EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (# 12)
A Weekly Pastoral Tool for the YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
1st Sunday of Lent, Year A
Feb. 13-19, 2005
“Jesus Fasted Forty Days and Nights and Was Tempted”
(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(A moment of silence)
SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Lenten song may be sung.
WORDS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
(Cf. L’Osservatore Romano, 12 March 2003, p. 1 & 11)
Last Wednesday, with the rite of the imposition of ashes, we entered Lent, a penitential journey of preparation for Easter, an occasion for all the baptized to renew the spirit of faith and to reinforce their commitment of evangelical consistency.
As today’s Gospel suggests, during the 40 days of Lent, believers are called to follow Christ in the desert to confront and, with him, defeat the spirit of evil … In the inner heart of every person the voice of God and the insidious voice of the Evil One can be heard. The latter seeks to deceive the human person, seducing him with the prospect of false gods, to lead him away from the real good that consists precisely in fulfilling the divine will.
But humble and confident prayer, reinforced by fasting, allows one to overcome even the harshest trials, and instills the necessary courage to combat evil with good. Thus Lent becomes a profitable time of spiritual training …
Let us invoke the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may direct all of us to go forward with generosity on this demanding Lenten journey.
SILENT ADORATION AND PRAYER
OPENING PRAYER
Leader: O loving and merciful Father,
in the baptism at the River Jordan,
in the heroic strength Jesus showed against the temptation in the wilderness,
and in the utmost service of love he offered on the cross,
you gave us a pattern of commitment and fidelity
to our pact of love with you.
In Jesus, your Servant-Son,
you continue to renew your saving covenant with us,
especially when our moral fibers are weakening.
Grant us a listening heart
that we may receive your Word with faith
and thus be strengthened in our commitment
to be a leaven of conversion and transformation
in a world that cries out for your saving love.
You live and reign forever and ever.
Assembly: Amen.
Part I
JESUS MASTER TRUTH
Listening to the Word
GOSPEL READING: Mt 4:1-11
PERSONAL REFLECTION
(As a tool for personal reflection, please visit the PDDM Website: www.pddm.org // www.pddm.us for BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD [# 12]: A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy. The Biblico-Liturgical Reflections are an aid for a deeper understanding of the Gospel reading.)
SONG: Any suitable hymn of praise or Lenten song may be sung.
Part II
JESUS MASTER WAY
Confrontation with the Word
POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Leader: By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Christ in the desert. Let us now follow Christ in the “desert” of our hearts and allow ourselves to be enlightened by the light of his grace.
1. Do we believe that the Lenten season is a sign of grace – a sacred sign which renders present the saving value of Christ who fasted in the desert and victoriously asserted his total commitment to the Father’s saving plan?
2. United with Christ, in what ways are we tempted? In what ways are we victorious over evil temptations?
3. In this season of Lent, are we ready to relive with greater intensity the baptismal dynamics of conversion-sanctification? Are we ready to discover more fully the meaning of Christian discipleship, to listen more intently to the word of God, and to practice more assiduously the Lenten works of penance: fasting-prayer-almsgiving?
PENITENTIAL PRAYER
(Cf. Rite of Penance)
Leader: Lord, your sons and daughters stand before you in humility and trust. Look with compassion on us as we confess our sins. Heal our wounds; stretch out a hand of pity to save us and raise us up. Keep us free from harm as members of Christ’s body, as sheep of your flock, as children of your family. Do not allow the enemy to triumph over us, or death to claim us forever, for you raised us to new life in baptism. Hear, Lord, the prayers we offer from contrite hearts. Have pity on us as we acknowledge our sins. Lead us back to the way of holiness. Protect us now and always from the wounds of sin. May we ever keep safe in all its fullness the gift your love once gave us and your mercy now restores. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Assembly: Amen.
SONG: Any suitable song may be sung.
Part III
JESUS LIFE
Acting upon the Word
PERSONAL PRAYER
CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Mysteries of the Rosary may be prayed in part or in full.
THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Leader: Let us now raise our voices to God and implore him for all the needs and intentions of our brothers and sisters. Let us pray.
(R.) LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
1. Help your people to experience more intensely during this season of Lent the profound truth: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Dt 8:3). May we live more abundantly by your Word and share our bread with the hungry. We pray. (R.)
2. Deliver us from the sin of presumption and ostentation. May we humbly learn the sublime lesson: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Dt 6:16). Make us your docile instruments in shaping a more humane, just and compassionate world. We pray. (R.)
3. May we never give in to the temptation of idolatry nor pervert the great command: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” (Dt 6:13). May we always be at the service of your saving plan in union with Jesus, your Servant-Son. We pray: (R.)
4. We commend to you the Holy Father’s GENERAL INTENTION for the month of February: For the sick, especially those who are poor: that they may receive care and treatment worthy of their human dignity. We pray: (R.)
5. We commend to you the Holy Father’s MISSION INTENTION for the month of February: For missionaries: that they grow in fervent love, indispensable for proclaiming the Gospel with conviction. We pray: (R.)
(Other prayers may be added.)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Leader: Loving Father,
your Son Jesus, the Servant in whom you were pleased,
chose to emphasize his solidarity with sinners by
undergoing the trial of temptation in the wilderness.
Led by the Holy Spirit into the desert
for a victorious struggle against evil,
Jesus fasted for forty days and nights and was tempted.
We thank you, all-powerful Father,
for the victory of Jesus over all temptations,
especially for his ultimate victory at his life-giving Passion on the cross.
Weak, hungry and vulnerable in the arid and haunting wilderness of Judea,
he remained obedient to your saving will and trusted in your love.
He showed us how to struggle against evil temptations
by relying on your divine providence
and by trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit.
In this holy season of Lent, sacred sign of conversion,
we unite ourselves with the saving mystery of Christ
who was tempted and remained victorious.
Inspired by him,
help us to be faithful to our baptismal consecration
and relish the profound dignity of being your beloved children.
By the grace of your sacrificial offering,
help us to realize with joy
that Jesus Christ has definitely vanquished the Tempter
and that we are called to share in your Son’s victory and glory,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
FINAL SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or Lenten song may be sung.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US