RESOURCES
for the LENTEN JOURNEY 2009
Archdiocese of
RESOURCES for the LENTEN JOURNEY
Lectio on
Pope Benedict has invited the whole Church to
celebrate the year of
Lectio Divina is an ancient way of praying with the scriptures
with 4 stages:
STAGE 1:
In the first
stage you do what the early monastic communities did: you read the text out
loud and listen. Notice what words or phrases stay with you or strike you. If
you are reading in a group it is good to read the text a second time with a
different voice, sometimes another word or phrase strikes you.
STAGE 2: REFLECTION
When you have
become aware of your word or phrase then you move on to explore how this
relates to and connects with your life. Questions you may ask are: What is this
word calling me to? How do I live the message of this word that has been given?
STAGE 3: RESPONSE
In the third
phrase of the lectio you respond in prayer, this prayer is short and brief. It
can be an expression of thanksgiving, or petition or praise.
STAGE 4: RESTING
Finally, you
take the word that has been given to you and repeat it silently in your heart,
so that you move into a contemplative awareness that God is present to you. You
may use the word that has been given to you to connect back into the presence
of God during the day or the week by simply repeating your phrase.
The readings in this resource are presented in verse
form to make them more accessible, after each reading there are reflection
questions which you can use personally or in a group setting as an alternative
to lectio or as a way of complimenting group lectio.
1st
Sunday of Lent
1 Peter
Christ himself, innocent thought he was, died once
for sins,
died for the guilty to lead us to God.
In the body he was put to death,
in the spirit he was raised to life,
and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits
in prison.
Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building the
ark
which saved a small group of eight people ‘by water’,
and when God was still waiting patiently,
that these spirits refused to believe.
That water is a type of the baptism which saves you
now,
and which is not a washing off of physical dirt
but a pledge made to God from good conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has entered heaven and is at god’s right hand,
now that he has made the angles and dominations and
powers his subjects.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1)
When you talk about your baptism do you say ‘I was
baptised’ or ‘I am baptised’?
2)
As we begin the journey of Lent together take time to
consider how baptism has an effect on the choices in your life.
3)
Lent is a time to renew our commitment to live as
baptised sons and daughters of God. What helps you to become more conscious of
your call?
2nd
Sunday of Lent
Romans
With God on our side who can be against us?
Since God did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up to benefit us all,
we may be certain, after such a gift,
that he will not refuse anything he can give.
Could anyone accuse those God has chosen?
When God acquits, could anyone condemn?
Could Christ Jesus? No!
He not only died for us, he rose from the dead,
and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads
for us.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1)
Paul describes
Jesus as God’s gift to all humankind. In what way/s do you feel that Jesus is
God’s gift to you?
2)
How do you feel
chosen by God?
3)
At baptism God
chose us in Christ. In what way/s do you feel drawn to respond to your
baptismal call this Lent?
3rd Sunday of Lent
1
Corinthians
And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks
look for wisdom,
here are we preaching a crucified Christ;
to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over,
to pagans madness,
but to those who have been called, whether Jews or
Greeks,
a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God.
For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom,
and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS:
1) Paul describes Jesus as the power and the wisdom of
God. How have you experienced this in your life?
2) The teachings of Jesus are full of wise sayings. Which
particular teachings of Jesus guide you in your life?
3) During this Lent how will you take time to pay more
attention to the wisdom of God?
4th
Sunday of Lent
Ephesians 2:4 – 10 JESUS IS GOD’S GOODNESS
God loved the world so much that he was generous with
his mercy:
when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to
life with Christ,
it is through grace that you have been saved,
and raised us up with him
and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ
Jesus.
This was to show for all ages to come,
through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus,
how infinitely rich he is in grace.
Because it is by grace that you have been saved,
through faith;
not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God;
not by anything that you have done, so that nobody
can claim the credit.
We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to
live the good life
as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS:
1) Paul is very fond of the phrase ‘in Christ Jesus’. What
does this mean to you?
2) In what way/s do you have a sense that God has graced
or blessed you?
3) During this Lent how will you live the good life that
Paul speaks of?
5th
Sunday of Lent
Hebrews 5:7-9 JESUS IS OUR SALVATION
During his life on earth,
Christ offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in
silent tears,
to the one who had the power to save him out of
death,
and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard.
Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through
suffering;
but having been made perfect,
he became for all who obey him
the source of eternal salvation.
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS:
1) Here the writer speaks of the priestly function of
Jesus, which is to offer prayer and entreaty. As a baptised person who shares
in the priesthood of Christ, in what way do you offer prayer to God and for whom?
2) The writer talks about the role of Jesus as a
suffering servant whose sufferings are healing and redemptive for the world. In
what way do you want to follow the example of Jesus the suffering servant?
3) Jesus was obedient because he listened to the voice of
God in his life, as we move towards Holy Week what are you hearing God
prompting you to do?
Passion Sunday JESUS
THE HUMBLE
Philippians 2:6 –
11
His state was divine,
yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with
God
but emptied himself to assume the condition of a
slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are, he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name which is above all names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld
should bend the name at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as
Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
REFLECTION POINT:
1) A portion of this reading is used on Good Friday as
an acclamation before the reading of the Passion to affirm that Jesus willingly
accepted his death. Pray this week for the grace to accept all the things in
your life that you need to die to.
2) Here Paul also emphasises the reverence that the
early Christian community had for the name of Jesus, in what way/s do you
honour the name of Jesus in your life.
3) Take time this week to return to this passage again
and again as we make our way towards the Easter Tridium of Holy Thursday, Good
Friday and Holy Saturday
Preparing for the Rite of Election
Here are some resources to use with
your parish RCIA group as a way of preparing for the Rite of Election which
takes place in the Cathedral on the First Sunday of Lent. This could be used as
an RCIA session.
LIVING COVENANT
In this first week of Lent we reflect
about the living covenant between God and humanity. This covenant is Good News
for all humankind because the message of the covenant reminds us again and
again that God never stops loving us. We see this fully in Jesus who is the
living sign of the new covenant between God and God’s people.
For those who are already baptised Lent
is an opportunity to renew our promise to be faithful to our covenant with the
living God. Newcomers in our Church are a clear sign of God’s covenant-love, of
his promise to be faithful forever.
We pray this Lent for hearts that are
open to God’s covenant-love:
Lord
our God,
you
set your bow in the sky
as
a sign of the promise of life.
Let
this sacred promise
be
an arc that links all peoples,
all
hearts, and all that you have created.
May
it be a sign of your faithful presence,
protecting
us and bringing colour, light and joy to the world.
Genesis 9:8 -15 GOD’S
SAVING COVENANT
As
you read this notice the following points:
·
God took the initiative to be in relationship with
humankind
·
The relationship is symbolised in the form of a
‘covenant’
·
The personal expression ‘between me and you’ enables
us to hear ourselves being called
Psalm 24 GOD’S WAYS
This
psalm emphasises the quality of God’s way of relating to us, all his ways are
love and truth.
·
How do you live God’s covenant in daily life?
·
In what way do you want to be open to learning the
‘ways of God’?
·
Spend some time reflecting on people in your life who
are humble and open to the ways of God?
Mark 1:12-15
BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS of GOD’S COVENANT LOVE
The
Spirit forcefully prompts Jesus to go out into a wild place, the wilderness of
the desert. The desert is the place of encounter, the forty days reflects the
forty years when the people of
We
too are seeking God at the beginning of this Lenten Journey, as you begin your
journey what is the Spirit prompting you to do in your life?
Jesus
asks two things of us: Repent and Believe.
Repentance
means change of heart, what areas of your life need a change of heart?
What
do you need to change in order to be open to receiving the Good News?
The
Good News challenges us to change ourselves and our world for the better. This
might be time for you to enter into a living covenant with those who are poor
and needy, those who are disempowered by linking into projects which enable
just living, go to: www.sciaf.org.uk
FOR THOSE WHO
As
you hear your name being called by the Cardinal at the Rite of Election remind
yourself that God has made a covenant with you and is calling you now to say a
yes to his covenant love.
Lord
our God,
path
of life,
you
show us the way
by
the light of truth.
Remember
your covenant love,
faithful
from age to age,
and
guide our feet in wise ways.
