Lent - A time to sow good seed on fertile soil

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April 20, 2014 - Easter Sunday:

Sharing with you some excerpts from last year’s Euchalette, 3/31/2013, p. 4. The reflection is timeless, and is just as applicable today, as it was last year:

“The Resurrection is first of all, an event that concerns Jesus Christ. It is his personal triumph over death, and the vindication of the truth of his teaching … He experienced his physical resurrection in all its transforming vitality, just as he had experienced the destructive power of sin in his agony and death. This is what the ‘Paschal Mystery’ is all about…”

But whatever happened to Christ has also cosmic resonance … ** At the Incarnation, the Son of God united himself in a permanent way to every human being with a solidarity that makes him share in all the miseries of every individual (including the deadly consequences of sin), and makes every human being a sharer in Christ’s dignity, holiness, and glory.**"

"This is why Jesus’ coming out of the tomb alive, transformed, immortal … concerns us, too. It concerns all human beings. His resurrection is also mankind’s resurrection because it marks mankind’s liberation from the oppression of sin."

“Christ’s shattering the shackles of death (manifested through the breaking of the seals of his grave) is like the cracking of the shell of a seed which allows the sprout to burst forth with all the freshness of the new life it carries. That sprout is Christ, but is also all mankind. It is also each one of us. On Easter morning a new world dawned, a new humanity rose from the slavery of sin and death, in Jesus, through him and with him. (See Col 2:12-13).”

“No human expression can exhaust the transforming greatness of this mystery. The Church has been proclaiming it during her 20 centuries of existence through her liturgy, her creeds, and her life. She will continue to do so until the liberating power of the Resurrection will have reached its full manifestation in the Kingdom of heaven.”

"There are a billion and one reasons for celebrating, then, as we commemorate, re-live and rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus. It is our resurrection, too. But we are challenged to prove it by living a new life …" (p. 4.)

Easter Blessings to all!
May we celebrate Our Lord’s Resurrection today,
and let its grace and blessings color our life,
today, and every remaining day of our lives! Amen.
 
**April 23, 2014 - **Novena to the Divine Mercy - Day 6
(Wednesday within the Octave of Easter):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm#6

Note: During this Novena which leads to the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27),
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm​

At this point, it is good to review the requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

Note: With respect to “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
click on the Decree of Indulgence for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 24, 2014 - **Novena to the Divine Mercy - Day 7
(Thursday within the Octave of Easter):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm#7

Note: During this Novena which leads to the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27),
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm​

At this point, it is good to review the requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

Note: With respect to “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
click on the Decree of Indulgence for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 25, 2014 - **Novena to the Divine Mercy - Day 8
(Friday within the Octave of Easter):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm#8

Note: During this Novena which leads to the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27),
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm​

At this point, it is good to review the requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

Note: With respect to “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
click on the Decree of Indulgence for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 26, 2014 - **Novena to the Divine Mercy - Day 9
(Saturday within the Octave of Easter):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm#9

Note: During this Novena which leads to the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27),
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm​

Requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

Note: With respect to “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
click on the Decree of Indulgence for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
April 27, 2014 - Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday:

Collect (Opening Prayer):
“God of everlasting mercy,
who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast
kindle the faith of the people you have made your own,
increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed,
that all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose Spirit they have been reborn,
by whose Blood they have been redeemed.
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.”

The Second Sunday of Easter is also Divine Mercy Sunday as decreed by the Congregation for Divine Worship on May 23, 2000. Devotion to the Divine Mercy was promoted by St. Faustina Kowalska who was canonized on April 30, 2000 by Saint John Paul II. (Ref ORDO.)​

Requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

Note: With respect to “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
click on the Decree of Indulgence for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
After our 2014 Lenten Journey with Christ, ardent thanksgiving should expectedly be among the major dispositions we ought to have towards Our Lord. The Holy Mass or the Eucharistic Celebration is the means par excellence of expressing our gratitude.

We know that the word ‘eucharist’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘thanksgiving’. In Hebrew, the parallel word for thanksgiving is ‘todah’. However, ‘todah’ in the Hebrew culture means more than merely saying a verbal ‘Thank you!’ In addition to gratitude expressed verbally, ‘todah’ includes joyful praise, and it connotes a thank offering or a thank sacrifice being offered by a person who has been saved from serious danger.

