Greeting (See First Reading)
The Lord says: ”I have seen the misery of my people; I have
heard their cry to be free; I am aware of their suffering. I intend to set them
free.” May this caring God be always with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- Unless
You Repent
We all know that Lent is a time for conversion. There is
much evil in the world and we know that there are also things wrong with us.
These are certainly reasons for change. But the deepest reason for conversion
is not the evil we see in the world and in us, nor the penalties we may have to
pay for it. The ultimate “why” for conversion is God himself, that we encounter
God and his love. Our faith in God, his fidelity to us, and the goodness God
showed us in Christ are the most profound motives for repenting and responding
to his holiness and patient love.
- I
Have Seen the Misery of My People
If we are living with both feet firmly on the earth, we
cannot but see that we live in a world that is not exactly God’s world. We are
not the people we are called to be, many situations and structures need change,
and many people live in misery. We need conversion, the world around us needs
it. The Lord is quoted as saying on this Third Sunday of Lent: “I have seen the
misery of my people.” Do we see it and what do we do about it? Conversion means
changing our ways, turning to God and to people. Are we willing to change?
Penitential Act
How far are we still from being the persons whom God calls
to be fully human and deeply Christian! We ask God to give us the spirit of
repentance. (pause)
Lord Jesus, you were in all things like us but there was no
sin in you. Make us aware of the evil there is in us: Lord, have mercy. R/
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you repeatedly call us to conversion and
penance: Make us humble enough to repent: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have
mercy.
Lord Jesus, you rejoice over one repentant sinner. Bring us
the joy of your forgiveness: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us all the evil we have
done. Let your holiness shine on us and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray that God give us the courage to repent and to
turn to him and to people (pause)
Patient God, we are reluctant and slow to make the change of
heart we need. Give us the time to understand the extent of your mercy and your
love, which your Son Jesus showed us in its fullness in his suffering and
death. Recognize your own Son in us and accept us in our poverty. Raise us up,
change us, that we may proclaim your persistent love, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading (Exodus 3:1-8a,13-15): God Is a God of
People
In the burning bush God reveals himself to Moses as a God
ever-present to people. He will lead his chosen people from a land of slavery
to a land of freedom.
Second Reading (1 Cor 10:1-6,10-12): To Be Baptized
and Eat the Eucharist Is Not Enough
God had led his people through the saving waters and
given them manna to eat, yet many failed to respond to his love and perished.
We are baptized and eat the Eucharist, but we are not saved unless we live as
people redeemed by Christ.
Gospel (Lk 13:1-9): Be Converted and Bear Fruit!
God is patient and gives everyone a chance. Accidents and
calamities are not to be taken as signs that God is vengeful, yet the events of
life are a constant call to conversion and Christian living.
Intercessions
God is patient and aware of our miseries. Let us pray to him
to help us on the way of conversion and renewal, and let us say: R/ Have mercy
on your people, Lord.
– That
all the faithful, leaders and members, may heed the call of Christ and his
Church to look into our hearts and to change what ought to be changed, let us
pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– That
God may give us the courage to commit ourselves to the liberation in Christ of
all those imprisoned in their selfishness and in unjust political and economic
systems, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– That
those responsible for others may be people of faith and vision, close to the
people entrusted to them and concerned about their material and spiritual
welfare, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– That
we may bring a bit of warmth to those whose hearts are empty and cold, that
they may discover happiness in the love of God and of their neighbor, let us
pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
– That
the word of God may stir all in our communities us to bear fruits of justice
and love and that the bread of the Eucharist may give us strength and
faithfulness, let us pray: R/ Have mercy on your people, Lord.
