Laetare Sunday- 4th Sunday of Lent

The Collect for the 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) is 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

 toward the solemn celebrations to come.

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

1. What value do I place in my life of Christ's death and resurrection?
2. What does it mean to me to be a catholic/ Christian?
3.  What is my level of devotion and faith? How will I improve it this coming week?
4.  How will I celebrate the solemn celebrations this year?
5.  Am  I eager to celebrate resurrection at Easter or do I think of it as just another feast?
6.  What steps will I take to be reconciled to God this week ( eg Sacrament of Reconciliation).

                                                 How is your Lenten journey progressing?

Are you feeling weary and ready for a little break?

In Lent, we have the tradition to have a mid-Lent break, (the half way point of Lent), which is known as 'Laetare' Sunday derived from the latin 'to rejoice'. Liturgically we break away from the Lenten penitential spirit of the purple vestments to the wearing of rose-coloured  vestments by the priest and/or deacon.  These rose coloured vestments are only worn twice a year, so from a practical perspective, some parishes do not have a set, but use lighter purple vestments.

The fourth Sunday of Lent is also known as 'let up Sunday' because we 'let up' on our Lenten penance. It can be a timely reminder for those of us who may have struggled through Lent so far.  I remember thinking during one of my disastrous Lents that  we had reached the mid point, and I had not got startsed. I remember another Lent going well up to Laetare Sunday- I had a break on that day and could not get started again. 

 

 It is an excellent time to review how our Lenten journey and tweak it accordingly.  Never too late to start and/or start again.

 

Anyway, enjoy Laetare Sunday- we can all do with a break but for people like myself, do remember to get started again afterwards!!!!

 

 

Third Sunday Lent Year A Collect

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.

 





 

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.

 

However Christ is telling us that if we follow Him, our inner soul is fed and we can drink from the springs of salvation- from Him.  We do not ever have to be dehydrated or ill when we drink from the well of eternal life.  The water there is pure since it is from Christ Himself.  Remember at the crucifixion, the water flowed from His side.  It flowed for us so that we may be able to be washed clean and to be able continually come to Him to quench our thirst.  Our thirst for Christ should be our number one priority, along with a burning desire for eternal life.

 

So next time, you turn the tap on or have a drink of water, why not think of the well of eternal life Christ is offering you.  Let our hearts burn as we read the scripture- God's word to us and be satiated by His love and mercy towards us. Let us drink from the well of salvation often and always.

 

 

 



Second Sunday Lent Year A Collect

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

 

O God who has commanded us

to listen to Your beloved Son

be pleased, we pray,

to nourish us inwardly by Your word,

that with spiritual light made pure,

we may rejoice to behold Your glory.

 

 

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

 

1. What does it mean to me to listen to God's beloved Son?

2.  What hindrances do I experience in listening? How might I overcome these?

3.  What value do I place on God's word?

4. How can God's word nourish my life this coming week?

5. If I was to die today/ this week am I ready to behold God's glory?

6. What  value do I place in my life of the hope of future glory? 

7.  How will it  affect the way I live this week? 

 

Today's Gospel  from Matthew is one of my favourite readings in Scripture of the Transfiguration.

I used to like this Gospel but since having visited the Holy Land some years ago and have gone up Mt Tabor, my mind goes straight there when I hear it read.

 

I love this account for a number of reasons but there is one line that speaks to me

"  they looked up and saw no one but Jesus".  I find this phrase helpful in my life because to look up is to change one's focus and not to just change one's focus, but to ''see'' no one but Jesus. 
Then when we see no one but Jesus we are not distracted but can return a loving gaze to Him, who loves us so much and offers us eternity. We can always keep an inward gaze towards Him throughout our day and keep our focus there in amongst the busyness of our lives.

 

 I find it helpful during the sacrament of Reconciliation- to look up and see no one but Jesus is particularly powerful when the priest is giving absolution but also helpful when confessing as well.

 

The Transfiguration story in Lent is meant to encourage us during our Lenten journey- it reminds us that there is a point to our journey during Lent- but not only Lent but for our future- God offers us eternity- hope of future glory.

 

We do not know what Heaven is like and obviously we have not been there. However, do you long to meet Christ and live with Him for ever?  How much do you long for it? Today's gospel is meant to give us hope and to remind us of the prize for which we run. Lent is excellent intense training but let us travel with hope in our hearts- the hope of future glory.

   

 

                                         Have a glorious week with hope in your heart.

 

                                      



First Sunday of Lent Collect Year A

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

 

" Grant almighty God,

through the yearly observation of holy Lent,

that we may grow in understanding

of the hidden riches of Christ

and by worthy conduct pursue their effects".

 

 

 

 



In making this prayer tangible the following questions emerged:

1. What does the yearly observance of Lent mean to me?

2. What areas in my life do I wish to grow during this Lent?

3. What are the hidden riches of Christ?

4.  How can I pursue their effects?

 

 

The second half of chapter 4 relates to Jesus' mission. You will note that Jesus fasted first, then was tempted  by the devil (vs 1-11).

 

What were those temptations and how do they relate to us you might ask?

 

The three temptations of Christ essentially invite Jesus to be a false Messiah.  He is urged to:

• be a Political Messiah,
• be a powerful Ruler.
• consider the human privileges of wealth and glory and power that would flow from being a political Messiah.

We can be tempted to think that this temptations do not related to us at all.  We don't want to be a powerful ruler or a political Messiah.

