Celebrant: God has given us His only Son. In his name, and by his grace, we now pray. Deacon/Lector: That all who proclaim the Gospel may effectively bring the world to listen to Jesus, the only Savior and Son of God, we pray to the Lord... That all priests may enjoy the faithful support, gratitude, and encouragement of the people they serve, we pray to the Lord... That as we acknowledge our heavenly citizenship, we may work to be active and effective citizens of our homeland here on earth, we pray to the Lord… That the poor, the homeless and the unborn may experience the protection of the God who guided Abraham, we pray to the Lord... For the sick, the distressed, and for all those who have asked for our prayers, we pray to the Lord... For all who have been called to their eternal reward, especially our relatives and parishioners, we pray to the Lord... Celebrant: Father,
as you hear and answer our prayers,
give us grace to always listen
to the voice of your Beloved Son,
who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
"I am 'the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord!'" (Jn.1:23). Lent brings us an urgent cry to repent. The Kingdom has arrived. It is a Kingdom of life, and calls for a people of life. Yet the wilderness is with us as well. The light shines, but it shines in darkness. The voice cries out, but it cries in wilderness, which is why it must cry in the first place. The call to repentance is a cry also because of its urgency. We don't have all day. The business of the Kingdom, the business of salvation, is urgent business. It deserves a cry. Salvation history is a drama. It is the very drama of the conquering of death. If there is a lot to be gained by Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection, then there is likewise a lot to be lost if we miss it. Jesus, therefore, in dying on the cross, cries out in a loud voice (see Lk.23:46). Death does not simply overtake Him. He goes out in strength, in victory, to meet it and to rob it of its power. The cry continues. The People of Christ are a People of Life. The wilderness of death continues to surround us in so many forms. The form in which death claims the most lives is abortion. The People of God cry out against it. - Lent: Crying Out, ProLife Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life, EndAbortion.us
Gn 15:5-12, 17-18
Phil 3:17 - 4:1 or 3:20 - 4:1
Lk 9:28b-36 Watch a video with homily suggestions Abram (First reading) was enveloped by a deep sleep and terrifying darkness. On the mountain of the Transfiguration (Gospel), the theme of the discussion was the deep sleep and terrifying darkness that would envelop the Lord on Calvary. In both cases, God makes a covenant amidst the darkness, which gives way to new light and promise. The name “Abram” means “exalted father;” it will soon be changed to “Abraham,” meaning “father of many.” The stars in the sky don’t measure up to the number of descendants he will have. God tells him when he is 99 years old that he will bear a son and be the father of many nations! And it came to pass. His descendants include us, because he is our father in faith, as St. Paul teaches us. We have the same deep faith he had, and we too have seen that despite the apparent power of death, God makes life victorious. The deep, terrifying darkness that enveloped the Lord on Calvary made the apostles flee. Yet the memory of the Transfiguration must have strengthened them, because although they fled, they did not abandon their faith. On Easter it became clear that the light overcomes the darkness, life overcomes death, and the New Covenant in Christ’s blood will give rise to countless children of God, among whom we are privileged to be numbered. We renew this covenant of life at every Mass. It is the celebration of the victory of life. We recommit ourselves to the God of life, and to standing up for life in the midst of a culture that has been enveloped in a deep sleep and terrifying darkness – the culture of death, mistaking death for a solution to its problems. Yet today we see the Lord in glory, and are strengthened to listen to the Son of God as the final word among all the contradictory messages in our culture.
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