Information: Choose appropriate hymns that
reflect the theme of water, as new life, cleansing,
etc.
Reading I
Genesis 9: 8 - 15
'This
is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the
covenant between me and you and every living creature with
you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the
covenant between me and the earth.'
Reflection
Noah, his family, and the pairs of living creatures on the
ark have survived the great flood that covered the earth.
They have finally left the ark and emerged on dry ground.
Now God has placed in the sky a beautiful rainbow as a sign
of the covenant between God and his people. Like a wedding
ring, a rainbow is a sign of faithful love.
Question
for Meditation
For
you as a Christian, what waters bring life? For many of the
world’s people, water is very scarce and therefore a
real luxury. We, however, may enjoy water in abundance and
take it for granted. What will you do to show your respect
for the gift of water during this Lenten season?
Psalm
25
R.
Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep
your covenant.
I look to you,
God,
to you the one I trust,
let me not be fooled,
let no one laugh at me!
You never make fools
of those who pray to you.
The fools are the ones
who make empty speeches.
You are the teacher
I want, O God, and yours
are the ways I want.
Teach me to follow you
faithfully for
you are what will save me!
You
are the one I
pray to, day in, day out!
God, stay mindful of
your age old compassion,
your age old kindness
and not the rebel life
I led in my youth,
and when you think of me
keep to your kindness
keep to your loving ways.
The justice of God is
is the justice God shows
to sinful people,
the justice God uses
to guide the gentle,
to teach the poor to live.
The way of kindness
and truth are ways of God
for those who obey.
To be true to yourself,
forgive me my sins,
I know they are many.
If you respect God,
God will guide your choices.
Your life will go well,
your children own the land.
You can be God’s friend
if you respect the law
God reveals to friends.
I look only to God
to free me from
sin.
Take notice
of me, God,
be compassionate,
I am hurt and alone.
I am sore with grief.
Take me away from this.
Look at how my sins
trouble me and lift them.
Look at the number
of enemies I have,
treacherous people.
Give me an honesty, an integrity,
to guard me when I pray.
And free Israel
from her troubles, God!
R/
Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep
your covenant.
Gospel
Mark 1:12 - 15
'This
is the time of fulfilment. The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.'
REFLECTION
'The reign
of God is at hand,' he announced in Galilee, and he called
people to get ready for God's reign by reforming their
lives. Lent can be for us like a new day dawning. It is a
time for a fresh beginning and a renewal of our covenant to
live as God's people.
QUESTIONS
In what ways
do you want Lent to be a new beginning in your life as a
Christian? What will you do to work towards these goals?
Who or what might help you to experience Lent as 'a new day
dawning'?
RESPECTING
THE GIFT OF WATER
Decide
how we might show respect for God's indispensable gift of
water during Lent.
QUIET
REFLECTION & SHARING
INTERCESSIONS
R/
Hear us O Lord we pray.
For
the Church: that we may follow the lead of the Holy Spirit
in reforming our lives and living the gospel more
fully
R/
For the grace of humility: that we may not seek to glorify
ourselves but rather offer God glory and honour for all the
good that is done
R/
For all who gathered here today: that our prayer, fasting
and help for the poor in the coming weeks may create a new
springtime of faith in our lives
R/
For all humanity: that we may respect and honour
God’s covenant with all living creatures and strive
for better protection of the earth from pollution of air,
land and water
R/
For all who are called to the Easter Sacraments: that they
may continue to open their hearts to God and be drawn ever
closer to Christ
R/
For a greater respect for human life, especially by those
who are making decisions about war
R/
OFFERTORY
& COMMUNION
Creativity
Canon
LEADER
We give you thanks and praise, Source of all
Being,
for
a universe beautiful beyond belief, for a world of
possibilities beyond
dreams.
ALL
We praise you for things, rocks and trees, lakes and
fields,
plants
and stars. And we praise you for people who come into
our lives
and
challenge us to grow and to become more fully
human.
LEADER
We praise you for our imaginations, for the ability to
dream
and
conceive of a world in harmony singing your
praises.
ALL
We sing out to you
our thanks and praise, Loving Creator,
because
you are a God of creativity. With all your wondrous
works
we
now joyfully proclaim the words of your prophet
Isaiah:
ALL
Holy, holy, holy
Lord ...
LEADER
We praise you, Loving Creator, that you are a
God
of
dreamers and of visionaries. You allowed Noah to
dream of a world
at
peace with you, and his dream was
fulfilled.
You
gave Abraham and Sarah a vision of a new
people,
numerous
as the stars of heaven, and a nation was
formed.
ALL
Moses, Miriam and
all their people dreamed of freedom,
and
you led them to a land flowing with mild and
honey.
Through
the ages, people have dreamed of seeing
you,
and
you kept your promise fully by giving us your Son,
Jesus.
LEADER
We sing your praises, God our Creator,
because
of the hope we have been given by your Word,
Jesus.
Speaking
your wisdom, he has told us that we are your
children
destined
one day to see you face to face
and
live with you in the kingdom of heaven.
He
has called us blessed if only we be poor in
spirit,
peacemakers,
seekers after justice, and merciful toward all
people.
ALL
We praise you, Source of all Life, because Jesus has given
us the Spirit
that
we might dream dreams and experience a new
hope
in
the fullness of life and love.
LEADER
We now remember that night when Jesus shared his
vision
giving
us proof of his abiding love for us. While he was at supper
with his friends,
he
took bread, broke it, and gave it to them after the
blessing, saying:
Share
this bread among you. This is my body, broken for
you.
After
the meal, he said another blessing over a cup of
wine:
Drink
from this cup, all of you. This is the new covenant in my
blood,
poured
out for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you share this
meal,
do
it in memory of me.
ALL
Loving God,
gathered around this table, we call to
mind
the
life Jesus lived among us. We celebrate the death when he
accepted
in
fidelity to your will and out of love for us. We remember
his victory over death
which
has made us men and women free to dream. We recall that he
returned to you
and
sent the Holy Spirit to be our source of strength and
courage and vision.
In
the spirit of his perfect prayer of love to you, accept
this bread
of
heaven and cup of salvation.
LEADER
We give you thanks and praise, O God, and joyfully
proclaim
the
great mystery of our faith:
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
ALL
Help us to be open that we might receive your
Spirit.
May
this Holy Spirit be a presence in our lives and form us
into
a
People of God, a nation of believers who will proclaim to
all the world
that
everything is possible for those who love
you.
We
make our prayer through Jesus Christ, your
Son.
Through Christ,
with Christ,
in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours,
almighty God,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Adapted
from Paul Roy, S.J.
CLOSING
RESPONSE:
The child I
was
is crying in
my
lap and I
am
embracing him
I am father
now
of him and
will
not laugh
when
he tells me
he
is afraid
of
his wishes
and
his dreams
the child I
was
is crying in
my
lap and I
am
embracing him
J.
Janda, IN
EMBRACE
Br. Nick Morris (Rome)