March 8
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
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Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Sandy & Peter Opperman / Janice Passonno
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heaven the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19
R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R. From all their distress God rescues the just.
Gospel Acclamation
Matthew 4:4b
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Gospel
Matthew 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
“If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
“From all their distress God rescues the just.”
Reflection
I don’t think that it is an overstatement to say that without Jesus and the things that he did for us, we would not be able to attain life in heaven with God. The whole plan that God devised for our salvation hinges on the presence of Jesus in the world, preaching the Kingdom, suffering and dying for our sins, and rising once again to defeat death once and for all. Our readings today are a testimony to Jesus’ presence in our history, and a summary of how God loves us so much that He sent His only son to us. For example, in the beginning of John’s gospel, we are told; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That Word is referenced in the first reading from Isaiah today. God tells us that the Word that comes from his mouth will make the earth fruitful and fertile, giving seed and bread. This Word is Jesus, and the bread that is spoken of is the Eucharist that we consume at each Mass. This Eucharistic meal is part and parcel of the plan that will ultimately bring us to everlasting life in heaven.
In the gospel, Jesus teaches us that our prayers to God don’t have to be elaborate or long. He gives us the best prayer that we could think of in the Our Father. This wonderful prayer encompasses everything we might ever say to God in order to find enlightenment and strength. Many people have done analyses of the Our Father and have detailed the different ways it addresses our situation with God, the things we need to obtain and the things we need to do to gain eternal life. Louis De Montfort, one of the great Catholic writers says of the Our Father; “The Our Father contains all the duties we owe to God, the acts of all the virtues and the petitions for all our spiritual and corporal needs.” If we had no other prayers to say, the Our Father would sustain us on our trip to heaven. Let us continue to pray this prayer and to follow God’s plan for our lives.
Peace,
Deacon Dare
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