Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B, 10th March 2024

We are created in Christ Jesus to live the good life

This fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally known as ‘Laetare (Rejoice!) Sunday’, and our readings today suggest many reasons for rejoicing.

The First Reading from Chronicles describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the days of exile. But God, working through the Persian king, Cyrus, not only brings the Jewish people home to where they belong but also helps them rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. 

St Paul (Second Reading) writes that God, whose nature is Universal Love, brought us back to life in and with Christ Jesus through the gift of his infinite grace. Our good works and our lives lived in all their fullness are a grateful and authentic response to all we have been given by God.

The Gospel tells us that the resurrection of Christ Jesus, who was ‘lifted up and exalted’ on the cross, brings salvation to all who believe in him and in his teachings. Christ’s Passion, for all its injustice and brutality, is a glorious revelation of God’s love for all of humankind, and the source of our healing. Jesus calls us to live by his truth and light, where we can dwell in the flow of God’s energy and love.

The Psalm of lament recalls the bitter days of exile in Babylon. For us today, ‘Babylon’ can stand as a symbol for all that threatens the fullness of human living. Hatred, selfishness, greed, and pride can all take us away from wholeness of life and into exile.

This week, we pray for the personal faith and humility to be open to God’s infinite grace and light. We pray, too, that all of humanity might be open and receptive to God’s life-giving energy.

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Third Sunday in Lent, Year B, 3rd March 2024

Christ, the power and the wisdom of God

As we enter this third week of Lent, our readings remind us of God’s love for us, soon to be witnessed in the suffering and death of Christ Jesus.

In the First Reading, God speaks to the people of Israel after their release from slavery in Egypt. The Ten Commandments show his people how to freely live in service of the One who has liberated them.

The Psalm speaks of the gifts the law of God brings in terms of wisdom, truth and life.

St Paul reflects on the way in which those who are called to follow Jesus see the crucified Christ. For those early Christians, and ourselves, this is not a sign of God’s foolishness or weakness, but a demonstration to the world of God’s power and wisdom. (Second Reading)

In this week’s Gospel, we see Jesus sweep away the buyers and sellers from the Temple, which should be revered as the house of God. We are reminded that it is through Christ’s suffering and death that salvation will come, and the power and wisdom of God will be revealed.

This week, perhaps we can pray for all those areas of the world where places of holiness and sanctuary are debased and de-valued.  We pray too, for all people who are prevented from worshipping openly, and from practising their faith in freedom.

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Second Sunday of Lent, Year B, 25th February 2024

‘This is my Son, the Beloved.’

Trust in the Lord is the theme that links all this week’s readings. As we continue our Lenten journey, we are reminded of the extent of the Lord’s love and generosity – if we but listen to his voice and place our trust in him.

In the First Reading we see the depth of Abraham’s trust in God as he is asked to sacrifice his beloved son. Abraham’s faithfulness is rewarded with more blessings than he could ever have imagined.

The Psalmist gives thanks and praise to the Lord who has freed him, reminding us that he trusted God even when sorely afflicted. Like him, we can rejoice as we walk in the presence of the Lord.

In the Second Reading, echoing the story of Abraham and Isaac, St Paul challenges us to recall the immensity of God’s love for the world in giving up his Son. With Jesus standing at the right hand of God pleading for us, we can have confidence in placing all our trust in him.

In the Gospel, Jesus asks Peter, James and John to trust him and not speak of the wonder of what they have witnessed on the mountain top.

This week we pray for the grace to trust and to listen ever more closely to the voice of the Lord, so that we too might walk in his presence.

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First Sunday of Lent, Year B, 18th February 2024

The Good News of the Covenant

We began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday. This first Sunday of Lent now leads us immediately into Jesus’s own journey into the desert in prayer, fasting, and to face temptation.

The First Reading reminds us of the journey of God’s chosen people. Here God establishes his Covenant with Noah and all his descendants, and with the whole of creation. Never again will God destroy the earth with a flood. He leaves a bow in the sky to confirm this.

