 
General Theme: Pilgrims of Hope General Objective: To live with faith and hope this Jubilee Year Objective of the week: That we may grow in faith, love and hope during this third week of Lent. INTRODUCTION We are starting the third week of Lent. Yesterday we celebrated the Third Sunday of Lent. The Gospel was Lk 13: 1-9. Pope Francis in his reflection on this passage makes us aware that God always gives us another opportunity. Our preparation during Lent is meaningful because we trust in God who always offers us another chance to convert, to start a new life. Let's live this week hoping more in the merciful love of God. MONDAY “Purity of Heart Recognizes God in Others” 2 Kings 5:1-15ab Ps 42:2.3; 43:2.3 “A thirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?” Luke 4:24-30 There is a saying that goes, "familiarity breeds contempt." In this account of Luke 4:24-30, Jesus was not accepted by his townsfolk because they are too familiar with him, who is the son of a carpenter. Who is he for them to preach, an ordinary man who became more than them? We can see ourselves in this scenario who compare and judgmental. We too think that we are better than others. It is not good to compare because it despises and disrespects the gifts of others. As VD disciples, fear not to proclaim God's goodness for this is a gift-given by God. No matter how people judge and compare us, it does not compel us to decline us from preaching and giving up our commitment, but bear in mind that we work for the Lord. In times of disappointments, he is our strength; it is not we, who touch the heart of the person but it is God. In 2 Kings 5:1-15 ab Naaman , the leper was cured by the Lord through an ordinary prophet, Elisha. However, sometimes, we breed contempt in the Lord for not granting the favors we have been asking for and tend to ask him, why, Lord? It touches our pride from being obedient and serving him without hesitations. In this moment, we have to consider that God has a reason for everything. He knows more than what we know. Sometimes, we get confused why we sulk before the Lord who is ever-loving God; it is because we are also covered with leprosy of sins that fall us short in following him. Though, we have this disposition, but listening to the Word of God is essential that infiltrates to our conscience, the "tiny voice" of God within us just as Naaman, a proud army before the Lord that through the voice of his little and ordinary servant, he listened and obeyed, soon afterward, he was rewarded with total healing from leprosy. We too have to recognise our incapabilities and be humble before the Lord for he can give us light from our doubts, confusions, and wrong judgments. Let us not prevail over our pride and righteousness but always remember that God is a Divine Healer, our Light that heals and breaks our contempt. He works in ordinary ways and he ordinarily gave us his mother Mary to accompany us in our journey of faith.
TUESDAY “Be done to me according to your will” Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 Psalm 40:7-11 “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will” Hebrews 10:4-10 Luke 1:26-38 In the Annunciation, Mary's courage and trust in God's plan is a concrete example of total surrender. Mary was asked to carry an immense responsibility, to bring Jesus into the world, and yet she surrendered to God's will with faith and hope. We are also called to bring Jesus into the world, in our own small ways. It's a daunting task, but Mary's example gives us hope. She shows us that even in the midst of uncertainty and challenge, we can trust in God's plan and yield to His will. The prayer "Thy will be done" has taken on new meaning for us, it's no longer just a phrase we recite, but a declaration of trust and surrender. Each time we pray about it, we open our hearts a little wider to let God into it. As we journey through this Lenten season, Mary's example gives us hope that we can make the same choice, that we can trust in God's plan and surrender to His will.
WEDNESDAY “Faithfulness in God’s Word” Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9 1 Now therefore, Israel, hear the statutes and ordinances I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 5 See, I am teaching you the statutes and ordinances as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to possess. 6 Observe them carefully, for this is your wisdom and discernment in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people.” 7 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? 8 Or what great nation has statutes and ordinances that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? 9 However, be on your guard and be very careful not to forget the things your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live, but make them known to your children and to your children’s children, Matthew 5:17-19 17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Just as the Israelites were called to obey God’s laws, we are called to live according to His word through diligence, humility and willingness to resist the pressures of personal desire. Compromising the Lord’s command by adding or subtracting to it distorts the truth of its meaning. We are encouraged to uphold its integrity by being living witnesses who reflect God’s wisdom and love in order to draw others closer to Him. The Word of God reflects the truth of life. Jesus’ life and teachings in the bible helps us understand the will of God. God’s Word is the source of our light, strength, hope. Through His Word we come to discover the meaning of our life and our existence, our struggles, sufferings, success and joy. In our life, we strive for a lot of things that we can pass onto future generations. However, have we considered passing on our faith and relationship with God?