WAYS of PRAYING in LENT
LISTENING PRAYER for LENT:
Listen
to the silence of the desert places in our world
Listen
to the wilderness of your heart
Listen
to the cry of the poor and needy ones
Listen
to the whisper of our loving God
NOTICING PRAYER for
LENT:
Notice
how everyday events speak to you of God
Notice
how there are many things in life that
are beyond explanation
Notice
how God provides for our needs whenever we can let go
Notice
the presence of the sacred within all of life
TURN OFF THE TELLY:
Many
people complain that they have no time to pray, so why not take time this Lent
to spend five minutes at the end of each day praying with a lighted candle.
This is a simple way of linking into God’s presence which can be practiced
alone or with others:
·
Turn off the television and light a candle
·
Switch the lights off in the room
·
Focus on the light of the candle and become aware of
God’s presence
·
Bring to mind the times in the day when you felt
connected to the goodness of God
·
Say a prayer of thanks
·
Remember the times when you felt disconnected from
God
·
Ask for God’s help
·
End by praying Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
USEFUL WEBSITES:
www.wednesdayword.org This is a resource which focuses on the
Sunday Gospel and enables those at Home, in School and in the Parish to
prayerfully prepare for Sunday Mass
www.bne.catholic.net.au/lentprog09 A resource for the Year of St. Paul which
focuses on Paul’s greeting ‘Grace to You’
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/AudioRetreat/AudioRetreat.html
This provides reflections which can be
listened to on an mp3 player or on a PC
EXAMINATION
of CONSCIENCE
Many
parishes and deaneries will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Lent,
in the reflection below there is a focus on fasting from what is negative
towards living the good life that Paul speaks of. This could be used as a way
of getting in touch with what is in need of healing and forgiveness in your
life this Lent. Pope Benedict is encouraging us to make better use of the
practice of fasting during our Lenten Journey. Perhaps these are some of the
things we can fast from:
Fast
from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them
Fast
from emphasis on difference; feast on the unity of life
Fast
from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing
power of God
Fast
from discontent; feast on gratitude
Fast
from anger; feast on patience
Fast
from pessimism; feast on opportunism
Fast from worry; feast on God’s will for you
Fast
from complaining: feast on appreciation
Fast
from negatives; feast on affirmatives
Fast
from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness
Fast
from self-concern; feast on compassion for others
Fast
from personal anxiety; feast on God’s non-abandoning love
Fast
from discouragements: feast on hope
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that
uplift
Fast
from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm
Fast
from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire
Fast
from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity
Fast
from idle gossip: feast on purposeful silence
Fast
from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that sustains and strengthens
Welcoming in Lent
During his life Jesus
welcomed everyone with whom he came in contact – men and women, Jew and
gentile, sinner and saint.
Choosing a despised tax
collector as one of his special disciples, being a close friend with the
prostitute Mary Magdalene, curing the son of a Roman Centurion - one of the
despised Roman occupying force, shows us clearly that Jesus welcomed everyone.
Lent is a good time to ask
how we – both individually, and as a parish – welcome others. Lent is also a time when we traditionally
repent of past failings and make an effort to be transformed by God’s
love. The following examination of
conscience may help:
- Am I a welcoming person?
- Is there room in my life for others, or am I too
busy?
- Do I extend the welcoming gesture, the warm
smile?
- Do I hear with my heart as well as with my head?
- Do I go out of my way even when it is not
convenient to do so?
- Do I try to use inclusive language whenever
possible?
- Do I make an effort to encounter Jesus Christ in
the people with whom I work and worship?
Sherry Bitsche in The Ministry of
Hospitality
The Liturgical Press 1989
As a parish we could aim to:
- Encourage all members of the congregation to
have a positive attitude towards each other, especially across generations
and cultures
- Be aware of the needs of all parishioners and
others in contact with the church community, and seeking to fill these
needs where it is appropriate
- Provide inspiring and creative children’s
programmes
- Actively involve adults and children of all
ages, both in the Mass and other liturgies on a regular basis
- Take care of our clergy and other church leaders
and their families, by protecting their need for family time too and being
sensitive to their individual needs
- Have a building that is safe and accessible to
everyone (ramps, toilets, access, protective railings, etc)
- Think of the families on the fringes of our
church and of our local community.
What difference might it make to them if our church became more
family-friendly?
How would we welcome Jesus,
a homeless itinerant preacher with a mixture of fairly rough followers, to our
Sunday Mass?