Collect First Sunday Lent

COLLECT SERIES.

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT 

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

 

Grant, almighty God,

through our yearly observances of Holy Lent, 

that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ,

and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.

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, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

1.            What does Christ's death and resurrection mean to me?

2.            How can I reflect its meaning in my life this coming week?

3.            What is the self sacrificing love of Christ?

4.            How may I be able to reproduce it in my life this coming week?

5.            How does my Lenten observance support this goal of self-sacrifice?

6.            How can I grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ this week?

7.            How have I succeeded in my Lenten commitment so far? Have I kept to the
          commitment I set myself or have I already strayed away from what I started?

8.            What alterations do I need to make to my Lenten commitment during this week? 

9.            What extra supports do I need to ensure progress during the first full week of
         Lent.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

 

On the first Sunday of Lent each year, we are given the Gospel of the temptations of Christ. 

Each of the temptations invite Jesus to be the false Messiah by being the political Messiah, a powerful ruler and to accept human privileges of power, wealth and glory.  Like Jesus, in his humanity, Satan still tempts us. The temptations have many forms and guises but underneath each of them, their purpose is twofold, that is to provide a short term gain or attraction since Satan's goal is to lead us away from God.

 

The important point to remember about temptation is that, like Adam and Eve in the garden when they saw the apple, it was as scripture says ' pleasing to the eye and good to eat'.   Temptation therefore comes as a guise in the form of a good in our lives- something desirable and worthwhile.  It also comes a pleasing alternative- a quick solution where no effort on our part is required.

 

When we give in to temptation, we take the easier route, the more pleasing option. When we resist temptation, we build up our defences in the form of grace so that when stronger temptations emerge, we have the grace and strength with God's help to overcome it.

 

If our pattern is to easily fall into temptation (take the easier route when we know in our hearts, we need to be taking a different option) then we all need to build our strength- weight training for the soul.  God does not provide us with a temptation which is greater than we can manage.  However, we need to be aware of what temptation really is and not be drawn into the enticement.  The evil one is subtle so we need to stay focused and finely tuned to God's way. Lent is our intense weight training bootcamp but remember, we must stay focused all the year.

 

For example- I love my cappuccinos and inevitably when I am at the coffee shop, I will have a nice cake with it.  Nothing wrong with the cake/coffee.  Whenever i decide I will have less cake and/or less cappuccinos, the desire for it becomes stronger. In my weaker moments, I can easily talk myself back to having it- after all the taste of the coffee is great and the cake is most enjoyable. (just like Adam and Eve in the garden with the fruit).  When I am successful at resisting it and sticking to what I have set out to achieve- eg a visit to the coffee shop without the cake with my coffee- or a smaller cup instead of a mug, I have built up some strength to resist it again.

 

Now when we consider the love of God and resist it because my love for Him is stronger than my need for the coffee, then I assure you, it definitely becomes easier.  Put Lent into the picture as well as motivation and it definitely helps.  However, remember the subtly of the evil one whispering in the ear ' cake with your coffee wont hurt you- you will enjoy it. Perhaps even you need it or you deserve to reward yourself'- it can become easier to listen to the reasoning and succumb.  Why because there is nothing inherently wrong with the cake.  However, the reason for going without it is for spiritual reasons- my love for God and building up my spiritual muscle.

 

The response of Jesus to Satan also needs to be our own. Jesus chooses complete dependence on God, a recognition that God and his will must always come first, a willingness to obey God at any cost.  In effect Jesus states that nothing- not pleasure, not power, not wealth must ever come between us and saving will of God. Jesus does not fool around with temptation but stamps on it decisively. We too need to stamp decisively on the temptations that come our way so that we remain faithful to God.

 

During this first full week of Lent, let us ask God to be merciful to us and pray that when temptation comes our way, we will call on God to assist us to be strong. Let us stand up to Satan and all his works this week. Let us remember our goal- Heaven.