Category: Prayer
17th February, 2021
Psalm 94
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord.
A mighty God is the Lord, a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his.
To him belongs the sea, for he made it and the dry land shaped by his hands.
Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us
for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice !
Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.
For forty years I was wearied of these people and I said:
“Their hearts are astray, these people do not know my ways.”
Then I took an oath in my anger: “Never shall they enter my rest.”
LITANY OF PRAISE:
We give thanks to you, O mighty God !
SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 58:6-12
Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – it is the Lord who speaks –
to break unjust fetters and undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke,
to share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor,
to clothe the man you see to be naked and not turn from your own kin ?
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you and the glory of the Lord behind you.
Cry, and the Lord will answer; call, and he will say, ‘I am here’.
If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist, the wicked word,
if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like the noon.
The Lord will always guide you, giving you relief in desert places.
He will give strength to your bones and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water whose waters never run dry. The word of the Lord.
REFLECTION: (Henri Nouwen)
God’s mercy is greater than our sins. There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in paralysing guilt. It is the guilt that says: ‘I am too sinful to deserve God’s mercy.’ It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. The question is: ‘Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by sin that he could not believe in God’s mercy and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to his Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins ? The season of Lent, during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance, helps us in a special way to cry out for God’s mercy.
INTERCESSIONS: Lord, in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer
CLOSING PRAYER: (Henri Nouwen)
The Lenten season begins, Lord. It is time to be with you in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha and to the final victory over death.
I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, human respect, pleasure, power and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are no times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.
Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life which you have prepared for me. Amen.
Psalm 33
I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called him; the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Litany of Praise
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good
for his love endures for ever.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 1:1-7
Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time. This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sorts of trials; so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold and then you will have praise and glory and honour. The word of the Lord.
Reflection: (Fr.Silvester O’Flynn OFM.Cap.)
The familiar saying goes: ‘Seeing is believing’. But seeing is not sufficient for believing. For seeing only touches the outer, physical evidence, whereas believing belongs to the interior, invisible areas of life. Once, there was one preacher of the kingdom: Jesus, sent by the Father. And then, in the time of the resurrection, the one became many when the Church was born: the risen Lord sent out the disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit, in time, inspired four evangelists to write down the Church’s memory of Jesus Christ for teaching all ages. Four gospels, one for each point of the compass, N,E,W and S. But even four gospels are not enough to convince people that the Messiah has come. A fifth gospel is needed: the gospel written by you and me in the evidence of our lives.
Cautious Thomas needed time. He was sceptical of words alone. He would wait to observe the behaviour of those who were speaking so excitedly of the appearance of the Lord to them. Down the years of history the witness of people like Francis and Dominic, Clare and Therese, stirred the faith of people more effectively than libraries of learned books. People are moved to believe when they meet the risen Lord in authentic people of grace.
Easter is to hear the risen Lord say to you: ‘I am sending you out’. To easter with him is to rise into . . . believing that you are loved by God, and daring to hope and trust in his presence and power. In the power of the Spirit let there be . . . new life in your heart, new light in your face, and new joy in your believing. The Messiah has been sent by the Father. And he has sent you, baptised Christians, to win the world from the darkness of sin. Blessed are those whose life enables others to see and to believe.
Intercessions
Hear us, Lord of Life!
Closing Prayer
Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain, he that for three days in the grave had lain. Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen: love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
When our hearts are wintry, grieving or in pain, thy touch can call us back to life again. Fields of our heart that dead and bare have been: love is come again like wheat that springeth green!
Psalm 99
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Go within his gates giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Litany of Praise
We bless your holy name!
Scripture Reading: John 14:23-27
Jesus said: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. I have said these things while still with you; but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: (Pope Francis – The Joy of Discipleship)
The joy of the Gospel is not just any joy. It consists in knowing one is welcomed and loved by God. God is the One who comes to save us and who seeks to help, especially those who are fearful of heart. His coming among us strengthens us, makes us steadfast, gives us courage, makes the desert rejoice and blossom – that is, when our lives become arid. And when do our lives become arid? When they lack the water of God’s Word and his Spirit of love. However great our limitations and dismay, we are not allowed to be sluggish and vacillating when faced with difficulty and our own weakness. On the contrary, we are invited to strengthen the weak hands, to make firm the feeble knees, to be strong and to fear not, because our God always shows us the greatness of his mercy.
He gives us the strength to go forward. Thanks to his help, we can always begin again. Why? Because he is waiting for you, he is close to you, he loves you, he is merciful, he forgives you. And we are able to open our eyes again, to overcome sadness and mourning to strike up a new song. And this true joy remains even amid trial, even amid suffering, for it is not a superficial joy; it permeates the depths of the person who entrusts himself to the Lord and confides in him.
No one has ever heard of a sad saint with a mournful face. This is unheard of. It would be a contradiction. The Christian’s heart is filled with peace because he knows how to place his joy in the Lord even when going through the difficult moments in life. To have faith does not mean to never have difficult moments but to have the strength to face those moments, knowing that we are not alone. And this is the peace that God gives to his children.
Intercessions
Lord, in your mercy . . . Hear our prayer
Closing Prayer
You are the King of Glory. You are the Prince of Peace.
You are the Lord of heaven and earth.
You’re the Son of righteousness.
Angels bow down before you, worship and adore,
for you have the words of eternal life, you are Jesus Christ the Lord. Hosanna to the Son of David. Hosanna to the King of Kings. Glory in the highest heavens for Jesus the Messiah reigns!