THURSDAY “A clean and pure heart before God” Psalm 95:1-2.6-9 “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving a Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. Luke 11.14-23 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Jesus and Beelzebul 14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. 23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Jeremiah 7:23-28 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips. 29 “‘Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath. In the first reading Jeremiah chastises then Israelites for not following the precepts that God has given them. They are being stubborn, behaving even worse than their ancestors. Though Jeremiah does not say explicitly, we can see that the people have fallen to the power of the devil. The sin of pride has taken root in their hearts, just as the sin of pride caused Satan to fall from grace in the beginning. The example of the Israelites is a warning to us. Throughout this Season we continue to examine and reexamine ourselves, to resist the prince of demons and to submit ever more fully to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The readings remind us that evil is ever present but more so in our generation. They can come in subtle way that at times, we do not realize it’s gravity until too late. Sin can be sugar coat so many can just have that “go with the flow” attitude. That is why we can point out so many depressing situations of evil doings in every corner of the world. When we take a moment to reflect on ourselves, we realize the we too, have our own wrongdoings. We too, contribute to the proliferation of evil in our society because we have sin of omission Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This season of Lent, let us examine once again our hearts “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. What are those moments/situations that we continue to disobey God? What are those sins that we cannot give up? Take a moment to surrender to our merciful and loving God, for He can heal us and forgive us. He is always waiting for us especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Let this Lenten season and Jubilee year of hope renew us and brings us back as loving and obedient children of our Father. Together we can hope to defeat our enemy as Jesus have assured us in John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
FRIDAY “A Humble Heart is Open to the Love and Mercy of God our Father” Hosea 14:2-10 Ps 81:6-9.10-11.14.17 “I am the Lord your God: hear my voice” Mark 12:28-34 This third week of Lent reminds us to go back to the arms of God, our loving Father. Whom his love and mercy is endless for us, his children. God hopes our return to him. This God's hope for all of us is the greatest that ever existed in both heaven and earth. Hosea 4:2 says, Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel to the Lord your God; you have collapsed through your guilt." Take with you words and return to the Lord: Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls." Do we need to wait for another time to repent from our sins? The time is now. Let us face our guilt humbly and heartily submit it to the Lord. For our God and Father waits for us patiently. He longs for our return. How much he wanted us to enjoy the freedom that comes from his love and mercy. As Psalm 81:6 says, An unfamiliar speech I hear: " I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you." How good is our God who is very willing to free us from the bandage of sin. When can we listen to him attentively? Ps 81:16-17 says, "If only my people would hear me and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best wheat and with honey from the rock I would fill them." How good it is if all of us recognize that " God our Father always treats us with mercy. He even instilled his hope in us. God accompanies us with: closeness, mercy, and tenderness." ( Pope Francis, Angelus Message, March 20, 2022). Are you willing to return to him? A Father that is so compassionate enough by sending to us his only son Jesus our savior. A Father that is in great sorrow for his children who are distant from him because of their sins. But he is still willing to give all his kindness to his children. Ps 103:13 says, " As a Father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor him." How beautiful if we can open ourselves in order to learn from Jesus on how to honor God our Father. Where honoring him is by loving him wholeheartedly through loving others wholeheartedly as well. In today's Gospel the scribe was able to understand what Jesus is saying about the "Law of Love". Mark 12:32-33 says, " Well said teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." How open is your heart in order to understand the "Law of Love" that Jesus is reminding us today. How wonderful it is if we can hear clearly the voice of Jesus telling us this very moment, " You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mark 12:34)
