A LENTEN PENITENTIAL SERVICE - (For you at home)

A LENTEN PENITENTIAL SERVICE - In preparation for Holy Week and Easter.

(For you at home)

Readings:
FIRST READING: James 2:14-26/
PSALM: 106:6-10, 13-14, 19-22. "Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people."
GOSPEL: LUKE 15:4-7.

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Photo ID: 722119933. Jesus Christ crucifix cross on heaven sunrise concept, forgiving, Christian worship. By Art Stocker
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for A LENTEN PENITENTIAL SERVICE - In preparation for Holy Week and Easter. (For you at home), by clicking this link here:   https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-lenten-penitential-service-in-preparation-for-holy-week-2020/s-tJqjXYkBww4    
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In preparation for Holy Week and Easter …
We have been doing acts of penance, prayer and good works so that we may celebrate the joy Christ's victory at Easter, with minds and hearts made pure…

Since the pandemic has seriously restricted our ability to gather together physically, we unite in mind, spirit and heart instead, (in union with Christ)…  and given that the sacrament of penance is no available to the people… we celebrate this special penitential service…   which is an act of perfect contrition for all our sins..    Christ hears the voice of the repentant sinner…  and so we trust in his abundant mercy,… 
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In the name of the Father, (+) and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
Greetings.
Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christs greater mercy.

I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* .......

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.  Amen.
Lord Have Mercy
Christ Have Mercy
Lord Have Mercy

My brothers and sisters, we have, at times, neglected the gifts of our baptism and fallen into sin. Let us ask God to renew his grace within us as we turn to him in repentance.
Let us Bow our heads before God.
All pray in silence for a brief period.
 
Lord Jesus,
you redeemed us by your passion
and raised us to new life in baptism.
Protect us with your unchanging love
and share with us the joy of your resurrection,
for you live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
 
First Reading
A reading from the Letter of saint James 2:14-26  
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill', and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
 
But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.  
Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.  
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness', and he was called the friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  
Likewise, was not Rahab also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
The word of the Lord.  
Thanks be to God.
 
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 106:6-10, 13-14, 19-22
R. Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people.
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress
and he led them along the right way,
to reach a city they could dwell in. 
 
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men:
for he satisfies the thirsty soul;
he fills the hungry with good things. 
 
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He led them forth from darkness and gloom
and broke their chains to pieces. 
Then they cried to the Lord in their need
and he rescued them from their distress.
He sent forth his word to heal them
and saved their life from the grave. 

Let them thank the Lord for his love,
for the wonders he does for men.
Let them offer a sacrifice of thanks
and tell of his deeds with rejoicing.

Lord, remember us, for the love you bear your people.
 
Gospel
Luke 15:4-7
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Jesus spoke this parable to them: 'What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? 'Rejoice with me,' he would say, 'I have found my sheep that was lost.' In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.'
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Homily
When we were baptised…God made a solemn promise to us.  As the waters of baptism poured over us, God said…  this day I make you my son/  my daughter….   – God truly loves us as a loving parent loved their child….     It is our delight and our duty to fulfil this wonderful gift and grace of baptism by living faithfully the Gospel of Christ.   God's promise of eternal parenthood to us, and his promise of complete faithfulness with us through our whole life journey and into the eternal life of the Heavenly banquet, was no mere words…   it was not empty show….   God means what God does and God fulfils what God promises.  Without doubt.  So too, the promises made at our own baptism by our parents and godparents. or by ourselves and our sponsors for those baptised in adulthood…  these promises are real and solid…. 

The first reading reminds us that we are children of God in fact, as well as name.  And that our membership of God's family needs to show itself in actions and consistent attitudes and values.  and not merely words or hollow rituals…   The Sacraments are alive with the power of God's Spirit. and the source of all the sacraments is from the power and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit given over-flowingly in Baptism… we become grafted onto Christ.  joined to him forever…  what an absolute joy. What a priceless treasure…  

We have to be so careful of two extremes. Both are very bad and harmful to us in so many ways.

The first extreme is to take for granted our membership as a daughter or son of God.  We are not part time members of Christ…  occasional friends of Jesus…  we are friends, heirs and servants of the living God…   We therefore take very seriously God's direction to us that we must take our gifts and make use of them for the good of God's Kingdom.  As we heard in James' letter…   faith without good works is entirely dead.   Discipleship of Christ and membership of God's family is utterly hollow if it doesn't show itself in attitudes, actions and decisions consistent with Our Father's Kingdom. Practical actions of kindness, love, mercy and charity…  Our actions are united with the loving heart of Our Lord Jesus.

Whenever we fail and sin (when we fall). and at times when we make very poor choices or actions, the other extreme, (to be carefully avoided), is to be so "down on ourselves"..  That we cannot forgive ourselves … or we effectively refuse to allow God to give us the forgiveness that God can and does want to give us.      It is a serious and false humility to not accept God's forgiveness and mercy when it is offered.   IF God has forgiven us, we are truly forgiven indeed!   Who are we to say that God cannot or will not forgive us for our sins?   Are we greater than the God of all creation?  If I say to God, I have sinned and then say, Lord you are unable to forgive me for this, I do not deserve to be forgiven …  then I can add pride and arrogance to my sins…  For the constant message of the bible and Christ's good news is that he is the loving parent of the prodigal child who looks out for the return of his errant child day and night.. and runs to meet him when he finally and sheepishly (and possibly half-heartedly) returns..  /  like the Gospel…   Our loving God is NOT content with 99% of the sheep safe and sound…  but will not be satisfied until he searches for and finds that lost 1% and brings them home safe too.    

