Lent - A time to sow good seed on fertile soil

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**April 7, 2015 - **Novena to the Divine Mercy - Day 5
(Tuesday within the Octave of Easter):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm#5

Note: During this Novena which leads to the Divine Mercy Sunday, April 12, 2015,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

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”,
the Decree of Indulgence from the above link explains the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 8, 2015 - **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 12, 2015,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

For the requirements to gain the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence, see:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

For “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
the Decree of Indulgence from the above link explains the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 9, 2015 - **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 12, 2015,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

For the requirements to gain the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence, see:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

For “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
the Decree of Indulgence from the above link explains the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 10, 2015 - **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 12, 2015,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

For the requirements to gain the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence, see:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

For “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
the Decree of Indulgence from the above link explains the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
**April 11, 2015 - **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 12, 2015,
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is also offered each day for the day’s intention.
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/dmmap.htm

For the requirements to gain the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence, see:
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

For “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”,
the Decree of Indulgence from the above link explains the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.
 
April 12, 2015 - 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.)​

More on the Divine Mercy Sunday:
thedivinemercy.org/celebrate/greatgrace

Requirements for the Divine Mercy Sunday Indulgence (different from the extraordinary graces described in the above link):
www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/indulgence.htm

For “those who cannot go to Church or the seriously ill”, click on the Decree of Indulgence in the above link for the conditions to obtain the Indulgence.

May we all have a fruitful and meaningful Divine Mercy Sunday!!!
 
After our 2015 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 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 simply saying ‘Thank You, Lord!’ We ought to offer Him a todah accompanied by our 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/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/from-jewish-passover-to-christian-eucharist-the-story-of-the-todah.html
 
Hello, all. For those of us wishing to follow Lenten Season 2016, we will again use this thread from previous years.

Please proceed to the following posts for our 2016 Lenten Season prayers, reflections, links, etc. Thank you. 🙂
 
February 10 is Ash Wednesday. Thus, we begin our 2016 Lenten Season. 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."
(Pls 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: Mercy of God Helps Us To Be Merciful.**
www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-mercy-of-god-helps-us-to-be-merciful

-** Full Text of Pope Francis’ 2016 Message for Lent:**
www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/full-text-of-pope-francis-2016-message-for-lent
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
 
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 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 of communion 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:
Some excellent resources from USCCB:

Calendar with reflections during the 40 days of Lent:
www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/lent-calendar.cfm

Lent Videos:
www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/lent-videos.cfm
Click to expand...
**Additional links to USCCB resources for Lent:
**
www.usccb.org/lent

The article on Catechetical Corner from the link below “explains the purpose of the Lenten Season, the differences in the liturgies of Lent and penitential practices the faithful are called to practice during the season.”

usccb.force.com/MN4__mnp_viewresource?id=a1I1A00000YVvHWUA1
 
February 10, 2016 - 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:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2016-02-10

LECTIO DIVINA for ASH WEDNESDAY from USCCB:
“Lectio Divina is a form of meditation rooted in liturgical celebration that dates back to early monastic communities. It involves focused reading of Scripture (lectio), meditation on the Word of God (meditatio), contemplation of the Word and its meaning in one’s life (contemplatio) and ends with prayer (oratio). This Lectio Divina resource on the readings for Ash Wednesday focuses on themes of the Jubilee of Mercy and can be used by individuals or in group settings.” (Article available from link below.)

usccb.force.com/MN4__mnp_viewresource?id=a1I1A00000YVvHWUA1
 
February 11, 2016 - 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:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
 
February 12, 2016 - 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:
usccb.org/bible/reflections/
ymlp232.net/archive_gbmbuqgjgu.php
 
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