READINGS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT (MARCH 30, 2025) Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; Psalm 34; 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21; Luke 15:1-3. 11-32 A SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY POPE FRANCIS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT Our Father always forgives, always loves and always rejoices to welcome us Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday, buongiorno! The Gospel for this Sunday’s Liturgy recounts the so-called Parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Lk 15:11-32). It leads us to the heart of God, who always forgives compassionately and tenderly. Always, God always forgives. We are the ones who tire of asking for forgiveness, but he always forgives. It [the parable] tells us that God is a Father who not only welcomes us back, but rejoices and throws a feast for his son who has returned home after squandering all his possessions. We are that son, and it is moving to think about how much the Father always loves us and waits for us. But there is also the elder son in the same parable who manifested his resentment in front of this Father. It can put us into crisis as well. In fact, this elder son is also within us and we are tempted to take his side, at least in part: he had always done his duty, he had not left home, and so he becomes indignant on seeing the Father embracing his [other] son again after having behaved so badly. He protests and says: “I have served you for so many years and never disobeyed your command”. Instead, for “this son of yours”, you go so far as to celebrate! (cf. vv. 29-30) “I don’t understand you!” This is the indignation of the elder son. These words illustrate the elder son’s problem. He bases his relationship with his Father solely on pure observance of commands, on a sense of duty. This could also be our problem, the problem among ourselves and with God: losing sight that he is a Father, and living a distant religion, made of prohibitions and duties. And the consequence of this distance is rigidity towards our neighbour whom we no longer see as a brother or sister. In fact, in the parable, the elder son does not say my brother to the Father. No, he says that son of yours, as if to say: he is not my brother. In the end, he risks remaining outside of the house. In fact, the text says: “he refused to go in” (v. 28), because the other one was there. Seeing this, the Father goes out to plead with him: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (v. 31). He tries to make him understand that for him, every child is all of his life. Parents know this well and are very close to feeling like God does. Something a father says in a novel is very beautiful: “When I became a father, I understood God” (H. de Balzac, Le Père Goriot). At this point in the parable, the Father opens his heart to his elder son and expresses two needs, which are not commands, but essentials for his heart: “It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive” (v. 32). Let us see if we too have in our hearts these two things the Father needs: to make merry and rejoice. First of all, to make merry, that is, to demonstrate our closeness to those who repent or who are on the way, to those who are in crisis or who are far away. Why should we do this? Because this helps to overcome the fear and discouragement that can come from remembering one’s sins. Those who have made mistakes often feel reproached in their own hearts. Distance, indifference and harsh words do not help. Therefore, according to the Father, we have to offer them a warm welcome that encourages them to go ahead. “But father, he did so many things”: a warm welcome. And we, do we do this? Do we look for those who are far away? Do we want to celebrate with them? How much good an open heart, true listening and a transparent smile can do; to celebrate, not to make them feel uncomfortable! The Father could have said: “Okay, son, come back home, come back to work, go to your room, establish yourself and your work! And this would have been a good way to forgive. But no! God does not know how to forgive without celebrating! And the Father celebrates because of the joy he has because his son has returned. And then, like the Father, we have to rejoice. When someone whose heart is synchronized with God’s sees the repentance of a person, they rejoice, no matter how serious their mistakes may have been. They do not stay focused on errors, they do not point fingers at what they have done wrong, but rejoice over the good because another person’s good is mine as well! And we, do we know how to look at others like this? I would like to recount a fictional story, but one that helps illustrate the heart of the father. There was a pop theatre production, three or four years ago, about the prodigal son, with the entire story. And at the end, when that son decides to return to his father, he talks about it with a friend and says: “I’m afraid my father will reject me, that he won’t forgive me”. And the friend advises him: “Send a letter to your father and tell him, ‘Father, I have repented, I want to come back home, but I’m not sure that you will be happy. If you want to welcome me, please put a white handkerchief in the window’”. And then he began his journey. And when he was near home, at the last bend in the road, he had the house in view. And what did he see? Not one handkerchief: it was full of white handkerchiefs, the windows, everywhere! The Father welcomes us like this, completely, joyfully. This is our Father! Do we know how to rejoice for others? May the Virgin Mary teach us how to receive God’s mercy so that it might become the light by which we see our neighbours. Pope Francis, Angelus message, March 27, 2022 THE JUBILEE PRAYER Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen
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About the Guidelines SheetThe Guidelines sheet is a prayer guide with the Word of God to help us journey together and be one in our weekly prayer as one community. This contains daily passages from scriptures together with reflections focused on a common theme and intention for the week. Archives
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