A short meditation on
‘The Green Cross’
by Canon David Annear, for Lent 2021 (pdf)
Bishop Robert
Barron's Lent
Reflections
40 Days - Scott
Hahn click YouTube link if you can't see it
below
A Lenten reflection from the late Cardinal
Hume
"But now, now – it is Yahweh who speaks – come back to me with all
your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.’ Let your hearts be broken,
not your garments torn, turn to Yahweh your God again, for he is
all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent.
“The season of Lent is a time of grace given to us by God, in order
to live in a more deliberate and conscious manner that element of
Christian life which we call change of heart. It is a time for
special effort, of preparation for the celebration of the great
feast of Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord. The grace we shall
receive on that day is related to the kind of preparation we make
to celebrate it.
In this reading, emphasis is put on the return to God. This is an
emphasis of what must always be part of our Christian life, which
is a constant change of heart – away from those things that
separate us from God, towards those things which unite us to
him.
Therefore in this period of concentration which we call Lent, part
of our resolution must be to increase our life of prayer. If we do
this, then we can be certain that God will speak to us, and guide
us, and make increasingly clear to us what it may be in our lives
which prevents our having a union with him, which is what he wants,
and what, deep down, we want.” ~ Cardinal Hume
Reflection. WHAT
TO GIVE UP . . !
Give up
complaining. . . . . . . . focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism. . . . . . . . . become an optimist.
Give up harsh judgments . . . . think kindly thoughts.
Give up worry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . trust Divine
Providence.
Give up discouragement. . . . .be full of hope.
Give up bitterness. . . . . . . . . . turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred. . . . . . . . . . . . . return good for evil.
Give up negativism . . . . . . . . . be positive.
Give up anger. . . . . . . . . . . . . .be more patient.
Give up pettiness. . . . . . . . . . ..become mature.
Give up gloom. . . . . . . . . . . . ..enjoy the beauty that is all
around you.
Give up jealousy. . . . . . . . . . . .pray for trust.
Give up gossiping. . . . . . . . . . control your tongue.
Give up sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..turn to virtue.
Give up giving up. . . . . . . . . . . hang in there!
<:))))<><
20 Fasts 20 Feasts
for Lent
Fast from judging
others. Feast on Christ living in them
Fast from Darkness. Feast on the reality of light
Fast from anger. Feast on patience
Fast from bitterness. Feast on forgiveness
Fast from emphasis on difference. Feast on the unity of life.
Fast from thoughts of sickness. Feast on the healing hand of
God.
Fast from worry. Feast on the providence of God.
Fast from pessimism. Feast on optimism
Fast from negatives. Feast on the affirmation.
Fast from complaining. Feast on appreciation.
Fast from pressures. Feast on reflective quietness.
Fast from gossip. Feast on the actual facts.
Fast from problems you cannot solve. Feast on prayer that
achieves.
Fast from self-pity. Feast on compassion for others.
Fast from apathy. Feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from not what St. Joseph’s can do for you. Feast on what you
can do for your Parish.
Fast from laziness. Feast on doing it yourself.
Fast from criticism. Feast on praise for effort.
Fast from fears. Feast on courage.
Fast from the Satan. Feast on Jesus as Saviour.
Original idea
from ‘Lent Extra 2005’ by Redemptorist Publications, adapted for St. Joseph's Christchurch parish use during
Lent 2015
<:))))<><
Lenten Q&A:
Q: Why are the forty days called Lent? ... A: They are called Lent because that is the Old English word for
spring, the season of the year during which they fall. This is
something unique to English. ... In almost all other languages its name
is a derivative of the Latin term, or "the forty days."
Lenten Action:
Think of a person with whom you have a strained relationship and
make some gesture toward improving that relationship.
Prayer:
Direct our actions, Lord, by your holy inspiration and carry them
forward by your gracious help, that all our works may begin in you
and by you be happily ended. We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
<:))))<><
Journey To The Foot Of The
Cross:
Bishop David L.
Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chairman of the Committee on
Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB), offers "10 Things to Remember for Lent" as
the Church prepares to begin the season with Ash Wednesday on
February 22, 2012:
1. Remember the formula. The Church does a good job
capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas:
10 Commandments, 7 Sacraments, 3 persons in the Trinity. For Lent,
the Church gives us almost a slogan; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving
as the three things we need to work on during the season.
2. It's a time of prayer. Lent is essentially an act of
prayer spread out over 40 days. As we pray, we go on a journey, one
that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and leaves us changed by
the encounter with him.
3. It's a time to fast. With the fasts of Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday, meatless Fridays, and our personal disciplines
interspersed, Lent is the only time many Catholics these days
actually fast. And maybe that's why it gets all the attention.
"What are you giving up for Lent? Hotdogs? Beer? Jelly beans?" It's
almost a game for some of us, but fasting is actually a form of
penance, which helps us turn away from sin and toward Christ.
4. It's a time to work on discipline. The 40 days of Lent
are also a good, set time to work on personal discipline in
general. Instead of giving something up, it can be doing something
positive. "I'm going to exercise more. I'm going to pray more. I'm
going to be nicer to my family, friends and co-workers."
5. It's about dying to yourself. The more serious side of
Lenten discipline is that it's about more than self-control it's
about finding aspects of yourself that are less than Christ-like
and letting them die. The suffering and death of Christ are
foremost on our minds during Lent, and we join in these mysteries
by suffering, dying with Christ and being resurrected in a purified
form.
6. Don't do too much. It's tempting to make Lent some
ambitious period of personal reinvention, but it's best to keep it
simple and focused. There's a reason the Church works on these
mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer
to God. Don't try to cram it all in one Lent. That's a recipe for
failure.
