In the parable, the king forgives a massive debt. However, the servant refuses to forgive a small one. The problem is not simply cruelty.

It is that the servant has not allowed the mercy he received to shape his heart.

3. The “Tent” of Encounter

Is the tent of encounter the place where reconciliation occurs?

In the Old Testament, the tent of meeting was the place where God and His people encountered one another.

However, after encountering God, a person’s life was meant to reflect that encounter.

So if we truly dwell in God’s presence, something changes in us.

We begin to resemble Him.

And what is God most known for in Scripture?

Mercy.

 

4. The Eucharistic Dimension

Now think of the Communion Antiphon. As we approach the Eucharist, the Psalm quietly asks:

Who may dwell with the Lord?

And the Gospel answers:

The one who learns to forgive.

Not perfectly. But generously.

Because forgiveness is the echo of God’s mercy in the human heart.

 

5. The Lenten Invitation

Lent often brings us to the point where we must face this question:

Is there someone I still hold in debt?

Because the deeper we enter the “tent” of God’s presence, the harder it becomes to hold tightly to resentment.

Reconciliation becomes the natural fruit of encounter.

The Psalm asks who may dwell in God’s presence. In the Gospel Jesus shows that one of the clearest signs of living close to God is the ability to forgive. Those who truly encounter God’s mercy gradually learn to extend that mercy to others.

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Monday Third Week of Lent Year A Ps 116(117):1,2

 Praying the Communion Antiphon

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

A Time Set Apart:  Monday Third Week of Lent 

Praise Beyond Boundaries

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 116 (117):1–2)

O praise the Lord, all you nations,

for his merciful love towards us is great.

 Thinking About the Words

“O praise the Lord, all you nations…”

This is remarkable.  Many psalms call Israel to praise God. But here the invitation expands outward. The psalmist calls all nations to praise the Lord.  God’s mercy is not confined to one people. His love reaches beyond every boundary.

We do not praise God  in isolation, even though God is entitled to our praise at any time. At the Epiphany during Christmastide, the response is " Let every nation on earth adore you". Today's antiphon should remind us of this response.

“For his merciful love towards us is great.”

The phrase again carries the rich Hebrew sense of steadfast love — faithful, enduring, covenant love.  It is not fragile or fleeting.  It is strong and reliable.  Notice too the movement in the verse.  The nations are invited to praise because they see something: the greatness of God’s mercy toward His people.

The experience of God’s mercy becomes a witness to the world. Tthis is prayed at Communion. The Eucharist gathers people from every nation and language around one table. The mercy revealed in Christ is not limited to one group — it is offered to all.

Lent reminds us that the love we receive from God is not meant to remain private.

It overflows.

 Reflection

• Do I recognise that God’s mercy reaches beyond every boundary?
• In what ways has God’s faithful love been evident in my life?
• Does my life quietly witness to the goodness of God?
• How might gratitude and praise shape my Lenten journey this week?
• Who do I shut out in my parish, workplace, home?

 This antiphon widens the horizon of Lent.

After reflecting on repentance, mercy, and return, the Church now reminds us that God’s love is larger than we imagine — a love that calls all nations to praise.  It sits beautifully with the Eucharist, where people from every place are gathered into one communion.

 

Prayer

Lord,

Your merciful love is great.

Let my life give praise to You

and reflect Your goodness to the world.

 

1. The Antiphon Opens the Circle

Psalm 116(117) says:

Praise the Lord, all you nations.

This is extraordinary for ancient Israel. It imagines a time when every people will recognise God’s goodness. God’s mercy is not tribal. It is universal.

The psalm already anticipates what will later be fulfilled in Christ.

2. The Gospel Narrows the Circle

In today’s Gospel (Luke 4:24–30), Jesus reminds the people of Nazareth that:

• Elijah helped the widow of Zarephath — a foreigner.
• Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian — another outsider.

In other words, God’s mercy has always crossed boundaries.  However, the listeners cannot accept this. Their reaction is not merely disagreement.  Scripture says they were filled with rage-enraged.  Why? Jesus challenges the idea that God belongs only to them.

 3. The Real Issue

Their problem is not lack of knowledge. It is a closed heart.  They know the Scriptures. However, they cannot imagine God acting beyond their expectations.  So instead of praising God’s goodness, they try to silence the one who reveals it.

 

4. The Lenten Invitation

The antiphon and Gospel together ask a quiet question:

• Is my heart wide enough for the mercy of God?
• Or do I place limits on whom God may bless?

The psalm invites praise from all nations.

