 
General Theme: Pilgrims of Hope General Objective: To live with faith and hope this Jubilee Year Objective of the week: To allow the gift of hope to grow in us. INTRODUCTION Last week we were meditating on the signs of hope that we recognize in our environment. In the Letter from CBCP we are also encouraged to be “people who live in hope and transmit hope” in our world today. Hope is a valuable gift from the Holy Spirit; a gift to be received and to be transmitted; a gift to be valued and taken care of. We start our Lent Season 2025 on March 5. Lent is a time to receive, to value, to take care and transmit the gift of hope. Let's remember that we are pilgrims of hope during these special weeks of Lent. Excerpt from the Jubilee Prayer: “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.” How do we cultivate the seed of hope planted in us? To meditate on the passage of Mt 13:1-8.18-23 leads us to examine ourselves on how we prepare “our soil” to make the seed of the Word of God to give fruits to us for the whole world. Let's take this parable as the nuclear passage for the whole week that we can meditate every now and then. MONDAY “The Real Witnessing” Excerpt from CBCP pastoral letter: “In this Jubilee Year of Hope, together we hold precious, the gift of hope sparked by the Holy Spirit. This hope is not simply optimism or a positive feeling. These are glimpses of the gift of hope that comes from the Holy Spirit urging us to act.” Matthew 13:1- 8,18-23 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Romans 5:5; And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Galatians 5:5; For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. The gospel is the living Word of God where God speaks straight to our heart; it is a Spirit and Truth. Let us allow our hearts to become a fertile soil to plant the seeds of God's Word in order to grow and bear fruits. It measures its growth through the way of living in each one. A person who listens and accepts God's Word is full of hope. He is grateful amidst tribulations; he believes that God is with him and is in union with him, who gives him strength and consolation to surpass his challenges and deepens his faith. He accepts sufferings as a source of purification and a way to eternal life. He is positive that there is hope and joy behind all the pains and sorrows. The Parable of the Sower is always associated with faith. A person whose faith is lukewarm has no hope in times of trouble, he does not see the benefits of it and so is tempted to withdraw from praying. They easily give up, and do not bear fruit. This limits the work of God's grace in us, but how privileged we are who give value to the Word of God. We have spiritual friends (disciples of Christ), the first and blueprint witnesses of the gospel who remind us through the scripture, “You must of course continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of that gospel that I, Paul, became a servant - the gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world." (Col.1:23)
TUESDAY “Holy Spirit rekindle and aflame our Hope” Excerpt from CBCP pastoral letter: “Any action of hope is sourced from the Holy Spirit. As such, we exhort you, our dear people, to allow the hope within you to be rekindled. May it become a flame of hope.” Romans 15:13; May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 24:25-27,30-32; 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 12:49; “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Matthew 23:31-32 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! How are we listening to the Holy Spirit this time? How privileged we are if we immerse ourselves in the word of God, be open, ask and allow the Holy Spirit to give us the Hope we need in facing the many forms of desperation around us. The Holy Spirit will always inspires us to do things and hope for the good to come and once you tasted it, keep it in your heart and treasure it just like Mother Mary, there were a lot of good experiences she had which she didn’t understand right away but she always keep it in her heart and always pondered about it. To grow in our hope, we are invited to do just as our mother Mary did.
WEDNESDAY “Hope and remain steadfast in faith” 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7; 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 2 Corinthians 1:10; He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. Excerpt from CBCP pastoral letter: “Hopelessness can lead to despair. Yet to hope is not to be overcome by fear and despair. Hopelessness can paralyze and enslave us. Yet hope gives us courage and freedom. We pray for courage, so that we may always freely stand up for truth, and uphold the good and the rule of law, as we protect democratic institutions and processes. Let us hold power to accountability. Let us continue to build on what we have accomplished. May we have the courage and perseverance to walk the path of conversion to change for the better, and relentlessly pursue the good of all, over personal interests.” Today is Ash Wednesday. We start the Lent Season which is the time for our salvation. In face of the realities of our life, temptations can be subtle yet the consequences of sin can affect all aspects of our life. In the complexities of life and those around us, it’s easy to lose sight of hope when things are out of focus. But hope is within our grasp, when we remain in Christ and trust in the path where He is leading us.
THURSDAY “Be the good soil for hope to grow” Excerpt from CBCP pastoral letter: “Let the Holy Spirit renew the face of the earth and breathe transformation into the dark spaces and places of our lives and our nation. The grace of the Holy Spirit is a gentle breeze that spurs us to continue breathing when we are tempted to give up on our seemingly hapless condition. Such grace is like a feather we possess, that when joined together with those of others, can become wings for us to rise beyond our apathy, and allow us to soar high in patriotism, volunteerism, and pursuit of change. The same grace is like a tempest that can sweep away the decay of corruption, paving the way to moral recovery.” Revelations 21:1; Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Romans 12:12; Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Luke 6:43-45 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Many of us will agree that we are living in a time that we feel hopeless with all the realities around us, what with all these economic difficulties, the political unrest, the environmental concerns, the increasing crimes, drugs, family brokeness, suicide cases and all of the many dark realities right before our very eyes. We can be swept away with this wave of hopelessness because we feel helpless in the face of all of these. In times like this, God however, continues to invite us to pray harder. We need to hold on to the Holy Spirit who will lead us to the light. He gives us hope. He enlightens us and gives us renewal. As a disciple of Christ we receive our hope from the source itself, so no matter what, we remain full of hope. We must be the “good soil” for this hope to grow and be nourished so many can draw from it. Let us be transmitters of hope and bring others to the encounter of the source of hope.
