Fourth Sunday of Lent
Jeremiah, Chapter
10, Verse 5-7
5
Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, they cannot speak; They must be
carried about, for they cannot walk. Do not fear
them, they can do no harm, neither can they do good. 6 No
one is like you, LORD, you are great, great and mighty is your name. 7
Who would not fear you, King of the
nations, for it is your due!
Among all the wisest of the nations, and
in all their domains, there is none like you.
Our idols are not real they are like scarecrows
appearing real but are not. Yet, even in our foolishness the Lord our God calls
us to His service. This is the message of St. Therese of Lisieux that we are
all called and we should have great confidence and humility seeking to bring
the kingdom in small ways and asking our Lord to multiply our efforts. The
greatest way we can bring about the Kingdom is in our own families. This is the
reason Pope Francis made such efforts to attend the family symposium in
Philadelphia in 2015.
Yes, families are under attack from a secular world,
a media that continually pushes instant gratification and sensuality and of
course Satan and his followers.
The final battle between the Lord and the reign of
Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid because Our
Lady has already crushed his head and anyone who works for the sanctity of
marriage and the family will always be fought and opposed in every way. (Sister Lucia of Fatima)
Our Lord will not abandon us and tells us to trust
in him.
Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on
your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No
circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on
what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make
excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. (Diary of Sister
Faustina, 1685)
Preparing for Battle[1] Know Your Weapons
The weapon of Sacred Sacramentals
·
Sacramentals
include certain actions, such as the Sign of the Cross and other blessings, as
well as objects that have been blessed, such as holy water, oil, salt, candles,
incense, rosaries, crucifixes, scapulars, and religious images.
·
In
an exorcism, the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus
Christ that a person or object be protected against the Devil’s power and
withdrawn from his dominion.
·
The
Sign of the Cross is the most terrible weapon against the Devil.
·
The
Church displays images of the cross so that we can have it continually in front
of our minds to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost
Jesus Christ.
·
Blessings
and blessed objects. Both the blessings that are properly given by clergy (such
as those in the Liturgy) and the blessings spoken by lay people as part of
their daily lives (such as a table grace) are important sacramentals.
Today imagine that God came to
you and said you can move back time for one hour for any moment in your life. What
would you change? Think of that before going to confession.
Fourth Sunday of Lent (a.k.a.
Laetare, or Mid-Lent Sunday)[2]
A note of joy is struck, for having died to sin with
Christ during Lent, we will rise again with Him and be part of His mystical
Body, the Church which is the new Jerusalem. Thus the Introit: "Rejoice,
Jerusalem."
The Second Scrutiny
On
this Sunday is celebrated the second scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of
the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian
Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Invitation
to Silent Prayer
After
the homily the elect and their godparents come before the celebrant. The
celebrant first addresses the assembly of the faithful, inviting them to pray
in silence. The celebrant invites the elect to pray.
Celebrant: Elect of God, bow your heads (or kneel
down) and pray. (While prayer is being said for the elect, the godparents place
their right hand on the shoulder of the one they are sponsoring.
All
pray for some time in silence. Then the community and the elect stand for the
intercessions.)
Intercessions
for the Elect
The
celebrant addresses the assembly of the faithful in the following words.
Celebrant: Let us pray for these elect whom God has
called, that they may remain faithful to him and boldly give witness to the
words of eternal life.
Reader: That, trusting in the truth of
Christ, they may find freedom of mind and heart and preserve it always, let us
pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader: That, preferring the folly of the
cross to the wisdom of the world, they may glory in God alone, let us pray to
the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader: That freed by the power of the
Spirit, they may put all fear behind
them and press forward with confidence, let us pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader: That transformed in the Spirit, they
may seek those things that are holy and just, let us pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader:
That all who suffers persecution for Christ’s name may find their strength in
him; let us pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader:
That those families and nations prevented from embracing the faith may be
granted freedom to believe the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Reader:
That we who are faced with the values of the world may remain faithful to the
spirit of the Gospel, let us pray to the Lord: R. Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader:
That the whole world, which the Father so loves, may attain in the Church
complete spiritual freedom, let us pray to the Lord:
R. Lord, hear our
prayer.
Daily Devotions
·
Manhood of
the Master-Day 1 week 7
·
Do
40 min. in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
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