Friday of the Third Week of Lent

Welcome to Friday graces in Lent series.

Fridays Graces in Lent series is based on the scripture for the day. I encourage you to read the scripture of the day, reflect on what grace this scripture passage is giving us and then, to finish the post, to pray either the prayer that I have given or if you prefer to complete your reflection time with your own prayer.

FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT

The scripture passage which we are asked to reflect upon is Hosea 14:2-10. 
The prophet Hosea lived around 750BC.  By the time he became a prophet, Israel had already established a pattern that would itself out again and again.  The people would stray from the Lord, break the covenant, and experience great suffering because of their sins.  Finally a prophet would call them back into relationship with God.  Today we hear Hosea remind the people that they have continually strayed  from God, but God has remained faithful to them.  If they wish to restore their relationship with the Lord, they need to seek forgiveness.

FRIDAY GRACE FROM SCRIPTURE:  

On reflecting on this scripture passage, we can relate to the people of Israel who constantly strayed from the Lord, but heard the prophet of Hosea calling them back into relationship with God since God has remained faithful.  The grace we can receive from this scripture passage is seeking forgiveness.

REFLECTION PRAYER
God of our longings,
You know the deepest secrets of our hearts.  We praise and thank you for sending us prophets who bravely witness to Your truth, even when we may not want to hear or obey.  We thank you for those prophets who proclaim your love and call each of us to repent and change.  Help us to open our hearts  and our ears to those who may be proclaiming Your truth in our world this day, especially to Your word to us spoken through the Church, and encourage us to bravely witness to our world.  Bless us, fill us, strengthen us and nourish us with the food that we have before us and with the Word who walks among us.

Compendium Series: Original Sin

76. What is original sin? (CCC404,419)

The Compendium states:

Original sin, in which all human beings are born, is the state of deprivation of original holiness and justice.  It is a sin ‘contracted’ by us not ‘committed’; it is a state of birth and not a personal act.  Because of the original unity of all human beings, it is transmitted to the descendants of Adam ‘not by imitation’, but by ‘propagation’.  This transmission remains a mystery which we cannot fully understand.

What does this mean for me?

1.      The consequence of original sin means that I am inclined to sin, but I am also redeemed from it at baptism and through Christ’s redemption on the cross.

2.      Although original sin is a state of birth, I do not need to add to it by my own personal sins since I lose the grace of holiness and justice when I am tempted by the devil.

3.      I can pray for the grace of holiness and justice and look forward to the day when I am in Heaven without the effects of original sin.

4.      I can read Genesis Chapter 1-3 to understand the concept of original sin more fully

.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is the transmission of original sin a mystery?
2. Why is original sin transmitted through propagation rather than imitation of Adam?
3. How can I increase the grace of holiness and justice in my life?
4. How does original sin affect my life personally?

Opening Prayer Series: Collect for 3rd Sunday of Lent

The Collect for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year B reads as follows:

Let us pray,

O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,

who in fasting, prayer and alsmgiving

 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.

Through out Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, 

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

one God for ever and ever.

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged.

1. How is God author of every mercy and of all goodness in my life?
2. What does fasting mean for me and how do I incorporate this into my life this week?
3. Examine my prayer life and are there any changes do I need to make this coming week to grow at a deeper level?
4. What does almsgiving mean to me and how do I incorporate it into my Lenten journey?
5. How is prayer, fasting and almsgiving a remedy for sin for my life?
6. What is the state of my conscience- well formed, luke-warm, ignorant and what can I do to improve the state of my conscience?
7. Why should I be bowed down by my conscience?
8. Reflect on a time that I was lifted up by God's mercy. How might I be lifted up by God's mercy this coming week?

As Lent progresses, the focus of the Cross becomes more evident. In today's Gospel the story of the cleansing of the Temple is in our focus.  The Gospel story also shows Jesus in righteous indignation when the Temple had been turned into a market place, rather than a house of prayer. . After all, if you imagined yourself in the scene as a market seller and your stall had been ruined, would you want to know by what authority this person had done such a thing. The Jews doubted the authority of Jesus by which He claimed to cleanse the Temple.