FRIDAY “An Attentive Heart Becomes a Fertile Soil of Hope” Excerpt from CBCP pastoral letter: “There is hope! May Pag-Asa! And St. Paul counsels us: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). With our prayer for a spiritual revolution of hope, let us all walk together in this Pilgrimage of Hope towards the Father’s Kingdom. We pray with Pope Francis: “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” (Pope Francis, Jubilee Prayer).” Matthew 13:1-8,18-23; That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 1 Corinthians 9:10; Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 2 Corinthians 9:6; Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. We, Catholics are encouraged to become an active listener to the word of God. That is the very secret in order to learn and understand the message of the Lord our God. As Matthew 13:18 says, " Listen, then, and learn what the parable of the sower means." Just also the same in Matthew 13:19 says," Listen, then,if you have ears." Active listening is what we need in order to understand and learn. We are reminded today of how important it is to listen. As we listen, we need to use the "ear" located at the center of our "H-ear-t." The heart that listens well, is the fertile soil where the seeds of the Gospel are sown. Matthew 13:23 says, " And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it; they bear fruit, some are one hundred, others sixty, and others thirty." Once the seeds of the Gospel grows in our hearts it can make us tireless cultivators of those seeds.( Pope Francis, Jubilee Prayer 2025) The seed of the Gospel is not just an ordinary "HOPE", it is not just something, but it is someone, "JESUS", our savior. Romans 5:5 says, " This hope does not disappoint us for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit who is God's gift to us." It is Jesus that can make us become the bearers of this "HOPE" to others. To those who are sad, lonely,sick, homeless, anxious, worried, and confused. Also to those who do not hear and understand the message of love from God for nobody cares to share it to them. We are all called to encourage each other and together we will walk as pilgrims of hope to the Father's kingdom. A great privilege we can receive this Jubilee Year 2025.
READINGS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (March 9, 2025) Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13 A SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY POPE FRANCIS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Let us always be vigilant and avoid any dialogue with the devil Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno! The Gospel of today’s Liturgy, the first Sunday of Lent, takes us into the desert, where Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit, for 40 days, to be tempted by the devil (cf. Lk 4:1-13). Jesus too was tempted by the devil, and He accompanies us, every one of us, in our temptations. The desert symbolizes the fight against the seductions of evil, in order to learn to choose true freedom. Indeed, Jesus lives the experience of the desert just before beginning his public mission. It is precisely through this spiritual struggle that he decisively affirms what type of Messiah he intends to be. Not this type of Messiah, but that one: I would say that this is indeed the declaration of Jesus’ messianic identity, of the messianic way of Jesus. “I am the Messiah, but on this path.” Let us then look closely at the temptations he is battling. Twice the devil addresses him, saying: “If you are the Son of God…” (vv. 3, 9). He is thus proposing to him to exploit his position: first to satisfy the material needs he feels, hunger (cf. v. 3), then to increase his power (cf. vv. 6-7); and, finally, to have a prodigious sign from God (cf. vv. 9-11). Three temptations. It is as if he were saying, “If you are the Son of God, take advantage of it!”. How often this happens to us: “But if you are in that position, take advantage of it! Don’t lose the opportunity, the chance”, that is, “think of your benefit”. It is a seductive proposal, but it leads you to the enslavement of the heart: it makes us obsessed with the desire to have, it reduces everything to the possession of things, power, fame. This is the core of the temptations: the “poison of the passions” in which evil is rooted. Let us look within ourselves, and we will find that our temptations always have this mindset, always this way of acting. But Jesus opposes the attractions of evil in a victorious way. How does he do this? By responding to temptations with the Word of God, which says not to take advantage, not to use God, others and things for oneself, not to take advantage of one’s own position to obtain privileges. Because true happiness and true freedom are not found in possessing, but in sharing; not in taking advantage of others, but in loving them; not in the obsession of power, but in the joy of service. Brothers and sisters, these temptations also accompany us on the journey of life. We must be vigilant — not be afraid, it happens to everyone — and be vigilant, because they often present themselves under an apparent form of good. In fact, the devil, who is cunning, always uses deception. He wanted to make Jesus believe that his proposals were useful to prove that he was really the Son of God. And I would like to emphasize something. Jesus does not converse with the devil: Jesus never converses with the devil. He either banishes him, when he healed the possessed, or in this case, when he has to respond, he does so with the Word of God, never with his own word. Brothers and sisters, never enter into dialogue with the devil: he is more cunning than we are. Never! Cling to the Word of God like Jesus, and at most answer always with the Word of God. And on this path, we will never go wrong. The devil does this with us: he often comes “with gentle eyes”, “with an angelic face”; he even knows how to disguise himself with sacred, apparently religious motives! If we give in to his flattery, we end up justifying our falsehood by disguising it with good intentions. For instance, how often have we heard this: “I have done odd deals, but I have helped the poor”; “I have taken advantage of my role — as a politician, a governor, a priest, a bishop — but also for doing good”; “I have given in to my instincts, but in the end, I did no harm to anyone”, these justifications, and so on, one after the other. Please: no compromises with evil! No dialogue with the devil! We must not enter into dialogue with temptation, we must not fall into that slumber of the conscience that makes us say: “But after all, it’s not serious, everyone does it”! Let us look at Jesus, who does not seek compromises, he does not make agreements with evil. He opposes the devil with the Word of God, which is stronger than the devil, and thus overcomes temptation. May this time of Lent also be a time of the desert for us. Let us take time for silence and prayer — just a little, it will do us good — in these spaces let us stop and look at what is stirring in our hearts, our inner truth, what we know cannot be justified. Let us find inner clarity, placing ourselves before the Word of God in prayer, so that a positive fight against the evil that enslaves us, a fight for freedom, may take place within us. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to accompany us in the Lenten desert and to help us on our way of conversion. Pope Francis, Angelus message, March 6, 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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