Welcome and Opening Prayer:
Lord, we place ourselves in your presence. Send us your Spirit to enlighten our minds and open our hearts to your word. We know Jesus is with us, because we are gathered in his name, and he tells us “…where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them.”
We invite our holy mother Mary the Seat of Wisdom to be part of our sharing as we say … ‘Hail Mary ….’
We invoke the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in all that we do as we say … ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.’
1st Reading of Scripture Passage: Gospel – Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. 'Lord,' he said 'it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.' When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces overcome with fear.
But Jesus came up and touched them. 'Stand up,' he said 'do not be afraid.' And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order. "Tell no one about this vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."
Silence (3 minutes)
2nd Reading of Scripture Passage
Silence (3 minutes) then sharing of word, phrase or image that left an impression on you.
3rd Reading of Scripture Passage
Silence (3 Minutes) followed by short and voluntary sharing of what stood out for you personally in the reading
Reading of Short Commentary:
Lent is characterised by prayer, fasting and penance.
But these penitential aspects of Lent are not intended to discourage us even if they challenge us severely. It is a mistake to connect penance with unhappiness. The opposite is true. In fact, our society is full of people who are pursuing hedonistic pleasure, which they mistake for happiness, and who are miserable in the pursuit of false happiness.
Lent is meant to be fundamentally a good experience because the established Lenten practices facilitate our ongoing conversion to the Gospel. So our prayer during Lent needs to be enthusiastically similar to the words spoken by Peter to Jesus during the Transfiguration: ‘Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here’ (Mt 17:4).
Lent offers us a yearly opportunity to undergo conversion from sin. It is only when we abandon sin that we can truly begin the pursuit of authentic happiness and experience the joy of the saints in our lives. Sin alienates us from God and, often, from other people. So it is imperative that we eradicate it from our lives.
Then we are drawn closer to Jesus and that is our purpose here on earth — to become close to Jesus because God made us to know, love and serve him in this world so that we may be happy with him forever in heaven. An appropriate prayer, therefore, is: It is wonderful for us to be here.
However, as we know, Lent is quite demanding and requires considerable spiritual discipline, especially if we are not in the habit of fasting and doing penance. It would be impossible for us to embrace wholeheartedly the challenges of the Gospel while depending on our own resolve alone. For that reason, we need to remember Jesus’ consoling words to his close friends when they were frightened on the mountain: ‘Stand up, do not be afraid’ (Mt 17:7). We are never alone.
Our Lenten motto becomes: It is wonderful for us to be here. In addition, we are encouraged by Jesus’ words: ‘Do not be afraid.’ They remind us that he is in control. Jesus also spoke these words to Peter in the boat when a storm raged all around them. He was teaching them — and us — not to fret but to trust in God’s providence. (John Littleton)
Discussion: Discuss for a few minutes any point that struck you from the commentary? How do we put the word of God that we have heard into practice? Is there something we can do individually or collectively? Are we doing something that could be done better? Are there attitudes that need to change?
Prayers of Intercession – Choose any 4/5 of the following prayers and, if possible, include your own prayers and petitions:
1. We pray for the Archdiocese of Armagh as we journey through this Year of Reflection and Prayer together. May our prayer help and guide us as we begin our process of planning for the difficult and challenging years ahead and may the Holy Spirit enlighten us on how we should move forward. Lord, hear us.
2. We pray for those who carry a cross of pain and anguish today – Lord, grant them patience and courage. Lord, hear us.
3. God of all kindness, bless your church - make your people faithful to you. Lord, hear us.
4. Judge of the living and the dead, be merciful to all our deceased family, friends and neighbours; especially N. and N., and receive them into eternal joy. Lord, hear us.
5. Lord remember us as we begin our work, that we work in harmony with you, with others and with our environment. Lord, hear us.
6. May we always do what is right for our brothers and sisters - and together build a world that is pleasing to you. Lord, hear us.
7. Lord, our refuge and strength listen to our praise at the conclusion of this day - teach us to praise you always. Lord, hear us.
8. Lord help us to remember the poor and unfortunate - may we do what we can to ease their burden. Lord, hear us.
9. By the resurrection of your Son, you have enlightened the world - give us new hope this day. Lord, hear us.
Now we offer all our prayers to God our Father as we pray in the Words that Jesus Gave us … ‘Our Father…’
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions in our homes, our communities and in this diocese. Grant us the strength to practice in our lives what your Word has revealed to us. Through you who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit one God forever and ever. Amen.
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