Lenten Programme 2018

Transcription

1 . Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Westville Lenten Programme 2018 Longing for Light WEEK THREE Into the Light of Jesus

2 Scripture: John 2: SUNDAY 4 MARCH The church has always been regarded as a sacred place, and rightly so, for it is the House of God and even more so when the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. It is always disconcerting when those who don t share our faith as well as some who are actually supposed to, appear to be oblivious to the sacredness and sanctity of the church and behave as if it were a hall or an auditorium. The attitude that Jesus encountered in the Great Temple in Jerusalem was even worse! He was horrified and furious! Those who were responsible for maintaining the sanctity and sacredness of the temple had grown complacent and negligent. It is possible that they benefited from the profits of all the sales anyway. Its amazing how people can compromise and turn a blind eye when they stand to benefit materially! Their hearts were most certainly not in what they were doing. Temple worship had been reduced to a superstitious, functionary religious ritual. The temple was a sacred place and meant for something more spiritual. Outward actions, gestures, rituals and ceremonies become meaningless unless our heart is in what we are doing. When our hearts are not in the right place then we too reduce our faith to the level of meaningless religious actions, rituals, gestures and ceremonies. We lose our sense of the sacred and the sanctity of our faith is compromised even in God s House! Lent is our opportunity to recapture a sense of the sacred and to draw ourselves once again into the Real Presence of Jesus. Not only was the great Temple desecrated but the temple of his own body was violated and destroyed on the cross. Jesus offered his suffering and humiliation for our salvation so that the darkness of sin and death would have no power over us. When we were Baptised we were also transformed into a Holy Temple where God dwells and even more so through our First Communion and our regular reception of Holy Communion. Think about it through our reception of Holy Communion we become a living tabernacle sacred and holy! It is unthinkable to violate anything sacred and holy! s: Try to receive the Eucharist as often as possible this week to make you a living tabernacle sacred and holy. If you have children, talk to them about the sacredness of the church and teach them how to dress and behave appropriately. Set a good example by the way in you behave in church. Father, lead me from the darkness of past bad attitudes and behaviour especially through my lack of reverence and my thoughtless behaviour in church. Help me to be a reverent and respectful person and to live always in the Light of Jesus. Amen. MONDAY 5 MARCH Scripture 2 Kings 5:1-15; Luke 4:24-30

3 We read today of a great man Naaman, a commander in the army of the king of Syria and, although not an Israelite, God was with him. He did have an affliction though - leprosy a sad condition in those days, guaranteeing exclusion. He was offered the lifeline to be cured but, initially he refused the help, thinking that he was too good to be ordered about by one beneath him and not of his nation! We read that eventually he took the advice and was cured by listening to the prophet Elisha. His indignation almost cost him his life thinking that only his people were worthy of great things. The Pharisees during the time of Jesus thought the same and they failed to see that the Light of the Messiah Christ - was right there in front of them! They were blinded by their own grandeur and laws, not realizing that the light that they were waiting for was shining bright, ready to lead ALL to the gifts offered to them by God. It was most certainly their loss for: passing through the midst of them He went away. We cannot afford to miss the opportunity of having Jesus in our lives. If we profess to be his disciples, now is the time to learn who He truly is and follow His teachings so that we, yes we, can be the light to others whom we meet. Father, help me each day to follow your light that teaches and guides me to know your ways so that, with the knowledge of your love for me, I too may be light to others. Thank you for your blessings and gifts received each day. Amen