 

However we can experience these temptations in many guises these days  such as

1. bringing God down to our level rather than  reaching up to God in dependence and trust.
2. Prayer can be used a bargaining tool, or seeing faith as an insurance policy or to prize religion for the respectability it can give.
3. trusting in ourselves whilst pretending to be following our faith with devotion and real love and trust of God.
4. Not using our wealth and talent for the benefit of others but parading it as a status symbol.
5. We can also use wealth well by giving it to a great cause/need but the whole world knows of our generosity.  Our left hand should not know what the right is doing in this regard- we need to give in secret.

Then we all suffer from our own temptations which we may conquer sometimes and then we fall again.  Lent is a great time to review our spiritual lives and consider what our temptations are really.

Then when we can name them and ask God's forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation will we be able to move forward in trying again to conquer them.  However, we don't need to try under our own effort alone. God wants to help us in our weakness and as Corinthians 1:13 says:

 

"God keeps His promises.  He will not let you be tested beyond your strength.

Along with the test, He will give you a way out so that you may be able to endure it".

 

ACTION PLAN FROM CHAPTER 4
This week as we reflect on chapter 4- part of today's Gospel  we may wish to:

•  Consider how the devil tempts us and how we reject his invitation to sin. What is our Achilles heel/ our constant sin?
• Consider our ability to fast to strengthen our souls. It is important to take on what is practical, since not everyone is physically able to fast from food without becoming sick. If you know, like myself that fasting from food is impractical for health reasons, then consider other ways of fasting. Perhaps your favourite TV programme or just smaller serving of food eaten slowly and reflectively thinking of Jesus and his love for us.
• Consider marking off in the diary time for a retreat. Even a retreat at home is possible if time is set aside and family respect and are supportive of our needs.
• Consider our vocation and what Jesus has called us to do.  How do we encourage others to follow Jesus?
• Consider how we can bring the ministry of healing to others whether through intercessory prayer and/or through the gift of healing that we may possess. How can we continue the healing mission of Jesus?

How does our action plan compare with Jesus?  May Chapter 4 inspire us to consider how we are continuing the ministry of Jesus and to follow His action plan-preparation of soul through fasting, experience trials and temptations of the devil, before preaching the Good News and engaging in ministry of healing.

 

 

So what will your action plan for this first full week of Lent be?

 

 

Reinstating of Ember days by Pope Francis

Pope Francis has recently reinstated ember days.  So what are ember days and how can these days make a difference to our spiritual lives?

 

Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory V11  (1073-1085) for

• the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia),
• after Ash Wednesday,
• after Whitsunday, and after
• 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross).

 

The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach people to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.

 

I only heard about it at Mass last night.  The celebrant mentioned that Pope Francis has reinstated them.  He did not say why the Pope has chosen to do this but I can only assume that the Pope can see the benefit for us to refocus our attention at the beginning of each new season.  What I do understand is that  the Congregation for Divine Worship asked national Bishops' Conferences to institute a number of Ember Days for their people.  The Australian Bishops chose two: one for Lent ("Autumn Ember Day"), the other for Advent ("Spring/Summer Ember Day"). 

 

 

 

Ash Wednesday - the start of Lent

Sackcloth is mentioned in scripture at least 60 times in both Old and New Testament   It was a physical and visual reminder to all the community of an interior disposition of of mourning.repentance and remorse.  Sackcloth was originally a coarse hessian style of cloth used to make sacks or a coarse cloth resembling sacking.

.

 ASHES: Do you know what Ash Wednesday is?
In a Religious Education class some years ago, the teacher asked the question 'what is Ash Wednesday about?'  The replies from these primary children  included  (a) Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 in South Australia and (b) Test Cricket series between England and Australia.
This teacher certainly had her work ahead of her that Lent!!!

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense.  It is not only the Church being 'green and environmentally friendly', but it links us to our past Lenten Season and reminds us of the ongoing pilgrim journey of repentance. 

On Ash Wednesday, the priest or extraordinary minsters of the Eucharist distribute the ashes on our foreheads saying ' Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return' or Repent and believe the Good News'. At Baptism we are sealed on our foreheads. The ashes sign of the cross connects us again to our Baptism, and the words remind us to that we are a pilgrim people- our homeland is with God in Heaven. 

 

This simple ceremony to mark the beginning of Lent occurs in every Catholic Church throughout the world including St Peter's Basilica where the Pope both distributes and receives the ashes. As we receive the ashes, we are unity with the whole Catholic Church throughout the world. Everyone is following this same Lenten journey of repentance 'from the greatest to the least' as scripture tells us.

As part of my liturgical role, I used to prepare the ashes. Getting the right consistency to ensure the ashes were damp but not lumpy was vital. for the creation of a  clear cross  on the forehead. Depending on the weather, I used to prepare them the day before, by giving them a good soaking of water and allowing them to dry. A further light soaking on Ash Wednesday a hour before Mass was usually necessary. 

Preparing the ashes was something that I found spiritually fulfilling, as I was able to reflect on my Lenten journey the previous year, review my goals for the forthcoming one, and pray for my fellow parishioners, who would, like myself, receive the ashes.

 

A few Lents ago, I decided to buy my own 'sackcloth' -something simple to wear in Lent.  The simple purple twinset purchased from an opportunity, shop which I wore mainly at home, was a physical reminder of my Lenten observances. I felt I was wearing my Lenten armory to fight the temptation of the fridge and pantry, and wearing it was physical reminder of the Lenten season.  I was thinking about it last night and decided that the concept is still a good one for me. However, it is too hot right now for the twinset,  so I have gone through the wardrobe to see what I can wear that will have the same purpose.

 

I do however want to buy a mauve/purple table cloth or placemats so that I can keep the table simple

during Lent.  It will help me to remember whilst I am eating to keep my meals simple as well.!!!

May your Ash Wednesday be blessed.