So what about our Temple in our parishes?  Is it a  market place or is it a place of prayer for all who wish to avail themselves of it?  Does it need to be cleansed and revived into a  house of prayer?

I will deny myself getting on a hobby horse here. 

What about the Temple of our body? The Catechism of the Catholic Church   states:

" The human body  shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit" ( Paragragh 364).

All of these issues and considerations emerge when I reflect upon this Gospel passage. 

What issues and considerations emerge for you?

On a personal note, at Mass today, we had the readings of Year A since we have a candidate for baptism for the Easter Vigil. We also had the experience of travelling with this young man as the Scutinies were exercised.

Let us continue to pray for each other as we travel through our Lenten journey.

Reflection and Prayer Seres: God's love.

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My post is called:

GOD'S LOVE

God's love goes far beyond our dreams. 
beyond our expectations...
His love surpasses all our plans,
our hopes and expectations.

May God's love touch our hearts and lives so that with His love
we may live this week pleasing to Him.

Friday of the second Week of Lent

Welcome to Friday graces in Lent series.

Fridays Graces in Lent series is based on the scripture for the day. I encourage you to read the scripture of the day, reflect on what grace this scripture passage is giving us and then, to finish the post, to pray either the prayer that I have given or if you prefer to complete your reflection time with your own prayer.

FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT

The scripture passage which we are asked to reflect upon is Matthew 21:33-46.  

FRIDAY GRACE FROM SCRIPTURE:  

In the parable of the vineyard Matthrew reminds us that we should use God's gifts and not take them for granted.  We are God's Chosen People, called into the fullness of life through our baptism.  But we must do more than simply claim an affiliation with God.  If we take our relationship with the Lord for granted, we may soon hear the same warning that Jesus gave the people of His time: "The kindgom of God will be taken away from you". ( Matthew 21:43).

REFLECTION PRAYER
God of commitment,
You are our rock, our fortress, and our strength.  You have remained faithful to Your people, even though we have sometimes wandered far from You.  At times we feel unconnected and out of touch.  We rejoice that in such moments, You are there, that You have never wavered, that You have remained steadfast.  Help us to remember Your loving presence and to recognize Your guiding and Patient Spirit.  Bring us home to You, our loving God.  Bless this time that we have together, this meal, that we share, and our faith that it symbolizes.  Let it be a moment that recalls for us the Eucharist that binds us to You forever.

Compendium Series: first human sin and its effect.

75. What was the first human sin? (CCC396-403,415-417)

When tempted by the devil, the first man and woman allowed trust to die in their hearts. In their disobedience they wished to become ‘like God’ but without God and not in accordance to God (Genesis 3:5). Thus Adam and Eve lost for themselves and their descendants the original grace of holiness and justice.

What does this mean for me?

1. When I am tempted by the devil, I become like Adam and Eve because I allow trust to die in my heart.
2. I lose the grace of holiness and justice when I am tempted by the devil.
3. When I sin, I also want to be ‘like God’ but not in accordance to God.
4. I can pray each day for the grace to trust God and to ask for my trust in Him to grow strong.
5. I can pray to God for the grace of holiness and justice to become a lighthouse in my life.
     
   Questions to consider:

1. Why did Adam and Eve’s sin affect all their descendants?
2. How can I increase the grace of holiness and justice in my life?
3. How do I allow trust to die in my heart when I am tempted?
4. How can I stand up to temptation of the devil?
5. Why do I give in to the temptations of the devil-what is my underlying weakness?
   
   

Gospel of Mark Series: Chapter 1 Section 2: Jesus in the desert

Welcome to my Gospel of Mark Series. During 2012-13, each week, I will write a post about the Gospel of Mark as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season of Year B.