We all know that the Lord Jesus has saved us from eternal damnation. By His sacrificial death on Calvary, He saved us from eternal death by suffering a most brutal, violent and inhuman death on the Cross.

Thus, our thanksgiving - our todah - should fittingly be more than merely a verbal 'Thank You, Lord! We ought to offer Him our todah accompanied by a thank offering consisting of something from our life, something from ourselves and from the blessings we have received from Him. What shall it be?

Today, let us ask the Lord:
Lord, what is that particular thing in my life that You wish me to offer You as my todah offering/?

Here I am Lord!
youtube.com/watch?v=GINNh15cT08

More information on ‘todah’ from:
catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0124.html
 
To follow the Lenten Season of 2015, we will again use this thread from previous years.
Please proceed to the following posts for our 2015 Lenten Season. Thank you. 🙂
 
On February 18, Ash Wednesday, our 2015 Lenten Season begins. Here are some thoughts to refresh us on what Lent is, how to observe it, what it can do for our spiritual life.

The Lenten Season is a grace-filled time to assess our lives; a time to prepare ourselves for a more meaningful re-sealing of our Covenant with the Lord; a re-sealing which we make by renewing our Baptismal Vows as faithful believers celebrating the Paschal Mystery.

The Lenten Season has a double character, namely, to prepare both catechumens and faithful to celebrate the Paschal Mystery. The catechumens, with the Rite of Election and Scrutinies and by catechesis, are prepared for the celebration of the Sacraments of Christian initiation; the faithful, ever more attentive to the Word of God and prayer, prepare themselves by penance and other Lenten spiritual exercises for the renewal of their Baptismal promises. (Ceremoniale Episcoporum, 249).

It is fitting that the Lenten season conclude, both for the individual Christian as well as for the whole Christian community, with a penitential celebration, so that all may be helped to prepare to celebrate more fully the Paschal Mystery. Such a celebration should take place before the Easter Triduum. (cf. Misericordia Dei).

More on Lent from James Akin’s article All About Lent:
ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/LENT.htm
 
Excerpts on Lent from the St. Joseph Weekday Missal (1975), (Emphasis added.)

"The word lent is an ancient word for spring. The season of Lent is a time in our personal lives for new life to appear, and for old frozen attitudes to disappear. It is a time to clear the ground, to clear away rubbish. A time for sowing, so that one day, the Day of the Lord, there will be a harvest.

Jesus came into the world to share His life with us. We say we are in ‘Him’. We could examine the priorities in our lives with His mission in mind. His mission is to bring each man [woman] to human dignity, and all men [women] to brotherhood, leading them to the Father. He sought to do the will of His Father … What does that mean for us?

Lent is a time of instruction. Faith comes by hearing, which certainly includes reading, and study, and good conversation. And today it would include the communication that comes from good film and art. Faith needs to grow, to ask questions, and to reflect on the answers. To grow in faith calls for an alert and attentive person, one who listens. The man of faith listens to others, and to himself, to one’s speech and one’s conscience. He also listens to the world.

In the early Christian centuries Lent was, and … still is, a time of preparation for baptism on Easter Eve. If we are already baptized, then it is time to think what the covenant should mean to us … The Church provies a baptismal renewal at Easter. A serious spiritual effort in Lent will keep that renewal from becoming an empty gesture."
(Read on for continuation of thought.)
 
Excerpts from the St. Joseph Weekday Missal (1975), continued, (Emphasis added.)

"Lent is a time of listening. The Word of God is given to us in abundance. Look at the texts of the Lenten Sundays (and all the weekdays), the rich parables, the choice of Gospels, the great themes of faith, conversion, and turning back to a God who is already waiting and loving us. We are asked to do more than listen in this Lenten Season. We are asked to make the Word of God a judgment upon our lives. Lent is a time for special penance and personal evaluation …

The Gospel during Lent is chosen each day in accord with the major Lenten themes and preparation for baptism: penance, prayer, effort to live a good Christian life, and acceptance of the mystery of salvation through the cross …"

What shall I offer up for Lent? ewtn.com/faith/lent/F18.htm
 
Additional links which may be helpful in our preparation for and during the Lenten Season:
  • Pope Francis’’ Lenten Message for 2015:
"Wondering What To Give Up for Lent? Try Indifference, Pope Says.
www.ncregister.com/daily-news/wondering-what-to-give-up-for-lent-try-indifference-pope-says