4 TUESDAY 6 MARCH Scripture Daniel 3: 25, 34 43; Matthew 18: How often must I forgive seven times? If you look more deeply into today s first reading from the prophet Daniel, you will read that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the province of Babylon, had built a statue of gold and declared that all must worship it. However there were three Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, who refused to worship this effigy and so they were thrown into a fiery furnace to die. To everyone s amazement, none of them was burnt to death, and all because of their contrite hearts and their humble spirits. In fact, they survived due to their total devotion to the one true God, Yahweh. Then in the Gospel we hear Peter asking Jesus how many times he should he forgive his brother if he is wronged by him and he offers seven times as a possibility. Jesus. However, astounds him by demanding seven times seventy, which to the Jews was like infinity. Obviously Peter, the poor apostle, is totally confounded by this response, so Jesus elaborates for him. He tells Peter the story of a master who writes off a big debt owed to him by one of his servants, and He goes on to describe how this master reacted, when he finds out that this same servant, had failed to forgive a fellow servant, for a relatively small debt. The master is extremely angry and not only holds his servant responsible for the debt, he also has him thrown into jail till the debt is paid in full. Can we see ourselves in this predicament? God forgives all our sins, no matter how grave they are, and calls on us to forgive the sins against us by others, and He does this in His two great commandments, Love God and Love neighbour. God is therefore, the ultimate example of righteousness and we are called to follow in His footsteps, come what may, because, failure to follow these commandments, will ultimately, end in damnation for ourselves. Look at the all the close relationships you have and ask yourself if these relationships are in line with God s injunction to love Him and others as you love yourself, then pray the prayer below. Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. your truth, and teach me; for you are God my Saviour. Amen Scripture: Matthew 5 : WEDNESDAY 7 MARCH Make me walk in

5 : As people of the Resurrection we have the privilege of hindsight. We are able to connect the biblical dots. Last Sunday, Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Moses who represented the Law and Elijah who represented all the Prophets. We also heard that God instructed us through Peter, James and John to listen to Jesus. His authority in terms of the heavenly kingdom and how to get into it overshadowed the tradition of the Law and the Prophets. In today s gospel, which took place much earlier, Jesus confirms that He has come to complete, to fulfil the law and prophets. We now understand that He was to remove the narrow interpretations and the misinterpretations that had been handed down over the centuries. Some of the hundreds of laws had become extremely burdensome prompting Him to say My yoke is easy, my burden light. What Jesus did was to place the law and the words of the prophets onto a foundation of love God and love your neighbour. This immediately allows them to become fully encompassing of all aspects of life. It enables them to become the true and guaranteed guide to a fulfilled way of life which leads to eternal life. (At the transfiguration, the three terrified disciples were given proof that life after death exists through the presence of the two great men of the Bible). Thus for example whereas the sixth commandment had been taken to mean no voluntary physical intimacy between a married man and a woman who was not his spouse, it now became much broader in its command for any man even to look at a woman lustfully was just as unacceptable. The actions of men and woman were no longer the critical factor: their inward attitudes and dispositions became the critical factor. The words of Simeon resound and the secret thoughts of many will be laid bare. It places upon us the need to be as humble as possible and to see the light as to why the practice of humility draws God to us - He cannot resist. It places upon us the requirement to trust God and to see the light as to why we raise ourselves so high by faith, hope and trust that we reach God. s Take any commandment (the law) and stretch your mind as to its widest meaning and hence the direct implications for you. Lord Jesus, may I come to realise that by following your completion of the law and prophets, I am able to live with a constant inner joy and peace. Amen. Scripture: Jeremiah 7: 23-28; THURSDAY 8 MARCH The Rule of the Benedictine religious community begins with the line, Listen with the ear of your heart. Spiritually speaking, that is very important. In today s

6 world of incredible noise, clamour and business chatter there are a million voices clamouring to be heard, seeking our commitment in one way or another. To which do we listen? We can listen without ever hearing a word. In the same way, we can pray without ever being truly present or involved in that prayer. We can stand up and profess our faith without ever putting those beliefs into action. When we do these things we become, as St. Paul describes in his letter to the Corinthians, like a gong booming or a cymbal clashing, because there is no love involved. Jeremiah tells us that God wants nothing more than for His people to listen, to walk in His ways. This is what He wanted from the Israelites, but they turned their backs and followed the dictates of their own evil hearts. We have had 2000 plus years to learn that this is unacceptable, but are we any different? It all begins with listening. It is in the silence that the voice of God is heard that the Spirit speaks; it is in those moments that we can gather strength to fight temptation, and deal with the trials that we face in life. But unless we are prepared to give God that time, we will not be able to distinguish His voice above the constant noise and clamour of the world around us. We need to cultivate silence in our lives. When Jesus wanted to pray, He sought a place to be alone away from people, away from the business chatter so that He could hear what the Father had to say. Silence creates an environment where God can be welcomed and heard. So, let s try to build five to ten minutes of silence into our daily routine it may take time to be comfortable with that silence, but persistence will pay off, and if we invite the Lord in we will, I m sure, notice the difference as our relationship with Him deepens and grows. Resolve to give God time in your life time when you and He can be alone, in silence. Turn off all noise, shut the door of your room, and listen with the ear of your heart! God our Father, slow me down. Slow the thoughts churning in my mind, and still my mind and heart. Holy Spirit, speak to me in the silence. Let your Word penetrate into my being, and then radiate outward to those I meet. Amen FRIDAY 9 MARCH Scripture: Hosea 14: 2-10 Psalm 81: 6-11, 14, 17 Mark 12:28-34 Do you really believe in the forgiveness of sins? This is a question frequently asked by the intelligentsia?