St Peter (Second Reading) links the few people Noah saved ‘by water’ to ourselves. We are saved through the baptism that Christ won for us by his death and resurrection.

The Gospel gives a short account of Jesus being tempted in the desert. He emerges ready to proclaim his message: ‘The kingdom of God is close at hand’.

The Psalm reflects the message of hope that is contained in all the readings. The Lord’s ways are faithfulness and love.

May we take heart from the scriptures as we begin our Lenten journey, ready to follow the Lord’s ways, and eager to learn his paths.

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Palm Sunday of the Passion of our Lord, Year A, 2nd April 2023

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!

As we begin Holy Week, our readings take us from the joy and Hosannas of Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem to a profound contemplation of his suffering and death.

In the First Reading from Isaiah we meet the suffering servant: the disciple who suffers without offering resistance, but is supported by God so that he can bring life to others.

The Psalm will accompany us through the week, as well as being quoted by Matthew in our Gospel. It foreshadows Jesus’s sufferings but also hints at his future glory.

The Second Reading is a wonderful hymn which underlines Jesus’s divinity, but also his obedience and suffering before his exaltation and glory.

In the Gospel we hear the Passion narrative of St Matthew, in which Jesus is betrayed, mocked, denied, accused and crucified. His body is laid in the tomb, and a guard is placed to secure it.

This week, may we follow Christ in his Passion, holding each other, and our suffering and tortured world, in prayer. May Mary be with us in this journey and help us understand the value of following the example of her Son.

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Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A, 26th March 2023

Jesus, Resurrection and Life!

Today’s readings are a reminder of how God wishes to release us from all that holds us back from him, whether it be sin, despair or the grave itself.  God desires to carry us from the emptiness of death, in all its forms, to new life in the Spirit.

In the First Reading, the prophet Ezekiel tells how God will call us,  even from the very grave, to offer us the Spirit of life.  We will be brought back home to ourselves, and settled on our own soil.

The Psalm shows this same upward movement, from the depths of despair and guilt, to the joy and the fullness of life brought about through redemption.

The Second Reading reveals how this new life is possible – only by Christ living in us.  We, ourselves, will be home to the Spirit of God.

The Gospel recalls the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Jesus is Resurrection and life and we will see God’s glory when we have faith in him.

Perhaps, this week, I might feel called to renew my belief in the one who is Resurrection and fullness of life, and to ponder anew the gifts of life, freedom and joy which the Lord freely offers.  What might life in his Spirit look like in the coming week?

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Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year A, 19th March 2023

‘Lord, I believe!’

Before we enter the darker days of Holy Week, we celebrate Laetare (‘Rejoice!’) Sunday. Today we are reminded of the joy of the presence of Jesus, the light of our world, and of the love of God shining through our lives.

Both the First Reading and the Psalm speak of the shepherd caring for the flock. Despite David’s youth and outward appearance, the Lord sees the strength of his heart, which will enable him to lead God’s people.

The Psalm speaks of the certainty that I can rely on the Lord as my shepherd, keeping me safe from harm whatever happens in my life.

In the Second Reading, St Paul reminds the Ephesians (and us) that God’s light in us shines out for others when we live in goodness and right living and truth. 

In the Gospel, the blind man’s sight is restored and he comes into the light. Not only is he physically able to see for the first time, but he also recognises Jesus as the Son of Man. In contrast, those around him remain in the darkness of un-belief, trapped by their unwillingness to see Jesus as he really is.

This week, we pray for those who have yet to allow the light of Christ into their lives. We pray that we will carry Christ’s light to others as we walk beside them, sharing their hardships and sorrows.

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Third Sunday of Lent, Year A, 12th March 2023

‘The water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside you, welling up to eternal life’

The readings for this Sunday centre around the themes of water and life, helping us to reflect on our true desires.