7. Lent reminds us of our weakness. Of course, even when we
set simple goals for ourselves during Lent, we still have trouble
keeping them. When we fast, we realize we're all just one meal away
from hunger. In both cases, Lent shows us our weakness. This can be
painful, but recognizing how helpless we are makes us seek God's
help with renewed urgency and sincerity.
8. Be patient with yourself. When we're confronted with our
own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and
frustrated. "What a bad person I am!" But that's the wrong lesson.
God is calling us to be patient and to see ourselves as he does,
with unconditional love.
9. Reach out in charity. As we experience weakness and
suffering during Lent, we should be renewed in our compassion for
those who are hungry, suffering or otherwise in need. The third
part of the Lenten formula is almsgiving. It's about more than
throwing a few extra dollars in the collection plate; it's about
reaching out to others and helping them without question as a way
of sharing the experience of God's unconditional love.
10. Learn to love like Christ. Giving of ourselves in the
midst of our suffering and self-denial brings us closer to loving
like Christ, who suffered and poured himself out unconditionally on
cross for all of us. Lent is a journey through the desert to the
foot of the cross on Good Friday, as we seek him out, ask his help,
join in his suffering, and learn to love like
him.
<:))))<><
'as Lent
begins' ~ from Lisa
Anton (Canada) 2009
O God Who has
created us,
listen as we bend our knee........
Lord of our being,
Cause us to rend our hearts in Thee!
Creator of the world, Life of all beings,
None has existed without Your touch!
We adore You, We thank You, for infinite love and mercy lavished
upon us..
Let nothing come between us, O Holy One!
Let no part of creation adore You as the souls of those You have
created in Your likeness and image!
We, Your people, bow down before You and proclaim that You are our
God!
Holy and beautiful,
glorious and true,
kind and merciful.
We thank You, O glorious One, for creating us to be gloriously
beautiful,
creating us in Your likeness and goodness......
We thank You for those hearts that live in You, through You, and
for You,
and who are the likeness and goodness of Jesus walking the
earth.
Come Lord
Jesus, come!
Fill our hearts with Your very Presence and
bestow upon us Your very likeness,
that we may give back to the One Who has given us life,
all that we are able to give.
Let nothing escape Your touch, O Lord -
None of our sinfullness, our weakness, our passions.
For under Your gaze, all that is not of You, is reduced to
ashes,
and all that is of You grows brighter day by day.
Holy Angels
of God,
beauty beyond compare!
In your purity, the glory of God shines forth!
In your adoration and praise, He is given all He deserves.
Yet we are created to know Him, love Him and serve Him,
to become higher than any angel ever created??
We are given God Himself to dwell within our hearts!
He Who Is, comes to find His home within our being,
knowing the sin that greets Him,
Yet dwelling in this tarnished place.
Such love
~
Such mercy ~
Such humility ~
Beyond our understanding!
We thank You
Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Transform us completely!
Let the light that is You overtake our darkness and cause us to
become children of Light.
May the Light go forth and illuminate the distant lands,
that You may steal and conquer all who have turned away,
all who have resisted,
that now and forever,
a mighty cry may resound from here upon the earth into
eternity.
Amen. ~ from Lisa Anton (Canada) 2009
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (2016): At the
start of Holy Week, Jesus gloriously entered Jerusalem and was
proclaimed as the promised Christ, the King of kings. Less than a
week later, he was crucified. Palm Sunday gives us an opportunity
to reflect, not only on the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but
also on the pains, suffering and death that the Lord underwent on
our behalf. As you prepare to enter into the events of Holy Week,
take time to reflect personally on the love of Jesus who endured so
much for you. To help in this, here is a list of the pains,
sufferings and disgrace that Jesus endured on account of our
sins.
Lord Jesus, forgive me my sins. For me....
You were betrayed by the apostle Judas;
You had false accusations made against You;
You were condemned to death and spat upon;
You were repeatedly hit and punched;
You were whipped with scourges until your torn back bled;
You had a crown of thorns placed on Your head;
You carried the heavy cross of my sins;
You were stripped naked in front of a crowd of people;
You were mocked;
You were hit on the head with a reed;
You had large nails driven through your hands and feet;
You had lots cast for your clothing;
You were given a sponge full of vinegar to drink;
You gave up your Spirit and died on the cross;
You had your side pierced with a spear.
Lord Jesus, your Passion and death marked true divine love, paying
the ransom for my salvation. With all my heart, I thank you Lord
Jesus. Amen. ~ Fr. John Gilbert (Helston &
Falmouth)
<:))))<><
"Holy Saturday is the day of the 'death of God,' the day which
expresses the unparalleled experience of our age, anticipating the
fact that God is simply absent, that the grave hides him, that he
no longer awakes, no longer speaks, so that one no longer needs to
gainsay him but can simply overlook him…Christ strode through the
gate of our final loneliness; in his Passion he went down into the
abyss of our abandonment. Where no voice can reach us any longer,
there is he. Hell is thereby overcome, or, to be more accurate,
death, which was previously hell, is hell no longer. Neither is the
same any longer because there is life in the midst of death,
because love dwells in it."
~ Pope Benedict XVI
"Here we are, Your Church the Body from Your Body and from Your
Blood. We are here, we are keeping watch. We are by Your
sepulchre."
~ Pope John Paul II
WAY OF THE CROSS - Meditations by his
Holiness Pope JOHN PAUL II - At the Colosseum, Good Friday
2003
update
May 2021 v
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"Whoever wishes to
be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day,
and follow in my steps." (Luke 9:23)
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