Third
Sunday of Lent, Cycle C
Celebrant: As we continue our
Lenten journey, let us present our needs to God with greater confidence than
ever.
Deacon/Lector:
That our Holy Father, our
bishops, and all who teach God's word may proclaim the need for repentance and
ongoing conversion, we pray to the Lord...
That government leaders may hear
the call of God to lead people in the ways of justice and peace, we pray to the
Lord...
That the catechumens of the
Church may be blessed with deeper understanding of God's word and holiness of
life as they prepare for their baptism this Easter, we pray to the Lord...
That God, who always hears the
cry of His people who are being oppressed, may enable us to hear those cries and
to save the poor, the vulnerable, and the unborn, we pray to the Lord…
That those who are ill may be
strengthened by the love of family and friends, and the prayers of the Christian
community, we pray to the Lord...
That all who have died may be
purified of sin and welcomed to the glory of heaven, we pray to the Lord...
Celebrant:
Father,
as you hear our prayers,
bless us with the gift of
repentance.
May our lives bear the fruit of
holiness.
We ask this through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Bulletin Insert
Click here for the Spanish
version of this bulletin insert
Lent, A Eucharistic Time: from Pope Benedict XVI’s
“’The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation … we enter into
the very dynamic of His self-giving’ (Encyclical Deus caritas est, 13). Let
us live Lent then, as a ‘Eucharistic’ time in which, welcoming the love of
Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed.
Contemplating “Him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our
hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the
human person; it moves us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt
for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness
and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed
experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in
turn, must ‘regive’ to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most
and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the
joy of Easter” (Lenten Message, 2007).
Homily Hints
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
Lk 13:1-9
“I have heard the cry of my
people who are being oppressed…Therefore I have come down to rescue them.” So
God speaks to Moses in today’s first reading. We enter now into a more intense
period of Lent, preparing those who are to be baptized, and preparing to renew
the vows of our own baptism. We reflect on the central mysteries of our Faith,
to better celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of the Lord. The Exodus
of the Israelites from Egypt, as well as the Paschal Mystery – that is, the
central events of the Old and New Testaments -- are both about God rescuing his
people who are being oppressed. Our forefathers were oppressed as slaves in
Egypt and rescued through the waters of the Red Sea. We are oppressed by sin and
death, and are rescued through the waters of baptism.
Yet the rescued must also rescue.
The saved must also save. We cannot turn to God for mercy and be deaf to the
cries of others for mercy. One of the three key Lenten activities is
“almsgiving,” because it symbolizes this basic truth about living our faith all
year long. We are not allowed simply to look at God and thank him for rescuing
us, individually. We are, rather, to let our gratitude become service, directed
at rescuing others. This is the fruit of which Jesus speaks in the Gospel
passage; this is the repentance he seeks of us.
God’s name, as revealed to Moses,
is “I AM.” It does not only mean “the fullness of being.” It means “I am here
FOR YOU, to rescue and save you.” The same words are spoken by God when he is
announcing that he will rescue his people from their captivity in Babylon (see
Isaiah 45) and when Jesus announces the liberating effects of his passion (see
John 8).
In our day, these reflections
show us our obligation to rescue the most vulnerable human beings of all,
oppressed by abortion and euthanasia.
Liturgical Resources