In today's post, we explore chapter 1:12-13 which is Jesus in the desert.

Driven by God's Spirit, Jesus goes to the desert to confront Satan, the source of dehumanising evil.  We are shown what the Messiah is sent to do, defeat Satan in his own territory. In the Bible, the desert was the place of testing for the Isralites on theri way to the promised land (Ex 32:8). ti was the place of loneliness where the beasts lived.  It was the home of evil powers, which the wild beast symplised.  Saintan, the pricnce of vevil, and opponent of God lived there.  Yet the desert is also the place where Moses spoke with God on the mountain for forty days (ex 34:28), and the place hwer eht epprophet Elijah travelled for forty days to the holy mountain on the strenth of the food given him by an angel (1 Kings 19:8).

Here we see the true indentity of Jesus, one bringing divine power against Satain, one who can be with the beasts, symbols of suffering and violent persecution (Dan 7), like a new Adame controlling them, and one whom God strengthens by angels.  In Jesus, God deals with evil and creates again.

The interior spiritual experience of Jesus in the desert is left for our devotion to discover.  He was in the desert for forty days.  Unlike the chosen people of God in the Old Testament, Jesus remains faithful.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
• Reflect on all the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus as introduced by Mark.
• Ponder how the Holy Spirit, which comes to Jesus at the river, stirs in him the desire to confront Satan, the enemy of all that is human.
• Consider Satan, the beasts, and the angels as symbols to express what Jesus experienced in the desert when he went to be tested by Satan.
• Reflect on a time in your life where you have felt the conversion of heart after you have struggled with Satan and the forces of evil?
• How can I replicate the experience of the desert and what would I hope to achieve by doing it?
• What do the 3 symbols mean to me in my life?
• Feel the tension between the Holy Spirit and the desert, both of which are prominent in all thre episodes of the prologue (1:2-13)
• How do I expereince the angels waiting on me in times of temptation? 
• What is my attitude to the sacrament of reconciliation- what problems (if any) do I encounter when I think of this sacrament?
• Make a list of areas in my life that need a change of heart and develop an action plan on how this change of heart might occur. (eg name an area and name one/two changes that you will implement with God's help.
• What impact does Jesus in the desert have on you (1:12-13). .
• How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally?

It is important to remember that St Mark wishes us to know the person of Jesus. 

What does this passage of scripture tell you about the person of Jesus?

Opening Prayer Series: Collect of 2nd Sunday of Lent

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Lent Year B reads as follows:

Let us pray,

O God who have commanded us to listen to Your Beloved Son,

be pleased, we pray,

 to nourish us inwardly by your word,

 that, with spiritual sight made pure, 

we may rejoice to behold your glory.

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.

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

1. What stops me listening to Jesus?
2. What is different in my life when I listen to Jesus regularly?
3. How does the word of Jesus nourish me inwardly?
4. How will the word of Jesus nourish me inwardly this coming week?
5. What might it be like to get a glimpse of Heaven for me? How does that glimpse affect my life right now?
6. How is my Lent progressing? What changes do I need to make this coming week to be faithful to the commitment I have made during this Lent? 

Today's Gospel has two aspects to consider as disciples. First we must take up our cross daily and follow Christ, and secondly we receive the glory after the cross has been conquered. We are disciples- and no disciple is greater than His master.  Jesus suffered and died on the cross and on the third day rose from the dead.  However, He gave His disciples hope of future glory in the Transfiguration event.  We too are given hope each time we conquer our cross through the grace of God.  We are given glimpses of future glory in our lives if we become more attuned to them. We need to keep focused on our ultimate goal of Heaven, but be open to transfiguring moments in our lives. These moments give us both light and buoyancy. These moments become a lighthouse for our dark and gray days,beaming light and clarity on the crosses in our lives.

The Gospel of the Transfiguration during Lent gives us a timely reminder of our homeland  and gives us our true goal on earth- hope for future glory with God in Heaven.  This is what we aim for always, and especially during Lent, when the Church invites us to become refocused on our goal. 