The full text of Pope Francis’ 2015 Lenten Message:
en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/01/27/pope-warns-of-globalization-of-indifference-in-lenten-messag/1120128
  • Pope Francis’ Lenten Message last year, 2014:
www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=127967
 
Amiciel said:
Additional links which may be helpful in our preparation for and during the Lenten Season:
  • Pope Francis’ Lenten Message for 2015:
"Wondering What To Give Up for Lent? Try Indifference, Pope Says."
www.ncregister.com/daily-news/wondering-what-to-give-up-for-lent-try-indifference-pope-says

The full text of Pope Francis’ 2015 Lenten Message:
en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/01/27/pope-warns-of-globalization-of-indifference-in-lenten-messag/1120128
  • Pope Francis’ Lenten Message last year, 2014:
www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=127967
Click to expand...
  • Quote from the Daily Roman Missal (MTF):
“During Lent penance should not be only inward and individual but also outward and social, and should be directed toward works of mercy on behalf of our brothers and sisters.”
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12753860#post12753860
 
God’s ‘call’ today - through Hosea!

No other prophet in the Old Testament has expressed God’s love for His people as did Hosea. The Book of Hosea flashes before us a glimpse into the inner life of God, and there, we find His steadfast faithfulness in spite of His people’s repeated infidelities and harlotries.

Through Hosea, God offers His people forgiveness and reconciliation; He calls them to come back to Him and to remain faithful to the Covenant.

And how were they to remain faithful? God gives the answer through Hosea: “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6)

To offer God steadfast love, one needs to know Him first. For, knowledge of God enables us to appreciate and to trust Him, to offer Him a love that goes deeper than the external rites of celebration because it comes from the core of our being.

Today, God extends the same offer of forgiveness and reconciliation to each of us. He wills that we be faithful to the Covenant, and to live a life with Him that is ever new, at ever deepening levels.

What will our response be to Him during this Lenten Season?

The following hymn, Come Back to Me, was inspired by the Book of Hosea. As once God called His people back to Him through Hosea, He calls each of us now. Let us listen to Him …

youtube.com/watch?v=FB0TWvag_Ic
Come Back to Me (Hosea) - John Michael Talbot
 
Amiciel said:
God’s ‘call’ today - through Hosea!

No other prophet in the Old Testament has expressed God’s love for His people as did Hosea. The Book of Hosea flashes before us a glimpse into the inner life of God, and there, we find His steadfast faithfulness in spite of His people’s repeated infidelities and harlotries.

Through Hosea, God offers His people forgiveness and reconciliation; He calls them to come back to Him and to remain faithful to the Covenant.

And how were they to remain faithful? God gives the answer through Hosea: "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hos 6:6)

To offer God steadfast love, one needs to know Him first. For, knowledge of God enables us to appreciate and to trust Him, to offer Him a love that goes deeper than the external rites of celebration because it comes from the core of our being.

Today, God extends the same offer of forgiveness and reconciliation to each of us. He wills that we be faithful to the Covenant, and to live a life with Him that is ever new, at ever deepening levels.

What will our response be to Him during this Lenten Season?

The following hymn, Come Back to Me, was inspired by the Book of Hosea. As once God called His people back to Him through Hosea, He calls each of us now. Let us listen to Him …

youtube.com/watch?v=FB0TWvag_Ic
Come Back to Me (Hosea) - John Michael Talbot
Click to expand...
Beautiful reflection and song, Amiciel! Thanks.
 
February 18, 2015 - Ash Wednesday:

Collect Prayer:
“Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.
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.”

www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/ash_F17.htm
www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/ASH_WED.HTM

Scripture readings and reflections for today:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-18
 
February 19, 2015 - Thursday After Ash Wednesday:

Collect Prayer:
“Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
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.”

www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/F18.htm

Scripture readings and reflections for today:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-02-19
 
February 20, 2015 - Friday After Ash Wednesday:

Collect Prayer:
“Show gracious favor, O Lord, we pray,
to the works of penance we have begun,
that we may have strength to accomplish with sincerity
the bodily observances we undertake.
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.”

www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/F19.htm

Scripture readings and reflections for today:
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
 
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