Today we praise the unlimited mercy of our God and Father who continually welcomes those who turn back to him after having sinned (see Luke 15);
The upcoming season of Easter (even as celebrated in these extraordinary and difficult times) remains the feast when the Church rejoices over the newness of life, and eternal life, in Christ, won for us by the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

 
Examination of Conscience
The Lord says: 'Love one another as I have loved you.'

Have I a genuine love for my neighbours? Or do I sometimes use my neighbour for my own ends, or do to them what I would not want done to myself? Have I given poor example or scandal by my words or actions?

In my family life, have I contributed to the well-being and happiness of the rest of the family by patience, kindness and genuine love? Have I been obedient to parents, showing them proper respect and giving them help in their spiritual and material needs? Have I been careful to give a Christian upbringing to those in my care, and to help them by good example and by exercising authority as a parent or carer or mentor? Have I been faithful in my heart and in my relations with others?

Do I share my possessions with the less fortunate? Do I do my best to help the victims of oppression, misfortune, and poverty? Re there times I have looked down on my neighbour, especially the poor, the sick, the elderly, strangers, and people of other races?

Does my life reflect the mission I received in confirmation? Do I share in the missionary and charitable works of the Church and in the life of the parish? Have I helped to meet the needs of the Church and of the world and prayed for them: for unity in the Church, for the spread of the Gospel among the nations, for peace and justice…..?

Am I concerned for the good and prosperity of the human community in which I live, or do I spend much of my time focusing only on myself? Do I share to the best of my ability in the work of promoting justice, morality, harmony, and love in human relations? Have I done my duty as a citizen? In times of ability, have I paid what is my due to the society I live in?

In my work or profession am I just, hard-working, honest, serving society out of love for others? Have I been faithful to my promises and contracts?

Have I obeyed legitimate authority and given due respect to its laws for the good of the community?

In any position of responsibility or authority, do I use this for the good of others, in a spirit of service, or for my own purposes?

Have I been truthful and fair, or have I injured others by deceit, calumny, detraction, rash judgment, or violation of a secret?

Have I stolen the property of others? Have I desired material things unjustly and inordinately? Have I damaged things of others or failed to show care to property I am responsible for? Have I made restitution of other people's property and made good their loss?

If I have been injured, have I been ready to make peace for the love of Christ and to forgive, or do I harbour hatred and the desire for revenge?

Where is my life really leading me? Is the hope of eternal life my inspiration? Have I tried to grow in the life of the Spirit through prayer, reading the word of God and meditating on it, receiving the sacraments, self-denial? Have I been anxious to control my vices, my bad inclinations and passions, e.g. envy, love of food and drink? Have I been proud and boastful, thinking myself better in the sight of God and despising others as less important than myself? Have I imposed my own will on others, without respecting their freedom and rights?

What use have I made of time, of health and strength, of the gifts God has given me to be used like the talents in the Gospel?  Or have I been slack and too much given to leisure?

Have I been patient in accepting the sorrows and disappointments of life?

Have I always tried to act in the true freedom of the sons of God according to the law of the Spirit, or am I the slave of forces within me?
Act of Repentance
My brothers and sisters, the hour of God's favour draws near, the day of his mercy and of our salvation, when death was destroyed and eternal life began. This is the season for planting new vines in God's vineyard, the time for pruning the vines to ensure a richer harvest.
We all acknowledge that we are sinners. We are moved to penance, encouraged by the example and prayers of our brothers and sisters. We admit our guilt and say: 'Lord, I acknowledge my sins; my offences are always before me. Turn away your face, Lord, from my sins, and blot out all my wrong-doing. Give me back the joy of your salvation and give me a new and steadfast spirit.'
We are sorry for having offended God by our sins. May he be merciful and hear us as we ask to be restored to his friendship and numbered among the living who share the joy of Christ's risen life.
 
Cleanse us, Lord, from all our sins;
Wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow.
 
 
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.
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 our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
 
 LORD'S PRAYER
HAIL MARY

The Lord be with you….
 
SOLEMN BLESSING //
 
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord BY your life! 
 
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References:


Fr Paul W. Kelly

Liturgy Adapted from texts in the Rite of Penance Book Appendix II Sample Penitential Services.  PENITENTIAL CELEBRATIONS DURING LENT. First Example. –adapted- "Penance leads to a strengthening of baptismal grace."). App. Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship. Trans. ICEL. Australian Episcopal Conference. 1975.

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. Photo ID: 722119933. Jesus Christ crucifix cross on heaven sunrise concept, forgiving, Christian worship. By Art Stocker
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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com

To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection"  - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Liturgy Adapted from texts in the Rite of Penance Book Appendix II Sample Penitential Services.  PENITENTIAL CELEBRATIONS DURING LENT. First Example. –adapted- "Penance leads to a strengthening of baptismal grace."). App. Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship. Trans. ICEL. Australian Episcopal Conference. 1975
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989,  and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963 The Grail - Collins publishers. 
Have Mercy – Song based on Psalm 50. Music by Paul Kelly. Added lyrics and arrangement and sung by Stefan Kelk. 2020.
May God bless and keep you.