7 Let us look at what we say we believe and why. In both creeds (Apostles and Nicene) we clearly state that we believe in the forgiveness of sins. So who forgives and who can be forgiven? In Hosea, God tells the people of Israel he will forgive them all if they repent, confess their sins and ask for God s forgiveness. In return He not only forgives them, but he loves, favours and rewards them. What was it that needed forgiving? It was the most serious sin of all; the breaking of the first commandment. They rejected the Lord God as their only God and failed to love him, choosing rather to worship their hand made idols. Notwithstanding the gravity of this situation God forgave them and once again acknowledged the Israelites as his chosen people. Even in the most serious of situations, God s great love for his creation shines through. Today s Psalm makes it clear, once again, that our God is a loving, forgiving God regardless of the seriousness of the situation. All he asks is for us to freely respond to his love and to love each other with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is not a wishy-washy love but a powerful, all-embracing, allencompassing love. Jesus reinforces this when one of the scribes comes up to him and asks, Which commandment is the most important of all? Jesus answered, The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. If we Christians follow these two commandments explicitly our interactions with our neighbours becomes more engaging. If in our attempt to be more Christ-like by loving others as He has loved us, our relationships with others begins to change and with this changed attitude the forgiveness of others is such an easier exercise. After all, if we don t forgive those who trespass against us, who suffers continuously with the memory? Not the person we refuse to forgive, but us ourselves. God the loving Father almighty forgives us our sins and expects us to forgive those who request forgiveness from us. As the loving family of Jesus we are bound to love one another and forgive one another just as He did. Love one another and forgive those who have trespassed against you. To help you get a true description of Love read 1 Corinthians 13. Almighty God, please help me to repair my damaged relationships by healing the broken places within my heart. Thank you for hearing my call, strengthen me to live your great commandment of love and to enter into the Light of Jesus. Amen. SATURDAY 10 MARCH Scripture: Luke 18:9-14 God be merciful to me, a sinner. In this parable we encounter a Pharisee whose prayer was focused entirely on his religion and its rites and rituals in contrast to the humble tax collector whose prayer

8 was unpretentious, simple and contrite and demonstrated a deep faith. Time and time again we read in the gospels how Jesus came up against the Pharisees who placed their religious rules and regulations above everything else. This attitude is evident in this Pharisee s prayer of self-congratulation. Our personal prayer should be a time of intimate conversation with God. It is not reliant on flowery phrases and eloquent monologues but rather heartfelt expressions of our deepest feelings and emotions to our Father who cares so intensely about every aspect of our being. We should never be concerned about our ability (or inability) to pray. There are times when we are so overcome by emotion that we don t know how to even begin to pray. At times like this we are assured of God s comfort. We read in Romans 8:26 The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means. Jesus message to us is to keep prayer simple. We should approach Our Father with gratitude and a deep sense of reverence and humility. At all times we should remember that God is all merciful and eagerly desires to meet with us during our time of prayer. Take a brief moment during the course of your day to pray. Keep your prayers simple. Stop whatever you are doing and determine how you are feeling. If you are in a positive frame of mind, thank God for whatever it is that has had made you feel that way. If you are feeling sad or anxious about something, tell God how you are feeling and ask Him to strengthen and comfort you. Father, thank you for the gift of prayer. Although You know everything that I m experiencing, help me to share these moments with you and through a more active prayer life, to grow closer to you and to enter into the Light of Jesus. Amen These Daily s for Lent 2018 are written by Fr. Desmond Nair, Deacon Mark Wardell, Lawrence Surgeson, George Cominos, Irene Helsdon, Tony Clewlow and Veronica Donnelly. Please acknowledge the authors when copying and distributing. We wish you a fruitful and blessed Lenten Journey.