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.