Collect Series: Second Sunday Lent Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect Series Icon

COLLECT SERIES

 

 

COLLECT

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

 

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.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

 

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

 

1.    What does it mean to hear and what does it mean to listen?

2.    Am I following the command to listen to Jesus- the beloved Son?

3.    What excuses/obstacles do I make/are in the way of spending time to listen to Jesus?

4.    How do I study and pray God’s word?

5.    How will I listen/prayer and study God’s word this coming week?

6.    What are the sins/obstacles and problems in my life hindering my spiritual sight?  What will I do about at least one of these sins/obstacles/problems this coming week?

Entering The Week

 

·         What has begun to surface in me during this Lenten journey so far?

·         Where am I finding it easy to pray — and where am I encountering resistance or distraction

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Matthew 17:1–9

Theme: “Listen to Him”.

 

Setting the Scene

Midway through the journey of Lent, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. Away from the crowds and daily demands, something extraordinary unfolds before them.

Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. His face shines like the sun and His clothes become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear beside Him, representing the Law and the Prophets, now fulfilled in Christ. Overwhelmed by what they see, the disciples wish to remain in this moment of glory.

Then a cloud overshadows them, and a voice is heard: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” The moment is both radiant and unsettling. As quickly as it comes, the vision passes, and Jesus leads them back down the mountain.

 

Gospel Reflection: Light Given for the Journey

The Transfiguration is not an escape from the reality of suffering; it is a preparation for it. Just before this Gospel, Jesus speaks openly about His Passion. The light revealed on the mountain strengthens the disciples for what lies ahead.

Lent follows this same pattern. Moments of clarity, consolation, or peace are not given so that we cling to them, but so that we may continue the journey with trust. God offers light, not to remove the cross, but to help us carry it.

The voice from the cloud does not say “understand everything” or “remain here”, but “listen to Him.” Discipleship is rooted in attentiveness — learning to listen to Jesus even when the path becomes difficult or unclear.

 

Personal Reflection

This Gospel invites us to reflect on the moments when God has revealed something of Himself to us — moments of insight, joy, or reassurance. Like the disciples, we may wish to stay in those moments and avoid returning to ordinary life.

Yet Lent reminds us that faith is lived not on the mountain alone, but in daily faithfulness. The memory of light sustains us when prayer feels dry or when the journey becomes demanding.

As Week 2 of Lent begins, this Gospel asks us a simple but profound question: Am I listening to Jesus? Not only when His words are comforting, but when they call me to trust, change, and deeper surrender.

 

Questions for Reflection

·         What moments of light or clarity have strengthened my faith?

·         Where do I resist leaving the “mountaintop” behind?

·         What does it mean for me to listen to Jesus in my daily life?

·         How do I respond when faith requires trust rather than certainty?

·         What might God be preparing me for through this Lenten journey?

 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,
You reveal Your glory
not to overwhelm us,
but to strengthen us for the journey.

Help me to listen to You
in moments of light and in moments of shadow.
Give me the courage to walk forward in trust,
carrying Your word in my heart
as I continue this Lenten path.
Amen.

 

 

 

 

Praying the Communion Antiphon series: Friday first week of Lent

 
Praying the Communion Antiphon

Praying the Communion Antiphon series

A Time Set Apart – Friday First Week of Lent

Turn and Live

Communion Antiphon (Ezekiel 33:11)
As I live, says the Lord God,
I have no pleasure in the death of the sinner

but that the wicked turn from his way and live.

 

Thinking About the Words

“As I live…”

This is covenant language. It is an oath. God swears by His own life. This is not a passing sentiment — it is solemn declaration.

“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”

This line corrects many false images of God.

God is not eager to condemn.  He is not waiting to punish.  He does not delight in downfall. 

Some translations use the word wicked and others use the word sinner.  Both are translations of the Hebrew rashaʿ — which carries the sense of one who is in the wrong, one out of alignment, one acting unjustly.

“Wicked” feels strong — Old Testament covenant language.

It evokes:

• Golden calf.
• Desert grumbling.
• False gods.
• Breaking covenant.
• Ten Commandments as boundary lines of life.

“Sinner” feels more personal and relational.

 

“But that the wicked turn… and live.”

The heart of the verse is not death — it is turning.

In Hebrew, the word suggests repentance, yes — but more literally, a change of direction. A return.

Lent is not about fear of death.  It is about movement toward life. Notice: this is prayed at Communion. The One who gives Himself to us declares that He desires life for us. As we receive Christ, we are receiving the One who longs for our turning, not our failure. This is not harshness. It is invitation.

We may ponder: What is turning back to me?

In Hebrew, the word is shuv — return.  It is directional. Notice something beautiful:

God says He desires that the wicked “turn from his way and live.”

The emphasis is not on moral accounting.  It is on direction.

Lent is not:  “Prove you are not wicked.”  It is:“Turn and live.”

In the Old Testament we think of the desert generation. During their time through the desert, they turned away — toward fear, toward idols.  In the New Testament, the disciples during the Passion except John ran, denied and hid.

Were they wicked/sinners? Were they afraid?  Peter wept bitterly — and that was the beginning of his turning.  When we think of the parable of the prodigal son , the younger son says “I will arise and go…” That is shuv.

Turning begins in the heart before it becomes visible in behaviour.

He died and rose so that we could live. Am I alive or in the grave?

That is deeply Lenten.  Sometimes “wickedness” is not dramatic evil.

Sometimes it is:

• Numbness.
• Resignation.
• Spiritual fatigue.
• Living as if resurrection hasn’t happened.

Turning might mean:

• Leaving self-protection.
• Leaving pride.
• Leaving indifference.
• Leaving despair.

Ezekiel also speaks elsewhere of:

“I will give you a new heart.”

Turning is not self-generated moral strength.  It is responding to divine invitation.

 

And the Eucharistic Context

This is the key. At Communion, we hear: “I have no pleasure in your death.”

The One who says this is about to give Himself. He dies so that we may live.

So “turn and live” is not threat.  It is promise.

 

Reflection

• Do I secretly imagine God takes pleasure in my failure?
• Where is the Lord inviting me to turn rather than remain stuck?
• Is my repentance rooted in fear — or in the desire for life?
• What one small turning could I make today?

Friday in Lent often feels weighty. This antiphon is not heavy. It is hopeful. It places life at the centre.-not just life for life sake, but life with Jesus.  As I live. When we pray it and not say it at communion

 

 Prayer

Living God,
You desire that I turn and live.
Give me courage to change direction
and walk toward life in You.