The Gospel warns how easily the human heart resists that wideness.  We can place limitations on blessing all nations when we close off possibilities to all people, those who don’t think they same way as we do and especially in parishes where the parish team or a certain group of people who hold an unhealthy power  decides on who can do what ministries. Sadly closed hearts are more prevalent than what we think in parishes. Many people have different gifts to offer but are shut out.

5. At Communion

When we hear this antiphon at Communion, something beautiful happens.  People from many different lives, backgrounds, and struggles come forward together.  The mercy of God is not restricted.  It gathers.  The Eucharist becomes a living sign of what the psalm proclaims:  God’s love is greater than the boundaries we create.

The psalm invites all nations to praise God for His mercy. Yet in the Gospel the people of Nazareth struggle to accept that God’s goodness might reach beyond their expectations. Where the psalm widens the circle, the Gospel reveals how easily the human heart tries to narrow it.

 

 

Collect Series: Third Sunday Lent Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series icon

Third Sunday Lent Year A Collect POSTED ON MAR 19 2017

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Lent reads as follows:

 

O God author of every mercy and of all goodness,

who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving,

have shown us a remedy for sin

look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,

that we, who are bowed down by our conscience

may always be lifted up by your mercy.

 



REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

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

 

 

1. What is my image of God?

2.  How does this image affect my capacity to accept God's mercy?

3.  What are the difficulties I experience in fasting, prayer and almsgiving?

4.  What steps will I take this week to overcome one of these barriers in each area of fasting, prayer and almsgiving?

5.  Why do I want fasting, prayer and almsgiving to be a  remedy for sin in my life this week?

6.  How is my conscience formed?  How can I improve the activeness of my conscience this week?

7.  What date this week will I make for receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation?

 

Today's gospel is from St John where we hear Christ telling us that the water He shall give will turn into a well for eternal life.

If we stop to think about the role of water in our lives- the fact that our body is made up of two thirds of water and without water, we become dehydrated  quite quickly and can become ill.   We also know that water is a precious commodity and not all countries have it flowing readily nor is it clean. 

When we consider these points, we realise how fortunate we are to have clean flowing water- just turn on the tap and there it is.  We are able to drink as much water as our bodies can manage.

We can then easily stop and thank God for it.

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

Theme: “Living Water”

 

Setting the Scene

Jesus, weary from His journey, sits beside Jacob’s well in Samaria at midday. A Samaritan woman approaches to draw water — an ordinary, daily task. What begins as a simple request, “Give me a drink,” becomes a profound encounter.

The conversation crosses boundaries: Jew and Samaritan, man and woman, teacher and outsider. Jesus speaks of “living water,” a gift that does not merely quench thirst temporarily but becomes a spring within, flowing toward eternal life.

The well becomes a place of revelation. What appears routine becomes transformative.

 

Recognising Our Thirst

This Gospel speaks deeply to the human condition. The woman comes for water, yet Jesus addresses a deeper thirst — one that cannot be satisfied by routine, habit, or surface solutions.

Lent invites us to pause at the well of our own lives and to recognise what we truly seek. Beneath our busyness and responsibilities lies a longing for meaning, forgiveness, belonging, and communion with God.

Jesus does not overwhelm the woman with doctrine. He begins with a request — humility first. He meets her where she is. The offer of living water unfolds gradually, patiently.

The water He offers is not external. It becomes internal — a spring within. Lent is not about external display, but interior renewal. God desires to create within us a source of grace that flows outward into daily life.

 

Personal Reflection

The woman’s encounter begins in misunderstanding and curiosity. It grows into recognition and transformation. Lent invites us into the same journey  from surface concerns to deeper communion.  This gospel therefore challenges us to consider where I experience thirst in my life at the spiritual, emotional and relational level.

We may wish to ponder what wells do I return to repeatedly, hoping they will satisfy? Do I allow Jesus to meet me in ordinary places — in conversation, in silence, in fatigue?

 

Questions for Reflection

·         What is the “well” in my daily routine where Christ might be waiting for me?

·         What thirst have I been trying to satisfy in my own way?

·         How open am I to receiving what I do not yet fully understand?

·         Where might God be inviting me to drink more deeply this Lent?

·         How can I allow living water to flow outward in compassion and service?

 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You meet me in the ordinary places of my life
and speak to the thirst within my heart.

Give me the grace to receive
the living water You offer.
Renew me from within,
that I may become a source of hope and mercy for others.
Amen.

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon series Saturday Second Week of Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon

Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Saturday Second Week of Lent

Lost and Found

Communion Antiphon (Luke 15:32)
You must rejoice, my son, for your brother was dead and has come to life;
he was lost and is found.

 

Thinking About the Words

“You must rejoice…”

The father speaks these words to the elder son.