I remember when I visited Mount Tabor being initially disappointed with the mountain- it was more like a hill or valley rather than the mountain I had pictured in my mind over the years.  However, I could concur with St Peter 'it is good to be here'' . There was something special being there.

Of course coming down the mountain means that we have to get on with the ordinary things of our lives, but having been there, we were indeed transfigured in some way and hopefully in a better position to hear  God '' You are Son,/daughter the beloved, my favour rests of you."

Reflection and Prayer Series: With a Father's Heart

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My post is called:

WITH A FATHER'S HEART

There is a God who cares for each of us. 
With a Father's heart, He weeps for our pain, 
He smiles in our joy, 
He sends what is best 
for our good and His glory.  
We live our lives in the embrace of Infinite Love.

May God's caring heart beating in each of us help us to live this week pleasing to Him.

Welcome to Friday graces in Lent series.

Fridays Graces in Lent series is based on the scripture for the day. I encourage you to read the scripture of the day, reflect on what grace this scripture passage is giving us and then, to finish the post, to pray either the prayer that I have given or if you prefer to complete your reflection time with your own prayer.

FRIDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT

The scripture passage which we are asked to reflect upon is Ezekiel 18:21-28.  

FRIDAY GRACE FROM SCRIPTURE:  

The prophet Ezekiel reminds the people of Israel that repentance is necessary for salvation.  It is only by conversion, by chooseing to live a life patterned on God's law, that we can ever hope to enjoy eternal life.

REFLECTION PRAYER

God of the prodigal son, of the woman at the well, of Peter who denied you, and of all who are in need of repentance.  We are the people who gather in Your name.  We are aware of our faults and weaknesses, conscious of our sins, but hopeful of Your love and forgiveness.  When we are blind to our faults and weaknesses and feel no consciousness for our sins, we call to you in hope that our blindness and apathy will give way to repentant change of heart.  We ask that You change our hearts, liberate us from prejudice and judgement, and set us free from whatever keeps us from You.  Enable us to reach out to each other with love, knowing that we are all in need of repentance and salvation.
We ask for the grace to appreciate the gift of repentance in a deeper way during this Lent.

Friday Graces In Lent Series: Lent and the grace of fasting

Welcome to Friday graces in Lent series.

Fridays Graces in Lent series is based on the scripture for the day. I encourage you to read the scripture of the day, reflect on what grace this scripture passage is giving us and then, to finish the post, to pray either the prayer that I have given or if you prefer to complete your reflection time with your own prayer.

FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

The scripture passage which we are asked to reflect upon is Isaish 58:1-9.  

FRIDAY GRACE FROM SCRIPTURE:  

Isaish teaches us that fasting is something that is pleasing to God, but only if helps those who are blessed with an abundance to understand the plight of the poor.  To freely choose to experience the plight of the poor and then to commit ourselves to working to relieve the conditions that cause poverty is most pleasting to the Lord.  To fast and then to ignore the poor is unacceptable to God.

REFLECTION PRAYER

God of abundance, You have blessed us with more than we need.  We often take what you have given us for granted.  We are aware that we waste more than many of our brothers and sisters have for life.  Help us through the gift of your grace to recognize all people as our family, to take nothing for granted, to rejoice in what is before us, and to be always grateful for what we have. We ask for the grace to appreciate the gift of fasting in a deeper way during this Lent.

Gospel of Mark Series: Chapter 1 Section 2: The baptism of Jesus

Welcome to my Gospel of Mark Series. During 2012-13, each week, I will write a post about the Gospel of Mark as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season of Year B.

In today's post, we explore chapter 1:9-11 which is the baptism of Jesus.

Mark describes Jesus simple as a man coming from Nazareth in Galilee, a place mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament.   This event at the river is for Mark more significant.  It allows us, as the readers of Mark, in our first meeting with Jesus to see Him as the Messiah standing with His people and to know from the outset how God himself sees Jesus, as His own loved Son.

