AD SENSE

Lent 1 Sunday B: Liturgical Prayers

Greeting
The Lord Jesus is among us today
and speaks his word to us:
"The right time is now:
the kingdom of God is close at hand.
Repent, and believe the Good News."
May we listen to his word
and may he always be with you. R/ And also with you.

Temptations of Jesus - Meditation

By Henri Nouwen

To be spectacular is so much our concern that we, who have been specta­tors most of our lives can hardly conceive that to be unknown, unspectac­ular, and hidden can have any value.

How do we overcome this all-pervading temptation? It is important to realize that our hunger for the spectacular - just as our desire to be relevant - has very much to do with our search for self-hood. Being a person and being seen, praised, liked, and accepted have become nearly the same for many. Who am I when nobody pays attention, says thanks, or recognizes my work? The more insecure, doubtful, and lonely we are, the greater our need for popularity and praise.

 Sadly this hunger is never satisfied. The more praise we receive, the more praise we want, to prevent our inner fears from re-emerging. The hunger for human acceptance is like a bottomless barrel. It can never be filled.

Ash Wednesday 2018

1.     From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection 

Introduction

Ash Wednesday (dies cinerum) is the Church’s Yom Kippur or the “Day of Atonement.” Its very name comes from the Jewish practice of doing penance wearing “sackcloth and ashes.” In the early Church, Christians who had committed serious sins were instructed to do public penance wearing sackcloth and ashes. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of full fast and abstinence. Fasting is prescribed to reinforce our penitential prayer during the Lenten season. The prophet Joel, in the first reading, insists that we should experience a complete conversion of heart and not simply sorrow for our sins. Saint Paul in the second reading advises us “to become reconciled to God.” Today’s gospel instructs us to assimilate the true spirit of fasting and prayer.