Notice that joy is not optional. The father insists that rejoicing is the only fitting response when someone returns.

“Your brother was dead and has come to life.”

This is strong language. The younger son had not physically died, yet the father describes his return as coming back to life.

Sin and separation diminish life. Returning restores it. The Church provides the sacrament of Reconciliation as the means whereby our sin and separation is restored by being reconciled with God. The priest is God’s representative but Jesus is sitting there listening and wanting to give us His mercy.

“He was lost and is found.”

This echoes other parables in Luke’s Gospel — the lost sheep and the lost coin. Each time, the story ends not with judgment but with celebration.

God’s joy is at the centre.

And this is prayed at Communion.

The Eucharist is the table where the Father receives His children. Every return, every act of repentance, every step toward God becomes a cause for joy.

Lent is often thought of as a season of seriousness — and it is. But beneath that seriousness is something deeper:

The joy of being found.

 

Reflection

• Do I see repentance primarily as sorrow, or as a return to life?
• Where have I experienced the joy of being “found” by God?
• Do I rejoice when others receive mercy?
• Am I willing to believe that God welcomes my return with joy?

There is a beautiful thread here in the series.

Earlier this week we heard:

• God loved us first.
• His mercy endures forever.

Now we hear the result of that mercy:

The Father rejoices when His children return.

Lent is not simply about examining where we have wandered.
It is about discovering again the joy of being welcomed home.

 

When we sit with this antiphon, one question might be worth pondering quietly:

In this parable, which character do you recognise more easily —
the younger son who returns, or the elder son who struggles to rejoice?

 

Prayer

Father of mercy,
when I wander, call me back.
When I return, receive me with joy.
Let me live in the freedom of being found.

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon Series: Friday Second Week of Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon

A Time Set Apart: Friday Second Week of Lent

This Is Love

Communion Antiphon (1 John 4:10)
This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

 

Thinking About the Words

“This is love…”

John does something very striking here.
He defines love not as sentiment nor affection or admiration but that  Lov  begins with God. It puts love into perspective. God lovloved us first and then we respond to that love rather than we loved God…”

This removes any illusion that we initiated the relationship. The movement begins with God’s action.

“But that he loved us.”

God’s love is prior.
Before repentance.
Before understanding.
Before our efforts.

“And sent his Son…”

Love becomes visible. It takes form in a person. We are reminded in this phrase of the Incarnation-.God with us. All our Christmas memories  and remembering the baby in the crib-God with us was for a purpose.

“Expiation for our sins.”

This word can sound technical, but its meaning is simple: the removal of what separates us from God. Christ bridges the gap created by sin and restores the possibility of communion.

This is prayed at Communion.  The One we receive is the Son sent in love. The Eucharist makes present the gift through which God’s love reaches us again and again.

Lent is not about proving our love for God. It is about recognising the love that came first. It is essentially a season of Love.

 

Reflection

• Do I sometimes think of Lent as something I do for God rather than a response to His love?
• How does it change my prayer to remember that God loved me first?
• Where have I experienced this love in concrete ways?
• How might receiving this love shape the way I love others?

 

There is something very freeing about this antiphon. The foundation of Lent is not effort. It is love that began before we ever turned toward God.

 

Prayer

Lord,
You loved me first.
Open my heart to receive Your love
and to live in its light.

TAKING THIS FURTHER:

This antiphon reveals the mission of Jesus.

 

1. The Mission of Jesus

“God loved us and sent his Son…”

The word sent is very important.

Jesus is not simply a teacher who appeared in history.
He is the One sent by the Father.

His entire life has a direction and a purpose.

John’s Gospel repeatedly says:

• “The Father sent the Son.”
• “I have come from the Father.”

So this antiphon reminds us that the Cross was not an accident.

It was the mission of love.

 

2. Creator and Creature

“Not that we loved God…”

This places us clearly in the created position.

We are not the source of love.  We are the receivers of love.

This restores the right relationship:

God → initiates
We → respond

Without Him we cannot generate the life we seek.

This echoes what Jesus says elsewhere:

“Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15)

So the antiphon gently reminds us how deeply we depend on Him.

 

3. Love Revealed

John does something beautiful here.

He does not tell us to love first.

He says:

“This is love.”

Love is revealed before it is commanded.

We see it in Christ:

• sent by the Father
• given for the world
• restoring what sin had broken

Only after seeing this love can we begin to live it.

 

4. The Lenten Invitation

So the antiphon invites us to consider that love.

Not just understand it intellectually.

But contemplate it.

To pause and ask:

• What does it mean that God loved me first?
• What does it mean that Christ was sent for this purpose?
• How does that love change the way I live?

