Lenten Reflection – The First Sunday of Lent – 10 March
‘Come back to Me with All your Heart’
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil....Luke 4:1-2
“During the 40 days of Lent, as Christians we are invited to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and face the spiritual battle with the Evil One with the strength of the Word of God. Not with our words, they are worthless. The Word of God – this has the strength to defeat Satan.
For this reason, it is important to be familiar with the Bible, read it often, meditate on it, assimilate it. The Bible contains the Word of God, which is always timely and effective. Someone has asked, what would happen were we to treat the Bible as we treat our mobile phone? were we to read God’s messages contained in the Bible as we read telephone messages, what would happen? Clearly the comparison is paradoxical but it calls for reflection.
Indeed, if we had God’s Word always in our heart, no temptation could separate us from God and no obstacle could divert us from the path of good.”
Pope Francis – Angelus, First Sunday of Lent, 5 March 2017
Daily Meditation:
Bring us back to you.
This week we pray for a renewal of our lives.
We are beginning to be more attentive and alert.
We are trying new patterns.
The difficulties we encounter keep us humble.
Our desire is clear.
We want the “self-sacrificing love of Christ” –
which brings us mercy and healing – to be “reproduced in our lives.”
In our journey, we seek to savour the meaning of Jesus’ selfless love,
that we might reflect that love to others.
At the end of our journey, we will renew our baptismal promises.
Dying with Jesus in baptism, we have a new life in Him.
Today, we desire nothing less than God’s re-creating us –
breathing new life into us.
Closing Prayer:
Lord God,
You who breathed the spirit of life within me.
Draw out of me the light and life You created.
Help me to find my way back to You.
Help me to use my life to reflect Your glory
and to serve others
as Your son Jesus did.
Help me to grow in love and understanding
of Your Word.
May the Holy Scriptures be my fortress and guide.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen
AnaStpaul 