In Mark’s Gospel, the split heaven, the dove and the voice after the baptism are more important than the baptism itself.  The experience of these, in Mark’s Gospel, is for Jesus only, and for us the readers to know.

The heavens or sky split open is God revealing himself a new awareness of God breaking into the human consciousness of Jesus and through Him into the world.  The dove expresses the love, the peace and the Spirit of God which surround Jesus.

The voice from the heavens describes Jesus as the faithful servant of the prophecy of Isaiah (Is 42:1), but says much more.  It identifies Jesus as the Son of God, having an intimacy with God which can compare only with the special intimacy of life between parent and child.

We may wonder why would Jesus want to be baptised by John?  Jesus never asked forgiveness for a sin of His own, since Jesus is also God and is sinless.  His baptism by John could only have been a true expression of His deep longing to be totally centred on God.  It was also a way of acknowledging John’s work and showing human solidarity with all of us.  Jesus was not just giving good example to to others when he asked for John’s baptism of conversion.  His action could only have come from genuine interior feelings.

As I stated in the previous post regarding the preaching of John (1:2-8) St Mark fixes our gaze on John the Baptist because he:

1. symbolized a way into the future by a baptism of conversion.
2. wishes to show us that his baptism in water symbolized dramatically a personal readiness of heart for a baptism with divine Spirit to be given by Jesus, the more powerful one coming after  him.
3. wants us to realize that God centredness cannot be realized by human effort alone, but we prepare ourselves for it as we wait for it to come as a gift from God.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
• Imagine the atmosphere and stand in the crowd. Try to feel within yourself the atmosphere as the crowds waited to be baptised by John. How do you feel as you wait in turn for a baptism of conversion?
• Reflect on why Jesus mixed so easily with the people coming to hear John and receive baptism from him?
• Reflect on a time in your life where you have felt the conversion of heart and have been washed in a newness of life?
• What would it mean to you to hear the voice from heaven say  “ You are my son/daughter, the beloved, with you I am well pleased?
• What do the 3 symbols mean to me in my life?
• What do I need to change in my life  to experience a conversion of heart during this Lent?
• What is my attitude to the sacrament of reconciliation- what problems (if any) do I encounter when I think of this sacrament?
• Make a list of areas in my life that need a change of heart and develop an action plan on how this change of heart might occur. (eg name an area and name one/two changes that you will implement with God's help.
• Imagine meeting John the Baptist and receiving from him a baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  What is my attitude towards him ?
• What impact does the action of John the Baptist have on you (1:9-11). .
• How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally?

It is important to remember that St Mark wishes us to know the person of Jesus. Using a highlighter, mark all adverbs, adjectives or any phrase that describes Jesus or the people around him. You may wish to review last week's verse  and do the same thing.  As you continue to do this as we journey through St Mark's gospel, you will see emerging the person of Jesus.  Who is the person of Jesus in this passage? 

What will we learn about the person of Jesus this week?                

Compendiium Series: What was the fall of the angels?

74. What was the fall of the angels? (CCC394-395,414)

The Compendium states:

This expression indicates that Satan and the other demons, about which Sacred scripture and the Traditions of the Church speak, were angels created good for God.  They were, however, transformed into evil because with a free and irrevocable choice they rejected God and His kingdom, thus giving rise to the existence of hell. They try to associate human beings with their revolt against God.  However, God has wrought in Christ a sure victory over the Evil One.

What does this mean for me?

1. The fall of the angels can happen to me in the sense that each time I sin and reject God, I am joining their revolt and being transformed into evil. This is a powerful thought when tempted to sin.
2. It is important to remember that God created the angels for good but through their choice, they rejected God.  God also created me for good.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the fall of the angels relate to my life?
2. Why do I reject God and join the revolt of the demons when I sin?