Lent is often associated with effort and discipline. These are necessary of course but this antiphon quietly reminds us:

The foundation of Lent is God’s initiative.

Everything else flows from that.

 

This antiphon reveals the mission of Jesus. The Father sent the Son because love moved Him to restore the relationship between Creator and creature. Before we ever turned toward God, His love was already reaching toward us.

 

By now, you may have realised that the Communion Antiphons are not simply pious sentences. They are small windows into the mystery of Christ and the more you sit with them, the more they open.

 

T

Praying the Communion Antiphon series Thursday Second week Lent

 Praying the Communion Antiphon Series

Praying the Communion Antiphon series

A Time Set Apart: Thursday Second Week of Lent

Walking the Way

Communion Antiphon (Psalm 118(119:1)
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.

 

Thinking About the Words

“Blessed…”

This word echoes the Beatitudes. It does not simply mean happiness. It speaks of a life that is aligned with God — a life that rests within His favour.

“Whose way is blameless.”

The word “way” suggests a path or manner of living. Scripture often describes life as a journey: there are paths that lead toward life and paths that lead away from it.

Blameless does not mean sinless perfection. It points to integrity — a heart that sincerely desires to walk with God.

“Who walk in the law of the Lord.”

The law here is not a burden. In the Psalms it is a guide, a light for the path. It reveals the shape of a life lived in covenant with God.

To walk in the law is to allow God’s wisdom to shape daily choices.

And this is prayed at Communion.

The One we receive is the Word made flesh — the perfect fulfilment of God’s law. As we receive Christ, we are strengthened to walk the path that leads toward life.

Lent is not about achieving flawlessness.

It is about learning to walk more steadily in God’s ways.

 

Reflection

• What “path” am I currently walking in my daily life?
• Where do I experience tension between my own preferences and God’s wisdom?
• Do I see God’s law as restriction — or as guidance toward life?
• What one step today would help me walk more faithfully with the Lord?

 

Here in week 2 the theme of paths and direction is quietly returning here again.

Psalm 1 spoke about e person who meditates on God’s Law Day and night.
Now Psalm 118(119) speaks about walking in that law.

It is both a reminder to keep meditating on God’s l.aw but during Lent to walk in that law. This then invites us to ask where we need to take this walk deeper.

 

Prayer

Lord,
guide my steps in Your ways.
Let my heart walk in Your wisdom
and grow in integrity before You.

 

TAKING THE COMMUNION ANTIPHON FURTHER

 

1. Life as a “Way”

In Hebrew Scripture, life is often described as a path or way (derek). It’s not just a metaphor for travel—it means the pattern of one’s life, the direction of one’s choices.

Psalm 118(119) opens with:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.

The psalmist is saying:

Blessed are those whose whole manner of life follows God’s guidance.

Notice that it’s not about a single moment of obedience. It’s about a direction.

That fits beautifully with Lent, which is about reorienting the path.

 

2. Walking vs Standing vs Sitting

You might remember Psalm 1, which you began your series with:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the way of sinners,
nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

There is a movement there:

• walk → stand → sit

In Psalm 119 the movement is reversed. The psalmist wants to walk in God’s law, meaning to move forward under God’s guidance.

So walking suggests:

• progress
• ongoing choice
• daily faithfulness

 

3. The Law as a Path

Psalm 118(119) is the longest psalm and every section celebrates God’s law. But the psalmist doesn’t treat the law as rules to memorise.

Instead, it is described as:

• a lamp for my feet (v.105)
• a light for my path
• something that directs steps

In other words, the law guides the journey.

It helps someone walk without losing direction.

 

4. The New Testament Echo

When Jesus later says:

“I am the way…” (John 14:6)

He is stepping directly into this tradition.

For Israel, the way of the Lord was the path revealed in the law.
For Christians, the way becomes a person.

The early Christians were even called “people of the Way” (Acts 9:2).

So the psalmist’s desire to walk in God’s law becomes, for us, walking with Christ.

 

5. Why This Matters at Communion

The Communion antiphon places this verse right at the moment when we receive Christ.

It’s as though the Church is saying:

You are about to receive the One who is the Way.

This food strengthens you for the journey.

Lent, then, is not just self-examination—it is learning to walk more steadily in the right direction. Scripture often speaks of life as a “way.” Psalm 119 reminds us that faith is not a single decision but a path walked day by day. At Communion we receive Christ, the One who strengthens us to keep walking that path.

 

We began Lent with Psalm 1—meditating on the law day and night.

Now Psalm 118(119) appears and speaks of walking in that law.

Meditation → Walking.

The Word pondered becomes the path lived.