As they thirst in the desert, the chosen people of Israel begin to lose their trust in God. God responds to Moses’s urgent cry for help by providing water from a rock, thus satisfying their thirst. (First Reading)

The Psalmist responds by imploring us to listen to and trust in the Lord. Whilst joyfully singing our thanks to God, the source of all life, we are called to soften our hearts for God’s love to flow through.

In the long Gospel, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. He brings her to new life by showing her respect and compassion. Jesus invites her to trust in him and drink from the ‘living water’ that only he can give her, revealing himself as the Messiah. She responds by rushing back to her hometown: a new disciple excitedly sharing Jesus’s message.

The Second Reading reminds us how great is the depth of God’s unconditional love for us: though sinners, we are forgiven. The ‘living water’ promised in the Gospel is God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us at our baptism. Our faith in Jesus quenches our thirst and brings us hope.

During Lent, let’s pray that in listening and responding with open hands and hearts to Jesus’s invitation to draw and drink deeply from his well of ‘living water’, we may see ourselves and each other through eyes of love.

We pray too that all those preparing to be baptised at Easter may find that life-enriching faith for their lives.

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Second Sunday of Lent, Year A, 5th March 2023

God has saved us by his own grace

Today’s readings encourage us to think about our journey of faith in the company of the transfigured Lord, and the importance of trusting in the call and grace of God our Father.

The First Reading tells of God’s astonishing call to Abram to abandon his land, his family and his nation, and Abram’s generous response. With divine blessing and guidance, Abram (who becomes Abraham) finds a new home and a new life, serving as an example to us all. 

In his letter to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we are called to holiness: a holiness not of our own making, but of God. Like Timothy, we are reminded that we are not alone. We are invited to rely on the divine power and grace revealed by the life and death of Christ Jesus. Like Abraham, we, too, must learn to live by trusting in God’s grace and his calling of us. (Second Reading)

Trust in God the Father is exemplified above all in the life of Jesus. Today’s Gospel shows him transfigured on the mountain top, radiant with divine light. The Father proclaims Jesus as his Beloved Son, and adds the all-important invitation: ‘Listen to him’.

The Psalm meditates on the creative power of the Lord, encouraging us to put our trust in the One who fills the earth with his love.

This week, we may like to pray for a deepening personal relationship with Christ Jesus. We ask to listen to his voice, to hear his call to personal ministry, and to feel his touch in our daily lives.

We also continue to pray for peace in our troubled world.

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First Sunday in Lent, Year A, 26th February 2023

A pure heart create for me, O God

This week we begin our annual observance of Lent. We may want to consider: ‘How am I to celebrate this season in 2023?’

The word ‘Lent’ comes from the Old English word lencten meaning spring-time or ‘the lengthening of days’; it is a time of renewal, of coming back to life in nature; a time for the birth of young animals, and of looking forward. In keeping with the season, our Lent can be one of invitation to our own renewal in the ways of living with and for God; a time to recognise the love of God made visible to us in creation; a time to notice those ways in which we fall short of the desires that God has for each one of us and for our world, and to pray for the grace to live more fully according to God’s ways.

We are familiar with ‘giving up for Lent’: perhaps this year our ‘giving up’ may be of those things in our lives that are getting in the way of valuing all that God has given us, of allowing God to deepen God’s life in us. It may help to take time to notice and to speak with our Lord about what this means for me.

The readings speak of our choice to listen to the voice of God or to be tempted by evil: Adam and Eve are seen to succumb to the tempting voice, but Jesus is steadfast in his rejection of temptation. The Psalm is a prayer of one who knows their own sinfulness, but also that God’s love and mercy are more powerful than their weakness. St Paul celebrates the freedom from sin that Jesus brings us. Jesus’s gift of love overcomes our sin and brings us to life.

Through our Lent, we ask for the grace to become more and more aware of God’s compassion and love for us, ready to journey with Jesus to his death on the cross and to celebrate his resurrection.

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