God of compassion and love, hear the cries of a word trapped
in suffering and sin and make us free and eager to do all that is good, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, merciful Father, in baptism, you have sown in us the
seeds of new life; In the Eucharist, you give us your Son as our companion in
life and our food for growth. Do not allow us to think we are safe because your
Son is with us. Let him help us not to fall but to grow in your life and to
support one another on the way to you, our God for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Let us give thanks to the Father for giving us each year
during Lent the opportunity to change and to grow closer to him and to people.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with Jesus our Lord to the Father who sees all
our needs: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us the peace of
forgiveness and reconciliation. Set us free from all the shackles of sin and
give us the courage to lead the life to which you have called us. Strengthen us
in the trials of life, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior
Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord, the Lamb of God who came to free the
world from sin and to sustain us in our struggles against the forces of evil. Happy
are we to be called to live the life of our Lord. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
God our Father, let your Son stay with us on the way of
renewal, that we may speak your name with respect and thanks; that we build
your kingdom and do your will, that we give bread and space to every person, that
there be forgiveness for all; that we may not tempt one another nor harden in
our selfishness. Let there be redemption and liberation from sin, so that we
keep hoping in you and live in your love today and tomorrow and for ever. R/
Amen.
Blessing
Where God reveals himself to people, there he gives them a
mission. Today he has again spoken to us in this Eucharist through Jesus: ”I
have seen the miseries of my people.” He tells us too: Tell them, your brothers
and sisters, that the God of our fathers sends me to you to lead them to a land
of freedom, where it is good to live together in peace and friendship. Bring
God’s love to one another with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go in peace
and share God’s concern for people.
R/ Thanks be to God.
***
Commentary
Responding
to Grace
Read:
Moses
encounters God on Mount Horeb and receives a task to fulfil. Reminding
Corinthians of the failure of Israelites to respond to God’s grace, Paul warns
them to be more responsive. Jesus speaks of the need to bear fruit, giving the
parable of the fig tree.
Reflect:
What
exactly was a fig tree doing in a vineyard? And, what would a stammering
murderer Moses do in Egypt for the people of God? There might be times you look
at your life and wonder why on earth you are where you are, and feel like a
square peg in a round hole. Doesn’t matter. If the Lord of Life—I Am Who Am—has
planted you where you are, He has given you the grace to fulfill your life’s
mission. A fig tree does not need much manure, but the gardener is gracious
enough to provide extra care. Our task is to respond to grace and be fruitful.
As Paul reminds the Romans, God’s kindness is intended to lead us to fruits of
repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4).
Pray:
Pray for
the grace to produce the fruit(s) of the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5: 22-23).
Act:
What is
your life’s Mission? Draw up one, listening to God’s voice.
==============
23 March 2025
Luke 13:1-9
Is God punishing us?
At the heart of our Lenten journey, the Gospel invites us to
reflect on how we perceive suffering and God's role in it. In Luke 13, Jesus
addresses the tragic deaths of Galileans and those crushed by a falling tower.
The people wonder if these tragedies were divine punishments, a question that
echoes through the ages. When faced with suffering, we too may ask: Is God
punishing us? Why does He allow such pain?
Jesus firmly rejects the idea of a vengeful God. Evil and
suffering do not come from God, for He is a merciful Father who always seeks
our good. The psalmist reminds us, "He does not deal with us according to
our sins" (Psalm 103:10). The true enemy is sin—the selfishness and
wrong choices that harm our relationships and the world around us.
Lent calls on us to turn away from sin and embrace the logic of the
Gospel, where love and fraternity triumph over evil.
Yet, conversion is not easy. We may grow discouraged by our
repeated failures. To encourage us, Jesus offers the parable of the barren fig
tree. Though the tree bears no fruit, the owner does not cut it down but gives
it more time to flourish. This parable reveals God's infinite patience. He is
the God of second chances, always offering us another opportunity to return to
Him.
God believes in us, walks beside us, and nurtures our growth with mercy and tenderness. His gaze is fixed not on our past mistakes but on the fruits we can still bear. This Lenten season, let us embrace God's patience, seek His forgiveness, and trust in His loving plan. May the Blessed Virgin Mary accompany us on this journey, filling us with hope and courage as we strive for true conversion.
